It was one of the key statements made in the 1999 provincial election by then NDP Leader Gary Doer. He told Manitobans that he would keep balanced budget legislation if he were elected Premier. He said it was a law that the government of Gary Filmon got right.
In fact Gary Doer and the NDP handed out election cards that said that that they would keep balanced budget legislation and that people should keep the cards to ensure that the NDP kept their promise.
Between 1999 and now there has been a slow but steady erosion of that promise. The province’s balanced budget law has been changed on many occasions, deficits have been incurred, the debt has doubled and the NDP even raised the PST without the required referendum under the balanced budget legislation. But, even with all of that, most NDP members were careful not to speak against balanced budget legislation.
Now with the NDP busy fighting itself and in the midst of a leadership campaign, we are seeing the true colours of NDP leadership candidates.
Greg Selinger, by not adhering to the requirement for a referendum before raising the PST, showed he doesn’t respect the balanced budget legislation. He has also failed to deliver on past promises to bring Manitoba’s books back into balance. Steve Ashton also voted to override the balance budget law and strip away Manitobans right to a vote on the PST increase.
But this week we had the clearest indication of what the NDP truly feels about balanced budget legislation. While Gary Doer said back in 1999 that he would keep and uphold the legislation, NDP leadership candidate Theresa Oswald told The Canadian Press, “I don’t like our law.” She went further to say that she wasn’t sure if there should be significant amendments to the balanced budget law or whether she would “blow it up in its entirety.”
It has been clear from the actions of the NDP over the past many years that they did not like having any restraint on spending your taxdollars’ and did not support the balanced budget law. But while their actions were clear, they are now speaking openly about not wanting to have any constraints on spending your money.
It is obvious how far away the NDP have moved from their support of balanced budget legislation back in 1999. It’s likely that they never really supported the legislation but said they did to help them get elected. Whatever the case, it is obvious to everyone that today’s NDP has no resemblance to the NDP of Gary Doer.
