So are we booming or busting?
Or is it a little a both?
Certainly, when it comes to the complex Saskatchewan economic that depends on the whims of the weather, agricultural markets and the ups and downs of the natural resource cycle, it can be a little of both.
One thing is certain, though: A tougher hold-the-spending budget will mean rural communities bear more than their share of the cuts. It has always worked that way and there's little reason to think that will change even if it's a government with a strong rural base is making the cuts.
For those of you who might have missed them, Premier Brad Wall has been dropping strong hints of a tough budget on March 21 that will see the elimination of some government programs. Wall also told reporters that other programs - even on the social services side - might receive funding cuts. (Interestingly, Wall's last hints of a tough budget came just as he was leaving for Ireland to recruit skilled workers.)
Already, the Saskatchewan Premier has made it clear that one such cut will mean smaller communities and cities paying more for RCMP services. As noted earlier, this is all too typical of austerity measure budgets where cost-efficiency is always the first consideration. And whenever bureaucrats and politicians start talking about cost-efficiency in program delivery, it is almost always rural Saskatchewan that pays the price.
Also worth watching in the upcoming provincial budget will be the formula for education funding that is expected to be overhauled. Again, details are sketchy at this point, but bet that more than rural community will be effective.
The question, however, is why is all this necessary? Haven't we been receiving near daily reminders from the Wall government that we are in a time of near unprecedented growth and prosperity?
So is this a boom or a bust?
Yes, governments at least attempt to be slightly more disciplined with their spending in the first budget of a term. Yes, "good times" also happen to be a "good time" to keep spending in check.
And, yes, the Sask. Party did take the high road in last November's election campaign, talking about the extravagance of the NDP platform. That said, the Sask. Party wasn't exactly shy about promising new hospitals in North Battleford and Moose Jaw or replacements in smaller communities like Kipling and Radville. Where all this newfound spending discipline last term when government spending increased nearly 30 per cent in four years?
If we were headed for rough times shouldn't Wall's government have told us that earlier? There wasn't even any mention of the changes to RCMP funding at last month's Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) conference.
And what about all the other hype about our booming economy? Exactly how can we be in times of austerity, when the government keeps telling us about all our prosperity - retail sales increases, population growth, more job opportunities, etc?
Well, it's about here where we may be getting to the real reason we are now seeing this inconsistency.
What this Sask. Party government has gotten quite good at quite quickly is hyping itself - telling us exactly how much better provincial voters are doing under a Sask. Party regime.
For much of its first term, this also happened to the reality. But as economic conditions have returned to what might be considered more normal expectations, it's been a little difficult for the government to simply shutdown its propaganda machine. So when it comes to the question of whether we are in a boom or a bust, signs suggest that it might be a little of both.
The problem is, Wall seems to have a little difficulty talking about the latter - especially when it translates into cuts in rural Saskatchewan and elsewhere.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 15 years.
