Budget Debate (25 March 2025)

From Hansard (25 March 2025) 

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Budget Debate

Megan Patterson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to pick up where I left off last night at 10:30. Yesterday I spoke about the importance of keeping Saskatchewan in a position of strength. We know we’ll be facing some headwinds with the threat of tariffs from the US [United States], but fortunately this government had the foresight to understand the importance of diversification.

This government has opened nine new trade offices and has grown our exports from $17 billion to almost $50 billion. It was the party opposite, Mr. Speaker, who criticized this government’s efforts to open new trade offices. It was the party opposite whose federal counterparts stood in the way of every single major pipeline project in Canada and who supported the costly and ineffective carbon tax. Thankfully we are the governing party.

The theme of this year’s budget is Delivering for You. This means strengthening our economy, growing our province, and advocating for Saskatchewan’s best interests so that we remain the best province to live, work, and raise a family.

This budget prioritizes affordability and fiscal responsibility while delivering more in health care, education, and community safety — the programs and services Saskatchewan people need and deserve. This government delivered a balanced budget with a surplus of $12 million. Importantly we have the second-lowest debt-to-GDP [gross domestic product] ratio in Canada and the second-highest credit rating, Mr. Speaker. These ratings give us the ability to quickly pivot to weather the impact of potential tariffs.

Helping make life affordable for the people of this province is a primary focus. Saskatchewan has one of the highest tax-free thresholds in Canada. We are delivering the most significant income tax reduction in the province since 2008. There is something for everyone in this budget. This budget makes life more affordable for seniors, families with children, persons with disabilities, caregivers, new graduates, first-time homebuyers, and people renovating their homes. Even property owners will save more than $100 million annually due to a reduction in the education property tax mill rate.

This budget also delivers for students, with a 20 per cent increase to the graduate retention program. For homeowners, a 50 per cent increase to the first-time homebuyers tax credit and the continuation of the home renovation tax credit.

For families with young children, this budget doubles the active families benefit and makes more families eligible. We know that active children are healthier and happier and are more likely to succeed in life.

For seniors living in a personal care home, this budget provides a $1,000-a-month increase to the personal care home benefit. This budget also includes ongoing affordability measures to help with the cost-of-living pressures we’re all facing, including the senior and children’s drug plan, ambulance coverage for seniors, the Saskatchewan housing benefit, and the secondary suite incentive. In total the taxation introduced in this ’25-26 budget will provide more than $250 million in tax savings this year. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to affordability measures, this budget benefits everyone in our province.

This ’25-26 budget also includes a record investment of 8.1 billion in health care. Health care is a priority for this government because we care about the people in this province. This budget delivers better patient access, safer and more responsive care. It includes better access to acute care programs and services to deliver better outcomes, including a plan to reduce wait times and execute 450,000 procedures in the next four years. It includes plans to increase capacity at Saskatoon City Hospital. This budget includes a commitment to connect all residents in the province with a primary health care provider. It includes funds to support the recruitment, hiring, and retention of health care professionals through the health care human resources action plan.

This budget also includes a $140 million increase in health capital funding to over $650 million, the highest health care infrastructure budget ever. This budget includes completing and staffing the new breast health centre. As we heard from the Premier, it will be opening in April.

It includes dollars to enhance kidney health programs and the dialysis services by adding more full-time positions, including in my community of Moose Jaw. This budget also includes funding for an additional 170 paramedics. These aren’t just numbers and words, Mr. Speaker. These are investments that will improve the lives of people in this province.

This budget also delivers 279 million to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. This funding gives patients access to more current and effective oncology drugs, therapies, and treatments, including a new provincial lung cancer screening program and the lowering of the breast cancer screening eligibility to 43 years. This budget also includes dollars to fund a second mobile bus to increase mammogram screening for women across this province.

Through this budget, our government will also strengthen continuing care to help residents remain at home and in their communities for as long as possible. Thank you to all the health care workers for your dedication, compassion, and hard work in keeping our communities safe and healthy.

This budget invests an additional 16 million in addiction services to further our government’s commitment to creating 500 new addiction spaces in the province. Once complete, this will double the capacity of spaces available. This year’s budget also adds supports for the existing opioid treatment program and will implement new virtual access to the addiction medical program.

Mr. Speaker, we are providing multiple treatment options to support individualized paths to recovery. This year’s budget supports the development of a central intake and navigation system that patients can contact for treatment. It facilitates a transition to a recovery-oriented system-of-care model because there is no safe use of illicit drugs. Keeping individuals in active addiction is a disservice to them, their families, and their communities. The recovery-oriented system-of-care model promotes holistic growth in individuals, fostering overall wellbeing and supporting lasting recovery.

These investments are critical, but we also want to ensure that we have the right resources to provide these services. This ’25-26 budget also delivers on our commitment to execute the health human resources action plan. This includes adding 150 more training seats to the province for family medicine, anesthesia, plastic surgery, and other specialties. This budget includes support for enhanced permanent full-time nursing positions in rural and northern locations. It supports investments for our overall efforts to recruit and retain doctors.

Now due to the positive response to the Regina Urgent Care Centre, I’m happy to report planning is under way to add additional urgent care centres in Prince Albert, North Battleford, and in my home community of Moose Jaw. This government is expanding complex-needs emergency shelters into new communities. This budget provides the capital funding to support this plan. These shelters provide individuals in crisis a safe place to stabilize while being monitored for the adverse effects of substances.

