Raise Oil and Gas Royalty Rates by 5%

Preamble

Whereas: Saskatchewan has between $15 and $30B in debt between the government and crown corporations;

Whereas: companies need to recognize that the cost of doing business in Canada is rising, and the past 20 years of prosperity has been borne at the cost of the public;

Whereas: the current government has provided generous subsidies to the oil and gas sector, including a 35% discount on power use, foreign trade offices, a Public Relations arm called “Sustainable Saskatchewan”, and the planned use for captured carbon at the boundary dam as an input for Enhanced Oil Recovery;

Whereas: the status quo of low royalty rates has resulted in depreciated quality of essential services across most government departments and sectors, impacting workers in the resource sector as well;

Direction

Be It Resolved That: a Saskatchewan Progress Party government will raise the effective royalty rates by 5% for crude oil and natural gas production.