Manitoba Tories look within for savings

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Progressive Conservatives will find tens of millions of dollars in unspecified efficiencies within government in order to pay for their campaign promises, Leader Brian Pallister said Friday.

Pallister released his party’s full platform, with cost and savings estimates, for the April 19 election that polls suggest he is poised to win.

The platform projects $50 million a year in savings through a review of government programs. Another $35 million a year will be saved through what Pallister calls “smart shopping” for goods and services by putting more contracts up for open bidding.

“The government spends about $3.5 billion a year, and we just estimated now that we could save one per cent,” Pallister said.

A Tory government would save $14 million a year by joining the New West Partnership — a trade deal set up by the other western provinces in 2010, Pallister said. Another $5 million a year would be saved by cutting the number of cabinet ministers, along with senior advisers, by one third.

On the spending side, the Tories are promising $50 million in additional infrastructure, $20 million for new personal care home beds and $3.4 million for new tourism promotion and more.

The Tories also said they would immediately index tax brackets to inflation, draining $17 million from the treasury.

Pallister’s biggest promise — a one point cut to the provincial sales tax — is not included in the platform. Pallister said that will come toward the end of a first Tory mandate, and his platform only includes costs through the 2017-18 fiscal year.

He admitted his proposals would make only a small $22 million dent in the $773-million provincial deficit.

“I’m presenting a balanced, logical plan that would turn the ship — not immediately, that’s risky. I don’t want to put people out of work. I want to keep people working.”

The Tories are also promising to change labour laws. Pallister said he would eliminate “forced unionization” — labour agreements that cover all workers on big government projects and require them to be part of a collective agreement.

The party also says it would also end automatic certification in union drives and allow secret-ballot votes in all cases. Currently, if a union gets 65 per cent or more of employees in a workplace to sign membership cards, certification is automatic and no vote is held.

The proposals were panned by Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck.

“He’s making a pledge that’s really making it more difficult for unions to organize a workplace,” Rebeck said.

Four former NDP labour ministers issued an open letter Friday, urging party members to stop what they called a “full attack on unions, working families and workplace rights” by Pallister.

“Make no mistake, Pallister will try to turn Manitoba into a low-wage, right-to-work province,” reads the letter signed by Erna Braun, Becky Barrett, Jennifer Howard and Nancy Allan, who were labour ministers since the NDP came to power in 1999.

“His position will increase conflict and harm workplace conditions for working families.”

Pallister said many union members support his call for secret-ballot membership votes. He said ending a requirement that all workers on big government projects be covered by a collective agreement will save taxpayers money and is fair.

“All our workers, unionized or not, should have a chance to work for government jobs.”