COLUMN: Report from the Legislature – Budget 2024 a disappointment

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/04/2024 (374 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Spring is in the air in Manitoba and with that comes budget time in the Manitoba legislature. We have witnessed two budgets in the past few weeks in Manitoba and in Ottawa; both the NDP provincial budget and the federal Liberal budget seem to be following Justin Trudeau’s motto that “budgets balance themselves.” A policy that will work no better for the NDP here in Manitoba than it has for Trudeau after nine years.

The debt of the federal government is approaching two trillion dollars and the interest on that debt has now reached $54 billion annually; endangering Canada’s triple A credit rating. Taking their cues from Justin Trudeau, Wab Kinew and his finance minister are on their way to adding over $5 billion to the net debt of our province by next spring. To put that in perspective, it took eight years and a major pandemic crisis to accrue the last $9 billion of net debt. At the NDP’s current spending rate, they will add close to $20 billion in debt to Manitoba in the next four years.

Budget 2024 was a disappointment for education with almost no new investment. Instead, the NDP have asked school divisions to raise your school taxes at the local level to fund our K-12 education system. They are scrapping the school tax rebate and are ending the phase out of education property taxes, which would have seen homeowners and farmers pay no more school taxes by 2028 under our PC plan. This NDP tax increase on residential homeowners will have Manitobans paying $148 million more in taxes next year to fund over $3 billion in NDP election promises.

Thankfully our PC income tax changes that indexed tax brackets every year since 2016, and significantly bumped up the Basic Personal Amount to over $15,000 last July 1, have been left in place and are still helping Manitobans. We are also benefiting from new tax brackets that started January 1, passed in last year’s PC budget, that is significantly reducing taxes on families. The tax changes we introduced will make Manitoba more competitive with neighbouring provinces, and will help attract professionals and workers to settle in Manitoba to grow our economy.

We are successfully holding this NDP government to account, but unfortunately, they have decided to cut the infrastructure budget by $163 million. Roads and highways are getting a 10 percent cut under the NDP, which will lengthen the wait periods for needed reconstruction and repair of our provincial roads.

The NDP have refused to deliver on their promise for real bail reform and Premier Kinew has been all over the map on the federal carbon tax. He has refused to stand with the seven other premiers across Canada calling on the federal government to stop the carbon tax hike. Not only has the NDP refused to remove the carbon tax from home heating bills, they have also broken their promise to freeze Manitoba hydro rates. If you see the petition to remove the carbon tax from home heating at a local business in your community, I encourage you to sign it.

So far, this NDP budget revealed little economic vision and no plan to balance the budget. It offers only higher consumption taxes, school taxes and education property taxes, cuts to the roads and water budget, cuts to justice and crime prevention, cuts to childcare, more delayed surgeries, and no plan for healthcare.

On a brighter note, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Brokenhead River Community Hall on its 40th anniversary and the Lions Club of Pinawa on celebrating their 60th anniversary. Thank you for the years of service to our community. I also want to congratulate all Manitoba recipients of the 2023-2024 Building Sustainable Community (BSC) Grants. As a result of the 2023 BSC grant application intake from last January, over $1 million in funding was approved for community projects within the Lac du Bonnet Constituency alone. Some of these include Garson arena upgrades, Tyndall Curling Club upgrades and Community Centre Splash Pad, Beausejour Curling Club Rocks and Rings youth program, Beausejour Pickleball Club equipment and Mooswa Lake Snowriders trail maintenance enhancement, Victoria Beach’s Senior Centre, fitness, tennis and ice rink facilities improvements and upgrades, Snow Drifters Snowmobile Club replacement groomer, Pine Falls Handivan replacement, St. Georges beach and outdoor space upgrades, Lac du Bonnet arena and Bowling Alley upgrades, Pinawa Club and arena upgrades, Hadashville community welcome signs and Ste. Rita Community Club revitalization.

We still have not heard anything from the new NDP government on the Building Sustainable Communities Fund program and it appears that they have removed it in their spring budget. If there is a future granting program established, I will do my best to keep our community organizations informed on when and how to apply.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at wayne@wayneewasko.com, or call me at 204-268-3282. Also, you can follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @wayneewaskomla and friend me on Facebook.