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As an example, the government’s most expensive ministry, Alberta Health, spent about $223 million less than planned.

Still, opposition parties characterized the results as minimal progress.

United Conservative Party finance critic Drew Barnes said the weak tax revenue stream is prime evidence that the NDP’s carbon levy and other policies have stymied Albertans’ financial growth.

Alberta Party finance critic Greg Clark said the government could have reduced its deficits by more than $2 billion just by staying on budget, while Liberal Party Leader David Khan blasted the NDP for failing to reduce the province’s vulnerability to busts and booms of the oil sector.

“Getting a lucky bounce in oil prices is not a financial plan,” Khan said in a news release.

The province borrowed $5.4 billion for its infrastructure plan, and $4.5 billion to help cover operating costs last year. That brought the government’s total debt to $43.4 billion at year end.

Treasury Board and finance spent $517 million last year on debt-servicing payments, including $260 million that went to cover borrowing for operations.

For the current 2018-19 fiscal year, the government has projected a deficit of $8.8 billion, but that could be adjusted for the better when first-quarter results are released in August.

The province’s gross domestic product is projected to rise 2.7 per cent, which will again put Alberta among the country’s leaders, Ceci said.

He said the plan is still to have the province return to a balanced budget by 2023-24.

Colin Craig, the Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said it was good to see the deficit cut, but more spending control is needed to make real progress on attaining balance.

“I think one thing they have to look at is salaries and benefits,” he said. “They are very, very high and we still haven’t seen significant restraint to get those costs under control.”

kgerein@postmedia.com

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