REGINA, Sask. — Opposition New Democrats were demanding answers Tuesday on why the government had just signed off on a special warrant for an additional $50 million for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.
NDP Energy critic Sally Housser made it known she wanted to know why this spending was needed. The special warrant itself, signed on Aug. 27 by Lieutenant-Governor Bernadette McIntyre, indicates only that it was $50 million from the General Revenue Fund for budget expenditure.
She noted this had become "unfortunately, a really worrying pattern with the Sask Party government."
"They are using special warrants to mask their complete inability to put a budget together. And it's really all to avoid accountability during the budgetary process. When we don't get the chance as opposition or as taxpayers to get answers and to provide scrutiny for how that taxpayer money is being spent, that is a real problem."
Housser made her remarks outside the office of Community Safety Minister Michael Weger, where she lambasted him for having "gone from controversy to controversy" since becoming the Minister of Community Safety.
"First, it was an inability to get planes into the air and to prepare adequately for wildfires, despite the tremendous problems we have seen in the North in this respect. And then most recently, the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, Scott Moe's pet project, was caught trying to spend taxpayer money buying American Security Forces-style sniper rifles and sound cannons and other militarized equipment. And Minister Weger said he didn't even know that was happening and he didn't intervene until it was caught.
"And now this is the same Minister that wants the public to just say, that's fine, spend another $50 million, we are not going to ask any questions. The people of Saskatchewan deserve answers. The people of Saskatchewan deserve a government that is open and honest with them about how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. I think as opposition, we deserve better than this as well."
Housser also reiterated the NDP's most recent call for the legislature to be recalled into session. She said there are "lots of things in this province that we need to talk about right now, and it's time, frankly, for the government to get back to work."
Housser reiterated that her questions about the special warrant spending were reasonable.
"Is this extra $50 million for something to do with the wildfires? Is it an end run on trying to get funding for the Marshals service after they got caught on the initial amount of spending? Or is it for something else? We simply don't know. I think that those are reasonable questions to ask."
"The other thing, if we are talking about wildfires, one of the things in the Auditor's report on the wildfires is that the SPSA, Public Safety, has to get a handle on its budgeting. We cannot consistently do this where we underestimate by a massive amount what it's going to cost and then just say, whoopsie daisies, sign an extra $50 million or $100 million at the stroke of a pen without the public being able to ask questions of why that has happened."
In a statement, the SPSA indicated that the $50 million is going to disaster relief, mainly due to this year’s major flooding events.
They pointed to the first quarter financial forecast, which reports pressure due to Provincial Disaster Assistance Program claims from significant flood events in the province, as well as continued wildfire response and support activities.
The SPSA notes that the PDAP program has already approved 172 designations this year and has begun working with nearly 500 local authorities and private residents to process their claims. The SPSA reports the number of PDAP approved designations this year is well above the previous 10-year average of 43 per year.
They also pointed to the funding going to help families, businesses and communities get back on their feet following the recent floods.
