The spring session of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly came to a close last Thursday with members from both the government and opposition claiming success on the issues they have brought forward the past two months along with frustration toward views coming from the other side.
Saskatchewan Party MLA Greg Brkich, who represents Arm River, said the government has helped the people of this province this spring by bringing in a balanced budget, introducing private liquor stores and looking into new laws to improve safety in highway construction zones. He said the party, which holds 49 of the 58 seats in the legislature, has not confronted many difficulties this past session putting forward its mandate other than “a few concerns with health and a little bit with highways,” but those issues have been addressed.
“Calls to the office have been very light with concerns,” said Brkich. “We get a lot of compliments on the direction that our government is going in, which is the economy. We still have the strongest economy in Canada and that is what people are most favourable of, having a good strong economy.”
Brkich said the New Democratic Party’s spring concerns about the long-term care conditions for seniors is a falsehood considering “they never did anything for the 16 years they were in (power for long-term care),” while the Sask. Party government has announced 13 new long-term care facilities in an attempt to play “catch up” with the needed infrastructure due to NDP neglect. He cited the new long-term care facility in Watrous along with the other 12 “that are being built and being close to finished” as how the government is addressing the problem of the condition of current long-term care.
The NDP and independent provincial auditor’s demands for greater transparency when it comes to the government’s use of two sets of books to determine the province’s finances come budget time was also dismissed by Brkich. He said using a single set of books to determine the province’s finances is “up to the finance minister,” but for him showing a balance on both the general revenue and the summaries provides a better argument.
“The general revenue is your day-to-day money that is coming in,” he said. “It’s your day-to-day expenses. The summary is more of your long-term, so actually looking at the two gives you a better picture of what’s happening in Saskatchewan rather than just having one set of books.”
Cam Broten, leader of the Saskatchewan NDP and MLA for Saskatoon Massey Place, said his party has voiced the concerns of many Saskatchewan people during his first session as leader of the official opposition including the lack of transparency displayed by the government in respect to the province’s $19 billion debt despite a robust economy and the care for Saskatchewan seniors that is not up to “standards that everyone wants” and expects.
“The report from the provincial auditor that was released (this past month was) very critical and scathing of the Sask. Party government for maintaining two sets of books,” said Broten in a conference call. “The auditor clearly said this has allowed them to hide deficits and it doesn’t give an accurate picture of the total debt, which is now over $19 billion. We wish the government would agree with the independent provincial auditor, but we have seen a dismissive approach by them, where they don’t see any need for change, even though the rest of the country does things differently.”
To read more please see the May 20 print edition of The Davidson Leader.