$57M surplus means government 'not delivering services'

P.E.I.'s Green Party would like to see the new provincial government focused more on providing services rather than racking up surprise surpluses.

The final audited statements for the 2018-19 fiscal year, released Thursday, showed a $57 million surplus for the P.E.I. government. On budget day, the government had forecast a $1.5 million surplus.

That surplus was the responsibility of the previous Liberal government. The Liberals were pushed to third party status in the April election. The new Green Opposition calls that surplus a sign of poor financial management.

"Carrying a surplus means that you're not delivering services that are needed," said finance critic Michele Beaton.

"When you have a surplus of taxes it means that you're not giving out the services that you can and Islanders across the province are in need. I mean we're in a housing crisis, we have people that don't have homes, we have an underfunded women's crisis shelter."

Beaton is hoping for more accurate financial forecasting from the current Progressive Conservative government.

She'd also like to see the province spend some of this surplus on more services for Islanders.

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