Saskatchewan NDP criticizes $650M in pre-budget spending

The Sask. NDP is questioning why more than $650M in spending was approved by the Sask. Party ahead of the provincial budget. Damian Smith reports.

The Saskatchewan NDP is criticizing a recent move by the provincial government, namely, the introduction of $650 million in spending just weeks before the provincial budget.

“When it comes to Scott Moe’s debt and deficit, it is Saskatchewan people who continue to pay the price. Tax, squander and repeat,” Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck told reporters on Wednesday.

“This is a government stuck in a rut and pushing on the gas.”

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During the event, Beck shone a light on the province’s use of special warrants over the recent long weekend. The Opposition leader believed the move was strategic.

A special warrant is a financial mechanism used by provincial governments to authorize spending whenever a legislature is not in session.

In a statement to media outlets on Wednesday morning, the provincial government touted past election promises, such as the personal income tax reduction plan.

With health care as a primary focus, Beck said that healthcare funding is not something the government has been efficient with.

“This government has a long history of dumping money into solving problems that Saskatchewan people only see the service deteriorate,” she said.

Of the $650 million in funding, the Ministry of Health received $338 million dollars.

“Throughout the entire budget year, the NDP has been demanding that the government spend more in our health care system and other important services, in addition to protecting Saskatchewan’s economy from the Trump tariffs,” the province said in its response.

“Now, after the government has done exactly that, the NDP is demanding that we cut spending,”

The Opposition NDP is calling on the province to release its third quarter financial statement immediately. Beck suspects the deficit will increase after the special warrants, with a potential of over $1 billion.

The special warrants were divided amongst 12 different sections. They include:

• Ministry of Health - $338 million
• Ministry of Advanced Education - $2.2 million
• Ministry Agriculture - $103.8 million
• Ministry of Community Safety - $43.9 million
• Ministry of Education - $36.4 million
• Ministry of Energy and Resources - $2 million
• Ministry of Finance - $16.2 million
• Ministry of Highways - $26.2 million
• Ministry of Immigration and Career Training - $1.9 million
• Ministry of Justice and Attorney General - $9.1 million
• Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport - $310,000
• Ministry of Social Services - $75 million