The Saskatchewan NDP presented the Spendies Awards to highlight taxpayer-funded travel expenses that Premier Scott Moe and his ministers claimed in the last year, ones the Sask Party cabinet defends.The Moe government recently published their past six months travel expense claims, giving the NDP more to work with. The winners were announced in a press release by Opposition Whip Aleana Young.“Saskatchewan people work hard for their tax dollars. They deserve to know if their money is going to hospitals, schools or wasteful Sask. Party spending, like a million-dollar trip to Dubai or a $3,500 Mercedes limo in Paris,” said Young.“This high-flying Sask. Party government is out of touch with the challenges facing Saskatchewan people.”The premier was named the "Big Spender winner" for his trip to Dubai. The NDP called it "the most expensive in Saskatchewan history." With $765,000 for the pavilion and another $238,000 spent on subway advertising, Moe billed Saskatchewan taxpayers over $1 million before flights and hotels.Moe was also the "First Class Flyer winner." The premier, accompanied by two people, spent over $31,000 on flights to and from New Delhi, India. On Thursday, the Opposition found round trip premium economy flights from Regina to New Delhi for three people that departed Friday and cost less than $13,000 total.Crown Corporations Minister Dustin Duncan won the "Joyrider" Spendie for an "eye-watering" $3,500 spent on a private Mercedes limo service in Paris during five days attending the World Nuclear Exhibition last November.Read more: NDP takes final shot at $3,445 chauffeur bill for Sask Party minister in ParisMinister of Energy and Resources Jim Reiter, the MLA for Rosetown-Elrose, won the "Lobsterfest" spendie. His $12,000 bill covered catered lunches, dinners, beverage services and other “business hosting expenses” during the 2024 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conference (PDAC) in Toronto March 3-6.A week after Reiter returned to Saskatchewan, the mayor of Wolseley, Sask. publicly pleaded for food bank donations amid record hunger, the NDP pointed out.Young, the MLA for Regina University, formally announced the awards in the legislature."We’ll start with the most expensive hotel stay. Was it the Premier’s stay in Whistler at $531 a night? Was it the Energy minister’s check-in in Toronto at $556 a night? No, Mr. Speaker, the award goes to the man, the suit, the legend — the member for Arm River Watrous [Dana Skoropad] who spent $588 a night for two nights in Ottawa last year," quipped Young.Reiter replied, "it’s important that this government advocates for our industry around the world."He added, "what was reported was not just for myself, it was for a number of staff from the ministry who have meetings there, Mr. Speaker. It’s for receptions, it’s for rentals of meeting rooms. Mr. Speaker, my costs for Toronto were actually for economy flights and hotel rooms, are actually under $2,000."But Young wasn't done. Before naming Duncan for the "joyrider" ground transportation award, she named some runners-up."Was it the Education minister with his $1,200 bill for two days in Edmonton? No. Was it the Trade and Export minister with his $3,400 car service in London and Warsaw? No," she said.Duncan reminded the NDP of their final travel bills in power."In terms of out-of-country travel, out-of-province travel, Mr. Speaker, I think on average ours is about 2 to $300,000 a year. In the last year of the NDP, which was 17 years ago, the NDP spent a million dollars travelling out of this province," Duncan said."When it comes to exorbitant costs and travel, we will take no lessons from those members opposite."Young concluded with the runners up for big spender award. "Nominees did include the energy minister’s $28,000 trip to Toronto, the trade minister’s $18,000 trip to London and Warsaw," she said, before awarding the premier with the prize.Reiter said the PDAC conference he attended was "the premier mining conference in the world." He said whereas Sask Party governments only sent one minister to represent the province, NDP governments sent two."They sent Eric Cline — who’s apparently written a bestseller lately, Mr. Speaker — and Maynard Sonntag. Both went 2001, 2003, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07," Reiter said.Winners were invited to make a speech and formally accept their award at media scrums in the rotunda, but none did.
