Sask. finance minister not sure if budget will come out on time

Saskatchewan's finance minister says that due to the recent leadership race, the budget may not come out as planned.

The government had originally hoped for a March release.

"We're not sure if it can be on time but we don't want it to be too delayed," finance minister Donna Harpauer told reporters Friday.

Harpauer said they had anticipated the potential hiccups the leadership race could cause, so they made room in the budget plans for that. She said they had to keep in mind that each potential leader has different promises.

"We've built a budget with flexibility in it and now we can do some final numbers and get it before our new premier," she said.

Acknowledging Premier Scott Moe made specific financial commitments during his leadership campaign, Harpauer said they would "ensure" the budget would be able to honour those commitments.

Budget talks start in September, with different ministries and ministers bringing forward their concerns, constraints and requests.

NDP reaction

Interim NDP leader Nicole Sarauer says it would be better if the budget wasn't delayed.

"It's a very important budget. We need it to come out sooner rather than later. I know a lot of sectors are waiting to see what's going to happen and there's a lot of concerns about what's going to happen in the next budget," Sarauer told reporters Friday.

Sarauer voiced concern for municipalities who will be left in the dark if the budget is delayed.

"They don't know what that budget is going to mean for them, whether or not there's going to be further cuts. They don't know if they're going to have to go back to the decision-making table," she said.

"Based on what we heard, it's going to be another tough budget."