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NDP Budget Response 2008

By Harry Van Mulligen

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to rise today to respond to the budget on behalf of the NDP official opposition.

Mr. Speaker, at the outset let me point out that this first Saskatchewan Party budget is also the first balanced budget that has been tabled by a right wing government in Saskatchewan since Ross Thatcher in the 1960s. We think this is commendable. We want to congratulate the Finance minister on his place in history.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — Mr. Speaker, I remember a few years standing in this Assembly to deliver a budget to the people of Saskatchewan, and at that time the Saskatchewan Party called it a deficit budget. Back then the Fiscal Stabilization Fund which was in the budget was, to quote them, an NDP slush fund.

My, Mr. Speaker, how things have changed. So now that budget, that budget is being recognized by the Saskatchewan Party government as being a balanced budget — part of a string of 15 balanced budgets, Mr. Speaker. Now the Saskatchewan Party proudly points out to a $1.3 billion Fiscal Stabilization Fund as an example of some management and fiscal common sense, Mr. Speaker. You know the saying, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It’s somewhat belated, but thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — Mr. Speaker, there are some other similarities to a previous NDP budget. Millions of dollars for highways, new schools, hospitals, targeted tax cuts, and I could go on. Mr. Speaker, this government has taken the hard work of the NDP, the fiscal discipline of the NDP, and they have delivered a budget balanced with the money left behind by the NDP.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — In fact I would go so far as to categorize this as an NDP almost budget. It almost addresses all the needs of the people of the province. It almost delivers on the promise of Saskatchewan. It is almost a people’s budget, and I say almost because we do have some concerns about this budget, Mr. Speaker. First of all, this budget does not do enough to address the need of people of Saskatchewan for property tax relief.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — Both the NDP and the Saskatchewan Party campaigned on the recent election on this issue. I heard it on many doorsteps, particularly with the high seniors population in my constituency, seniors on fixed incomes who are crying out for a reduction in the education component of their property tax. This budget almost addresses that issue but not quite. There is some money set aside for property tax relief but not enough, Mr. Speaker, not nearly enough. It is not what was promised, and at a time when the government is sitting on a $1.3 billion Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this budget almost delivers on the necessary investment in environmental sustainability. There is some new money to deal with what many say in Saskatchewan is the greatest challenge facing this province, this country, and this world, Mr. Speaker. I speak of course of climate change and CO2 greenhouse gas emissions that are causing it. This budget almost addresses that issue but not quite.

Mr. Speaker, this government is taking advantage of the booming economy that the NDP helped to create in Saskatchewan, but what helps to fuel that economy, what helps to fuel that economy is skilled workforce, Mr. Speaker. That is something that the NDP government understood. That is what is why we continually invested in new training seats and new opportunities for people to get the training they needed to fully participate in the economy. This budget almost does that too. There’s some investment in schools, colleges, and university. There’s some expansion of the number of training seats available, but there’s not enough.

Mr. Speaker, the government risk choking off the economy due to a lack of skilled workers. The Minister of Finance said that this budget was about being ready for growth, but without skilled workers there will be no growth. So there’s almost a solution there, Mr. Speaker — almost. I would say this budget is almost ready for growth.

Our fourth and final area of concern, Mr. Speaker, is the critical area of housing, whether it’s student housing, seniors housing, low-income housing, or the rising cost to rent. Everywhere we go in this province, the message is loud and clear. There is a housing crisis in Saskatchewan. This is an area where the budget falls short of being an NDP budget. There’s nothing in this budget to address this issue. There’s no hope for students, no hope for seniors, no hope for our northern citizens, no hope for renters.

We believe we need to invest in people. Given an opportunity, Mr. Speaker, we raised the minimum wage in government. We cut the sales tax. We created a new statutory holiday for working people to spend with their families. We made sure that all people benefited from the booming economy. We made sure our budgets were about people. This is almost a people’s budget, Mr. Speaker, but not quite.

Mr. Speaker, I have identified four key areas in my remarks today, four key areas that make this almost a people’s budget: property tax relief, the environment and climate change, skills training to put skilled people into the workforce, and the housing crisis. Mr. Speaker, what the members of the Saskatchewan Party never understood was that it’s simply not enough to oppose for the sake of opposing, to criticize for the sake of criticizing.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to propose some changes that could and should be made to this budget, changes that would make it better but still a far from perfect budget. First, I am calling on the Saskatchewan Party government to stop the studies and delays and implement their campaign promise on property taxes.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — This budget calls for the average homeowner to save $133 a year. I want the Sask Party to keep 386 Saskatchewan Hansard March 19, 2008 their promise and give the people of Saskatchewan $450 a year.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — I want to point out the saving would be even more significant for our farmers and ranchers. Don’t almost deal with the property tax issue; actually deal with it. The money is there to do it.

*inaudible interjection*

Mr. Van Mulligen: — Well do it, then.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, I am calling on the government to double their commitment to increase funding for environmental change. On this side we are committed to the issue of climate change with dedicated funding and personnel. The Saskatchewan Party has adopted our targets for emission reductions, which is good, but they have cancelled much of the funding, which is bad. They almost got it right, Mr. Speaker, but not quite. Don’t almost deal with the biggest issue that’s facing our province, our country, and this world; start actually dealing with it.

Third, I am calling on the government to double the increase in the number of training seats. This budget will only increase the number of training seats in the province by 1,100. That is almost as much as we did last year, but not quite. Last year we added over 2,000 training seats in the province and there’s absolutely no reason why the government cannot match or beat that number this year.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — Don’t almost be ready for growth; actually be ready for growth.

And my fourth and final proposal, Mr. Speaker, is as follows: start acting on the housing crisis facing this province. There has been enough study. There has been enough talk. The time for action is now. Don’t almost deliver a people’s budget; actually deliver a people’s budget. Don’t ignore this issue. Act on it.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

Mr. Van Mulligen: — Mr. Speaker, thanks to the prudent fiscal management of the former government, there is a Fiscal Stabilization Fund in this budget worth $1.3 billion.

This Saskatchewan Party government is sitting — to borrow a phrase — on a mountain of money. Take some of that money and make this budget a people’s budget. Act on property tax relief like you said you were going to do. Act on climate change — the biggest issue facing our world. Act on being truly ready for growth by having the necessary skilled workers in the workforce. Act on the housing crisis. Deliver a people’s budget.

Mr. Speaker, I will have far more to say on this tomorrow. But at this time, I would move to adjourn debate.

Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear!

This speech is taken from the Saskatchewan Hansard, March 19, 2008