Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government will table a deficit budget next month, citing economic uncertainty across the country as the reason for increased spending.
Turbulent trade relations between Canada and the United States, along with ongoing tariffs in China and India, are among the reasons Moe attributes the province’s revenue challenges to.
“We are in a very challenging time financially, both nationally and at the provincial level. Provincial, sub-national, and national governments are faced with choices that they are going to have to make,” said Moe, speaking to reporters Tuesday following a luncheon speech held by North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA).
Moe points to British Columbia’s recently-tabled budget — one that projects a $13.3 billion deficit — as evidence of the economic pressures provinces are currently facing, but adds that Saskatchewan’s deficit won’t be as significant.
“I don’t think you’re going to see anything like that, whether it be in the existing budget or in next year’s budget,” he said.
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Raising taxes is not in the cards for the province, said Moe, adding that his government is taking an approach of protecting services instead.
“We are going to make the choice to protect Saskatchewan services, whether that’s health care, whether it’s community safety and investing in keeping our Saskatchewan communities and families safe, as well as education, highways and such,” he said.
A renewed focus on improving health care is also on the table, with Moe saying his government will look into innovations in how health care is provided rather than join the debate over whether it is delivered privately or publicly.
Moe said his government will look into virtual health care innovations so that “everyone in the province does have access to a primary health care provider.”
The province’s Opposition is blasting the government’s latest spending, saying the debt is growing uncontrollably.
“It’s difficult to say what to expect, because frankly I don’t trust this government’s ability to bring a real budget forward or to deliver the full financial picture of the province,” said Carla Beck, Saskatchewan Opposition leader.
Last year, the province budgeted for a $12-million surplus, but this spiralled into the red when the province reported a $427-million deficit in its mid-year budget update in November.
Earlier this month, the province approved $654.7 million in spending through executive orders. The Opposition criticized this spending last week, saying it pushes the province’s deficit close to $1 billion.
Moe would not say whether the budget is approaching a $1 billion deficit and defended these special warrants, saying they are widely used by governments and are not new.
“The province utilizes special warrants, the federal government utilizes special warrants, and then it’s accounted for each and every quarter,” he said.
“If it wasn’t accounted for in the quarter of the reports, then we’d have a problem, but it is each and every time.”
Saskatchewan’s spring legislative session kicks off on March 2, with the budget expected to be tabled on March 18.
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