The challenges of the 2018-19 Saskatchewan budget are no less than they were a year ago.
Let us all hope that both the government and the public show reasonability that was not always present a year ago.
Admittedly, mistakes in governance are often in the eyes of the beholder. What we see as a mistake in government may be more of a matter of opinion
For example, it was considered by many a mistake to shudder the old Saskatchewan Transportation Company. Certainly, the elderly unable to drive from rural communities to doctors’ appointments in the larger cities and towns considered it a mistake. Farmers relying on STC to get machinery parts relatively quickly may have similar feelings.
But at a minimum $10-million a year in government subsidies, it is highly debateable whether ending STC was truly a mistake.
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After all, no other province – many of which are larger or written – had the view that they could afford the luxury of government-owned bus company that has lost money for nearly 40 straight years.
Perhaps the bigger problem has been that every other Saskatchewan government for the past four decades recognized that this was a money-losing venture but did not want to endure the political fallout from closing STC.
That it took until major private carriers like Greyhound decided to get out of the business of serving rural communities for the government to do the same thing with STC says a lot.
Yes, it’s quite possible the Saskatchewan Party government was being mildly disingenuous a year ago when it suggested that private entrepreneurs could fill the void.
For the very same reason, private companies have chosen not to serve those communities STC either also abandoned or didn’t ever serve may explain why few private individuals have had much desire to throw their money into providing service where STC lost money.
But what cannot be lost is the sincerity expressed in the 2017-18 budget to right Saskatchewan’s financial ship.
To do so required other drastic actions like a full-percentage-point increase in the provincial sales tax to six per cent and extending it to things like junk food, restaurant meals and even insurance.
Some of these decisions were unpopular, but seemingly acceptable. The PST on eating out – vehemently opposed by the powerful restaurant lobby in the past – has been grudgingly accepted.
Other measures like the PST on insurance required a change in government and party leadership. It wasn’t until Scott Moe replaced Brad Wall as premier that the provincial government moved on this initiative.
However, other issues like massive reductions to funeral services for the indigent, reductions to city and town grants-in-lieu and cuts to local libraries required changes to the budget before Wall announced he was leaving in August.
So here is where the Sask. Party government stands right now.
Under Moe’s leadership, Saskatchewan is still committed to returning to a balanced budget by the 2020-21 (which neatly coincides with the next provincial election year).
While this is a laudable goal, it’s still going to require bitter medicine that taxpayers may be no more ready for now than they were a year ago.
But we may need to curb the notion that we shouldn’t expect more tough decision after last year’s tough decisions.
Of course, this in no way gets the Sask. Party government off the hook.
It bears full responsibility for the decisions it made that contributed to this financial mess – decisions over a decade to proceed with large, debt-increasing capital spending and major salary increases.
Further cuts or tax increases have to measured wisely – or at least, more wisely than they were last year.
But in the end what’s really needed is reasonability – both on the part of government and on our part, as well.
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