Released on March 3, 1997
The Saskatchewan government's plan to balance the budget for the thirdconsecutive year is on track, Finance Minister Janice MacKinnon said
today.
MacKinnon was responding to the public release of the government's
1996-97 special warrants. They include the detail of additional
unanticipated expenditures the province has made since the tabling of
the last provincial budget.
"This past year, we made two major important investments after budget,"
MacKinnon said. "We paid $108 million to eliminate the debt in the
crop insurance program. This debt reduction measure will result in
lower premiums to our farmers and will pave the way for a new crop
insurance program that is affordable and effective.
"We also provided $40 million in additional funding to health, one of
the top priorities of Saskatchewan people, to improve the quality of
our health care system.
"If you subtract these one-time investments for people, our 1996-97
special warrants are lower than previous years."
An additional $13.5 million in special warrants is an accounting change
regarding a normal superannuation expenditure which was already
budgeted for.
The remaining warrants reflect expenditures such as the purchase of two
new fire-fighting water bombers to address long-term safety and
effectiveness, as well as additional road construction and maintenance
costs. These expenditures will be almost entirely offset by
expenditure reductions elsewhere in government.
"We've been able to make significant new investments in health care and
agriculture after the budget, while staying true to the principles of
sound fiscal management. We will provide a full accounting of this
year's fiscal performance with the upcoming provincial budget on March
20," MacKinnon said.
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For more information, contact:
Ron Podbielski
Communications Director
Finance
Phone: (306) 787-6578