The Official Opposition believes the provincial budget fails to meet the moment, failing to invest in families, health and our children’s futures.
Leader Carla Beck says despite sitting on massive resource revenues, there is no tax relief, no new tax credits or benefits for families, and no reversal of the recent energy and power rate hikes.
She points out that individuals on the Saskatchewan Income Support benefit, the Saskatchewan Assistance Program and the Saskatchewan Assured Income Disability support program received what works out to a dollar a day increase at a time when there is a rise in homelessness and food insecurity. Beck adds that even with many advocates urging for scrapping the PST on construction labour, there were no changes to the tax.
Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon says there is no new cost of living relief for families struggling to pay their bills. He says, “This government is choosing to pull cash out of our Crown Corporations while hiking power and energy bills of Saskatchewan people. He adds that the government has eroded affordability in the province, without the wage growth other provinces have had
The NDP would like to have seen tax cuts and lower power and energy bills, education funding that keeps pace with inflation and emergency funding to prevent tuition hikes.
(CJWW)