Liberal platform delivers big ideas

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/09/2023 (999 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In his editorial published in the past Wednesday’s Sun, editor Matt Goerzen expressed his disappointment over the absence of big ideas in the current provincial election campaign.

He asked readers: “Can you remember the last time a politician offered voters a truly big idea?”

He pointed out that “in recent years, Manitoba politics seems to have become a revolving door between two calculating political parties that offer little in the way of big ideas, and instead address growing problems with mundane assurances or improbable pledges from tired and worn-out campaign books.”

Matt is correct, of course. Over the past several decades, Manitoba politics has devolved into a dull, uninspiring game in which the party in opposition bides its time until the government wears out its welcome with voters. They really don’t offer a genuine alternative, other than being a different bunch of names than the current bunch of names.

At this point, some might argue there’s a massive difference between the Progressive Conservatives and the New Democrats. If that’s really true, how do we reconcile the torrent of spending promises from the Tories over the past several months with the perception that they are ideological penny-pinchers?

How do we square the progressive image of New Democrats with Wab Kinew’s support of the Stefanson government’s fiscal plan, including millions of dollars in education property tax rebates that go to corporations and wealthy Manitobans who don’t need those rebates?

How do we explain the fact that a number of the campaign commitments already made by the Tories and New Democrats — promises to hire more doctors, nurses and other health professionals, in particular — are regarded by many voters as virtually identical?

It’s as if Manitobans are trapped in a game of political Coke versus Pepsi. It doesn’t offer much of a choice, and even less hope for true change. For example, an NDP advertisement features Wab Kinew saying “let’s make Manitoba better together,” which sounds a lot like Brian Pallister’s “better together” campaign slogan in the 2019 election campaign, and the “better together with Heather” slogan used during Stefanson’s 2021 campaign to become PC party leader.

Former Tory campaign manager David McLaughlin put it this way on Twitter: “So, the @mbndp are now adopting @PC_Manitoba tax policies while @PC_Manitoba has adopted @mbndp spending policies. Go figure.”

Go figure, indeed. At the end of his editorial, Matt wrote that “We need to demand better of our elected officials, and reward creative thinking when it comes to the problems faced by our modern society. The death of big ideas in our politics only serves the interests of those who seek power and wish to retain it.”

He’s right, but the situation may not be quite as bad as it appears. Earlier this week, the Manitoba Liberal Party did something that neither the Tories nor New Democrats have done thus far: they released their party’s entire election platform, along with detailed cost estimates. The plan, which can be downloaded by going to manitobaliberals.ca/what-we-stand-for, is a detailed package of thoughtful and innovative proposals.

There isn’t enough space to list the many ideas in the Liberal platform, but they include the following commitments:

• To establish a Doctor of Medicine degree program at Brandon University, affiliated with the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine, focused on training physicians for rural and northern communities;

• To implement an independent Seniors Advocate to investigate, advocate and provide solutions for government on all issues affecting seniors;

• To revamp the provincial income tax system, under which Manitobans earning up to $120,000 would be taxed on a sliding scale, while people earning $300,000 or more would be ineligible for the basic personal exemption;

• To implement a minimum income program for Manitobans over 60, as well as those with severe physical or mental disabilities;

• To create a “same day” housing strategy to address the province’s growing homelessness problem;

• To establish a universal nutrition program for all K-12 schools throughout the province;

• To create “a $300-million Green Fund that will support Manitobans in restoring the environment, offering energy-saving retrofits and ultimately fighting climate change;”

• To “introduce a ranked ballot model to elect future provincial governments” and to “negotiate with municipalities to amend their legislation for those who would like to adopt the ranked ballot as well;” and

• To “create ‘floating wetlands’ in Winnipeg’s rivers around each combined sewer outlet to immediately help capture the excess pollution and nutrients naturally.”

That’s a just a sample of the proposals found within the Liberals’ 32-page platform. A number of them can certainly be described as “big ideas” that could capably form the foundation for the kind of discussions that should occur during election campaigns.

While few regard the Liberals as a serious threat to win the election, the fact that the contest is too close to call between the Tories and NDP creates the possibility of a minority government, with the Liberals deciding which of the other two parties gets to form government.

If that happens, there is every possibility that some of the ideas in the Liberal platform could eventually be implemented. For that reason alone, the platform is worth reading.