What is the NDP Hiding?

The NDP want to increase the insurance premiums that you pay through Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) to register your vehicle. That is why they went before the Public Utilities Board (PUB) this week to argue that there should be an overall rate increase of 3.4% to vehicle insurance in the province.

By law, the NDP have to take this rate increase to the Public Utilities Board to justify and show that it is needed. It’s the same board that examines hydro rate increases. Outside interveners can also participate and present questions at these hearings. The PUB itself then examines the information that is provided and makes a determination about what the rate increase, if any, should be.

This week however things hit a snag at the PUB hearings. The NDP and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) have taken exception to the type of information they are being asked to provide to the Public Utilities Board. In fact, they have refused to answer nearly 40 percent of the questions that they have been asked. These questions relate to the operation costs of Manitoba Public Insurance including the amount of donations and sponsorships that MPI participates in and the income that it receives from investments.

You would think that the amount of money that MPI spends on operations, donations and sponsorships would be relevant to whether they need to ask Manitobans to pay more for their insurance. After all, Manitobans shouldn’t be asked to pay more if there are savings that can be found internally at the Crown Corporation that is in charge of vehicle insurance. But the NDP obviously feel differently and they are fighting to ensure that this information is not provided to the PUB and to the public.

Already Manitobans have little faith that the NDP are able to properly manage finances. The PST has been extended to products like home insurance and increased to 8% and  still the NDP continue to run massive deficits. Just last week credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the province’s financial outlook because it doesn’t believe the NDP can control its spending.

Now the NDP wants the Public Utilities Board to approve a vehicle insurance rate increase without providing basic information about costs at MPI. What is it that the NDP want to hide? There are a few possibilities. Earlier this year we learned that the former CEO of MPI was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars upon her retirement and then hired back by MPI on a consulting contract that paid $120 per hour. It was also discovered that many MPI executives have been provided luxury cars as part of their employment.

Perhaps these are the sorts of things that the NDP don’t want the Public Utilities Board discovering. Because it wouldn’t sit well with Manitobans who are already tired of being asked to pay more for everything.