Legislative Report
(14 November 2019)

Saskatchewan’s New Growth Plan Unveiled

Saskatchewan has a Growth Plan for the next decade.

The plan is a roadmap for a growing province of 1.4 million people and a strong economy with 100,000 more jobs.

The purpose of growth and our government’s Growth Plan is to build a better quality of life for Saskatchewan people – to build strong communities and strong families – and to grow a stronger Saskatchewan now, and for the next decade.

Over the next decade, business and investment growth will create stronger communities, while adding value to the products we export around the world will support the growth of new industries and new investment in our province.

Technology and innovation will be a catalyst for growth in our core economic sectors and growing diversification of our economy. Growth will create new jobs and more opportunities for young people to realize their future in our province, while attracting skilled and entrepreneurial newcomers from around the world.

These are just some of the benefits of a growing province over the next decade.

Since 2007, the benefits of population and economic growth in the province have provided the ability to make substantial investments in infrastructure and services that Saskatchewan people expect in their communities. Strong growth has also provided the means to invest in better supports for seniors and vulnerable people across the province while reducing taxes and making life more affordable for Saskatchewan families.

While growth brings challenges, it also provides new opportunities to build on the investments that have been undertaken since 2007. Recognizing the importance of ensuring investments are affordable within a balanced budget, the Government of Saskatchewan will continue to invest in our communities and families to improve their quality of life as the province and economy grows over the next decade.

20 Actions for the 2020s

• Growing our population by keeping more young people in Saskatchewan and increasing immigration to the province;
• Maintaining a competitive tax environment and undertaking SaskFirst new growth tax incentives;
• Growing Saskatchewan exports and core exporting sectors, such as manufacturing;
• Engaging internationally to secure access and expand international markets for Saskatchewan products;
• Growing Saskatchewan’s agricultural economy;
• Adding value and increasing Saskatchewan-based processing of the province’s agricultural products;
• Growing Saskatchewan’s oil, gas and natural resource economy;
• Promoting the quality and sustainability of Saskatchewan’s agricultural and natural resource exports;
• Creating opportunities by reducing interprovincial barriers to trade;
• Growing Indigenous participation in the economy through the growth of Saskatchewan’s natural resource industries and labour market development;
• Expanding Saskatchewan’s export infrastructure;
• Supporting the transformation of Saskatchewan’s economy through innovation and technology and the growth of Saskatchewan’s technology sector;
• Developing Saskatchewan’s labour force;
• Growing small businesses and reducing government red tape for businesses;
• Delivering on Saskatchewan’s climate change plan to reduce carbon emissions;
• Reducing carbon emissions in electricity production and advancing the development of zero-emission small modular reactor technology using Saskatchewan uranium;
• Keeping the province’s finances strong and the budget balanced;
• Building strong communities by investing in infrastructure;
• Delivering on the purpose of growth by ensuring growth builds a better quality of life for Saskatchewan families and communities; and
• Always standing up for Saskatchewan.

30 Goals for 2030

• 1.4 million people living in Saskatchewan;
• 100,000 new jobs;
• Grow private capital investment in Saskatchewan to $16 billion annually;
• Increase the value of exports by 50 per cent;
• Grow the number of international markets to which Saskatchewan exports more than $1 billion;
• Grow Saskatchewan’s agri-food exports to $20 billion;
• Increase crop production to 45 million metric tonnes and livestock cash receipts to $3 billion;
• Expand irrigation in Saskatchewan;
• Increase agriculture value-added revenue to $10 billion;
• Crush 75 per cent of the canola Saskatchewan produces in Saskatchewan;
• Process 50 per cent of the pulse crops Saskatchewan produces in Saskatchewan;
• Double meat processing and animal feed value-added revenue to more than $1 billion;
• Increase oil production by 25 per cent to 600,000 barrels per day;
• Increase the annual value of potash sales to $9 billion;
• Double the growth of Saskatchewan’s forestry sector;
• Grow Indigenous participation in Saskatchewan’s natural resource industries;
• Triple the growth of Saskatchewan’s technology sector;
• Increase the value of Saskatchewan manufacturing exports by 50 per cent;
• Increase tourist expenditures in Saskatchewan by 50 per cent;
• Enhance oil recovery, carbon capture utilization and storage and position Saskatchewan as the best place in North America to test, commercialize and scale new oil and gas technologies;
• Invest $30 billion in infrastructure over the next decade;
• Build and upgrade 10,000 kilometres of highways;
• Expand Saskatchewan’s export infrastructure;
• Keep the budget balanced;
• Keep Saskatchewan’s debt-to-economic growth (GDP) ratio within the top three in Canada;
• Deliver on Saskatchewan’s climate change strategy, Prairie Resilience;
• Advance development of zero-emission small modular reactor technology;
• Support communities through $2.5 billion in revenue sharing; and
• Reduce surgical wait times to a three-month target.

You can learn more about The Next Decade of Growth in Saskatchewan online at saskgrowthplan.ca.

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