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The three main party leaders in Manitoba talked affordability on Tuesday, making their platforms on the topic known to the public ahead of the Oct. 3 provincial election.
In separate interviews, leaders for the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals and NDP pitched their ideas on making life more affordable if their party formed government.
Manitoba Progressive Conservative party Leader Heather Stefanson called affordability the “number one issue” for Manitobans this election.
“People are struggling to make ends meet these days. And so every little bit that we can do to help them is what we want to do,” she said.
In an interview with 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg, Stefanson focused on tax cuts which she says will make life more affordable for Manitobans.
Axing the land transfer tax for first-time homebuyers and cutting the lowest bracket for income taxes in half are among some of the promises the PCs have made along the campaign trail to date.
Stefanson also said she would ask the feds to cut the carbon tax on fuel and Manitoba Hydro bills, criticizing the federal Liberals and NDPs for maintaining the tax.
“We have the cleanest, greenest energy in the country and we don’t believe Manitobans should be negatively impacted as a result of that,” the PC leader told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg in an interview after the debate.
The Tories announced Tuesday if elected rental fees on Crown land would be reduced by 50 per cent, a measure which would benefit farmers.
The Tuxedo candidate alluded to an affordability announcement for restaurants which is expected to come later in the week.
The candidate nomination deadline has now passed for the election, with both the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats running a full slate of 57 candidates each.
The Manitoba Liberals were able to field candidates in all but eight constituencies, leaving votes up for grabs by the other parties in those ridings.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said part of the Liberals’ platform on affordability is to address social assistance.
The party leader said if his party forms government he would free up people living on welfare to make more disposable income and improve benefits.
“Ask yourself if you could survive on what you were making in 1986. Because that’s what people on social assistance have been asked to do,” he told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show.
Lamont also committed to “straightening out” the Residential Tenancies Branch to make it harder for landlords to unnecessarily raise rent, build 1,000 affordable housing units and introduce legislation which would prevent complexes like seniors housing to be sold without ministerial approval.
“There’s lots of seniors who are basically afraid of being evicted, and that should never happen. Nobody should ever be afraid, when you’re a senior, that you’re going to be basically made homeless,” he said.
On the carbon tax, Lamont said the province would take control of it, reallocating the money collected to a “Green Fund” which would be available for residents to use for home and business improvements through Efficiency Manitoba.
He also said improving transit systems would encourage people to drive less.
To save Manitobans money on their taxes, Lamont said if elected he would make those at the top pay more.
“If you’re making $300,000 a year, I don’t think you need a basic personal exemption,” he said.
Lamont added a Liberal government would stop giving property tax rebates to out of province corporations.
“We’d remove 80 per cent of that, we’d keep 20 per cent of the rebate in place for people who really need it. So we would protect seniors, we would protect people with fixed incomes.”
The Liberal leader would also introduce a K – 12 universal nutrition program in schools, if elected.
In an interview with 680 CJOB’s The News, NDP Leader Wab Kinew said he would also eliminate the “welfare wall.”
“I think we want everyone to work. Everyone who can be in the workforce should be working, and so let’s remove these disincentives, these barriers to getting people in the workforce,” he said.
Kinew focused on his promise to cut the fuel tax, which he claims will save the average driver 14 cents per litre at the pump, and freezing Manitoba Hydro rates for one year.
“We’ve looked at the books, we can do this in a fiscally responsible way,” the NDP leader said.
Kinew said those moves, along with offering a $700 renter’s tax, would help prospective homebuyers save up for down payments.
Earlier in the day, the three leaders squared off at a forum hosted by the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association where they spoke about the economy, safety and other topics.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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