‘Awful:’ Sask. NDP says deficit shouldn’t have been a surprise

The Saskatchewan NDP pointed to the provincial government’s mid-year financial report on Monday, calling it evidence of the government’s awful fiscal management, awful projections, and propensity to waste money.

“I think what’s really telling is that somehow this $1.3-billion correction snuck up on this premier and the minister, and while we’re now launched into a deficit, this is a government that continues to waste hard-earned public dollars on extravagances like the pavilion in Dubai, overpriced hotels, on the runaway costs associated with mismanaged IT projects and so much more,” said NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon.

On Monday, the provincial government unveiled updated books that show its finances went from a projected $1-billion surplus in the spring to an expected $250-million deficit.

Much of the blame for the downturn in the province’s coffers was placed on a lower price and demand for potash, and high spending on agriculture because of the summer drought.

Wotherspoon said the government should have been properly partnering and collaborating with industry and with producers.

“It’s been a very serious drought that many producers have faced for multiple years,” he said.

If it had done that, Wotherspoon said the government would have been able to project the finances better instead of seeing this big swing.

“Too often this government thinks that they all know best and all the decisions are being made out of Sask. Party headquarters or this premier’s office instead of working collaboratively with Saskatchewan people,” he explained.

He said whether times are good or bad fiscally, what a government has to do is make sure it’s a good steward of public resources, and this government wastes Saskatchewan’s tax dollars.