COLUMN: View from the Legislature – Provincial budget must show real path forward

Many years ago, when the province started doing what is called pre-budget consultations, it must have seemed like a novel but important concept. Essentially, the minister of finance and some other government officials would go to a variety of places around the province and listen to Manitobans, who had filled a hall, to hear about what their priorities were for the budget. Usually, these meetings took place in the fall prior to the spring budget to provide input and guidance for the government.

The timing of these meetings was just as important as the input that was received. Early in the fall, usually more than six months prior to a provincial budget being read in the Manitoba Legislature, the minister of finance and the department officials are already putting the wheels in motion for the next years budget. This is done by setting financial targets for each of the government departments which tells the departments what there next year’s budget is expected to be. If there are savings that need to be found, that process begins early so that they can be brought to the provincial treasury board months in advance.

The fact that Manitoba’s NDP were only last week doing pre-budget meetings, about four to six weeks (as opposed to four to six months) before the spring budget might leave many Manitobans wondering if their views were really being heard. Because, the NDP have, months ago, given direction to every provincial department what they should expect for funding with directions to get their budgets ready. What real impact will any of these meetings so close to the budget being finalized have or is it really just an exercise that the NDP are doing so they can say that they did?

Because if there was ever a budget that should have both the input and understanding from Manitobans it is this one. Canadians are watching as the economy weakens and costs rise. The ongoing imposition of tariffs and uncertainty regarding the free trade agreement with the United States is impacting every provincial economy, including Manitoba. And yet, the NDP have continued to drive up the deficit by hundreds of millions of dollars while at the same time promising to balance the budget. After having missed their latest financial targets, again by hundreds of millions of dollars, Premier Wab Kinew said they were on track to balance the budget. This not only drew looks of wonderment from reporters and all who heard the comments, but mockery from even those in the government. Nobody believes the NDP are going to balance the budget before the next election as promised, or likely ever.

With all the uncertainty and a current budget position that lacks any sense of reality or transparency, it is more important that the NDP are upfront with Manitobans about the true state of the provincial finances. And while rushing through consultations just weeks before actually delivering the budget doesn’t feel like a real or transparent process, in just a few short weeks the NDP will have to, in the budget, tell Manitobans where we are at and hopefully where we are going. It will be one of the most important budgets Manitoba has seen for some time. And it is one that has to show Manitobans a real and serious path forward.