Tough economy leads to tough budget
- EFN Staff | March 23, 2017
The Saskatchewan 2017-18 Provincial Budget titled Meeting the Challenge revealed many funding cuts and increases. $210 million in program funding is targeted primarily for First Nations and Metis organizations and individuals which is a decrease in $2 million or a 0.9% from last year’s budget.
NDP Athabasca MLA Buckley Belanger says the budget has gone against everything the Saskatchewan Party said they wouldn’t do.
“As things go on, we’re finding this government said one thing and after the election, they do exactly the opposite like raising taxes and selling off STC as an example,” he says. “They made so many commitments in the past and they are simply not following through at all.”
Taking a closer look at the budget, there are decreases which are situated at Advanced Education decreased to 2% which targets First Nations and Metis Initiatives and Institutions such as community engagement projects and Aboriginal organizations like Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT).
Another decrease in funding for education is the summer literacy camps where different provincial school divisions are funded to host and run summer literacy camps to help children prepare themselves for the new school year. The decrease went from 0.6% to 0.5%.
The budget increased the PST rate to 6% which becomes effective March 23, 2017. The Brad Wall government believes this approach will increase revenue by an estimated $242.1 million dollars for the 2017-18 year. Belanger says the PST hike will hurt a lot of families as the provincial government will be charging for children’s clothing and restaurant meals.
“These are all taxes that’s going to hurt a lot of people and organizations,” he says. “In northern Saskatchewan, we’ve seen very little progress on highways and they’ve eliminated a lot of the housing programs that are important. When it comes to youth suicide to address that matter, they put nothing in this budget so obviously, this government doesn’t care what happens to many of the northern communities.”
Barry Opekokew from Canoe Lake First Nation is the Chair of Northwest Transportation Planning Committee under the Ministry of Highways. He says there’s nothing coming to the North in the budget and is not impressed with the lack of funding.
“Big concern from the people I represent,” he says. “1% is not bad but it’s still a rise…I would like to hear our leaders at the FSIN and our home reserves on how they’re impacted and what they think.”
According to the 2017-18 Budget Highlights, “the decrease primarily reflects contract allocation changes within the Employment Development program of the Ministry of the Economy, elimination of funding for the Ministry of Advanced Education, and a drop in forecasted casino profits.”