The old saying that a week is a long time in politics was proven correct again these past seven days as it was announced that Premier Gary Doer would be stepping down for a position as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States later this fall. As a result there are many things changing on Manitoba’s political landscape while many others remain the same.

The role of Canada’s Ambassador to the United States is one of the most important diplomatic positions and all Canadians will benefit if Mr. Doer is successful in this position. While I have had many disagreements on issues of policy with the Premier and his government, during his more than 20 years as Leader of the NDP he has proven to be a skilled politician and represented the province well on the national and international stage. I would personally like to wish Mr. Doer success as he gets set to take on a position that is very important to Canada and to Manitoba.

In making the appointment Prime Minister Harper said that Mr. Doer’s ability to build relationships would be a critical asset in Washington. Those skills will be needed to deal with issues such as Devil’s Lake and Country of Origin Labeling which is impacting our farm community. While Mr. Doer will have a national mandate, his particular understanding of Manitoba issues should benefit our province.

Whoever wins the NDP leadership race and becomes the new Premier on October 17 will be taking over a new job but inheriting a whole host of old problems left after 10 years of NDP government. Under the NDP government, Manitoba has become uncompetitive with other provinces, our farmers have had a harder time keeping their farms in operation and the province’s Crown Corporations, such as Manitoba Hydro, have increased their debt as a result of political interference by the government.

The new leader of the NDP will inherit an escalating crime problem, have to deal with the results of an inquiry probing the death of Brian Sinclair who died in a Winnipeg emergency room waiting for care, and the need to manage declining provincial revenue.

As a political party, Manitoba Progressive Conservatives recognize the changing political landscape offers opportunities but the responsibilities remain the same. Our responsibility is to continue to hold the government accountable for the decisions of the day but to also offer ideas and solutions that will make Manitoba a safer and more competitive place where residents can get the services they have paid for through their taxes in a timely way.

So while many things will be changing on the political scene, the challenges facing our province are not going to Washington with Mr. Doer and will need to be dealt with by his successor. Manitoba Progressive Conservatives will be continuing to put forward solutions to those challenges as a new Premier takes the helm of the province.