The Saskatchewan government has come under fire for spending approximately $70,000 to advertise its latest budget, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. The spending has been labeled as ironic and wasteful by CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich, who criticized the government for using taxpayers’ money to promote a budget that projects significant deficits and debt.

“It’s a special kind of irony when the government is wasting taxpayers’ money to let them know they spent a bunch of taxpayers’ money,” Haubrich said. He added that the government should not be spending on ads for a budget that isn’t balanced and incurs hundreds of millions of dollars in debt interest payments. “This budget advertising is like bragging about getting a D on your report card.”

The documents revealed that the provincial government spent $70,417 to advertise its budget across print, online, and social media platforms. These ads feature stock photos and short videos explaining various government spending initiatives and programs.

The budget, unveiled on March 20, projects a $273 million deficit for 2024-25. By the end of 2025, the provincial debt is expected to reach $21.1 billion, with interest payments on the debt costing taxpayers $728.2 million this year, or about $597 per person. Notably, the budget provides no new tax relief for residents.

“Money spent on ads like this shows that the government doesn’t care about spending money it doesn’t have,” Haubrich said. “In the real world, you don’t spend $70,000 bragging about a giant dumpster fire and fail to mention the dumpster fire.”