Honeymoon almost over for mistake-prone government

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/09/2024 (388 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Whoever the Manitoba politician was who said “Your worst day in government is better than your best day in opposition” was dead wrong.

Serving in government, especially in a senior position of responsibility, is hard. Unlike sitting on opposition benches, the heavy responsibility of government requires a 24-hour commitment for every single day of your mandate.

The pressure to always make the right decision and avoid mistakes is both immense and incessant, driven by the knowledge that every decision (or non-decision) you make will have an impact on the lives of Manitobans. That’s in addition to the stress that comes with knowing the opposition and media are poised to pounce on every mistake you make.

It’s a hard lesson many politicians only come to comprehend after they become part of the government. That has certainly been the case for a number of members of Manitoba’s new NDP government.

Bernadette Smith, who currently serves as minister of housing, addictions and homelessness, as well as minister responsible for mental health, is the latest Kinew government cabinet minister to experience the harsh consequences of unforced errors.

One week ago, this newspaper reported that non-profit organizations and housing advocates were blindsided when they were informed, in a Sept. 6 letter from Manitoba Housing CEO Carolyn Ryan, that applications for the Canada-Manitoba Housing Benefit received after Aug. 2 would not be processed.

The program assists people living in shelters and encampments to help pay for rental accommodations.

The fact the letter was dated five weeks after the Aug. 2 cutoff date has put hundreds of low-income households, who were counting on receiving the benefit, at risk of eviction and becoming homeless.

When first challenged about the freeze, a government spokesperson made a lame attempt to blame the Stefanson government, saying “The previous government slashed the housing budget and did not create any social housing units in over seven years.”

Two days later, however, Smith finally emerged to say “We want to take full responsibility and apologize that organizations weren’t told this sooner.” She said the decision to halt payments was a “super-hard decision,” caused by the fact the funding program was “over-subscribed.” That’s government-speak for “more popular than expected.”

It was also explained that the real cause of the issue is the fact that last year, the previous Progressive Conservative government increased the maximum top-up available to $350 from $250, plus $72 for utilities. When the NDP were elected last October, they publicized the program, resulting in a massive increase in applications.

Smith says “We didn’t foresee that there would be such a high demand for it.” She adds that “That’s put us in a position where we’ve had to pause the program…We’re pausing it to do a review just to make sure that those who need the benefit, get it.

Chew on that for a moment.

Is the province’s housing and homelessness minister seriously saying she had no idea so many low-income Manitobans would take advantage of a program that gives them money to help pay their rent?

Is she seriously blaming the previous Tory government for making the program more generous for many of the most-vulnerable citizens in our society? Is she seriously refusing to redirect money from some other area of her department’s enormous budget in order to help more Manitobans avoid becoming homeless?

Is she seriously suggesting that some citizens who are receiving the funding don’t need it, and shouldn’t be receiving it? Is she accusing them of gaming the system?

If Brian Pallister or Heather Stefanson had even suggested any of those things, they would have been crucified by the opposition and the media, and Smith would have led the charge. The government shoe is now on the other foot, however, and it’s Smith who bears responsibility for this latest mess-up.

For the past 11 months, the media and public have given members of the Kinew government time and space to settle into their new roles. The honeymoon is almost over, however, and expectations are about rise.

Consistent competency is expected, and rookie mistakes will be not be so quickly forgiven. Smith and her NDP colleagues can either rise to that challenge, or they may find themselves returning to an easier life on the opposition benches earlier than they expected.

Deveryn Ross is a political commentator living in Brandon. deverynrossletters@gmail.com X: @deverynross