REGINA - The opposition New Democrats used the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Premier Scott Moe’s swearing-in to trash his economic performance.
Opposition Leader Carla Beck and Jobs and Economy Critic Aleana Young called a media conference at the Legislature to attack the Moe government’s performance on job growth, GDP growth, and net interprovincial migration.
The NDP slammed the Moe government for the province having the “last in Canada” overall rate of job growth in Canada at three per cent, and for only two per cent job growth in Canada.
“The SaskParty under this Premier and before are the worst economic managers in Canada, full stop,” said Young.
She also noted the provincial economy shrank six per cent under Moe, the worst in Canada. “Premier Moe was the only Premier in Canada who managed to tank the economy before, during and after the pandemic.”
The NDP also pointed to a net loss of 35,856 people through interprovincial migration between fiscal year 2018-19 and 2021-22. higher than every other province except for Ontario.
“Scott Moe has shrunk the economy, he stalled job growth and he sent our kids packing - that is, if they can find a flight out of the province,” said Beck. Of the net loss of 35,856 people, “that’s an entire Moose Jaw of our kids and community members gone.”
“Moe has utterly failed to sell the positive story of this province. He’s failed to capitalize on Saskatchewan’s potential, he’s failed to give people the tools that they need to succeed here at home. And frankly if you ask me, it seems he’s simply given up.”
Beck said that on Moe’s five-year anniversary she hoped he would “face up to his record honestly. Because as much as the last five years have been a test of Scott Moe’s competency, today will be a test of his integrity. If five years of economic shrinkage isn’t enough to make the Premier stop spinning and get to work, well, then, this truly is shaping up to be another Groundhog’s Day all over again.”
Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison fired back Thursday afternoon with this statement:
"It is predictable that the NDP cherry-picked data to run down Saskatchewan’s people and industries.
"There are great things happening in Saskatchewan as a result of the government’s policies and incentives, and under this Premier’s leadership. We have an all-time population high, with 1.2 million people now choosing to call our province home. We also have the second lowest unemployment rate in the country, with record numbers of women and indigenous employment. We have the fastest growing economy in the country, with the Conference Board of Canada predicting that Saskatchewan will lead the pack this year and next year. There are new schools and new hospitals, with thousands of new staff in those facilities. Exports in our province are at record levels and continue to grow. And on top of all these great things happening, our government balanced the budget, paid down one billion dollars in debt, and provided every adult a $500 affordability payment.
"There are challenges, and there is more to be done. But, we are very proud of Saskatchewan and we are going to work hard to make sure this year is even better than the last."
In related news, the province announced that Harrison is leading a delegation to Japan and South Korea from Feb. 3 to 10 to discuss new trade opportunities.
According to their news release, the mission focuses on promoting Saskatchewan's natural resources sector including critical minerals, uranium and helium, as well as partnerships in food security and energy transition.
