REGINA - The provincial budget easily passed last week at the Saskatchewan Legislature.
The main motion, “That the Assembly approves in general the budgetary policy of the government,” easily made it through Thursday with the Sask Party majority voting in favor by a 32-22 vote.
An amendment from the opposition New Democrats that the Assembly had lost confidence in the government also failed by that same 32-22 margin.
Prior to the vote, Premier Scott Moe spoke during the final debate on the budget Thursday.
Moe praised the budget as “coming very much from a position of strength and using the strength of the Saskatchewan economy that has been very much the focus of this government for 18 years now, Mr. Speaker.
“Very much the focus of the previous leader, myself, and all of those that have served as 小蓝视频s and as ministers over that period of time, engaging in those trade relationships, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that we have access to those 160 countries where we’re providing products. Why does that matter? So that we could make those investments on behalf of Saskatchewan people in those four aforementioned areas, Mr. Speaker, which are their priorities and of which they’ve told us those are our priorities. That’s action, Mr. Speaker, and all we hear from the members opposite is talk.
“Mr. Speaker, this is a budget most certainly, most certainly that I am proud to support because of what it delivers to Saskatchewan families that each and every one of us on this side of the House — and collectively in this House — represent, Mr. Speaker.”
Throughout the debate, the government has pointed to the budget as delivering on priorities including health, education, affordability and community safety.
Still, the 2025-26 budget was not without controversy, with plenty of questions still 小蓝视频 posed about its projected $12 million surplus. There was also controversy over the lack of a dedicated contingency fund to address tariffs from President Donald Trump.
New Democrats had openly called for the budget to be withdrawn. At a media event Wednesday, Finance critic Trent Wotherspoon went so far as to put the printed budget document through a shredding machine.
Wotherspoon said the budget “doesn’t incorporate or plan for any of the impacts of threats and tariffs on Saskatchewan’s economy, producers or workers… It doesn’t meet the moment, doesn’t reflect the reality that we face, certainly doesn’t focus on the future and really it’s not worth the paper that it’s printed on.”
There were also questions for Premier Moe about what the budget impact would be after Moe announced that the province would be getting rid of its industrial carbon tax as of April 1.
At a news conference Thursday, Moe insisted there would an immaterial effect on the budget. He said there would be a consultation process with industry on how they would exit that program.
“As we go through the consultation with industry — understanding how the dollars flow not only through Saskatchewan, but how they flow even through other levels of government, through other industries across Canada — there is a much larger and much more complex answer to what the exit of this policy and this tax, a hidden tax on Canadians will actually mean,” said Moe.
“All of it positive if we are able to regulate it at the provincial level. As I said in Saskatchewan, we would look at bringing that to zero and are going to do so on April 1. Across Canada, you might see a different answer to that; you might see the freezing of that rate. Some might even be escalating it. Some might escalate it in certain industries, but not others. Herein lies the opportunity for us as a very diverse, even culturally, nation, but also diverse economically to make very good regional decisions that are in the best interest collectively of all Canadians. There is an opportunity here for both of our national leaders that can become Prime Minister to be very clear in this space.”
The NDP responded saying that removing the industrial carbon tax would blow a $432 million hole in the budget. When speaking to reporters Thursday, NDP Leader Carla Beck was asked whether she also thought, like Moe, that the carbon tax removal would have an immaterial effect on the budget.
“Well, I think that question, I certainly know what I think the answer to that is,” said Beck.
“And I think that I know what the people of Saskatchewan are going to say when they see, again, the government blowing a half a billion dollar hole in their budget, and then with a straight face trying to sell that they continue to have a surplus budget. I think that not only defies the reality that we face, I think it's frankly insulting to the intelligence of people in this province.”
Even though the budget has now passed in the Legislative Assembly the NDP has not given up the fight.
On Monday morning came word from the NDP that they planned to bring an emergency motion to the floor of the Assembly demanding a new budget after the Sask Party cut $432 million in revenue. The motion will call for Finance Minister Reiter to draft a new budget with a new fiscal forecast.
It is not expected that this emergency motion will get very far, with the Sask Party majority not likely to even approve hearing the motion on the floor of the Assembly Monday.
