Morinville-St. Albert UCP MLA Dale Nally says the COVID-19 pandemic has railroaded the provincial government's commitment to balance the budget at the end of their first term.
One year into his term as MLA, Nally told the Gazette the current public health crisis has shifted the UCP's priorities.
“We were committed to balancing our budget by the end of this term. I'm not sure that we could make that commitment anymore,” Nally said.
“I'm not sure that it's important that we do. What's important now is the priority has changed to supporting Albertans.”
Since COVID-19 started, the government had to ramp up its spending to help support residents, including spending $108 million dollars on its emergency isolation support program, which it had initially only budgeted $50 million for.
Nally said the government will continue to manage operational expenses but has switched gears to focus on spending money to stimulate the economy and support its residents.
Nally, who also serves as the associate minister of natural gas and electricity, also sits on the provincial treasury board, which is the provincial body responsible for budget planning, financial management, economic analysis and the administration of tax and revenue programs.
“There is a huge hole in our budget and we are looking at that,” Nally said.
