.jpg)
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) will bring its mobile Debt Clock truck to Moose Jaw this Thursday, part of a Saskatchewan tour aimed at raising awareness about the province’s rising debt load.
The truck will visit the Discover Moose Jaw parking lot at 3:30 p.m., before moving to Kiwanis River Park for a 5:30 p.m. event, where organizers will offer hot dogs and speak with residents.
The Debt Clock features a large digital counter displaying Saskatchewan’s debt growing in real time, designed to make the issue tangible for passersby.
CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich said the Debt Clock helps the public visualize just how fast the provincial debt is climbing.
“It notches up as you’re staring at it and it’s quite outrageous to see the government add more than $3,000 to the debt every single minute. When you see it going up on the side of the clock, you understand that this debt is a huge issue.
“It’s currently sitting at around $23.5 billion. That is about $18,713 per Saskatchewan resident. This year alone, the government will be paying $878.4 million in debt interest payments. That’s about $700 for every Saskatchewanian. This is money that’s not going toward paying for nurses or police officers or firefighters or roads or any of the things that you want your government to be spending your tax dollars on. It’s just going to the government’s lenders.”
Haubrich emphasized that CTF’s goal is to show how provincial debt affects everyday taxpayers.
“Provincial politicians aren’t spending their own money — they’re spending hardworking Saskatchewanians’ money. And $700 of every tax bill is going purely to pay debt interest.
“By calling on the government to get the debt going down now, it stops future tax hikes and hundreds of millions of dollars being wasted on debt interest payments every year.”
The CTF estimates that the province is now paying over $2.4 million every single day on interest alone.
Haubrich added that the stop in Moose Jaw is part of a broader conversation the organization hopes to have across the province.
“We’re happy to talk with anyone who comes by. The Debt Clock is a conversation starter — it makes the numbers real and local.”
Details about the Saskatchewan Debt Clock, the federal debt clock, and the other provincial debt clocks are available at debtclock.ca.