FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2026
Matt MacFarlane tabling bill to rein in reckless government spending of tax dollars
Charlottetown, PE – Today Matt MacFarlane, Leader of the Green Party of PEI, announced he will be tabling a bill during the spring sitting that will help rein in government’s reckless use of special warrants. The bill, which is an amendment to the Financial Administration Act, would add the requirement that a payment pursuant to a special warrant be first deemed to be “urgently and immediately required.”
“The PC government’s increased reliance on special warrants is bad budgeting and has allowed our provincial debt to climb to unsustainable levels. These special warrants receive no oversight or accountability from the Legislative Assembly and are often used by government to avoid scrutiny from opposition parties and the public.” said MacFarlane. “When we see this government budget zero dollars for something like travel nurses, but then issue a $28 million special warrant for travel nurses, something has to change.”
PEI is one of the only provinces in Canada that does not require either urgency, immediacy or emergency to exist before issuing special warrant payment. Given the unprecedented reliance by the PC government in recent years on special warrants, and our ballooning debt, it is important that this language, as appears in other province’s legislation, be included in our legislation.
“Our province is in a precarious financial situation right now, and we must do everything we can to rein in unnecessary spending and budget realistically,” said MacFarlane. “This small but significant change brings us in line with other provinces, and will encourage a more appropriate use of special warrants, which should never be used just because a government is unable or unwilling to budget transparently and responsibly.”
The consultation draft of the bill is now available for public review and feedback. Islanders can share their feedback by emailing greencaucus@assembly.pe.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Katie Rankin
Chief of Staff
Office of the Third Party
Tel: (902) 213-6378
Email: kerankin@assembly.pe.ca