Pallister celebrates government’s record one year after election

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/09/2020 (2018 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of his 2019 provincial election win, Premier Brian Pallister took a victory lap Wednesday, even though the province is facing economic and health crises due to the global pandemic.

“Manitobans overwhelmingly put their faith in our team and elected us to a renewed mandate to provide lower taxes, better services and a stronger economy,” the Tory leader told a news conference outside the legislature.

“Lots happened in the last year… and even more so in the last six months, since this COVID pandemic became a reality in Manitoba,” the premier said. “Our progress in creating a safer, stronger and more prosperous Manitoba is continuing.”

Pallister said Manitoba’s estimated 500,000 households will each save on average $812 this year because of budget measures and the province’s COVID-19 response.

That $812 saving is based on 2020 budget tax measures, indexation of the basic personal amount and the provincial income tax brackets, last year’s reduction in the provincial sales tax to seven per cent that took effect July 1, 2019, and the accelerated removal of $75 million in PST on home and property insurance premiums, as of July 1 this year.

It also factors in COVID-19 measures, including the $200 Seniors Economic Recovery Credit, Risk Recognition Program, Manitoba Public Insurance rebates, Disability Economic Support Program, and the Manitoba bursary programs.

“Our government has been working diligently since 2016, when we were first elected, to leave more hard-earned money on the kitchen tables of Manitoba families and to help make life more affordable for all Manitobans — and that’s an important part of our recovery,” Pallister said.

“(It has) been key to helping us create the jobs we need in our province to give our people a chance to work and support their own families.”

Under the province’s fixed-date election law, a provincial vote had been set for Oct. 6, 2020. But in August 2019, Pallister called an early Sept. 10 election, saying he didn’t want the vote to interfere with Manitoba’s 150th birthday celebrations in 2020. Those celebrations were later cancelled by COVID-19.

This spring, the coronavirus also disrupted the Progressive Conservatives’ legislative agenda. The government has introduced more than three dozen bills since late last fall that have yet to be passed by the legislature. Also awaiting passage is the 2020-21 budget.

The logjam of legislation is due to the fact that since March 19 the legislature has sat for only five days, the last time in late May.

Pallister said Wednesday he plans to aggressively push for the passage of government bills, which include ones that would transfer control of shopping hours to municipalities and change the way hydro and natural gas rates are set.

“There’s ample time,” he told reporters. “There’s been ample time to review and discuss the detail of all bills presented thus far.”

Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew disagrees.

“If this government wants to pass their budget, I think they’ll be hard-pressed for time just to do that,” he said.

The legislature is scheduled to resume Oct. 7 and sit until Nov. 5. Normally, following a one-week break, a new throne speech would kick off a new legislative session Nov. 17.

Although the parties are continuing to negotiate, it appears there is agreement to resume a normal sitting schedule this fall. Discussions are also underway on how to accommodate all or most MLAs in the chamber and still allow for physical distancing. In May, only one-third of MLAs sat at any one time.

“You’re sending kids back to class, with 30 kids in a cramped classroom,” Kinew said. “We ought to make sure that every MLA can come back into the chamber — or at least into the legislative precinct.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca