Brandon snubbed in throne speech

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/10/2011 (5441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The word “northern” was mentioned five times in yesterday’s throne speech.

By comparison, Winnipeg was mentioned eight times.

The word “rural” received seven mentions.

Brandon? Sorry, the province’s second-largest city only had one brief reference in the six-page document, read in the Manitoba legislature by Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee.

Agreed, it was a comparatively brief throne speech — the one before the election was 16 pages — and these documents are really only used to offer a glimpse into broad directions the government intends to take in the coming months and years.

But as these speeches go, yesterday ranks as one of the most lethargic, uninspiring pieces of writing we’ve heard in years.

And we weren’t expecting much, given the fact that Premier Greg Selinger rushed this document to kick-start what is expected to be a short fall session of the house.

Geez, the judicial recount in two constituencies won’t be done until next week and Selinger hasn’t filled gaps left by retiring ministers in his cabinet.

So what we had starting the 40th session of the Manitoba legislature was a shopping list of election promises that contained no great vision, no grand plan and nothing that hasn’t been heard before.

It was a greatest-hits compilation of promises the NDP trotted door to door during the recent election campaign that returned them to power with a fourth straight majority.

The Opposition parties are still licking their wounds.

So the NDP likely doesn’t feel any pressing urgency to start lifting anything heavy at the moment.

So what was in the speech? Our sister paper, the Winnipeg Free Press had reporters in the legislature yesterday, and they say the government pledged to hire more nurses and doctors, reduce class sizes to a maximum of 20 in early grade school years and hire 100 new police officers to patrol Manitoba’s streets and highways.

It guaranteed Manitobans the lowest combined bills for electricity, home heating and auto insurance. It promised to build a new skilled trades and technology centre at Red River College (no mention of Assiniboine Community College).

And it renewed a commitment to building the controversial Bipole III, a hydro transmission line, down the west side of Lake Manitoba.

The government vowed to build new child-care centres and add new spaces to existing centres.

The NDP government also promised stable funding for universities.

That’s a crucial area, as we’re experiencing the effects of years of NDP mismanagement on that file with a bitter strike at Brandon University.

Legislation will be enacted to tie tuition increases to the rate of inflation, while interest rates on student loans will be reduced to prime and student aid rules will be amended to lessen the debt burden for graduates.

We were cheered to see a pledge to work with the federal government to strengthen the criminal code and we will propose specific changes, including making gang recruitment an explicit crime, and cracking down on knife crimes, arson, home invasions and carjackings.

But talk is cheap. The results will be what counts.

The NDP says it will also work with police agencies to expand the electronic monitoring bracelet program.

MRIs will be added in Dauphin, Selkirk and west Winnipeg. Hospital expansions were promised once again in Brandon, Flin Flon and other communities.

That was the sole reference to the Wheat City.

Sorry, Premier Selinger. Brandon returned you only one NDP member on election night.

But surely this fine and growing community ranks better than one passing mention in your throne speech?

You have promised that you will govern for all of the people of Manitoba.