Budget will kick off 6-week Sask. Legislative Assembly spring sitting April 6

The Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly's spring sitting will begin on April 6 with the tabling of the 2021-22 budget.

The sitting will last for six weeks, ending in mid-May.

"The new budget will be the main focus of the spring sitting," Premier Scott Moe said in a statement.  

"It will be a budget designed to see Saskatchewan through the rest of the pandemic and then into a strong economic recovery as we get more of our population vaccinated and life returns to normal."

The budget will be debated in committee.

Last March, the full budget was postponed due to the pandemic, with the government releasing only its spending plan and not its full revenue projections.

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer released the budget when the sitting resumed in June.

It will be the first post-election budget for the government.

"The budget will make important investments in health, education, infrastructure and our economic recovery, while at the same time continuing to work toward our commitment to balance the budget by 2024," Moe said.

In November, Harpauer released the government's mid-year financial report projecting a deficit almost $400 million lower than expected. 

In June, the provincial government forecasted a $2.4 billion deficit but the update showed that to be sitting around $2 billion, an improvement of $381.5 million from budget.

Revenue projections also saw an increase to the tune of $503.5 million — or 3.7 per cent — from the provincial budget announcement.

"The increase from budget is due to higher federal transfers, higher government business enterprise net income and higher non-renewable resource revenue," a statement from the Ministry of Finance said. 

Opposition critical of shortened sitting

The six-week sitting beginning in April is shorter and later in the calendar than the recent spring sittings.

The Opposition said Thursday the shorter legislative session means the government is trying to "hide from scrutiny."

"Bringing MLAs back to work nearly a month late does a disservice to all the people of this province," NDP House Leader Vicki Mowat said in a statement.

The NDP said the government should convene the Human Services Committee to "scrutinize the pandemic response and the vaccine plan." 

It said the government should also release its third quarter financial update and not combine that with the budget release on April 6.

"They are trying to use this terrible pandemic to ram through legislation with little debate, and at the same time avoid as many questions as possible on the failing COVID-19 response. Saskatchewan deserves better," Mowat said.