The actual 2016 budget presentation in the legislature by Kevin Doherty on Wednesday was relatively calm, but Question Period beforehand was anything but.
What raised the hackles of the government bench was word that Opposition finance critic Cathy Sproule had issued a news release prior to the budget presentation, leaking the budget before it was even presented in the legislature.
The Wednesday session began with remarks from NDP Opposition House leader Warren McCall and a response from Saskatchewan Party deputy house leader Jeremy Harrison, as recorded in Hansard.
Mr. McCall: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Before we get under way in the proceedings here, I’d just like to rise and apologize on behalf of the official opposition in the House for release of information concerning the opposition’s critique of the budget and thereby breaking our undertaking under the embargo, which we take very seriously. But as such, I rise and apologize to the House unreservedly, Mr. Speaker.
The Speaker: — I recognize the Government Deputy House Leader.
Hon. Mr. Harrison: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The official opposition House Leader referenced this, but there was a very serious breach of an undertaking earlier today. Confidential budget information was released to the public and to the media by the official opposition. This is a very serious matter, and the government will be looking into potential remedies for this. Thank you.
Premier Brad Wall later stood in the legislature during Question Period to blast the breaking of the embargo, saying he’d never seen anything like it before in the legislature.
Hon. Mr. Wall: — Mr. Speaker, I would also just say this, and we’ll get into the pre-budget question period debate. I’d certainly welcome the chance to do that. The House Leader stood before we began today to apologize for what is a very, very, very serious breach of the confidentiality of the budget process and of the budget embargo. That’s, I guess, one step to take. There will be others that we’re going to look at from our side of it.
But in fact, it was the Finance critic, the member for Saskatoon Nutana, whose press release divulged details of the budget even though they agreed to the embargo. And we have not yet heard from the Finance critic. This is a very serious matter. I have never seen it happen. I’ve never seen it happen in this place. We have members that have been here since ’91. They’ve never seen it happen.
It goes to the importance of how budgets are delivered and shared with everybody at the same time in the province of Saskatchewan, and people expect more from all of us in this place”, said Wall.
For their part, the NDP issued a number of apologies, starting with Opposition leader Trent Wotherspoon.
Mr. Wotherspoon — Without a doubt, this was a mistake that we regret, that shouldn’t have happened, that we take serious, and that we apologize unreservedly. And we’ll review it and work with government to make sure it never happens again. It shouldn’t have happened.
Later on, at the start of her response to the budget, Sproule apologized.
Ms. Sproule: —Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And first off, I do wish to take a moment to apologize to all the members of the Legislative Assembly for the egregious error that was made prior this afternoon. We do take very seriously the importance of the embargo, and I sincerely and truly want to apologize for that mishap earlier today. That’s very important and it should never, ever happen. So I want to take that opportunity to the House.
The pre-budget Question Period on Wednesday proved particularly heated, in part because of the leak incident.
Sproule roasted the government for emptying the rainy day fund, demanding the finance minister apologize.
Well, Mr. Speaker, they put over $1 billion into it six years ago. Good for them. But now the province is reeling in a drop from resource revenue, and it would be a good time to use some of those savings. Except, Mr. Speaker, we can’t. The money is gone. So, Mr. Speaker, what happened? Does the Finance minister regret blowing the money when times were good?
Premier Wall’s response blasted the NDP’s record in government.
Hon. Mr. Wall: — They raised taxes in their 16 years in government 21 times, Mr. Speaker. And I would suggest to that member opposite and to the Leader of the Opposition that that might explain the current seating configuration in this Legislative Assembly.
Sproule returned to her same line of questioning on the rainy day fund, finally calling on the finance minister to apologize.
Ms. Sproule: — Will the minister admit that they were wrong and apologize to the people of Saskatchewan for dipping into the fund when times were good, and leaving a fund meant for tough economic situations — situations like the one the province is in now — with nothing?
An incredulous Premier Wall couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Hon. Mr. Wall: — That, member, who in an unprecedented way, has breached the privilege of every member of this house and broken an undertaking, an embargo, to keep the budget confidential — I expect she would be the last person in this Assembly to be demanding an apology, on this day, of someone else.
The Opposition later took aim at the government for delivering the budget, and its expected bad deficit news, June 1 instead of before the April 4 election. Athabaska MLA Buckley Belanger went after the government on that issue.
Mr. Belanger: — You, sir, hid the budget from the people of Saskatchewan! That is the bottom line.
Belanger also attacked the government’s record on job creation.
Mr. Belanger: — According to Stats Canada, there are 9,400 fewer full-time jobs in Saskatchewan than this time last year — 9,400 jobs in one year under this government, Mr. Speaker. It’s bad news to be sure, and it speaks of how this government has failed to properly diversify the economy and create steady growth in the province.
His line of questioning finally prompted Wall to rise up to fire his retort back at the opposition.
Hon. Mr. Wall: — Here’s a question for the NDP. How come they didn’t have the courage to acknowledge that some of them were going to go and support the LEAP Manifesto in Edmonton? How come they didn’t tell anybody that?
How come they didn’t come square with those same workers and mines, those same workers in the northern part of the province, northern workers, people in the oil and gas industry, that their finance critic would go to Edmonton and support in principle - because that’s what she voted for - support in principle the LEAP manifesto which would destroy the Saskatchewan economy?
Here’s why, here’s why they wouldn’t . . . Well, now they’re . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . They’re all yelling now, Mr. Speaker. They’re all yelling now.
Here’s why they wouldn’t say that prior to the campaign: because if they said that, the member who asked the question would be the only one sitting over there!
