Time For Leadership   

These are diffi cult times for Manitobans to interpret. On one hand, the Doer government is handed a C grade for its nothing-venturednothing- gained ‘safe’ budget, and Manitoba is dubbed a “welfare province” for receiving formula transfers payments from Ottawa – which by the way Ontario is likely to receive soon.

Shortly after the budget the Doer government announced a multi-milliondollar hydro-electric sale to Wisconsin by Manitoba Hydro. The timing of this announcement on the heels of the budget seems a bit suspicious, but there it was just the same, saying ‘hey we’re all right.” Sort of all right. For one thing, the power is not needed for 10 years. Dams will be built if we can fi nd the labor. Wisconsin still must go through regulatory approval of the deal. So it’s an agreement in principle but, its better than nothing at all. Yet hydro isn’t oil, unfortunately, as seen in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and now Newfoundland and Labrador.

Canada is a family of regions, and not all regions can do well all the time. Equalization payments exist so Canadians won’t have less in services because their province doesn’t have the largesse of easy money or there in back times, as Ontario’s manufacturing sector now fi nds itself.

It’s not wrong to accept money from other provinces in a federation. It’s an established formula. To blame the Manitoba government for accepting transfer payments is like blaming farmers for using crop insurance money when it doesn’t rain. Asking the Manitoba government to be bolder and more imaginative in its vision, is asking a lot. Governments are slow, cautious and predictable and have to use the elected talent the party gathers. Governments are expected to be reasonable and safe which exemplifi es Mr. Doer’s tenure in the offi ce. Gambling and entrepreneurship is up to the private sector. If the premier was seen driving around in a convertible his white scarf fl owing behind, we’d all be nail biting.

Mr. Doer’s job, politically, is to know what sells to the electorate while being competent. He knows healthcare backed by unionized doctors and nurses is a natural winner to put money into. So is workplace safety advertising. After all, part of the spending of tax dollars is, in part to maintain political offi ce by giving the people who elected you, what they want.

Doer’s cabinet is short on talent but it plugs away. But Doer himself is not just a left-wing, affable glamour boy who looks good in the limelight. He has kept his government in power through three elections while the Tories appear to fl ounder waiting for Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen to get his legs under him to be a competent critic. But, Tory-style backbiting is sandlot behavior. The Tory critique bar has to be raised, real and have meat. A crime fi ghting agenda isn’t new. Everyone wants to fi ght crime. Lets leave that to the police.

Manitoba has good employment numbers, good healthcare, and people are not entirely dissatisfi ed politically. We have no large oil deposits and we won’t. But we have something else. Tremendous perseverance and tolerance. We are strong people and can tolerate a lot.

We have survived fl oods, mosquitoes, cold winters and many disappointments. We are not a welfare province, as some have called us. Despite the all of this, we cannot continue to survive poor leadership and lack of salesmanship for our province. If Mr. Doer and his people are satisfi ed with fl oodway widening, donations to healthcare, hybrids cars, and lots of social services, fi ne, but that’s not leadership, its housekeeping.

At all levels both business and politically, we need innovation, and to gain on the national scene. It will take strength, conviction, and commitment to make it happen before we stumble and fall to true welfare status never to recover.



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