Finance Minister’s $8K flight an insult to workers struggling to make ends meet: SFL

Sask. Party Finance Minister Donna Harpauer’s $8,000 private flight to travel 400 kilometres is an insult to workers who are struggling to make ends meet due to record high inflation and tax and utility rate hikes, says the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour.

“It’s unbelievable that at a time when workers are finding themselves unable to put food on the table, or to fill their cars with gas just to be able to get to work, the Sask. Party has no issue booking private jets and sending Saskatchewan people the bill,” said SFL President Lori Johb. “The Finance Minister should pay back the cost of the flight and apologize to working people for being so arrogant and out of touch with reality.”

The SFL has been calling on the Sask. Party government all summer to provide workers with relief from inflation at a time when the province is experiencing record resource revenues while at the same time raising taxes and utility rates, including:

• Immediately increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and come up with a plan to introduce a living wage
• Scrapping planned PST hikes passed in the 2022 provincial budget and cancel proposed power rate hikes
• Providing relief from high fuel prices
• Taxing profits from companies experiencing record revenues from high resource prices, and provide PST rebates to Saskatchewan people

“Workers across the province are in desperate need of some financial relief, but the Sask. Party instead seems to be more focused on how they can use our money to benefit themselves,” said Johb. “Given that the Sask. Party sees no problem with flying around on private jets while raising taxes and utility rates, it doesn’t seem likely that workers will be seeing plans for relief from this government any time soon.”

The SFL has a petition calling on the government to provide workers with relief from inflation. It can be found at: https://www.puttingworkersfirst.ca/inflation_relief