Month: October 2017

PC government listening to the views of Manitobans
Our government believes in listening to Manitobans, and we have done so since taking office more than 17 months ago. We respect their views on the important issues facing our province, as we govern in partnership with them.
What Manitobans have told us, through unprecedented participation in pre-budget consultations this fall – including one held in the Riding Mountain constituency on Oct. 2 – is we’re correct in taking our moderate approach to fixing our province’s finances and working toward fiscal balance. We will continue to take this approach by looking within our government for efficiencies, controlling expenditure growth and reducing senior management – not by adding a tax burden to Manitoba families.
With this in mind, we will not proceed with a health-care premium at any point in our first term. Through the consultations we launched in September with public meetings, telephone town halls and an online survey, it’s clear Manitobans do not support a health-care premium. They have indicated they want us to make some reallocation decisions to move toward a balanced budget, though our government believes that leaving more money in the hands of Manitobans is positive for our economy and for Manitoba families.
We do, however, have a deferred health-care premium in the form of a large deficit left to Manitobans by the previous NDP administration, and we’re continuing to work to fix this mess we inherited. If we had continued on the path of the NDP, Manitoba’s deficit would have climbed to $1.7 billion by 2019. But our government has made strong progress in reducing the deficit to $764 million, which is $147 million lower than budgeted for the fiscal year.
We are committed to further reducing the deficit by at least $100 million per year. This will assist, over time, in moving Manitoba back to sustainability and to a more secure health-care system.
It will take hard work to maintain this progress. A decade of deficit spending by the NDP has led to a debt that doubled within six fiscal years, and three credit rating downgrades have increased the cost of borrowing. We have budgeted almost a billion dollars just for debt service costs this year. At the same time, the threat of higher interest rates adds pressure to our fiscal situation and federal transfer payments are decreasing. Our current situation is simply unsustainable.
Manitobans generally agree we are on the right track. By Oct. 24, close to 37,000 of them had provided input through our consultations and 49 percent urged us to continue on this path. Our online survey has brought more than 18,000 responses. More than 16,000 people have taken part in the telephone town halls, and hundreds have attended consultation meetings held by all members of the PC caucus.
Our government needs this input from Manitobans as we make these important choices. We have 17 years of mismanagement to clean up, and have had a little over 17 months to start. We are undertaking this work with enthusiasm and passion, and doing it with Manitobans as our guide.
Greg Nesbitt is the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Riding Mountain. He can be reached at 204-759-3313, toll-free 1-844-877-7767 or by email at gregnesbittmla@mymts.net.

Manitoba government standing up for farmers and small businesses
Our provincial government is standing up for Manitoba’s small businesses and expressing serious concerns about the impact of the federal government’s proposals to change the taxation of private corporations.
The tax changes proposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau strike at the very heart of the economy, and amount to a complex and poorly conceived overhaul of Canada’s tax system. The changes would dramatically increase taxes paid by smaller corporations, tax their savings and penalize families that pass a business from one generation to another.
The federal proposals would have a negative impact on the thousands of small and medium-sized businesses in Manitoba, and the tens of thousands of people who work for them. Agriculture producers, professionals, manufacturers, small businesses of all kinds and ultimately consumers would be affected. The proposed changes also insult the very people who create jobs, make goods, develop Manitoba’s wealth, take risks and support local projects and initiatives.
These tax reforms were clearly conceived by people who have no understanding of small businesses and the sacrifices made by those who operate them.
Our business community is the foundation of Manitoba, and our government understands and appreciates the risks taken by small businesses and the investments they make in our economy. Premier Brian Pallister and our Manitoba government have been swift to support and defend small businesses in our province.
Our government has had to make many important decisions as we fix our provincial finances, repair our services and rebuild the economy. We are making progress in improving the business outlook and optimism in our province. What we don’t need is the federal government in Ottawa hurting the progress we are making in Manitoba.
As Premier Pallister has said, the federal government needs to pull back on the
misguided proposition that we should have class warfare in Canada between small,
family-run businesses and everyone else.
Tackling tough issues at home and defending Manitoba’s interests abroad are what
a strong leader and a strong government do. Our Manitoba government is calling
on the federal government to withdraw these proposals.
Greg Nesbitt is the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Riding Mountain
constituency. He can be reached at 204-759-3313, toll free 1-844-877-7767 or by
email at gregnesbittmla@mymts.net.