Public enterprise plays a vital role in our province's economy and in the lives of Saskatchewan people. Public enterprise means government ownership of corporations or other significant investments in businesses, on behalf of the people.

Saskatchewan's Crown corporations were established because people in the province felt government should provide certain essential services that were either not offered by private companies, or not available to all residents on a fair and equitable basis.

The four guiding principles were that the services provided by these government-owned corporations should be:

• Universal, or available to everyone;
• Reliable;
• Of high quality; and
• Offered at a reasonable cost.

These principles still hold today, with the priority of serving Saskatchewan people first.

The Crowns must also balance these public policy objectives with commercial and financial objectives. They are expected to contribute to the economy and to provide a good return on investment to their shareholders, the people of Saskatchewan.

See also:

Crown Corporations