Progressive Conservatives celebrate majority status in Manitoba
Laura Glowacki | CBC News | Posted: April 20, 2016 2:37 AM | Last Updated: April 20, 2016
Manitobans have elected their first provincial Progressive Conservative government since 1999, making leader Brian Pallister the next premier. Once sworn in, he will be the first Tory premier in Manitoba in nearly 17 years.
PC candidate Myrna Driedger, re-elected in Charleswood, was overjoyed. She said the PC surge "honestly feels very surreal."
"I can't believe it's all really happening ... We worked really hard, I have an unbelievable team behind me," said Driedger.
Former Winnipeg city councillor Scott Fielding was elected to the constituency of Kirkfield Park.
"I'm really excited to be part of this Progressive Conservative government," Fielding said.
The Tories last formed the government in Manitoba under Gary Filmon, who lost to the NDP and Gary Doer 17 years ago.
From the earliest days in the campaign, polls suggested the PCs held a strong lead over the NDP. For the last couple of years, Greg Selinger had some of the lowest approval ratings of all premiers in Canada.
In March, a Forum poll suggested Selinger's approval rating was at 19 per cent, compared to Pallister's 35 per cent approval and Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari's 21 per cent.
Pallister seized on the momentum, targeting attacks on the NDP's fiscal record and questioning Selinger's fitness to lead.
'Broken promises, broken government'
"Broken promises, broken government" was a key message used in Tory advertisements and statements by PC Leader Brian Pallister and his candidates to attack the governing NDP.
The biggest broken promise, the PCs said, was Selinger's decision to raise the PST from seven to eight per cent in 2013 despite Selinger's pledge not to in 2011.
The PCs' lower tax message seemed to have traction with Manitobans. According to Vote Compass data analyzed for CBC, the majority of Manitobans believe the PST should be lower, and polling data consistently showed the PCs ahead of the Manitoba Liberals and the New Democrats.
The PCs also attacked the Selinger government for government waste, running a deficit and seeing Manitoba's debt rating downgraded after it failed to meet balanced-budget targets.
PC election promises
A key promise put forward by the Progressive Conservatives on the campaign trail was to reverse Selinger's controversial PST hike, returning the rate to seven per cent.
Pallister pledged improve economic ties between Manitoba and western provinces by joining the New West Partnership Trade Agreement with Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
The PC leader promised not to privatize Manitoba Hydro but said he would not rule out privatizing aspects of health care in the province.
Other key PC election promises:
- Spend at least $1 billion a year on infrastructure, increase tourism promotion and create a special business plan for the north.
- Cut ambulance fees in half, set up a task force to find ways to cut health-care wait times and fast-track construction of 1,200 new personal care home beds.
- Increase operating funds for licensed family child-care spaces, make up to $20 million available for scholarships and bursaries with the private sector, develop a program that focuses on literacy in elementary schools.
- Announce a target date for ending deficits once the party has updated budget figures.
Pallister defends Costa Rica travel
Pallister was put on the defensive in the final weeks of the election campaign.
On April 14 CBC reported the PC leader had spent 240 days in or travelling to Costa Rica, where he owns a vacation home, since being elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 2012. Then on April 17, a PC spokesperson confirmed Pallister owns two companies in the Central American country that he had not previously disclosed.
Pallister defended his decision to keep his 15 trips to Costa Rica private to protect his family, while the PCs said it is common for foreigners in Costa Rica to own property through private companies.
Pallister also said he frequently worked while on vacation in Costa Rica.