Feeling the financial squeeze

Roblin

“It just costs too much.”

I hear that everywhere I go: at the grocery store, at school events, at the community centre and on the soccer pitch.

Parents across Manitoba are feeling squeezed by the rising cost of everyday life, and many are wondering how much further their family budgets can stretch. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. Kids’ activities cost more. Even the basics feel harder to afford than they did just a few years ago.

As a mother, I understand that pressure. Families are making difficult choices every single month. Parents are cutting back on extras, postponing purchases, and worrying about bills in ways they never had to before.

And while costs continue to rise, the current NDP government continues to take more from Manitoba families through higher income taxes and rising education property tax bills. These increases have cost Manitobans hundreds of millions of dollars this year.

That is why Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives are proposing something that would provide real, meaningful relief for working families: increasing Manitoba’s Basic Personal Exemption to $30,000. This would mean Manitobans would pay no provincial income tax on the first $30,000 they earn.

For an individual, that could mean savings of up to $1,500 every year. For many two-income households, that could mean more than $3,000 staying in the family budget instead of going to government. That’s real money — money for groceries, for sports registration, for rent, for transportation, for everyday bills.

Most importantly, it would give Manitoba families more breathing room at a time when many feel stretched to their limit.

The government’s current affordability measures simply do not match the financial pressures families are facing. Manitobans do not need symbolic savings or temporary headlines. They need relief they can actually feel in their day-to-day lives.

Increasing the Basic Personal Exemption is simple, practical, and fair. It rewards work, helps families keep more of what they earn, and strengthens local communities when that money is spent in Manitoba businesses.

As legislators, we have a responsibility to respond to what Manitobans are telling us. Right now, they are telling us life has become too expensive. We should listen. My constituency office staff and I are here to serve you. Please reach out to me at info@kathleen-cook.ca or 204-504-0594.