Manitoba.

• Position: Legislative Reports

The Third Session of the Thirty-Eighth Legislature resumed on March 7, 2005. The Minister of Finance Greg Selinger (NDP--St. Boniface) delivered his fifth budget address on March 8. The total operating expenditure for the 2005-2006 Budget came in at $8.1 billion, an increase of 6.6% from 2004-2005. In his budget speech Mr. Selinger described the "four key pillars" on which he based the 2005 budget.

1. Paying down debt

   * debt payment increased to $110 million from $96 million

   * no draw from the Fiscal Stabilization Fund (rainy day fund)

2. Making strategic investments

   * significant increases for health and education

   * eight per cent funding increase for City of Winnipeg

   * 10 per cent tuition reduction continues for fifth straight year

   * 40 additional police officers across Manitoba

3. Cutting taxes

   * six-year tax reductions total $500 million

   * personal income taxes cut by another $30 million

   * business taxes reduced by $54 million

4. Saving for the future

   * $314 million deposit into the Fiscal Stabilization Fund

   * budget is balanced under balanced budget law

   * $196-million projected surplus under the summary budget

   During the second of eight days of debate on the budget Official Opposition Leader Stuart Murray (PC--Kirkfield Park) moved a motion of non-confidence as an amendment to the budget motion. The motion identified a range of areas where the opposition felt the government had failed to act in the best interests of the province, including:

   * failing to provide a long-term economic and tax reduction strategies;

   * failing to provide adequate funding for post-secondary institutions;

   * failing to provide relief for Manitoba's livestock producers and failing to provide for sufficient slaughter capacity;

   * failing to provide a long-term plan for the reduction of health care waiting lists;

   * failing to provide an opportunity for publicly funded health care services in privately managed clinics;

   * failing to deal with record numbers of auto thefts and record numbers of murders; and

   * failing to provide a plan or strategy for dealing with gangs in Manitoba.

   On the fifth day of the budget debate Jon Gerrard (Independent Liberal --River Heights) officially registered his disapproval of the budget through a sub-amendment to Mr. Murray's non-confidence motion. Mr. Gerrard's motion mentioned several other problems with the government's record, including the failure to provide an effective plan to improve health and prevent sickness, failing to provide...