Sask. opposition calls for more affordability measures amid Alberta's targeted inflation initiatives

Saskatchewan residents won’t be seeing additional affordability initiatives anytime soon, despite the official opposition’s call for the government to follow Alberta’s lead in addressing inflation.

NDP Leader Carla Beck asked Premier Scott Moe to rethink his government’s affordability measures during Question Period on Wednesday.

“We saw targeted cash supports to children and those who need it most, a suspension of the fuel tax and breaks on electricity and on natural gas,” she said, referring to the new initiatives in Alberta. “It sure sounds a lot like what we’ve been calling for for months, because these solutions aren’t partisan, they’re common sense.”

“Will [Premier Moe] listen to the Premier next door?”

Premier Scott Moe responded by saying the Government of Saskatchewan has already acted on combating affordability issues.

“Credit to Premier Smith, the UCP party for taking action on affordability in the province of Alberta, like we have here in Saskatchewan a number of weeks ago,” he said. “The affordability that Canadians are challenged with certainly is not unique to any individual province.”

During a speech on Tuesday night, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised measures to address inflation and alleviate the financial burden on Alberta residents.

According to her announcement, every family with children under the age of 18 months earning less than $180,000 will receive $600 per child over six months.

She also announced that $600 will be given to each senior in care homes over the course of six months, as will as those on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped.

Alberta is also suspending the 13 per cent provincial fuel tax and is offering rebates on electricity and natural gas. Its plan will cost $2.7 billion. Saskatchewan is offering $450 million in assistance to its residents and paying down provincial debt my $1 billion.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Premier Moe said Alberta’s announcement does not make him rethink the province’s measures.

“We’re confident in the plan that we’ve put forward,” he said. “We’re very focused on ensuring that those affordability measures are getting out to our small businesses, getting out to our families as quickly as possible.”

He said the reason the government went with affordability cheques is simply that they would get to more people quicker.

“It was the fairest way that we could see, as well as the quickest way that we could see to get those affordability dollars out to as many families as we could across the province,” he said.

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Premier Moe said reactions to the rollout of the cheques have been positive so far.

“Even more positive than I had anticipated,” he said. “You know, $1,000 or $500 in a household can go a long way in paying for some of the extracurricular sporting fees, some of the fuel to get there, some of the equipment that they ultimately need so I’d say largely it’s been positive by the folks that I’ve talked to.”

Moe said 450,000 cheques have been mailed out as of Wednesday and most should be delivered by the end of November.

Moe said he does not know how the rollout is prioritized.

Speaking to reporters, Beck reiterated that Alberta’s plan is what the NDP has been calling for to address affordability.

“We have called for affordability measures, including some direct relief,” she said. “We think that leaving out children, leaving out seniors in significant ways or understanding the unique challenges that they’re facing is a missed opportunity … these are common sense solutions and they are solutions that would benefit many people in this province.”

“The reality is people in this province need affordability relief. The $500 cheques are welcome but there is more need out there.”

Saskatchewan’s next quarterly fiscal update is expected shortly. If the provincial surplus continues to grow, the province hasn’t ruled out further cost of living assistance for residents.