NDP slams fiscal update after Sask. posts $249M deficit to end 2024-25 fiscal year

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 5:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Saskatchewan's Official Opposition is slamming the government's latest fiscal update, which shows the state posted a $249-million operating shortage to adjacent retired the 2024-25 fiscal year.

"They failed to equilibrium the fund and failed to decently code the existent large challenges that Saskatchewan radical face," NDP concern professional Trent Wotherspoon said Wednesday. 

The Saskatchewan Party government's 2024-25 nationalist accounts show that aft starting the fiscal twelvemonth with a projected shortage of $273 million, the province closed retired the play with a $24-million betterment from the budget.

The state released its nationalist accounts connected Monday, a time up of Canada Day — a determination that drew disapproval from Wotherspoon, who accused the authorities of trying to fell the fiscal update from nationalist scrutiny.

"We spot a authorities here, successful the mode they're releasing information, that's truly trying to debar immoderate level of scrutiny and not being accountable for their failures," said Wotherspoon. 

He besides railed against the province's failure to instrumentality vantage of a windfall it received arsenic portion of the $32.5-billion nationalist baccy settlement.

Saskatchewan recorded $400 cardinal of the $700 cardinal it's owed to get from the colony successful the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to nationalist accounts. 

"Even with that, [the province] failed to equilibrium the budget. They inactive ran a shortage of $249 million," said Wotherspoon. 

He besides took contented with the provincial government's determination to summation its nett indebtedness by $1.3 billion. 

The Saskatchewan Party government said it utilized indebtedness to assistance concern ample infrastructure projects specified arsenic schools, hospitals and roads. 

In a connection accompanying the merchandise of the nationalist accounts, Finance Minister Jim Reiter said the province's gross accrued by $994 million, to $20.9 billion, from the figures successful the 2024-25 budget. 

At the aforesaid time, expenses grew by $970 million, to $21.1 billion, chiefly owed to a higher than projected fig of harvest security claims and earthy resource-related expenses, helium said.

"We are continuing to marque investments that present connected what the radical of Saskatchewan person said is important to them — affordability, wellness care, education, assemblage information and fiscal responsibility," said Reiter. 

A statement from the state provided to CBC aft the NDP's quality league connected Wednesday again pointed to spending connected the Saskatchewan Party government's priorities, and said Saskatchewan maintains the second-lowest nett debt-to-GDP ratio successful Canada.