Manitoba Tories Look Inward For Savings To Pay For Election Promises

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Progressive Conservatives will find tens of millions of dollars in unspecified efficiencies within government in order to pay for their campaign promises, leader Brian Pallister said Friday.

 

Pallister released his party's full platform, with cost and savings estimates, for the April 19 election that polls suggest he is poised to win.

 

The platform projects $50 million a year in savings through an efficiency review of government programs. Another $35 million a year will be saved through what Pallister calls "smart shopping" for goods and services by putting more contracts up for open bidding

 

"The government spends about $3.5 billion a year, and we just estimated now that we could save one per cent," Pallister said.

 

Pallister added that a Tory government would save $14 million a year by joining the New West Partnership — a trade deal set up by the other western provinces in 2010. Another $5 million a year would be saved by cutting the number of cabinet ministers, along with senior advisers, by one-third.

 

On the spending side, the Tories are promising $50 million in additional infrastructure, $20 million for new personal care home beds and $3.4 million for new tourism promotion and more.

 

The Tories also said they would immediately index tax brackets to inflation, draining $17 million from the treasury.

 

Pallister's biggest promise — a one-point cut to the provincial sales tax — is not included in the platform. Pallister said that will come toward the end of a first Tory mandate, and his platform only includes costs through the 2017-18 fiscal year.

 

Pallister said the move would make an admittedly-small $22-million dent in the $773-million deficit.

 

"I'm presenting a balanced, logical plan that would turn the ship — not immediately, that's risky. I don't want to put people out of work. I want to keep people working."

 

The Tories are also promising to change labour laws. Pallister said he would eliminate "forced unionization" — labour agreements that cover all workers on big government projects and require them to be part of a collective agreement.

 

The Tories would further end automatic certification in union drives and allow secret-ballot votes in all cases. Currently, if a union gets 65 per cent or more of employees in a workplace to sign membership cards, certification is automatic and no vote is held.