Broken Promises

The Legislature has yet to be called to session by Premier Calvert and already the government has backtracked on most of the NDP’s election promises:

-Lowest Utility Rates in Canada

Prior to and during the campaign Premier Calvert trumpeted his promise that Saskatchewan will have the lowest bundle of utility rates (telephone, electricity, natural gas and basic auto insurance) in Canada.  The Saskatchewan Party recently released research indicating that while our crowns are doing a good job of offering competitive rates, we are not the lowest (even excluding the consideration of rebates in other jurisdictions).  Minister Pat Atkinson seemed to hedge on the NDP promise by saying that they would only try to keep it within the four year mandate of their government.  That is clearly not what Premier Calvert communicated during the election when he was trying to secure votes.

-$20 Million for Municipal Infrastructure Funding

During the campaign, Mr. Calvert promised additional municipal infrastructure funding to Saskatchewan communities in the order of $20 million.  Having won the election, Mr. Calvert’s government has not been clear on whether that commitment will be kept.

-“You Don’t Talk About that During a Campaign!”

Since the election, Finance Minister Harry Van Mulligan has confirmed that the NDP was aware of the serious financial situation facing the province and that the government may increase taxes.  He said the NDP purposely avoided talking about a tax hike during the election because it would be “unpopular”.

-Promise to Youth

During the campaign, Premier Calvert promised an incentive for young people to choose to stay in Saskatchewan, including a $1000 tax rebate for post secondary students and a one-year interest free period for student loans.  However, Finance Minister Harry Van Mulligen said last month that those promises could take up to four years to implement.

Maybe we could save space in the next report to constituents if we only highlighted the promises that Mr. Calvert intended to keep.

BSE Crisis

As each day passes and the US border remains closed to live animals, more and more producers are expressing concern about the plan to deal with a prolonged border closure.  Everyone is hoping that the border re-opens in a timely way, but hope and prayer should be backed up with a “Plan B” developed by the various levels of government.  There are certainly indications that the border may not re-open until next year.   If that is the case, an entire industry is at risk, and governments must be prepared to develop a contingency plan.

MLA Feedback Line Results – PST Increase

 The February MLA Feedback Line question was:  Are you in favour of an increase in the PST as a means to address the growing provincial government deficit?

258 total votes

95% (245) opposed to a PST increase

5% (13) in favour of a PST increase

Thank you to everyone who phoned, email, wrote and visited our constituency office to offer their input on the February 2004 MLA Feedback Line question.  If you have any concerns, suggestions or questions regarding the provincial government, please feel free to contact us.