NDP still has lots left to accomplish

The halfway point of any mandate generally offers a governing party the opportunity to look back at the successes and mistakes, while assessing the next steps going into the second half.

And that is precisely the opportunity facing caucus members and other delegates who are taking in the New Democratic Party convention in Brandon, which started last night at the Keystone Centre.

This is a party that remains high in provincial polls two years out from the 2023 election, led by a premier who continues to have the highest approval rating among other provincial premiers. Premier Wab Kinew and his ministers continue to have a comfortable lead over the Progressive Conservatives, particularly in vote-rich Winnipeg.

Riding high in the polls can explain, at least to some extent, some of the free-wheeling comments coming from Kinew in recent months, as he continues to reach for populist tools to keep in step with the wants and desires of Manitobans.

However, some of his instincts — and those of his ministers — have proven beneficial for western Manitoba.

In May, we outlined on this page that the Kinew government has been a willing partner that has been steadily building a track record of investment in our community. There has been money for rebuilding 18th Street, money for Brandon University and Assiniboine College budgets, provincial funding for a top-up to the AgriStability program — and that was on top of the $100 million announced in the 2025 budget earmarked for agriculture, which itself was part of a $500-million contingency fund to respond to Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

There were millions set aside this year for 10 new doctor training seats in Brandon, bringing the total up to 20, and on the same day $52 million was announced for the renovation of the Brodie Science Centre at Brandon University.

And millions invested for infrastructure projects, including several rural highways in western Manitoba.

Just yesterday, Kinew stood with Brandon East MLA Glen Simard and Mayor Jeff Fawcett to announce an additional $1 million in provincial funds for the Park Community Centre demolition and construction, in addition to the $6 million plus they’ve already earmarked.

To be fair to the NDP, they have not been ignoring our region — and they have the receipts to prove it.

But there are some problems on the horizon for the NDP that won’t be easily avoided by merely throwing cash at them. And one of the biggest albatrosses around Kinew’s neck is our flailing health-care system.

There have been a few successes — the province is quick to announce the hiring of more than 1,255 net new health-care workers since April of last year, including 481 nurses, to address ongoing staff shortages throughout the province. But the shine on those happy figures dulls a bit when you recall a report from CTV in September that found there are more nurses than ever before working for private agencies.

The NDP announced this year that it would no longer allow private nursing agencies to sign new contracts with regional health authorities. No word yet on how that’s working out.

Nurses also gave the NDP a failing grade last July, saying the culture at workplaces across the province have worsened — not improved — since the NDP took power. A workplace culture survey conducted by the Manitoba Nurses Union found that of 1,500 respondents, 15 per cent said their workplace had improved, 34 per cent said it was the same, and 44 per cent said it had worsened.

Moreover, wait times are still several weeks for many medical procedures, according to the province’s own figures — a patient faces a 22-week wait for an MRI at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, for example. For a party that promised to “fix” health care, this has clearly not yet been achieved.

Meanwhile, promises by Manitoba Finance Minister Adrien Sala to balance the budget before the end of this government’s current mandate are almost certain to be broken. With the latest fiscal update showing that government spending is forecast to end up $475 million over budget — primarily driven by health-care costs — the government deficit is likely to balloon to $1.3 billion this year, well beyond the original spring budget prediction.

To our mind, the premier and his finance minister should come clean about the province’s finances rather than continue to say up is down and black is white. Either that, or actually do the job of reining in government spending — considering how many spending promises have already been made, that’s not a likely scenario either.

This is hardly a comprehensive list of the challenges ahead. I haven’t even mentioned Manitoba Hydro.

But there are a few issues we would suggest the governing NDP should resolve to address in the next two years, and we need look no further than the party’s own list of resolutions at this weekend’s convention.

Among the many resolutions up for debate, the party will decide whether to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience “against floods, fires, droughts, and other emergencies.” In the wake of the recent wildfire crisis, the province was forced to deal with all summer, this makes good sense.

There is another resolution calling on the province to “commit to providing resources, information and technical assistance to rural municipalities and Indigenous communities interested in pursing clean energy projects.” The Kinew government needs to get past its reluctance to engage the private sector when it comes to new wind and solar projects. The government does not need to own everything, and there are some fine companies out there with deep pockets and necessary expertise that can help bolster Manitoba’s energy output.

And lastly, the party will debate whether to improve access to health care for rural and northern Manitobans. To us this is a no-brainer — particularly as this convention is taking place outside the Perimeter Highway. The continuing deterioration of health care in rural and northern Manitoba is of utmost concern to those of us who live in the region.

Just for the record, Mr. Premier, the investments in our region are always welcome, but it’s the results that we need the most, where it really counts.

» Matt Goerzen, editor