NDP timidity during byelection is absurd

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/04/2015 (3830 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s amateur hour at the provincial legislature, and it’s Manitobans who are suffering.

The government has imposed a virtual cone of silence over any kind of announcement about government business while a byelection is on in The Pas. Its excuse? It doesn’t want to violate the Manitoba Elections act.

Problem is, this leaves Manitobans in the dark about government programs and prevents journalists from getting answers to questions about the business of governing. Perhaps that’s what the premier is hoping for, particularly after the beating he and his caucus have had to endure during the recent leadership contest.

True, Manitoba has one of the toughest laws about government and its agencies releasing information during an election compared with other Canadian provinces. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador do not restrict government advertising at all. Ontario also doesn’t have a restriction, but the auditor general has the final say. Saskatchewan prevents the government from publishing information in a constituency where the byelection is taking place.

It is very clear, however, the Manitoba government is going far overboard in interpreting this legislation and pundits are suggesting it’s a residual effect from the leadership race. Communications people, department heads and NDP politicians are skittish about running afoul of the legislation, and so they’re clamping down on information.

Well, it’s time to get over it.

Manitobans have basically had to endure varying levels of government silence since October, when the war over who should be leader became public. But here’s the deal: Not responding to questions about government programs is just another way to obfuscate governmental responsibility. Maybe even more objectionable is the fact certain announcements are getting made, just not in the government’s name.

Take for example a news release sent out last week regarding the appointment of a new board to take over the work of what used to be Osborne House. Manitoba’s largest women’s shelter was taken over by the provincial government in a messy spat with its chief executive officer Barb Judt and the board in the new year. Last week, a new board was announced and its funding put in place.

Rather than have the government send out the information, a public relations company provided the media release instead. So, a PR company can announce the province has fixed this debacle but the government can’t? How silly is that?

No one wants governments trying to buy votes during elections or byelections. But, providing the public and the media with information about the operation of day-to-day programs — including providing services such as shelters for battered women — doesn’t fall under that umbrella. This means the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority can answer questions about cancer screening. Manitoba conservation officers can answer questions about the enforcement of no-smoking laws on beaches. And the government can assure those looking for a safe place that the largest women’s shelter is now operating under a new board with a new name: Willow Place.

The frustrating part of this equation is that while the NDP has had its wrists slapped by Elections Manitoba in the past for some minor and some rather egregious violations of the elections law, the bottom line is the only penalty to breaking this law is public embarrassment. Let’s face it, that’s something the Manitoba NDP should be getting used to by now.

Now that everyone has kissed and made up in the NDP, it’s time to stop interpreting the Manitoba Elections Act in such a narrow manner and get on with the business of government.