The opposition NDP were swift to condemn the provincial budget brought down by Finance Minister Donna Harpauer on Wednesday.
The NDP issued a news release in which they deemed the provincial budget “off-balance and out of touch.”
“According to the Saskatchewan NDP, today’s provincial budget fails to live up to its only promise: balance,” they stated. “Meanwhile, it has nothing to offer the majority of Saskatchewan people, who are struggling, and leaves Saskatchewan students, families and seniors paying the price for the government’s cuts.”
Opposition leader Ryan Meili pointed to the growth of the province’s debt by $1.8 million and noted that the debt had tripled over the previous decade.
“Far too many people are paying far too much so this government can pat themselves on the back with false celebrations of balance,” said Meili in a news release.
In his response, Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon said there was nothing in the budget for the majority of Saskatchewan people.
“They’ve tripled the debt, doubled the PST, flattened the economy, and left students without the supports they need,” Wotherspoon said in a statement.
“There’s nothing here for working families who are, frankly, more worried about balancing their own budgets than the province’s,” he stated. “There is nothing here for children, nothing for young people and families, nothing for seniors, nothing for people who are worried about losing their job, nothing for the North, and nothing for First Nations and Métis people.
“This is an off-balance budget that’s out of touch with Saskatchewan.”
