Deal could be blocked by NDP
The Canadian provincial government of Saskatchewan wants to sell two casinos, Regina and Moose Jaw, to First Nations. The reported asking price would range from $100 million to $200 million.
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority owns and operates six casinos under the jurisdiction of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. The province has retained ownership of Casino Regina and Casino Moose Jaw through the Saskatchewan Gaming Corp,, a Crown corporation.
The casinos can’t be sold without a change to the Crown Corporation Protection Act, which the NDP does not support, according to News Talk CJME. Without the opposition’s backing, the deal cannot go forward.
“I’m not the one putting the for sale sign up on Casinos Moose Jaw and Regina, but I am approaching it with an open mind and I’m willing to be convinced,” said NDP leader Cam Broten.
Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says the deal would be beneficial for First Nations people. He wants to “start and initiate a process to not only look at the sale of Regina and Moose Jaw, but expansion in terms of online gaming, to look at even lifting the number of machines, to look at possible gaming houses.”
However, the opposition New Democrat Party refused to get behind it, criticizing what it termed a “rushed, secret deal to sell valuable public assets.”
