Sask goes to New York

Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Ken Krawetz has taken the story of Saskatchewan's strong economy and promising growth prospects to New York City, where he was given a warm reception by a senior group of U.S. and international investors.

The investor forum, organized by a group called Euromoney Conferences, brought together more than 300 senior level officers from the federal and provincial governments, financial institutions and leading corporations with institutional investors from Canada and abroad.

The annual conference provides a meeting place for the key players in Canada's capital markets to examine the Canadian economy and financial markets in a global context, providing insight into investment opportunities and the financing needs of Canadian issuers.

As a keynote speaker at the conference on Dec. 7, Krawetz had a valuable opportunity to review Saskatchewan's recent progress.

"In a time of global economic uncertainty and huge market volatility, Saskatchewan retains a strong and stable fiscal environment," Krawetz said. "We were the only Canadian province to receive a credit rating upgrade last year. We now have a Triple A rating from Standard and Poor's, the highest rating the province has ever had. At the same time, private sector forecasters expect our economic growth to be as high as 5.1 per cent this year."

Krawetz also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of various central banks from around the world, as well as with John Prato, Canada's consul-general in New York.

While Canada and Saskatchewan are not immune to the uncertainty affecting the global economy, Krawetz said he was gratified to hear that we have a strong reputation for prudent fiscal management, with a positive outlook for future growth.

"Our taxes have come down, our government general debt continues to decline, and we are setting the stage for future growth with key infrastructure investments," Krawetz said. "I'm confident Saskatchewan is going to become an even better place to invest in the future."