Choices already becoming clear

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/08/2023 (753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The official provincial election campaign launch is more than two weeks away, but already a clear contrast has emerged between the two leading political parties.

Perhaps the most glaring example is the proposed search for two slain First Nations women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, who are believed to be in the Prairie Green Landfill, just north of Winnipeg.

Premier Heather Stefanson has said repeatedly the Tories will not fund a search for their remains, citing staff safety as the main reason. NDP Leader Wab Kinew has taken the opposite position, pledging last week that if he becomes premier, an NDP government would immediately begin working with stakeholders to consider options for a search.

Voters will also have a clear choice in this election on how alcohol should be sold in Manitoba. The Tories introduced two bills during the last session that would have allowed the private sale of liquor in grocery and convenience stores, as well as in private wine stores and beer vendors. The NDP used procedural tools to block the proposed legislation and have vowed to prevent the expansion of private liquor sales if elected.

The NDP has also pledged to ban the idea of Manitoba Hydro charging so-called “surge fees” for electricity, where customers pay higher rates during peak periods of energy use. The proposed plan to introduce “smart meters” was part of a long-term Manitoba Hydro energy strategy unveiled by Stefanson and the Crown corporation last month. The Tories have not confirmed they would proceed with the proposal, but it has quickly become a wedge issue between the two parties.

So has the matter of fighting the federal government’s carbon tax in court. Stefanson vowed last week to relitigate the issue, even though her government lost a similar court battle over the tax two years ago. The NDP has said another court case would be pointless and would not “waste” tax dollars on it.

Meanwhile, even though Kinew has vowed to keep the PC government’s income tax cuts and education property tax rebates — he said last week his party, if it forms government, would not increase the size of the latter. The Tories have vowed to expand the property tax rebate from 50 per cent to 100 per cent.

The PC party has also promised to pursue the construction of public schools using public-private partnerships, which the NDP oppose.

There will likely be other issues raised during the election campaign where Manitobans will have clear options on how to vote, including for other political parties.

The Manitoba Liberals, although unlikely to break their near three-decade slump of winning only a handful of seats in the legislature, will provide voters with further choice. The Liberals have virtually no chance of forming the next government but have in the past offered worthy policy ideas on important issues.

The Green Party of Manitoba will serve a similar function in this election. The party has never won a seat in the Manitoba legislature, which is unlikely to change this time around, owing largely to the party’s inability to build a viable political organization between elections. Nevertheless, the party is expected to make valuable contributions on important policy issues, such as fighting climate change and protecting the province’s rivers and lakes.

Manitobans will have choices in this election, not just between the two leading parties, but from all candidates and political parties. It will be up to the public to ensure their voices are heard by getting out to vote.