A former Crown corporation head and deputy finance minister signing off on the costs of the NDP’s election promises could be troubling for the Sask. Party.
As Saskatchewan deputy minister of finance from 2000 to 2005 — what Styles jokingly referred to as “the standard tour of duty” in that role — he is no stranger to a budget-day briefing.
After 2007, Styles stayed on with former premier Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan Party government as president of the Crown Investments Corporation (CIC) before becoming president of SaskTel in 2010, until the end of his 40-year career as a Saskatchewan public servant in 2017.
“I will let you in on a little secret,” Beck told reporters on Friday as Styles looked on. “Saskatchewan does not have a revenue problem. Saskatchewan has a management problem — a fiscal mismanagement problem.”
The document Styles signed off on suggests the NDP’s not-yet-completely-released platform would, over a four-year term, produce: a $163.7-million deficit in 2025-26; an $83.2-million deficit in 2026-27; a $40.4-million deficit in 2027-28; and finally a $57.1-million surplus in 2028-29.
The NDP campaign document claims to encompass all party promises to date, including removing the provincial sales tax for all groceries and children’s clothing, reducing the small business tax to one per cent, and suspending the provincial gas tax.
This would cost provincial coffers $2.462 billion over four years, or an average of $615 million more a year.
Add to this the proposed NDP campaign spending promises, like an extra $200 million a year for K-12 funding, a $100-million-plus annual increase in health funding, “tough on crime” initiatives totalling $13.3 million over four years, economic growth initiatives with a four-year total of $88.6 million, “affordability initiatives” totalling $93.8 million over four years, and a smattering of other yet-to-be announced NDP election promises totalling $11 million.
The total: $1.422 billion in new NDP promises, according to its own numbers.
The NDP claims it can find savings for taxpayers through annual “waste and mismanagement cuts” that include $20 million by cutting the marshals service, another $20 million by reducing government political advertising, “reconstructing” foreign trade offices ($3 million), cutting executive council ($1 million), dumping the U.S. legal consultants Nelson Mullins ($800,000), cutting CIC administration ($2 million), scrapping the Sask. First Tribunal ($300,000) and a smattering of other cuts that would total $58.3 million annually or $233.2 million over four years.
Given all the NDP complaints we’ve head about Sask. Party government overspending, these “savings” seem a rather paltry sum — especially given that $20 million saved annually by cutting the marshals service would be redirected to other police costs.
However, in total all this would translate into the NDP adding $3.651 billion in debt over a four-year term or an average additional deficit of $913 million every year on top of already existing deficits.
Sask. Party staff were less generous, saying the NDP are adding $3.862 billion in debt. Departing finance minister and Sask. Party campaign co-chair Donna Harpauer claimed the NDP has inflated projected revenues by $800 million. NDP staff countered that the Sask. Party exaggerated NDP spending by $800 million.
Such political back and forth is tiresome, but here’s what is interesting.
The document released Friday further noted that Sask. Party government revenues grew by $20.8 billion in the last four years, while expenses grew by $17 billion. This suggests to voters that there may be room to spend more on health and education or tax relief.
The NDP say debt has increased by $14 billion under Moe.
And this is being pointed out by a 40-year senior civil servant who spent five years as a deputy minister of finance. Coming from Styles, this may resonate.
Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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