A to-do list for change

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This article was published 19/09/2015 (3685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What’s at stake for Manitoba in the federal election? Does it matter who wins?

The Free Press asked five individuals representing a broad range of interests what they believe is at stake for Manitobans in the Oct. 19 election.

Several of the spheres they represent have received scant attention so far by the three main political parties.

David Northcott

It seems the leaders of the three main political parties are obsessed with championing the middle class, something that’s not lost on David Northcott, executive director of Winnipeg Harvest.

Northcott says it’s no surprise politicians are concentrating their efforts on a large section of the population who are more likely to vote, while remaining silent about those who can’t afford to buy groceries.

He gets it, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. “I get frustrated with that,” he said.

If the political parties don’t want to discuss the ‘p’ word — poverty — Northcott, who runs the province’s biggest food bank, has a different way of framing the topic he’d like to see on some national televised debate.

Why not make it a health issue? As studies have shown, it’s those who are poorest and most marginalized who are the biggest users of the health-care system.

“If you don’t like talking about poverty and hunger in economic terms, talk about it in health terms,” he said.

A way to address poverty would be to implement some form of guaranteed annual income, Northcott said.

He’d also like to see greater federal investments in low-income and social housing. He said this needs to happen soon as more and more baby boomers retire. Many of them are not well off.

Sheila North Wilson

Action to deal with a severe housing shortage, more education funding and the launch of a national public inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women are just a few of the many issues First Nations people want the federal government to address.

Sheila North Wilson, grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents 30 northern Manitoba First Nations, said it’s critical for her communities to be involved in the election, although she hastens to add she understands some First Nations people prefer dealing with Ottawa on a nation-to-nation basis.

“I’m seeing there’s much more interest in the election (than in other years),” North Wilson said. “People ask me directly who they should vote for. I tell them to consider all of the platforms and talk to the candidates themselves and make a decision that way.

North Wilson said so far she’s seen more NDP and Liberal candidates than Conservative candidates travel to northern communities. First Nations education, family services and housing are federal responsibilities.

North Wilson said there is a need not only for increased funding for house construction, but also assistance to First Nations home-construction companies in meeting building standards.

She said it’s critical investments in clean running water be made. Other issues include improvements to CFS, support for band constable policing programs and a commitment to honouring treaties.

David Barnard

University of Manitoba president David Barnard would like to see the federal government do more to make it easier for less affluent people — and First Nations people — to attend college and university.

He also wants the feds to spend more than they have on core research funding for universities, saying such funding has not kept up with the growth of post-secondary institutions.

It’s no secret, he said, the richest 25 per cent of society tends to attend university far more than the poorest 25 per cent.

“In general, Canadians underestimate the value, in dollars, of an education over a lifetime of work, and they overestimate the cost of education,” Barnard said. He said that’s especially true for those whose families have not attended a post-secondary institution.

“What we really need in this country is to encourage a higher participation rate by those who are not already used to the idea or intending to head to university or college,” he said.

More incentives are needed — whether they be in the form of bursaries or a revamped Canada Student Loans Program, he said.

Given the size of its indigenous population, it’s especially important in Manitoba there be more incentives to ensure equal access to higher education, he said.

Kevin Rebeck

It’s an understatement to say the relationship between the Harper government and labour unions has been frosty.

Organized labour has accused the Conservatives of butting in on contract negotiations when they shouldn’t have, introducing legislation designed simply to poke unions in the eye and excluding labour from any kind of national economic discourse.

“I think a new government could restore some respect between government and labour,” said Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

One major irritant is the Harper government’s propensity to meddle in collective bargaining, he said. An example is when the Conservatives legislated Canada Post employees back to work during a lockout four years ago, imposing a contract that paid them less than the Crown corporation was prepared to offer.

“That’s just spiteful. That’s not been done anywhere. That’s never been done in Canada’s history,” Rebeck said.

And then there was the recently passed Bill C 377, which will require unions to itemize all expenses above $5,000 and post them on the Revenue Canada website. Regulations for the new law are still be written, and the legislation is not set to take effect until January 2017.

Rebeck said the bill, introduced under the guise of public accountability, addresses “a problem that really doesn’t exist,” as a union’s books are open to all members.

Both the Liberals and the NDP have promised to do away with it, he said.

Loren Remillard

Loren Remillard says it is “critically important” for Manitoba as to who forms the next government in Ottawa.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce executive vice-president said Manitoba is an export province, and trade agreements and rules addressing tariffs and other barriers to the movement of goods fall under the federal realm.

Unlike the labour federation, which openly endorses the NDP, the chamber is non-partisan, but it speaks on behalf of business.

Some of its goals, such as the need for greater market access, have been embraced by the Harper government. Others have not.

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“Our economy requires… access to new markets, free movement of goods. That really is in Manitoba’s favour; it’s critical to our prosperity. And the feds are really the key-holders in making that happen,” Remillard said.

However, Ottawa has played a less prominent role in promoting aboriginal education and economic development, both of which the chamber sees as being critical to Manitoba’s future.

Since Manitoba is heavily dependent on federal transfer payments, any change in payments “has major implications for the provincial budget and consequently our provincial economic competitiveness,” Remillard said.

If there are cuts to federal transfers, it will make it that much more difficult for the provincial government to balance its books. That, in turn, could stall efforts to make business and personal income taxes more competitive with those in other provinces, he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca