Sask Party Healthcare Math

By Erin Weir 
Progressive Economics Forum

October 13th, 2011

Yesterday, the Saskatchewan Party claimed that the provincial NDP’s plan for 30 additional primary healthcare clinics would cost $840 million. It has since removed this goofy press release from its website, but here’s a screenshot.

The Sask Party multiplied the Saskatoon Community Clinic’s $7-million annual provincial cost by 30, and then multiplied that total by four years ($7 million*30*4= $840 million). Of course, a community clinic is not the same as a primary healthcare clinic. The latter’s annual cost is typically under $1 million.

As reported by CBC, the Health Minister admitted the error but still tried to blame the NDP: “While [Don] McMorris owned-up to his party’s mistake, he said the NDP should have included a statement about the cost of its healthcare promise. He said if they had, he would not have made the mistaken calculation.”