Sask. government says $56M special warrant not the 'blank cheque' NDP claims

On Monday, the Saskatchewan NDP accused the government of signing "another blank cheque" behind closed doors, but the spending was announced last month.

The Saskatchewan cabinet approved a special warrant for $56 million to cover a program that tops up salaries of workers who help vulnerable people.

When the special warrant was posted online Monday, the details of what it for were not clear. That led to the NDP to claim the government was writing itself "another blank cheque."

Cabinet approved the $56 million commitment through an Order in Council on May 20. It said the funds were for "Miscellaneous Payments – Unforeseen and Unprovided for."

"Yet again, this special warrant provides no clarity at all when it comes to how this money is to be spent," said NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon in a news release.

"How much of this is for new COVID-19 spending? Where is it going? It is completely possible that this spending is urgently needed and completely legitimate, but the people of the province deserve to know what it's for."

Wotherspoon also renewed the opposition's call for a resumption of the legislature.

"People deserve answers to these questions, and those answers should be provided in the Legislative Assembly with enough time for proper scrutiny and debate. This is what we've been calling for, and we await details of the government's plan to reopen the legislature," Wotherspoon said.

Government outlines what warrant covers

On Monday afternoon, the government provided details in response to the NDP news release.

It said the money is for a Temporary Wage Supplement (TWS) announced April 30 and cost-shared with the federal government.

The Saskatchewan government will administer the TWS and pay workers directly.

"The current supplement cost is currently estimated at $56M and the province will receive a federal reimbursement estimated at $53.2M," the government said in an email.

An estimated 35,000 lower-income essential workers at senior-care, group homes, childcare facilities, and emergency and transition shelters are eligible for the $400 per month supplement. 

The government's April 30 news release included the $56 million cost-shared total. That announcement was also covered by CBC.

A spokesperson for the government said on Monday that The Financial Administration Act, 1993 requires a special warrant for the full estimated program cost.

"Any federal reimbursement is recorded as General Revenue Fund revenue. The program will be administered through the Ministry of Finance and is not included in the 2020-21 Estimates that are currently posted on Government's website," the government statement said.

As for recalling the legislative sitting, which has been suspended since March 18, the government statement said, "our government agrees that the budget deserves to be scrutinized, debated and passed. To this end, productive discussions between the government and opposition House leaders are ongoing."