COLUMN: Report from the Legislature – Manitobans need real affordability relief

As MLAs return to the Manitoba legislature later this month, there is a lot of work to do.

My summer has been filled with events, festivals, and meeting with my constituents. Everywhere I go I hear the same refrain. “We just can’t make ends meet.”

Affordability remains the number one concern of Manitobans. The cost of living is too high. Families that work hard, earn (what should be) a decent wage, and live frugally and responsibly, continue to get walloped with the increasing prices of groceries, fuel, and housing.

Manitoba continues to have one of the highest inflation rates in Canada—a direct result of the economic failures and burdensome taxes of the government led by Premier Wab Kinew.

As a result of the ongoing conflicts abroad—and the abject failure of the federal government to utilize domestic production—Canadians can brace for fuel prices to soar to new heights in the coming months. This will further exacerbate the cost of living crisis facing Manitoba families.

Although he continues to enjoy record popularity, Wab Kinew and his NDP government have failed spectacularly to meet the moment. Rather than take bold economic action, this premier is choosing, instead, to “rag the puck” economically and chirp from the sidelines of the ongoing trade dispute with the U.S. To put it simply, he is putting personal politics over people and feeding his own ego, rather than making it more affordable for Manitobans to feed their families.

I have laid out a clear path to economic growth and solving the cost-of-living crisis in this column over the past several months.

Manitoba needs to cut burdensome and redundant regulations that strangle entrepreneurship and chase away investment. We need to harness the strength of our world class ag sector and open up new markets like Saskatchewan has done—leading to significant economic growth and prosperity in that province, as well as reducing our dependency on the U.S. market. We need to unleash the potential of our critical minerals sector. Above all we need to let hardworking Manitobans keep more of the money they earn and stop penalizing success!

The economic growth that will result from these common-sense economic development policies will lead to better affordability and greater capacity to fund the core services Manitobans rely on—like healthcare, which has hit new lows under this premier.

Manitoba has the potential to have the healthiest, wealthiest citizens in Canada. Manitoba should have the healthiest, wealthiest citizens in Canada. What they have, instead, is a premier who is more interested in the sound of his own voice than in listening to the voices of Manitobans crying out for relief.

Progressive Conservatives are listening to Manitobans. We know the kitchen table issues facing families. That is why we have committed to raising the basic personal exemption (BPE)—the amount of money you get to keep before paying taxes. Our commitment to double the BPE to $30,000 will let all Manitobans keep more of the money they earn. This is not a tax credit. That is money that stays on your paycheque. Under our plan, the average family would get to keep $3,000 more than they do currently.

As we return to the legislature, and in this column in the days ahead, I will continue to share our bold and common-sense PC vision for Manitoba. I will continue to advocate for our corner of the province—and all Manitobans—for real affordability relief and economic policies that will actually grow our province. We have nothing but potential, and under the leadership of a new PC Government, I believe our best days are still ahead.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions of issues you have. You can reach me at info@konradnarth.ca.