Manitoba Politics

[blue_gold_84]

Just now, JCon said:

I just wish it were sooner for those ghouls to be out of power. 

I'm just excited for the obviously inevitable "Fall of Wab" (and Nahanni, supposedly) as predicted by our resident centrist voter.

*chuckle*

[Tracker]

7 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

I'm just excited for the obviously inevitable "Fall of Wab" (and Nahanni, supposedly) as predicted by our resident centrist voter.

*chuckle*

On behalf of Centrist voters, I object to the mischaracterization.

[WildPath]

Has anyone seen the ads from the PCs about how electing Wab Kinew will raise the PST to 10%? I saw the ad and thought it was such a bold claim that there had to be some truth to it somewhere. I cannot find it now, but it was an ad being run by the party on social media.

I can't find anything that Wab or the NDP said that could have even been taken out of context to assume the PST would be raised to 10%. Is it pure fearmongering, or am I missing something?

(20) The NDP always promise that they won't... - PC Party of Manitoba | Facebook

Edited May 5, 2023 by WildPath
Found a link

[rebusrankin]

18 minutes ago, WildPath said:

Has anyone seen the ads from the PCs about how electing Wab Kinew will raise the PST to 10%? I saw the ad and thought it was such a bold claim that there had to be some truth to it somewhere. I cannot find it now, but it was an ad being run by the party on social media.

I can't find anything that Wab or the NDP said that could have even been taken out of context to assume the PST would be raised to 10%. Is it pure fearmongering, or am I missing something?

(20) The NDP always promise that they won't... - PC Party of Manitoba | Facebook

Heather said it at their AGM this year. I have found nothing to back it up. Pure lies and fearmongering.

[Sard]

1 hour ago, WildPath said:

Has anyone seen the ads from the PCs about how electing Wab Kinew will raise the PST to 10%? I saw the ad and thought it was such a bold claim that there had to be some truth to it somewhere. I cannot find it now, but it was an ad being run by the party on social media.

I can't find anything that Wab or the NDP said that could have even been taken out of context to assume the PST would be raised to 10%. Is it pure fearmongering, or am I missing something?

(20) The NDP always promise that they won't... - PC Party of Manitoba | Facebook

I heard the same add on the radio.  It's pure fearmongering because "Selinger raised the PST"

[HardCoreBlue]

9 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Heather said it at their AGM this year. I have found nothing to back it up. Pure lies and fearmongering.

The proven cost effective approach, seeding doubt with lies, half truths, information with no context with little to no consequences other than blue checker twitter shame and call out. 

[Wideleft]

10 hours ago, WildPath said:

Has anyone seen the ads from the PCs about how electing Wab Kinew will raise the PST to 10%? I saw the ad and thought it was such a bold claim that there had to be some truth to it somewhere. I cannot find it now, but it was an ad being run by the party on social media.

I can't find anything that Wab or the NDP said that could have even been taken out of context to assume the PST would be raised to 10%. Is it pure fearmongering, or am I missing something?

(20) The NDP always promise that they won't... - PC Party of Manitoba | Facebook

Haven't seen it, but worth noting that the Federal Cons opened their campaign calls with "Did you know Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh are going to raise your taxes?" during the last election.  I personally received one and called the woman on her lie.  She was left speechless when I asked her to provide proof that was in either campaign (she couldn't) and I told her she should be ashamed of herself for spreading such lies.

It's all part of the right-wing election playbook.

[bigg jay]

8 hours ago, Sard said:

I heard the same add on the radio.  It's pure fearmongering because "Selinger raised the PST"

Stefanson even admitted this. 

Quote

At a party meeting April 15, Stefanson started using the term the “Wab way,” when she described Kinew as someone who will defund police, raise taxes and legalize illicit drugs — all things the NDP leader has never promised. 

When asked why she was making false statements about Kinew, Stefanson said former NDP premier Greg Selinger did such things and that was proof.

“His way, just like Greg Selinger’s way, the NDP way, is to raise your taxes and stifle economic growth. Well, let’s call that the ‘Wab way.’ We think that’s the wrong way.”

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/04/28/tory-attacks-on-kinew-push-the-limit

[Sard]

2 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Stefanson even admitted this. 

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/04/28/tory-attacks-on-kinew-push-the-limit

Why is it that raising social programs (ie. helping people get out of poverty and into the work force) is seen as stifling economic growth?  I haven't done the math, but in my eyes, more people working means a larger tax base along with more money in circulation (and not just restricted to a bunch of people who are hoarding their wealth), which by definition is economic growth... or am I missing something?

[Bigblue204]

Just now, Sard said:

Why is it that raising social programs (ie. helping people get out of poverty and into the work force) is seen as stifling economic growth?  I haven't done the math, but in my eyes, more people working means a larger tax base along with more money in circulation (and not just restricted to a bunch of people who are hoarding their wealth), which by definition is economic growth... or am I missing something?

Cause if you can't pull yourself up by the boot straps you're a lazy good for nothing!! Don't be a commy!

[Sard]

1 minute ago, Bigblue204 said:

Cause if you can't pull yourself up by the boot straps you're a lazy good for nothing!! Don't be a commy!

Oh right, I forgot about my boot straps... thanks for the reminder...

