Manitoba's debt continues to climb

 

All three parties involved in the upcoming provincial election are promising to address Manitoba's $13 billion debt.  

But, you'll have to excuse Colin Craig if he is somewhat sceptical about that.  Craig is the Manitoba representative for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and he agrees the leaders are all talking a good game on the hustings but the real proof will come after the election is over. The CTF is touring its Provincial Debt Clock throughout Manitoba, and is making stops today in Carman, Winkler, Morden, and Pilot Mound. On September 19th it will be Portage la Prairie, and on September 24th in will be in Brandon.

"It sounds like they're promising to address it at some point.  I mean, we don't believe the government's numbers.  Their budget accounted for $3 million in flood expenses but we know that the province's bill is well over $100 million now so, we know there are a lot of expenses there that we're not being told about."

And that is for existing expenses, not the millions of expenses to come as they work to improve infrastructure to prevent further flood problems in the years to come.  Craig says he can live with those kinds of expenses given they are necessary infrastructure improvements, it's the luxury spending he and the Federation have an issue with.

 


"Those (infrastructure projects) are the types of things the government should be concentrating on.  It's all these luxury projects that they keep approving time after time...A brand new stadium goes $75 million over-budget and no one was held accountable.  Now, they're talking about building a massive expansion for the Convention Centre in Winnipeg, and there's no money for it.  Those are the types of projects that need to get put on the back-burner, not the flood-related expenses.  That's the government's role, not these luxury projects."

The incumbent NDP are sticking to their promise that they can balance the budget by 2014, while the challenging Conservatives say they can get it done by 2018.  Craig doesn't care who does it, as long as someone does.

"No matter what party wins, they need to get serious about the debt and get it under control."

According to the C.T.F., the debt is rising at a rate of $50 per second or $4.3 million per day.  Craig says when people hear those numbers, it may not register as alarming but, when the see the clock rolling over and over, then it starts to hit home.

" A lot of people are shocked at their portion of the debt.  They look at that number, it's $10,870 per person in Manitoba, and they know they can't cut a cheque for it.  They're also shocked at how quickly the debt is going up.  It's one thing to hear about it on the radio or see it in the newspaper, it's another thing to actually sit there and watch it counting up by $50 per second.  The numbers are a blur, we have to get this thing under control."

Given the slow recovery from the recent recession, many Manitobans are likely more concerned about their own personal debt, but Craig says it is important they know the situation we're in as a province, and that's what the C.T.F. is here to do - help educate.

 


"Most people don't follow the numbers as closely as we do as an organization and that's why we try to get the word out and educate people as to what's going on.  That's why we have tons of information on our website, circulate newspaper columns, do interviews and do these types of activities to help raise awareness among Manitobans."