REGINA — NDP Leader Ryan Meili on Friday criticized the Saskatchewan Party's election promise to eliminate the provincial deficit within three years and said he would not pick an "arbitrary date" to get out of the red if his party were to form government.

Sask. Party Leader Scott Moe is campaigning for the Oct. 26 vote on a promise to balance the budget by 2024-25 through spending restraint. He said before the campaign started that he didn't intend to raise taxes, but hasn't ruled that out.

Financial officials have projected Saskatchewan will run a $2.1-billion deficit this year due primarily to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a campaign stop on the outskirts of Regina, Meili said Moe's plan would lead to increased taxes and reduced services, but the NDP leader wouldn't give a timeline for how the NDP would tackle the deficit..

“If we commit to ... an arbitrary date instead of actually committing the investments to get us to a point where our economy grows and we can decrease that deficit, we'll see what we'll see under Scott Moe," he said.

Meili said he would decrease the deficit "as quickly as possible" and would not do it by raising taxes for families or reducing services.

He also rejected the notion that not providing a specific target date could lead to voter concerns about endless deficit spending that would result in inevitable tax increases.

"We have the goal of balancing the budget as soon as we possibly can without harming Saskatchewan people," said Meili.

The Saskatchewan Party has spent the first few days of the campaign attacking the NDP's spending decisions, saying they would result in the province going deeper into deficit.

Meili has promised to inject $125 million into classroom learning to hire more teachers, and to introduce $25-a-day child care, as well as to build a new bridge in Prince Albert and finish a hospital.

Moe has committed to spend $124 million on a new tax credit for home renovations and another $261 million to provide a 10 per cent rebate on power bills for one year.

In Moose Jaw on Friday, he said a Sask. Party forming its fourth term in government would spend $8 million, starting next year, to give $250 extra to students receiving the Saskatchewan Advantage kpost-secondary scholarship.

Meili said an NDP government would hold a judicial inquiry into a controversial billion-dollar bypass project and inland port outside Regina.

Moe acknowledged the Sask. Party government shouldn't have gone into the business of owning the Global Transportation Hub and said the project has been heavily scrutinized.

He said the government has acted on recommendations made by the provincial auditor and is looking to sell the port to the private sector.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct.2, 2020

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press