Sask. Party caucus has $1.1M for advertising

SASKATOON The Saskatchewan Party caucus is sitting on just over $1.1 million in taxpayer dollars it can choose to spend on political but non-partisan advertising promoting the government’s activities over the coming year.

That is expected to include the government’s new growth plan for the next decade, which it teased earlier this month at its pre-election convention and will be released “this fall,” according to caucus chair Eric Olauson.

“We’re in a good position,” Olauson said of the accumulated surplus, money left over from the grants paid to the government and Opposition caucuses each year based on the number of elected representatives in each party.

Last year, the Sask. Party caucus received $1.3 million and spent $1 million on salaries and benefits, various services, travel, phone and internet bills and advertising, newly-released financial records show.

The Saskatchewan NDP caucus received $900,303 plus $50,824 in other income, and spent $920,849. At the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year, the records show, the caucus had a total surplus of $73,119.

Olauson would not say if the government caucus plans to dip into its accumulated surplus over the next 12 months. “We’ll use what we need,” the Saskatoon—university MLA said.

Caucus resources are dictated by the Board of Internal Economy, a bipartisan legislative committee chaired by the speaker. The money comes from taxpayers and cannot be used for partisan purposes such as nominations and campaigns.

However, as Olauson put it, the funds can be used to buy advertising that supports MLAS and promotes government programs; both the Sask. Party and the NDP caucuses have been doing more of that recently.

Last year, the government caucus spent $224,941 on advertising, slightly less than the $270,927 it paid out for the year ended March 31, 2018 — a period that captures the first two months of Scott Moe’s premiership.