Manitobans are, generally, optimistic. It is something I witness continually in speaking with people from right across the province. They recognize that we live in a great province that should be filled with opportunity for themselves and for their family.
But it is clear that, under the NDP government, that optimism is being put to the test. This week the results of a recent poll conducted by NRG Research were released. The poll asked over 800 Manitobans if they felt our province is heading in the right direction or has gotten off on the wrong track. Only 11% of those surveyed felt strongly that Manitoba was on the right track. That hardly sounds like the optimistic attitude that Manitobans usually have.
Looking deeper into the poll, it shows much of the reason that Manitobans are less optimistic about the future than we would hope. Of those who said Manitoba was not on the right track (which made up the majority in the survey), over 90 percent pointed to the increase in the provincial sales tax (PST) as the reason why they feel things are headed in the wrong direction.
In fact the same survey showed that overall, more than 75% of Manitobans were still unhappy with the increase in the PST. This corresponds to surveys done at the time of the increase where similar numbers of Manitobans said that the higher PST increase was not necessary and that the NDP government and Premier Greg Selinger should look for savings within government rather than ask Manitobans to pay more.
The results show that Manitobans are concerned about the future of our province and they are still unhappy with the way the NDP government is handling the province’s finances. This despite the fact that the NDP have been on a ribbon cutting tour trying to persuade Manitobans that they are the best people to spend your money. Clearly it isn’t working.
The good news is that there is much in Manitoba to be optimistic about. We have wonderful residents and abundant resources. We are a “have-province” in waiting. But we are waiting for a government that knows how to manage these resources and return optimism to our province.
