Budget 2009: Wrong and Petty

Sask Party fails Saskatchewan, misses historic opportunity Regina- Liberal Leader Ryan Bater called the 2009 Saskatchewan Party budget short sighted and lacking vision. “The Saskatchewan Party has come up with a petty, bureaucratic, and short sighted budget,” said Bater, “they have squandered today’s prosperity instead of building opportunities for tomorrow.”

“At a time when Saskatchewan is an economic oasis in the global economic desert, the Saskatchewan Party government is wasting an historic opportunity to make bold plans that address the three issues that threaten Saskatchewan’s future: our over- reliance on natural resources, our long term debt, and the need for First Nations entrepreneurship and participation in the economy. The government has failed on all three counts.”

“Government spending is unsustainable and they have no plan to reduce public debt over the next four years. The practice of using non- renewable resource revenue for program spending is unacceptable and threatens our economic security. Instead of increased program spending, this income should be invested in debt elimination to achieve a half billion dollar dividend.”

“The single biggest priority for Saskatchewan should be the empowerment of First Nations and Métis people in our economy. We urgently need a real push for aboriginal economic development with the start up and expansion of small businesses and entrepreneurship. We need to promote self governance, self determination, and personal initiative as the keys to personal liberty.”

“To diversify the Saskatchewan economy, eliminating the small business income tax would be a huge step to growing our economy and providing for future growth” said Bater.” We had the opportunity to attract small and medium business to Saskatchewan, we could have built a truly modern 21st century economy, and instead the Saskatchewan Party has put a closed sign on Saskatchewan’s future.”