Recently, the Saskatchewan government authorized $4.6 billion in spending, without any legislative oversight听and without any clarity on the government鈥檚 plan to help Saskatchewan households and businesses get back on their feet in this difficult time.听
听
As the province takes our first steps towards opening up parts of our economy, it is time to open up the legislature and for Saskatchewan people to receive a full accounting of the state of the province鈥檚 finances and of our economy.听
听
The budget projection numbers released last month by Premier Moe and the finance minister do not include an accounting of additional spending that will be required to strengthen our province as we recover from the initial impact of this shock. They are projections only of how much revenue the province may lose 鈥� not how much additional spending the province will take on in their response.听
听
And we need additional spending from the province right now. To put more money in the pockets of families that are struggling. To support local workers and businesses. To invest in infrastructure to create jobs with a SaskFirst procurement plan. And to provide new funding for health care, municipalities and supports for the most vulnerable to match the scale of the challenges we face.听
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This is not the time to look for ways to cut. This is the time to invest in people. We need to do everything we can to put people first during this unprecedented time. If we don鈥檛, it will cost us far more in the long run and hurt our province鈥檚 ability to recover from the damage COVID-19 is doing to people and our economy.听
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The provincial government owes it to the people of Saskatchewan to put forward a plan and the legislature is the place to do it 鈥� the only place that allows for the oversight and scrutiny required. People have a right to know the full picture when it comes to the state of our finances and what is on the horizon in terms of economic conditions, including the challenges facing local jobs and businesses.听
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Those numbers aren鈥檛 just statistics 鈥� they represent real people and families and are the measures of whether people in our province are making ends meet or falling through the cracks.听
听
New Democrats have offered to be a part of developing the best plan to fight COVID-19 and protect lives and livelihoods, but the premier has turned down that offer time and time again.听
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We will continue to make constructive proposals and we stand ready to do that work in the spirit of collaboration. But we need the government to tell us when they will present their full budget and their plan for how to respond to the long-term economic shocks of COVID-19 and low oil prices in the Legislative Assembly.
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