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The problems of Minister Boyd, however, are not the government’s only problem. By all accounts Saskatchewan’s economy is slumping, as low oil and potash prices mean layoffs and falling government revenue. To be sure, the province’s economic slump would be a problem for any government. Yet the Saskatchewan Party has stubbornly refused to introduce a full budget, meaning that voters can only take the government at its word that it will run modest two-year budget deficits in order to avoid the harsh austerity measures that have occurred in other jurisdictions. By refusing to release a full budget, the government certainly avoids thorny questions about the state of public finances, but also leaves many people guessing what the government has to hide from the general public.

Still other problems appear on the horizon. For the past two years, the government has been in negotiations with the province’s nurses over a new collective agreement. One can only expect that the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses will not miss an opportunity to raise concerns over the quality of health care if the government continues to drag its heels on reaching a fair agreement with the nurses. Not only that, but the government’s failure in negotiations highlights the tenuous relationship with its public sector workers, especially after its Essential Services law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015. Take these bad news stories and pile them onto the newly released report that suggests that the LEAN project has resulted in cost overruns and next to zero savings, and there are serious concerns about the government’s administration of the province’s most prized social program.