The Official Opposition is reacting the 2018-2019 budget.
The NDP’s Cathy Sproule addressed several topics including in this years budget, including that of education.
Despite the government re-investing 30 million dollars back into the school operating budget, she says it’s a disappointment, as funds should be restored to what they were in 2016.
“It’s kind of like if you picked my pocket for a dollar then offered me 50 cents, I should be happy about it?” Sproule questioned. “This is definitely a negative track that the (Saskatchewan Party) government is on for education funding.”
Sproule says classrooms are filling quickly and more schools needed province wide.
Sproule would like to see an approach similar to ones taken by previous NDP governments in prior budgets, where she says they were balanced and reigned in.
She also noted one of the items causing contention was how the government addressed cannabis within the budget.
Finance Minister Harpauer says it wasn’t included because the government didn’t project high enough revenue due to implementation timing.
However, Sproule says she’s not buying that.
“I think it’s annoying that they haven’t even made an effort to include some forecasting for both the revenues from cannabis sales and the expenses that we’ll be facing.” said Sproule.
She says there needs to be some sort of costing mechanism in place and says the government’s action on this is “incomplete” and “disappointing.”
(CKRM)
