Legend

• PC Progressive Conservative
• LIB Liberal
• NDP New Democratic Party
• CPC-M Communist
• GPM Green
• IND Independent
• MF Manitoba First
• MBFWD Manitoba Forward

• The provincial government says consolidating Winnipeg’s six acute care hospitals down to three will improve overall medical care for patients. Is that the right move?

  Great idea

  Good idea

  We’ll see

  Not a good idea

  Terrible idea

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: I believe Manitobans will receive better care, faster. The government is continuing to invest money for improvements to the system that required an overhaul.

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: Our healthcare system has been thrown into chaos. Many of the changes might work in our favour from a fiscal point of view. But people have died or been made to suffer because of them. It was not the right move to make without having proper well-planned procedures in place. Those decisions should have been made with the support of the communities they serve.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: If any changes are needed to our health care system they should have been done much slower and with meaningful consultation with front line workers. In Wolseley there is almost universal support to reopen the Misericordia Urgent Care facility, not only because it serves residents of Wolseley but it is central to the inner city and would serve our growing homeless population.

• How much control should the provincial government have over the operations of Crown corporations like Manitoba Public Insurance and Manitoba Hydro?

  Hands-off

  Not much say

  50/50

  Some oversight

  Direct supervision

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: Some oversight because they are a crown corporation, however, they should be governed by an appropriate board that oversees the operations. The government should not be allowed to use the crown corporations as their 'atm's'.

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: In order to be fair and keep rates affordable, these corporations should be guided by the provincial government to provide their services in the best interests of its citizens.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: There must be a change in the mandate of Manitoba Hydro from a company that just sells energy to one that enables homes and businesses to produce solar energy, and sell it at a fair price. Also, Manitoba Hydro should remain a crown corporation with an independent board, free from political interference.

• The Pallister government plans to eliminate the deficit by 2022. Should balancing the books be a priority?

  Essential

  High priority

  Neutral

  Low priority

  Not important

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: Why should our children have to pay for our debts? With having to pay a billion dollars in interest, that leaves that much LESS money for healthcare, education and infrastructure.

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: While balancing the books is important, the cuts made have largely affected the poor, elderly and disabled. We are judged by how we treat those who are less fortunate than ourselves, and it should be our responsibility to provide services to help them, not to separate them from society. Our legacy must be one of compassion, with an economy built to support everyone who is part of it.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: Living within our economic means is a similar concept to living within our ecological means. While balanced budgets are important, we must be able to borrow to invest in the future. We also must ask who benefits from borrowed money? If we had a bank of Manitoba, then we could run deficits, paying interest to a local bank instead of banks located outside our province and country.

• In Budget 2019, the provincial government spent approximately $350 million on highways. The construction industry says we need to invest more. Is $350 million the right amount?

  Way too little

  A little under

  About right

  A little too much

  Way too much

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: It goes back to balancing our budget. If Manitoba did not have to pay as much interest for our deficit, it would allow for more money to be spent on roads.

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: Considering the remoteness of many communities in Manitoba, greater efforts must be made to connect them, not only with roads, but with rails, and internet services. Poverty and many other social issues run rampant in so many communities without access to things that we in the city take for granted. Not only that, but better highways contribute to more efficient, less costly and less polluting was to move our goods and people.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: Like with any budget line item, I would want to review the information available, the costs and the need, and make an informed decision about how much to spend. The Green Party places an emphasis on a robust public transit infrastructure, car sharing, and active transportation corridors, all of which would over time increase the lifespan of our roadways.

• There have been calls to install safe consumption and/or injection sites in Manitoba, so that people with addictions can consume or inject drugs in a space with medical supervision and more readily available access to addiction services. Are these sites a good idea?

  Urgently needed

  A good idea

  Not sure

  Not necessary

  A bad idea

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: There is no safe injection site.

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: These have been proven to work. When an addict is ready to kick their habit they need immediate assistance and ongoing support. Sadly our current system involves months-long waits, during which addicts return to their habits and the triggers that caused the addiction in the first place. Needles in the streets and playgrounds in the community are evidence that current systems do not work. Compassion is needed for our fellow human beings. We must learn about the benefits of these services and allow them where needed. If we don't have them, people who use may very well be in someone's own back yard.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: In the neighbourhood that I live in and love, there are several unsafe injection sites. A safe injection site would provide compassion for people in active addiction and reduce harm. A Housing First model and poverty reduction measures like a minimum income would help as well.

• How important is it for the provincial government to take steps to address climate change?

