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Far be it from any of us to inform Saskatchewan provincial auditor Tara Clemett learn how to do her job.

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She certain appears to have a terrific deal with on her function and accountability, as was evident in her current Quantity Two of 2022 report during which she laid out the necessity for two,000 extra health-care suppliers in an irrefutable approach.

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Naturally, the federal government’s treatment to the issue since has been one other fairly pricey worldwide journey to the Philippines headed by Well being Minister Paul Merriman. Was this a obligatory, cost-efficient journey? Had been there different choices? Why did the minister must be on this overseas journey?

If strategies to Clemett are in any approach useful or appreciated, it will be incredible if she may wade into the murky waters of presidency journey and commerce workplaces to see if the remainder of us footing the invoice are actually getting worth for our cash.

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One will get that Clemett has a full plate and that it’s getting fuller.

Coming down the pipe for the provincial auditor’s workplace are the fee effectiveness of Policing and Correction Minister Christine Inform’s marshal service  and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer’s revenue tax assortment that even the enterprise group sees as vacation folly wrapped in pink tape.

Furthermore, it’s usually the auditor’s job to evaluate cash or prices already incurred by the provincial authorities fairly than the relative usefulness of spending proposals.

As such, it will likely be troublesome to evaluate cost-effectiveness of both Harpauer’s new tax assortment technique or Inform’s marshal service. Frustratingly, the general public isn’t actually being informed what the 2 items of laws tabled through the spring sitting will do — not to mention what they may price.

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And the problem of cupboard ministers’ journey is much more nebulous and politically charged.

The suspicion is ministers love this perk and and search for excuses, however possibly there’s proof on the market that it’s as worthwhile as they are saying — however that we’re seeing one other flurry of pre-Christmas, post-session journey of late, with Premier Scott Moe off to Washington and Commerce and Funding Minister Jeremy Harrison off to Vietnam.

“I’ll make no apologies for telling our story world wide as a result of it interprets into financial exercise and jobs proper at residence,” Moe stated final June after he, Harrison and Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre made 4 journeys costing taxpayers $135,000.

In equity, it’s not as if the Sask. Social gathering authorities invented the notion of ministerial journey — questionable or in any other case. The truth is, the Sask. Social gathering loves to notice that NDP authorities journey — largely due to government-owned Govt Air, which the Sask. Social gathering shuttered — was greater.

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Alas, that declare hasn’t resonated as effectively since Harpauer’s $8,000 post-budget flight to North Battleford for a chamber of commerce luncheon that angered so many.

It certain wasn’t the most costly journey, nevertheless it’s not simply price that determines what journey is important.

And possibly we typically assume wrongly. Perhaps not all journey is as nugatory as we expect.

Moe’s current journey to Washington, D.C.to “establish alternatives to strengthen and develop the essential mineral sector in North America” is one thing the auditor would possibly simply decide was worthwhile.

As famous in Moe’s press launch earlier this month: “There may be large alternative for Saskatchewan to strengthen our ties with our American neighbours — notably within the areas of essential mineral improvement and processing, a discipline during which Saskatchewan is shortly changing into a world chief.”

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That stated, Saskatchewan has spent hundreds of thousands on American lobbyists, together with greater than $6 million since 2011 on the South Carolina-based regulation agency Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP.

After which there may be that little matter of the $240,000 contract the Sask. Social gathering authorities signed with former prime minister Stephen Harper’s consulting firm in 2019.

But we proceed to have extra journey and extra commerce workplaces than we’ve ever had.

Shouldn’t commerce workplaces cut back the necessity for journey? Are we getting worth for our cash?

Perhaps it’s time for an unbiased social gathering just like the provincial auditor to take a tough look.

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Chief-Put up and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

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