Now in terms of education, another key priority for this government, the continued investment in our children’s future is critical. Strong education is important for building a prosperous, skilled, and resilient society for the future of this province. The ’25-26 budget delivers increased opportunities and supports for kindergarten to grade 12 students, parents, and teachers across this province. This budget includes $3.5 billion, an investment to the Ministry of Education. And it includes 2.4 billion in operating funds for school divisions. It includes 130 million to fund the new teacher collective agreement and address the pressures of growing student enrolment, as well as the challenges facing today’s classrooms. There is funding for an additional 50 specialized support classrooms to reduce interruptions by providing additional supports where needed.

This budget also includes dedicated funding to improve kindergarten to grade 3 learning levels, specifically reading levels, because we know how important reading is. Reading skills set the foundation for future success.

It includes increased funding to address the challenges of student enrolment growth by investing in new schools with 191 million school capital budget. I am pleased to report that in Moose Jaw the joint-use school is on track to open in the fall of 2025. This government has also invested in completing the renovations at École St. Margaret.

Mr. Speaker, our government’s commitment to education doesn’t end there. This budget supports students as they advance their education and move into the workforce. It gives students the opportunities to pursue post-secondary education close to home while offering programs that meet the needs of our labour force and our economy.

In my role as an instructor at Sask Polytech, I witness first-hand the close interactions and relationships Sask Polytech has with industry, which helps them to identify the skills needed and future opportunities within the workforce. And this actually guides their curriculum. The Ministry of Advanced Education will receive $788 million in this year’s budget.

Health care training is a priority in this year’s budget. New and expanded programs along with additional training seats will help build a stronger health care workforce to meet the needs of our residents.

New training positions for nurse practitioners, registered psychiatric nurses, and medical radiologic technicians will be added. New programs, including physician assistants, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, and speech language pathology will also be added — therapies I personally know the importance of, and I probably still need a little bit of. Thank you to all of those who work in education for your dedication and patience in shaping the minds and futures of our students.

Community safety, another key priority for this government. Everyone in Saskatchewan should feel safe in their community. This budget delivers safer communities across the province by investing in the presence of law enforcement in Saskatchewan. This budget reaffirms our commitment to public safety.

Since ’23-24 over 2 billion has been invested to deliver a larger police presence in this province. There is funding in this budget for approximately 100 new municipal police officers, 14 safer communities and neighbourhood personnel, and funding to train more officers. In Moose Jaw this will mean funding for four of the six new provincially funded police officers this year to increase police presence in public spaces. We are also taking steps to provide officers with the right tools and resources to respond effectively and keep our communities safe.

This budget allows us to enhance the security and safety of the southern border with the United States. It also includes enhanced funding to improve safety and increase capacity in correctional facilities. This budget includes funding to create a more accessible court system for municipal bylaw officers to move cases through the system more quickly. It also includes investments in interpersonal violence programs and services, including second-stage housing. In addition to these resources, this budget is funding the new Saskatchewan marshals service, which is expected to be operational in the coming months, a full year ahead of schedule.

The ’25-26 budget delivers strong financial management for the people of this province, prioritizing affordability and delivering the necessary programs and services. However it also delivers much more, including 362 million in municipal revenue sharing, an increase of 6 per cent. This equates to annual revenue sharing of $8.4 million for my community of Moose Jaw, an increase of over a half a million dollars versus a year ago.

The Ministry of Social Services will also receive an increase of $70 million, or 4.5 per cent. This budget includes 9 million for the renovation of Sask Housing Corporation-owned properties, and a $20 million increase in funding for community-based organizations across the government.

Over the past two years, funding for the Ministry of Social Services has created over 100 new emergency shelter spaces and over 150 new supportive housing spaces. They have created new street outreach services and a mobile workforce, servicing clients in more than 30 community-based organizations.

It doesn’t end there, even if you wish it did. The budget continues to deliver. This budget includes further investment in capital projects that will enhance our provincial transportation system, such as twinning highways, upgrading passing lanes, improving corridors, and implementing additional enhancements to over 1000 kilometres of highways.

This budget also provides funding to support private sector initiatives and support future growth, including a new Young Entrepreneur Bursary to support youth entrepreneurship in the province, the creation of a new small- and medium-enterprise investment tax credit, and the introduction of the low productivity and reactivation oil well program.

In summary, this budget delivers for the people of Saskatchewan on affordability, on health care, education, and community safety.

Saskatchewan’s strong financial management is reflected by our second-lowest net-to-GDP ratio and the second-highest credit rating in the country. These ratings impact our ability to borrow funds and the cost of borrowing money and serve as an important indicator of our financial strength. These measures position us to respond to global pressures with agility as needed. These rankings are based on the ratings by three independent credit rating agencies, certainly a more credible source of information regarding our financial position than the members opposite.

Saskatchewan’s population has just topped one and a quarter million for the first time ever. Saskatchewan also had record employment levels, the third-highest value of goods exported in our history, the second-lowest inflation rate, and the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country.

Our government and our economy is poised to continue to grow. Our real GDP is projected to grow by 1.6 per cent, the third-highest growth in the country. As the Hon. Minister of Finance said last week, since 2007 our government has been guided by growth — growing our population, growing our communities, growing our exports, growing job opportunities, growing our industries, and growing our economy.

We do not seek growth simply for the sake of growth, but for what it means to our province and its people. Growth increases revenue, which pays for the things that matter and on which we depend — health care, education, community safety, and more. A growing economy and a growing province mean a better quality of life for the one-and-a-quarter-million-and-counting people who now call Saskatchewan home. That’s what this province delivers.

There will be challenges, but the creativity, perseverance, and resilience of our people combined with the dedication and expertise of this government, strengthened by our solid financial standing, will enable us to meet the challenges ahead and continue to deliver for you. That’s what this province is about and that’s what this budget is doing: delivering for you and everyone in this province. It’s a great day to be alive in the province of Saskatchewan.

Next, Mr. Speaker, I want to confirm my support for this budget and affirm I will not be supporting the amendment.

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