REGINA — A new poll suggests nearly nine in 10 Saskatchewanians are worried about the rapid growth of the province's debt over the last decade.The Insightrix Research polling, released Tuesday by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), shows 87% of respondents are concerned about government borrowing. According to the data, 47% of those surveyed are very concerned, 40% are somewhat concerned, 8% are not very concerned, 1% are not concerned at all, and 4% remain unsure.Gage Haubrich, the CTF's Prairie director, said the findings send a clear message to provincial leaders."The poll is clear: Nearly nine in 10 Saskatchewanians are worried about the government’s irresponsible borrowing," Haubrich said in a release. "Each dollar Saskatchewan politicians rack up in debt today is a dollar plus interest that taxpayers will have to pay back tomorrow.”.Since Premier Scott Moe took office, Saskatchewan's provincial debt has more than doubled. The total debt sat at roughly $10.1 billion in 2017 and is projected to hit $26.8 billion by the end of this year. The CTF noted that the total amounts to more than $21,000 per person in the province.Taxpayers will also cover approximately $1 billion in debt interest payments this year alone, which breaks down to more than $2.8 million every day.Haubrich urged the government to shift its fiscal approach to mirror the anxieties of the public."Premier Scott Moe needs to listen to Saskatchewan taxpayers, rein in spending, and start paying down the debt," Haubrich said.The governing Saskatchewan Party's stated guiding principles include a "steady, gradual reduction in government spending and taxation while maintaining a firm commitment to balanced budgets." However, the CTF said the mounting multi-billion-dollar tally shows a stark departure from those fiscal targets.
