Government Focused on Keeping Promises and Saskatchewan Strong, NDP Sends Troubling Signals to Job Creators

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Premier Brad Wall and our team of Saskatchewan Party MLAs wrapped up the spring sitting of the Legislature today by reviewing our promises kept since the election campaign and how the budget will continue to keep Saskatchewan strong.

Promises kept during this legislative session include the Highways 2020 surge – record levels of highways funding - to fix even more Saskatchewan roads, a First Home Plan allowing young people to use up to $10,000 of their Graduate Retention Program credits towards the down payment on a first home – now with already 230 new, young homeowners benefitting from the program, and moving forward on converting 40 government liquor stores, and adding 12 new private stores to communities where demand has grown, providing greater choice and convenience for consumers.

The budget presented keeps taxes low, makes record investment in infrastructure and controls government spending. During these challenging economic times, Saskatchewan will maintain its advantage to continue attracting people, investment and jobs.

In fact, Saskatchewan continues to attract investment; recent announcements from Husky Energy, Crescent Point Energy, RII North America, K+S Potash, BHP Billiton and Raging River Exploration to name a few for over $8 billion in new investment.  Investment made because of sound fiscal management and a strong economic outlook for Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile the NDP have been busy sending some alarming signals to job creators and to Saskatchewan’s entire economy.

Here’s a few of their actions since the election:

  • Hiring a new Chief of Staff from Ottawa NDP leader Thomas Mulcair’s office that actively campaigned against the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Keystone XL pipeline
  • Appointing a Finance critic who voted to support the Leap Manifesto as a “high-level statement of principles” which advocates a shutdown of energy production, modern agriculture and wants to rip up all trade deals
  • Appointing a signatory of the Leap Manifesto to co-chair the NDP “renewal” process
  • Voting against a new patent box tax incentive for innovators in the province to help diversify the economy
  • Refusing to even debate a motion in the Legislature supporting an oil well cleanup program that would get hundreds in Saskatchewan's energy sector back to work.
  • Calling a policy to allow home-based food producers to sell directly to businesses and clients “half-baked” and mocking the contributions of these entrepreneurs to our economy

These signals and policy positions from the NDP would give any potential investor and job creator in the province more than a little pause.

The NDP then called for more spending on pretty much everything. Their own election platform called for a health spending increase of only 0.8%, compared to the budget increase of 1.1%. That didn’t stop the NDP from suddenly changing their tune and saying that “anything short of 6% would effectively be a cut”.

Their diatribe also extended to the government’s funding to Education. While the NDP loved to criticize the 7.8% Education funding increase (operating and capital) in the budget, they also conveniently left out the fact that their Education funding from the election campaign was only 2.6%, a 5.2% cut from what is actually being spent.

So while trying to forget the election just 3 short months ago ever happened, the NDP faces a significant credibility gap when trying to talk about these issues.  Even media outlets in Saskatchewan agree that the NDP are directionless and lacking leadership and credibility on important issues facing the province.

It’s no wonder Saskatchewan people have placed their confidence in a vision and bright future for our province that keeps taxes low, controls spending, invests in infrastructure, and ensures help for our most vulnerable to keep Saskatchewan strong.