COLUMN: Report from the Legislature – NDP bring high taxes, debt and overregulation

Recently, the NDP government admitted their budget deficit would be $1.6 billion—more than double what they said it would be at the beginning of the year.

Despite this sudden and drastic increase, Wab Kinew and the NDP still claim they will balance the budget by next year—a claim that would be laughable if the consequences were not so serious.

Saying you have a plan to balance the budget is not a plan to balance the budget.

Small wonder this financially illiterate NDP government continues to miss budget projections, rack up debt, and generally act like Manitobans are made of money.

Let’s be clear, this increase in the deficit is the direct result of NDP mismanagement.

At the same time Manitoba’s GDP has grown at an anemic 1.1 percent the NDP have grown the size of government by 5.3 percent. As critic for economic development, I have been raising the alarm over the exodus of businesses and investment dollars from our province—the direct result of NDP incompetence and disinterest in the economy. When government spending is growing at a rate nearly five times that of GDP (the entire economy) small wonder we are accruing debt at a record rate.

This is on top of the $4 billion in deficits already racked by the NDP during their short time in office.

Manitobans can rightly ask—and should—what do they have to show for all this new spending? After all, it is their money.

Has health care improved?

Are our streets safer?

Has life become more affordable?

Based on the latest numbers, 50 percent of Manitobans are $200 a month or less away from being unable to pay their bills and service their debt. One third of Manitobans are already insolvent.

Not only have they failed to make any progress on the affordability crisis, in the midst of it the NDP have raised taxes!

The NDP have also stopped raising income tax brackets in line with inflation. In other words, the percentage of your income you must pay the government in taxes stays the same, while the buying power of the dollars you get to keep continues to shrink.

Manitoba’s inflation rate of 3.3 percent was already the highest among the provinces. NDP tax hikes and debt will only make matters worse for cash-strapped Manitobans.

Three things are guaranteed to destroy an economy; high taxes, debt, and overregulation. All three are sadly staples of Manitoba’s NDP government.

As PC critic for agriculture, I must also express my deep concerns with the federal government’s proposed changes to CFIA regulations for beef.

Our beef sector is in a fragile position. We are seeing record high prices paired with historically low herd numbers. Trade relationships—particularly with our largest customer, the United States—remain uncertain, and, unlike their western counterparts, Manitoba’s NDP government has failed to open up new markets for export. The industry cannot afford additional risk, confusion, or poorly implemented regulations that could open the door to unintended trade consequences.

Every day Manitobans and Canadians also cannot afford these changes. Any increase in the taxation or regulatory burden to producers mean increased costs to consumers. Governments of all levels should be working to lower taxes and reduce regulations—and by extension lowering costs for producers and consumers alike—not adding to them.

With these proposed changes we once again see the federal Liberal government—just like the NDP in Manitoba—using a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach with poor communication and insufficient consultation with producers. That is unacceptable. Effective policy cannot be built without the meaningful involvement of those on the ground.

That is why I and Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative Party support the call from Manitoba Beef Producers, along with cattle organizations across the country, to pause the implementation of these proposed changes. CFIA must take the time to properly engage with producers, answer legitimate concerns, and ensure the final outcome strengthens the industry rather than weakens it. Any changes to the regulations must add value to the industry and the lives of those affected, not simply add more paperwork.

On both of these issues—the budget and beef—only conservatives believe in smaller less intrusive government, and more trust in the people who actually do the work.

We believe in fewer regulations and lower taxes. You work for your paycheque and only PCs believe you should get to keep more of it.

Only PCs are standing up for farmers and Manitoba families.

As always, if you have any needs or questions related to the provincial government, you can reach me at info@konradnarth.ca or call my constituency office at 204-434-6736.