Alec Salloum
Regina Leader-Post
Saskatchewan’s government is looking to spend an additional $1 billion this fiscal year at a time when the province is already facing a $427-million mid-year deficit.
The expense was addressed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Crown and Central Agencies (CCA), which included discussion about an $813-million sum which the government said is required for SaskPower. Another $194 million also appears to be needed to pay for the Saskatchewan residential fuel charge.
The $1 billion in total spending was passed by members of the legislative assembly on Wednesday in a 32-22 vote.
Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for the Crown Investments Corporation, was asked after question period if the expenditure would mean power rates are going up.
“We haven’t given consideration to rates,” he stated.
Harrison said the money will go toward refurbishing thermal coal facilities and investments into power transmission that would connect the northern and southern electrical grids, as well as costs from no longer collecting “the federal carbon tax.”
The CCA committee includes MLAs from the Opposition NDP and the governing Sask. Party. It is responsible for “matters relating to the Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan and its subsidiaries, central government agencies, liquor, gaming and all other revenue-related agencies and entities,” according to the legislative assembly’s website.
Finance Minister Jim Reiter was briefly in attendance for Tuesday’s CCA meeting but Harrison was not.
While the NDP stated it was unprecedented for Harrison to be absent from the committee meeting, the government said “Ministers are not required to attend supplementary estimates for statutory amounts.”
In an email, the government said a similar meeting took place on Dec. 5, 2022 without a minister present to address a $287-million disbursement for SaskPower. NDP spokesperson Landen Kleisinger said no minister was requested at that time, suggesting the current situation differs because of the larger amount at stake.
“We should be able to ask the minister of the Crown basic questions about public money in this building,” said NDP critic for SaskPower Aleana Young during the committee meeting on Tuesday. “It is one of the most core functions of democracy.”
Trent Wotherspoon, NDP critic for finance, also made his feelings known Tuesday regarding a lack of committee discussion.
“I think all can see what an absolute mockery this is,” said Wotherspoon, encouraging government-side MLAs on the committee to exercise their “independence.”
“Are you telling me that we aren’t going to answer for our constituents and those that we serve on an appropriation of this matter and provide a rationale to them?”
On Wednesday, Young accused the government of trying to “cover up their massive losses at SaskPower.” She said the Crown utility was on its way to a “historic loss,” raising the possibility of rate hikes for customers.
The additional adjustments to spending also call into question what the deficit actually looks like at mid-year, with Young musing it could be in the territory of $1.4 billion.
alsalloum@postmedia.com
