Federal Liberals share many goals with Manitoba NDP: Selinger

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This article was published 20/10/2015 (3728 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Greg Selinger says many of Justin Trudeau’s priorities are his priorities, and the provincial New Democrats and the federal Liberals can work together to get a lot done for Manitobans.

Trudeau has called for greater infrastructure spending and the jobs they bring. Manitoba wants that, too, the premier said.

Both favour establishing a national inquiry on murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, opening Canada’s doors to more refugees, and bigger investments in health and home care, he said.

“We’ve been working on jobs and infrastructure before that federal election commitment. We’ve been working on reconciliation (with indigenous people) before that was a federal election commitment. We’ve been making sure that we improve our health care system, and now they’re saying they’re interested in that as well,” Selinger said.

“We think that there’s a lot we can do together to improve lives for Manitobans.”

Selinger offered his comments on the federal election result on the same day the Manitoba legislature resumed sitting for the first time since June. The legislature has yet to pass the government’s spring budget. A throne speech, setting out the government’s agenda going into the April 19 election, isn’t expected until next month.

On Tuesday, however, provincial politicians were more preoccupied with the federal election than their own looming vote.

Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister also contended that he could work very well with the new Trudeau government, while questioning Selinger’s ability to work well with anyone, given the mutiny that occurred in the NDP cabinet last fall.

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to work with the new Liberal government. I’ve worked with Liberals extensively when I was on the Hill in Ottawa as a representative from Manitoba. And I believe we can get a lot done,” he said.

Pallister said Trudeau ran a “very energetic” and “very well organized” campaign, and it was obvious that his party had done a lot of community outreach — something, he said, the provincial Conservatives have been doing in the lead-up to the provincial election.

“I must congratulate Justin Trudeau and his team for doing that. They have done that diligently and it’s a very, very important aspect of doing politics properly,” Pallister said of the prime minister designate’s outreach efforts.

Pallister flatly rejected a notion raised by Selinger that the Tories — which stand high in public opinion polls— should fear the fact that the federal Conservatives failed to win a single seat in Winnipeg.

“Manitobans understand the difference between the two levels of government,” Pallister said.

Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari was buoyed by the national victory, but said provincial Grits can’t expect to ride Trudeau’s coattails in next spring’s vote.

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While there is “an appetite for change across the country,” she said, it will take hard work for the provincial Liberals to make big gains electorally.

“We are committed to doing that hard work,” Bokhari said Tuesday. “But I’m not the kind of person who is going to stand here and pretend that the momentum is going to take us to the top.”

Bokhari also refused to reveal her position on whether a provincial Liberal government would run budget deficits. She has criticized the NDP’s fiscal management. Meanwhile, her federal leader preached modest deficit spending, while interest rates are low, to repair infrastructure.

“Today is about the (federal) election,” she told reporters. “Let’s have that conversation a little bit later.”

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca