Manitoba’s Premier Wab Kinew and the NDP used their majority government last week to push through a $24-billion omnibus budget bill and block Opposition amendments aimed at protecting Manitobans from overnight tax hikes and preventing the government from making decisions without public input.
“This budget is the NDP’s blueprint for more taxes, fewer services, and less accountability over the next four years,” said Midland MLA Lauren Stone, PC Critic for Finance. “Manitobans have every reason to demand better than a budget that will cost them jobs, raise their taxes, and fund the NDP’s partisan agenda. We will continue to hold the NDP accountable and fight for the right of every Manitoban to affordable living and a transparent government.”
During debate in the Legislature last week, Progressive Conservatives outlined several major concerns with the 2024 budget, emphasizing the new costs it puts on the backs of families, workers, and small businesses:
– Fuel and property tax hikes: The budget grants the NDP authority to increase fuel taxes at the cabinet table without Legislative oversight and imposes a significant $150-million property tax increase on all Manitoba homeowners, hitting those with cottages and rental properties the hardest.
– Income tax hikes for skilled workers: Professionals like doctors, engineers, and tradespeople will see higher income taxes as the budget eliminates their basic personal exemptions, driving talent out of the province and making it more difficult for key industries to recruit skilled workers to Manitoba.
– Higher energy bills: By eliminating legislated debt reduction targets for Manitoba Hydro, the NDP are opening the door for annual electricity rate hikes of up to 4%, raising energy costs for families and businesses, while the NDP’s support of the carbon tax will see home heating bills rise by 23% this winter.
– Restrictive labour laws: Banning replacement workers leaves businesses vulnerable to prolonged labour strikes, while eliminating the right to secret ballots undermines the democratic rights of every worker.
– Partisan use of public funds: The budget doubles taxpayer-funded rebates for political parties, funneling more public money into partisan election advertising without voter consent.
Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko, Leader of the Official Opposition. also highlighted that the 2024 budget failed to allocate funding for new schools, daycares, or care homes, and slashed tens of millions in funding for community development and youth employment programs.
Midland MLA Lauren Stone, PC Critic for Finance, said that by pushing an omnibus budget bill through the Legislature without any chance for public hearings on significant changes to labour and election financing laws, the NDP are making Manitobans pay for a high-cost budget they had no say in.
“It’s non-democratic and a non-transparent bill that they’re doing,” said Stone. “Not only are they introducing tax grabs on Manitobans, but they’ve stapled these five different pieces of legislation to the back of the budget bill. All of these should be standalone legislations as they’re not minor changes or amendments. They should all go through a public committee process, and the NDP are undemocratically stapling these to the back of the budget bill, which means that the public does not get a say in it.”
Stone noted that the PC’s tried to introduce a couple amendments earlier this week that reduces the amount that the NDP can bring the fuel tax back.
“They voted against our amendments, but we’ll be asking more questions once we get to third reading, but the NDP are ramming this through. Manitobans are about to see the largest fuel tax increase that they’ve ever experienced on Jan. 1 once the rate goes from 0 to 14 cents. And other than that, the NDP have no affordability measures, and they are completely eliminating the Education Property Tax Rebate that Manitobans have enjoyed over the past few years.”
