The leader of the opposition made clear he didn't think there was much substance attached to the Saskatchewan Party government's growth plan announcement this past week.
In a Tuesday media conference call in advance of the opening of the fall session of the legislature Thursday, interim NDP leader John Nilson panned the "Saskatchewan Plan for Growth" unveiled a week ago by Premier Brad Wall in Saskatoon. The premier presented the plan again Monday to a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in North Battleford.
"The Sask. Party has to do better in its throne speech this week than they did last week with the booklet that they released at a private $100 a plate luncheon in Saskatoon," said Nilson.
"That booklet had goals that I think all Saskatchewan people aspire to, but it didn't have an actual plan."
Nilson told reporters he wanted to see a "clear plan" laid out by the government to "provide smart growth to the people of Saskatchewan." From an NDP perspective, he said, that includes the middle class and "makes sure everyone benefits from the economy and the good things that are happening in Saskatchewan."
He wanted to see proper funding for education, for health care, for infrastructure and transportation in the province, and once again repeated his previous criticisms of government "surprises" such as an increase of three new members of the legislature and the axing of the film and TV tax credit.
On Wall's plans to create Sask Builds, an infrastructure fund capitalized by $150 million from the Growth and Financial Security Fund, Nilson expressed concern about the use of public-private partnerships to finance capital projects.
"What he's doing is returning to the ideology of 2003," said Nilson, where "they're going to be privatizing things that are important infrastructure for Saskatchewan people."
"They know that they can show the small amounts in the budgets this year if they use the P3 operation, and that's what Sask Builds perspectives provides. But what it does is pushes the payment of infrastructure to the future, so it'll be us paying for it, only we'll be paying more, paying the private partners of these things and we'll be paying it for a longer period of time."
The NDP leader suggested it would be more cost-effective for the government to do its own financing. Nilson also criticized the use of money from the rainy day fund, and "we're not in a rainy day situation as far as I can tell in the province of Saskatchewan."
As for the issue of municipalities seeking additional funding and revenue sharing for infrastructure, Nilson said "that's exactly the kind of thing the government needs to do better in its throne speech."
Nilson also didn't think the government's Plan for Growth document addressed that issue. "Last week they just did a recycling of their previous budgets," said Nilson.
He pointed to the government's pledge to invest $2.5 billion in infrastructure over the next three years, but pointed out that $1 billion was already in the existing budget.
"There's really no new money. So people who are counting on new provincial money for infrastructure in the municipalities cannot get much hope out of last week's document. They have to do a lot better this week."
As for the fall session, commencing with the throne speech, Nilson told reporters he expects work issues for middle-class people to dominate the session, including issues surrounding education and tuition rates for post-secondary institutions, as well as housing. He noted situations around the province where "people get jobs but can't find a place to live."
Nilson also wants to see First Nations and Métis people included in the economy and criticized the Sask. Party government for getting rid of the Aboriginal Employment Program almost two years before.
"They haven't replaced it," said Nilson, who said he sees economic issues dominating the legislature.