  Urgent

  Important

  Neutral

  Not important

  Unnecessary

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: No Comment

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: Climate change is one of the issues that will define us as a species going forward. Every day we see so many people here doing their part to live greener, by recycling, buying locally, composting, walking, biking and everything else that we associate with saving our planet and setting a good example for others. The Manitoba Liberals Green Growth and Renewal plan is just that, an example for others. We want to make Manitoba a leader in clean energy by looking at government investment and policy through a green lens We will use a greenhouse gas emissions based analysis to assess how government actions affect overall carbon emissions. We want to promote Manitoba technology and grow our economy to become a world leader in clean energy. Did you know that right here in Manitoba the technology exists to turn waste oil into diesel fuel? Other Canadian companies have developed technology that can pull carbon from the air and make fuel for aircraft, trucks and machinery. But the one I am most excited about is a process for making liquid and gas fuels from municipal waste. Fuels that we can use in our existing cars, without retrofits. That’s two birds with one stone. Here in Manitoba, we currently have an overabundance of Hydro Electricity, that we can use ourselves and sell to our neighbours, to help them be greener, and keep our hydro rates low and affordable. We can work with nature to reverse pollution. How you ask? By increasing wilderness and restoring the boreal forests by 50,000 hectares by 2030. This natural wilderness will not only filter our air but provide for habitats for wildlife to live, eat and replenish their own numbers. We will work with farmers and First Nations as stewards of the land to invest in forests, expand wetlands and encourage innovative agricultural techniques to grow the food that feeds us and that we export to the rest of the world. Harnessing the power of agriculture to fight climate change. We need to work with the city and the federal government to treat and restore Lake Winnipeg and to build the new sewage treatment plant and use whatever nature and technology we can to save our lake. But this is just the start. We can become carbon neutral by 2030 by creating new urban forests and wilderness with rooftop gardens and incentives to plant trees in cities; create the infrastructure for new electric charging stations; and pave the way to reduce the purchases of non-hybrid gas-powered vehicles; innovations for the trucking industry; public transportation; and the diverting of organic waste from methane-producing landfills. We can do this, without it being a financial burden on Manitobans. Balanced incentives, a renegotiated carbon tax, good jobs and economic growth all play a part in our success. It’s bold and achievable, and when we succeed the world will take notice and together humans can save our planet, our home. As the young children who protest on the steps of the legislature shout at each rally, “There is no Planet B”. We must work together as a species, to mitigate the damage we have done as a species otherwise, our lives, our children’s lives, will forever change dramatically in the coming years.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: It was important for the government to take concrete action to address climate change decades ago. Now, it's become a climate crisis. Only the Green Party has taken leadership on this issue.

• Will a carbon tax influence consumer behaviour, such as encouraging people to drive less or make their homes more efficient?

  Definitely won't

  Probably won't

  Not sure

  Probably will

  Definitely will

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: No Comment

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: Nobody wants more taxes. But nobody wants our planet to die. It cost us all money to pollute our world, and it will cost us all money to clean it up. It's our responsibility. When I was a kid, everything was recycled, jars, pop bottles, clothes, everything. My parents' parents were part of the great depression and used everything and saved everything. Whereas our society since the inventions of disposable pens, diapers, plastic bottles and the like has become a society of waste and damage. We as consumers are the ones feeling the brunt of the responsibility for recycling, costs, and effects. The manufacturers who have forced this upon us over the past several decades by converting us from a society who reused and recycled instinctively to a society where everything has become disposable and replaceable and therefore have had a massive effect on the environment in terms of landfill, greenhouse gasses, and carbon footprint. Every day we are forced to make choices about the products and foods we purchase and whether or not those products support a greener way forward. The manufacturers of disposable products have made huge profits over the past several decades, it’s time they contributed to saving the planet rather than placing the cost and responsibility strictly on the end-user and municipalities. Reversing climate change will be expensive and forcing the consumers to bear the responsibility and costs is insufficient and unfair. Manufacturers and consumers alike must be educated as to the necessity and cooperation between them, the city, the province and the country, including import policies to make this work, and enable this to grow and eventually work worldwide.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: A carbon tax that starts at $50.00 per tonne and grows $10.00 per year would send a clear signal to the overall market to move towards energy efficiency and alternative sources of energy for transportation, heating and agriculture. The Green Party carbon tax will also be used to help pay for green infrastructure and help pay for our Basic Income plan. A carbon tax alone isn't enough to change our course. We have to rethink our entire economy and change the way we produce, transport and use energy.

• I would rather have more money in my pocket through tax cuts than have the provincial government increase spending on public services.

  Strongly disagree

  Somewhat disagree

  Neutral

  Somewhat agree

  Strongly agree

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: No Comment

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: Tax cuts are like coupons. You have to have money in order to take advantage of the savings. for most Manitobans without money, the tax cuts mean very little, and I don't feel that I have every really benefitted from one with my income level. Public services are of significant importance to everyone.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: The fiscally responsible approach is to pool our purchasing power for the common good, which will often put more money in your pocket at the end of the day anyway. This is an essential function of government. If this was not true, the government would not be in the business of building schools, hospitals, roads and all of the other services that are free for us all to make use of.

• Manitoba’s K-12 education system is currently undergoing a review of curriculum and spending models. How much control should school boards have when it comes to making education budgets?

  Total control

  More control

  Current system

  Less control

  No control

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: No Comment

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: It's often said that "Children are our future". Without an education that prepares them for our ever-changing fast-paced higher-tech world the distances between the poor and the rich will continue to expand. Post-secondary education is now a necessity, and K-12 is where the young minds are shaped and inspired. Without input from school boards based on the needs of their students, many students, especially those with learning or other disabilities risk leaving the K-12 system disadvantaged, especially in non-wealthy neighbourhoods.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: School boards have been a major influence in some of the most significant developments in local education programming and initiatives. Without school boards and local education leaders many of these initiatives would have not been able to be implemented as provincial funding tends to be very limited. Even though we would move school funding off property tax and to income tax, our policies call for deliberate partnerships for collaborative initiatives (childcare programming, cultural diversity initiatives, and in-school tutoring).

• How much do you consider a candidate’s personal history - before they entered politics - when deciding who to vote for?

  Not at all

  Very little

  Neutral

  Somewhat

  A lot

  IND

  Eddie Hendrickson: No Comment

  PC

  Elizabeth Hildebrand: No Comment

  LIB

  Shandi Strong: There is no such thing as a perfect person, never mind a perfect politician. We are all human, and we have all done things that we are probably not proud of at points in our lives. If it has been demonstrated that a candidate has learned from their past mistakes that's great. But if there are still people who refuse to change their ways, that is a cause for concern.

  GPM

  David Nickarz: It up to the voters to decide what's important in the candidate's personal history, before they entered politics.

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