NDP raises alarm as Sask. quietly announces $750M in spending a month before budget

The Saskatchewan government has quietly announced $750 million in spending a month before it's scheduled to present the provincial budget.

The Opposition NDP is calling it an attempt to avoid the democratic process and sidestep accountability. 

"At the end of the day, taxpayers deserve nothing less than honesty, transparency, value for money and good management. They're not getting any of that right now," said NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon on Thursday. 

The provincial government published 13 orders in council reporting that the minister of finance was issuing a series of special warrants. 

A special warrant is a way for governments to obtain money when the legislature is not in session. The funding is supposed to be used for the current fiscal year.

All of the orders in council were signed on Feb. 14, 2024.

The funding in the special warrants ranges from $1.7 million for the Saskatchewan Coroners Service and Legal Aid Commission, all the way up to $450.1 million for the Saskatchewan Health Authority and physician services.

Wotherspoon said the details in the warrants are not specific enough for anyone to understand what is actually being funded.

When previous warrants have been issued, they normally had an entire financial breakdown of where each dollar was going, he said.

Wotherspoon said there may be a good explanation for why the three-quarters of a billion in spending was necessary, but he hasn't heard it yet. 

"When you look at the scope of what we have here, it's unprecedented and speaks to gross mismanagement of this budget. Many of those costs should be anticipated, but regardless of that, there should be much greater detail," he said. 

The provincial government defended the spending in a statement.

It said all special warrants are ultimately reviewed by the legislature at the next available sitting.

"The Government of Saskatchewan provided a mid-year update on November 27, 2023, and will table third quarter financials on Budget Day, as has been past practice," the statement read.