Meet the new budget ... pretty much the same as the old budget.

Déjà- vu week at the legislature continued Thursday as the Yukon political climate continues to be at least slightly askew.

Premier Sandy Silver introduced a new – revised – budget that looks very, very similar to the one he tabled March 4 and subsequently campaigned on.

There are a few additions – mostly squeezing in the promises contained in the confidence and supply agreement struck with the NDP – and a few changes, including some revised funding from the federal government.

The meat of it, though, is precisely the same as Yukoners saw in March.

This revised document has left the $434-million capital projects untouched.

Themes from the NDP include a million dollars to address the opioid crisis, and $500,000 for a new dental program. Those numbers had been previously announced.

The overall deficit is down to $6.6 million from $12.7 million. That’s largely due to some adjusted figures from federal funding.

“This year’s budget includes estimated spending of $1.791 billion,” Silver said in his address.

“Capital spending accounts for $434 million, a record amount. This is 17 per cent higher than last year.”

Silver said the operations and maintenance budget was estimated at $1.36 billion.

Notable changes from the March 4 budget include:

• a $5.8-million increase in operations and maintenance spending;

• an $11.9-million increase in operations and maintenance recoveries; and

• a $5.8-million decrease in net financial debt.

A news release from the government stated the revised budget also includes $6.4 million in Territorial Health Investment Fund transfers and $5.5 million in COVID-19 supports from Canada, which were both identified since the tabling of the budget in March.

“Combined, these funding arrangements are helping reduce the annual deficit and net debt position for 2021-22 since the budget was tabled in March,” the statement said.

“Also tabled were revised Second Supplementary Estimates for the 2020-21 fiscal year. This includes $330,000 for the territorial election and pension plan expenses, which did not appear in the Second Supplementary Estimates tabled in March 2021.”

A revised Fiscal Outlook outlining the government’s revised fiscal position was also released along with a summary of revisions between the March budget and the revised budget.

“Our government is proud to table a revised budget that will make life more affordable while investing in a more sustainable and prosperous future for the Yukon,” Silver said.

“We are making historic investments in Yukon families with a new universal childcare program as well as renewable energy projects that will help us address climate change.

“The budget also includes funding for ongoing COVID-19 programs to ensure Yukoners and their businesses have the support they need as we emerge from the pandemic and get on the path to recovery,” Silver said.

NDP Leader Kate White, a partner in supporting the Liberal minority government, said “the tabling of a revised 2021-2022 Liberal budget following the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Yukon NDP caucus demonstrates that the Yukon NDP team has delivered on its promises to Yukoners. 

“Our team is determined and committed to enhancing the lives of Yukoners no matter where they live in our territory. We need to lift up our youth and our elders, while instilling hope for people by expanding our resources to provide the support that vulnerable people need,” White said.

“Yukoners know where I stand and what we’re fighting for. We’ve made some progress for families, workers and tenants with this budget but there’s a lot more work to do.”

After delivering the budget, Silver spent a few minutes fielding questions from reporters.

He was thoughtful in considering whether creating this revised budget was more difficult with having to balance input from the NDP.

“It is very similar. It’s interesting, because a month later, you get to look at some recoveries, some operations and management things but it was pretty straightforward because we did put a Herculean effort into the budget back in March.

“There are some increased dollars in there for some specific capital items which expedite our Putting People First plan on some specific items and we were happy to do so,” the Finance minister added.

“I think the whole process itself was pretty smooth.

“I go back to one of the first things I heard from Kate White when we were getting Putting People First out and it was something like, ‘if they won’t implement it, we sure would.”

If anything, Silver said, the collaborative agreement with the NDP has “re-prioritized some of the components of the plan.

“We’re happy to get to work on it.”

Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon said “there’s not a lot new in the budget.

“We reacted to the budget a month or so ago, and there’s not a lot new. Obviously, the process of government has changed a lot due to the coalition between the Liberals and the NDP, and that’s going to change how this budget gets delivered. There’s a few things slightly changed.”

Dixon said there are things in the budget the Yukon Party could support, but “overall with the direction the Liberals are going, we won’t be supporting the budget.”

He added the “spending direction of the government is still troubling.”