Will Saskatchewan’s parties find a balance between budget and advancement?

The election campaign period may have only just begun and we have already heard promises from both major parties. But will these promises get in the way of balancing the budget?

The election campaign period may have only just begun and we have already heard promises from both major parties.

But will these promises get in the way of balancing the budget? Running in the black versus the red should matter to voters come election day, according to one expert.

University of Regina economics professor Jason Childs said it is possible to balance the budget year over year, but it comes with a political cost.

“As soon as you run a surplus, there are really exciting and interesting politically palatable things to do with that money,” Childs said. “(The government saying) ‘we’re going to stick it away, we’re going to pay down debt as we did with the surprise surplus we had not that long ago.’ There was a lot of hue and cry about other things we could’ve done with that money.”

“We know how destructive debt can be and debt just comes from consistently running deficits,” Childs went on to say.

Saskatchewan voters will hear a lot from party leaders and candidates about how they plan to make life better in the province – all of it coming at a cost.

The Saskatchewan Party has their focused their campaign on a “strong economy and a bright future.”

Leader Scott Moe was quick to jump on the provincial NDP’s spending and how it won’t help the economy.