Sask. premier wraps up toughest session yet
Brad Wall says budget, which hiked sales tax and shuttered provincial bus company, made for difficult session
In the wake of a tough budget, Saskatchewan's premier is wrapping up the toughest set of legislative debates of his political career.
"The budget has made it the hardest session, there's no question about it," Brad Wall acknowledged when asked by reporters.
"I mean, any time you're making a decision to reduce spending, or in this case we've ended the bus service completely, you're affecting the lives of people directly," Wall said.
"So that obviously is very difficult."
Despite that, Wall says he does not regret tackling the government's financial problems in this budget.
"As difficult as the budget was, I believe it really is important that we avoid what governments of all stripes did across this country in the 1980s when everyone just kind of kicked the can down the road on dealing with structural budget changes," Wall said.
"Remember what happened in the '90s when finally the chickens came home to roost."
Opposition leader Trent Wotherspoon said the difference is that in the early '90s, former premier Roy Romanow was left to deal with a financial mess created by a different government.
He said the situation Saskatchewan faces now was created by the current government, led by Brad Wall.
"He's been the premier for 10 years," Wotherspoon said.
"He didn't get the job done during the best years. He didn't save a dime during the best years. For him to try to suggest that he's dealing with this in a responsible fashion is ludicrous."
The Opposition continues to ask the government to reverse a number of budget cuts, including the winding down of the STC bus service.
The premier said the government did reverse its library cuts but has no immediate plans for any further changes to its budget.