Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said a deficit budget is imminent in the province, while also touting the strength of Saskatchewan's economy and diverse markets during an NSBA luncheon at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on Tues, Feb. 24, 2026. (Image Credit: Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

By Libby Gray, CKOM News Staff

Budget 2026

Scott Moe offers more details on shortfall coming in next month’s provincial budget

Feb 25, 2026 | 9:40 AM

Saskatchewan’s Premier says a budget shortfall is coming next month, citing uncertain times, global conflicts and the tariff and trade issues that seem to arise daily.

Speaking at a North Saskatoon Business Association luncheon at Prairieland Park on Tuesday, Premier Scott Moe reiterated the comments he made on The Evan Bay Show on Monday, saying the province’s upcoming budget will include a deficit.

“This is likely one of the times of the most uncertain worlds that I have faced in my elected time, for sure, and possibly my lifetime,” Moe said during his speech.

The difficulties, Moe told reporters, are primarily bottom-line revenue challenges, which are being felt in Saskatchewan and several other provinces. Moe pointed to the $13.3 billion deficit budget tabled last week in B.C. as an example.

“Saskatchewan is not immune or exclusive in the challenges that we face, and I would suggest we will be more resilient than most – if not all – other provinces as we address those challenges,” Moe said.

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The premier promised that Saskatchewan’s deficit would be “nowhere near” what was seen in B.C.

But while a deficit is looming, Moe promised that taxes will not increase for Saskatchewan residents as a result of the provincial budget. He also promised that Saskatchewan services would not be cut.

“To make the choice to protect Saskatchewan services – whether that’s health care, community safety and investing in keeping our Saskatchewan communities and families safe, as well as education, highways – that is the choice that we have, and we’re choosing to protect Saskatchewan services,” Moe stated.

Moe said specifics, including the size of the deficit, will not be revealed until the budget is officially tabled on March 18.

The premier said the budget will demonstrate that the government “is on the right path when it comes to attracting investment into the industries that are creating jobs and wealth.”

Moe says Sask. economy remains strong

Moe repeatedly championed the diversity of Saskatchewan markets and resources during his address on Tuesday, emphasizing the importance of diversification in making the province more resilient to global upheavals and trade issues, putting Saskatchewan in a “much stronger position than virtually any other province across Canada.”

The Premier shared a laundry list of achievements for Saskatoon and Saskatchewan, including 15,000 jobs created in the province last year and a year-over-year increase of 10 per cent in capital investment into projects around the province.

“More people are working today in our great province than have ever worked in our history,” Moe said.

“We need to continue to keep our nose to the grindstone and to ensure that we’re striving to build on that success into the future, and that’s why in recent budgets we’ve created a number of programs that foster that continued investment.”

Moe said the quality of life in Saskatchewan is “above and beyond anywhere in the nation,” citing Saskatoon as “the number-one city in Canada for the place to raise a family, for its quality of life, for safety, for work life-balance and for affordability.”

Special warrants

When asked about the $650 million in spending the province approved through special warrants earlier this month, which the Saskatchewan NDP said could push the province’s deficit as high as $1 billion, the premier said it’s an annual practice.

“It’s part of how the budget comes together when they’re spending in one area that wasn’t anticipated in the budget,” Moe said.

“It’ll all be accounted for with respect to changes in expenses, changes in revenues, and all of that will be reported on each and every quarter.”

Moe was asked if Saskatchewan residents might find it difficult to trust a budget when special warrants continue to add millions of dollars to government spending.

“Special warrants have been utilized for a lot longer than I’ve been in politics,” Moe replied.

“If it wasn’t accounted for in the quarterly reports, then we’d have a problem, but it is, each and every time. It’s part of how the governments operate.”

He reiterated that the province – and all governments across Canada – are facing financially challenging times, leaving them with tough decisions to make.