The Saskatchewan NDP presented the Spendies Awards to highlight taxpayer-funded travel expenses that Premier Scott Moe and his ministers claimed in the last year, ones the Sask Party cabinet defends.The Moe government recently published their past six months travel expense claims, giving the NDP more to work with. The winners were announced in a press release by Opposition Whip Aleana Young.“Saskatchewan people work hard for their tax dollars. They deserve to know if their money is going to hospitals, schools or wasteful Sask. Party spending, like a million-dollar trip to Dubai or a $3,500 Mercedes limo in Paris,” said Young.“This high-flying Sask. Party government is out of touch with the challenges facing Saskatchewan people.”The premier was named the "Big Spender winner" for his trip to Dubai. The NDP called it "the most expensive in Saskatchewan history." With $765,000 for the pavilion and another $238,000 spent on subway advertising, Moe billed Saskatchewan taxpayers over $1 million before flights and hotels.Moe was also the "First Class Flyer winner." The premier, accompanied by two people, spent over $31,000 on flights to and from New Delhi, India. On Thursday, the Opposition found round trip premium economy flights from Regina to New Delhi for three people that departed Friday and cost less than $13,000 total.Crown Corporations Minister Dustin Duncan won the "Joyrider" Spendie for an "eye-watering" $3,500 spent on a private Mercedes limo service in Paris during five days attending the World Nuclear Exhibition last November.Read more: NDP takes final shot at $3,445 chauffeur bill for Sask Party minister in ParisMinister of Energy and Resources Jim Reiter, the MLA for Rosetown-Elrose, won the "Lobsterfest" spendie. His $12,000 bill covered catered lunches, dinners, beverage services and other “business hosting expenses” during the 2024 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conference (PDAC) in Toronto March 3-6.A week after Reiter returned to Saskatchewan, the mayor of Wolseley, Sask. publicly pleaded for food bank donations amid record hunger, the NDP pointed out.Young, the MLA for Regina University, formally announced the awards in the legislature."We’ll start with the most expensive hotel stay. Was it the Premier’s stay in Whistler at $531 a night? Was it the Energy minister’s check-in in Toronto at $556 a night? No, Mr. Speaker, the award goes to the man, the suit, the legend — the member for Arm River Watrous [Dana Skoropad] who spent $588 a night for two nights in Ottawa last year," quipped Young.Reiter replied, "it’s important that this government advocates for our industry around the world."He added, "what was reported was not just for myself, it was for a number of staff from the ministry who have meetings there, Mr. Speaker. It’s for receptions, it’s for rentals of meeting rooms. Mr. Speaker, my costs for Toronto were actually for economy flights and hotel rooms, are actually under $2,000."But Young wasn't done. Before naming Duncan for the "joyrider" ground transportation award, she named some runners-up."Was it the Education minister with his $1,200 bill for two days in Edmonton? No. Was it the Trade and Export minister with his $3,400 car service in London and Warsaw? No," she said.Duncan reminded the NDP of their final travel bills in power."In terms of out-of-country travel, out-of-province travel, Mr. Speaker, I think on average ours is about 2 to $300,000 a year. In the last year of the NDP, which was 17 years ago, the NDP spent a million dollars travelling out of this province," Duncan said."When it comes to exorbitant costs and travel, we will take no lessons from those members opposite."Young concluded with the runners up for big spender award. "Nominees did include the energy minister’s $28,000 trip to Toronto, the trade minister’s $18,000 trip to London and Warsaw," she said, before awarding the premier with the prize.Reiter said the PDAC conference he attended was "the premier mining conference in the world." He said whereas Sask Party governments only sent one minister to represent the province, NDP governments sent two."They sent Eric Cline — who’s apparently written a bestseller lately, Mr. Speaker — and Maynard Sonntag. Both went 2001, 2003, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07," Reiter said.Winners were invited to make a speech and formally accept their award at media scrums in the rotunda, but none did.
