REGINA: The NDP owes the people of Saskatchewan an apology-and money-according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

A document from the former NDP government called "Health Advertising Campaigns" reveals a stunningly irresponsible use of tax dollars, says the federation. The former NDP government spent $1.1 million of the province's health care budget for advertising leading up to the provincial election.

In June 2007, the former executive council and Minister of Health Len Taylor ordered the department of health to continue, through the summer, an ad campaign on the seniors' drug plan. The additional cost of $403,000 was absorbed by the department of health. Ads bragging that the government had shorted waitlists cost an additional $374,000. Finally, cabinet approved supplementary spending of $311,000 on ads that encouraged people to go to the health careers website.

"How many nurses, beds, or equipment could have been bought for $1.1 million " asked Lee Harding, Saskatchewan Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "This is the same cost as 1441 MRI scans or 178 hip replacements."

"This spending was pure electioneering. The worst irony is that the dollars spent bragging on health care effectiveness actually stole from the results. While the government boasted about shorter wait times, the Fraser Institute showed they were actually getting longer."

"The only way the NDP can right this wrong is to repay the government treasury from their party funds."

With these latest revelations, the dollar count on government ads during the Calvert era tops $12 million, says the federation.