The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has laid out a roadmap to help the Province cut down on debt ahead of the 2026-27 provincial budget reveal.

CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich says the Province has racked up a total of nearly $24 billion in debt, with another $2 billion debt increase slated for 2026. Haubrich has compiled a list of recommendations to help the government achieve a nearly debt-free year, but he admits that some restraint will need to be demonstrated.

“The government has issues sticking to its own budget. We’ve seen in the last four to five years, every single year the government stands up and budget time and says, ‘We’re going to spend this amount of money,’ then we get to the end of the year, and they’ve spent billions of dollars more.”

The list of tips includes bringing government employee compensation in line with Saskatchewan’s labour market, which would save approximately $406 million.

“Every single year, the biggest line item in the budget is how much money the government is paying their employees. When comparing government employees to private sector employees, those who work for the government, on average, earn about 5 per cent more than people in the private sector doing similar work.”

The CTF also suggests the government save $1.1 billion by axing corporate subsidies.

 “The government shouldn’t be in the business of business, and taxpayers could save a huge amount of money by the government leaving business to succeed on its own merits.”

Other tips include netting another $520 million by returning to pre-pandemic spending levels while still adjusting for inflation and population growth, and starting a heritage fund, which would reinvest a portion of the province’s resource revenues.