SASKATOON, SK: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Saskatchewan government to stop going over budget after the First Quarter Fiscal Update shows the province has already spent windfall resource revenues.

“If the government didn’t receive this windfall, the debt would be increasing by $331 million more than budgeted this year,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “The government should be using one-time resource revenue windfalls to cut borrowing and pay down debt, not ratchet up spending.”

Largely due to increasing oil prices, the government is taking in $331 million more in revenue than expected this year.

Instead of using the revenue to decrease borrowing, the government is also spending $337 million more than it budgeted this year.

The government is increasing the debt to $26.8 billion by the end of the year. Premier Scott Moe more than doubled the provincial debt since becoming premier.

Debt interest charges will cost taxpayers more than $1 billion this year.

The Saskatchewan government spent about $1 billion more than budgeted in 2025. In 2024, the government overspent by $970 million. In 2023, it went over budget by $2.2 billion. In 2022, it was $1.4 billion.

“This windfall probably won’t be around next year and taxpayers will be stuck paying for ratcheted up spending with tax hikes or more reckless borrowing or both.” Haubrich said. “The government is wasting hundreds of millions of dollars per year on debt interest payments because it continually fails to control spending and keeps borrowing more money.”