REGINA – Saskatchewan NDP Leader Cam Broten says his party would cut $59 million a year on private consultants contracts if it wins this spring’s provincial election.
Broten made the pre-campaign promise on Tuesday, saying that since the Saskatchewan Party took power, government spending on consultants has gone up by more than 300 per cent.
The Opposition leader says the millions of dollars he would slash from consultancy budgeting would be diverted to education, health care and seniors programs.
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Premier Brad Wall, speaking after an appearance in Weyburn on Tuesday, says consultants provide valuable input on infrastructure projects.
Wall says the cost of seeking outside advice has risen because the price tag on new roads, bridges, hospitals and other structures has also gone up.
Broten said he wants to take the cost of private consultants back to where it was when the SaskParty took power in 2007. He said the government is relying too much on outside advice.