The Sask. Party government and the Opposition NDP went back-and-forth on the subject of affordability during Question Period this week.
NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon accused the government of not providing relief for people at a time when the cost of living, and commodity prices, are rising due to factors including the war in Ukraine.
In response, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer says the government has always considered affordability, noting a combined $2-billion in initiatives that either directly pays citizens or foregoes revenue to make that expense less.
Wotherspoon responded by saying if the list of initiatives were good enough, people wouldn’t be suffering today.
Wotherspoon introduced an Emergency Motion to call on the government to “suspend or rebate provincial fuel tax collection for the first quarter of the 2022-23 fiscal year.”
However, the motion was defeated according to minutes from the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly website.
In the same release reacting to the defeated motion, NDP Leader Ryan Meili said “This government has been given ample opportunities to step up, show some leadership and help the many families struggling with gas and groceries. Time and time again, they’ve shown that they’re out of touch with the realities facing Saskatchewan people.”