[Tracker]

10 hours ago, Sard said:

I heard the same add on the radio.  It's pure fearmongering because "Selinger raised the PST"

Same old stories- lying Tories.

[JCon]

Move afoot to ban LGBTTQ+ books from Brandon schools

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/05/11/move-afoot-to-ban-lgbttq-books-from-brandon-schools

 

BRANDON — A pair of Brandon School Division trustees applauded a presentation Monday seeking to ban certain books that feature LGBTTQ+ content from its libraries.

At the BSD board meeting, Lorraine Hackenschmidt (who identified herself as a grandmother and former school trustee) advocated for the creation of a committee that would review books discussing gender identity and sexual health issues — and potentially remove them from school shelves.

She linked the discussion of books with transgender themes to the sexual grooming of youth and pedophilia — a common religious conservative argument against ***** content

[rebusrankin]

I watched Looney Tunes as a kid. Bugs Bunny dressed up like a girl bunny. I have never dressed in woman's clothes.

These people are morons.

[Wideleft]

What is the definition Christian dominionism?

 

 

Dominionism is an umbrella term for certain groups of Protestants and some Catholics who interpret Genesis 1:28 in the Bible, which refers to people having dominion over life on earth, as meaning that Christians should exercise control over most aspects of modern life, Riccardi-Swartz says.

[Fatty Liver]

2 hours ago, JCon said:

Move afoot to ban LGBTTQ+ books from Brandon schools

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/05/11/move-afoot-to-ban-lgbttq-books-from-brandon-schools

 

BRANDON — A pair of Brandon School Division trustees applauded a presentation Monday seeking to ban certain books that feature LGBTTQ+ content from its libraries.

At the BSD board meeting, Lorraine Hackenschmidt (who identified herself as a grandmother and former school trustee) advocated for the creation of a committee that would review books discussing gender identity and sexual health issues — and potentially remove them from school shelves.

She linked the discussion of books with transgender themes to the sexual grooming of youth and pedophilia — a common religious conservative argument against ***** content

Do these people know about the amazing **** you can find on the Internet if you search for it???  To think a few books on a musty old library shelf are going to mess with a child's sexuality is ridiculous.  Look for a "Take Back Manitoba" organization to become a thing shortly.

[Wideleft]

Too important a problem to not elaborate on.

Who are the Dominionists backing conservative candidates?

A growing number of religious congregations espouse an ideology called Dominionism that calls for Christians to control or be the primary influence in American government.

Who are the Dominionists and what do they mean for the future of democracy?

Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, an assistant professor of religion and anthropology at Northeastern, and Massachusetts writer and researcher Frederick Clarkson said the once-obscure movement has been gaining political power in the past decades and is a player in local and national elections across the United States.

Dominionism is an umbrella term for certain groups of Protestants and some Catholics who interpret Genesis 1:28 in the Bible, which refers to people having dominion over life on earth, as meaning that Christians should exercise control over most aspects of modern life, Riccardi-Swartz says.

“It’s a utopian end times eschatology,” she says.

“Most Dominionists, but not all, emphasize that the Christian church will mature and flourish and gain dominance in society before Christ returns.”

That teaching stands in opposition to standard Christian doctrine, also called premillennialism, “which suggests Christ has to return first before a Christian kingdom is established on earth,” Riccardi-Swartz says.

“So (the Dominionists’) endgame is creating a Christian kingdom on earth while we’re still alive.”

Ending abortion, gay marriage and secular education are cornerstones of the movement, says Clarkson, a senior research analyst with Somerville-based Political Research Associates.

“It’s their idea of righteousness and what God requires of them,” he says. “The only legitimate education is through the lens of the Bible as they understand it.”

‘They talk about getting rid of demons’

“They talk about Christianizing the public space. They talk about getting rid of demons,” Riccardi-Swartz says.

“It’s really about spiritual warfare,” she says.

“They see themselves as warriors fighting not just demonic forces but people. Because they see people as demonically possessed by the spirit of whatever is in opposition to them.”

“Really, what they’re talking about is cleansing the public sphere of people who are not like them,” Riccardi-Swartz says.

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rephrased a Bible passage and told students at a private Christian college to “put on the full armor of God. Stand firm against the left’s schemes,” he was speaking to a political base of believers, she says.

“I think it’s fair to call Dominion theology part of the tool kit of political radicalism.”

There are different groups of people who believe in Dominionist-type theology, and they are not always in sync with each other, Riccardi-Swartz says.

Christian nationalists who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection can be considered “co-travelers” with Dominionists since “they have the same end goal,” she says.

But “most Dominionists aren’t as violent or as inclined to violence as we see among Christian nationalists, especially white Christian nationalists,” Riccardi-Swartz says.

There are a confusing number of groups associated with the theological movement, with names such as New Apostolic Reformation, Latter Rain, Joel’s Army and Seven Mountains.

The latter calls for Christians to have control over the so-called seven mountains of society: family, arts and entertainment, media, education, government, religion and business.

The Oak Initiative, which is associated with evangelistic prophet and election denier Rick Joyner, calls for raising up effective leaders in the seven areas as part of  a “spiritual awakening that lays a foundation for course correction in the future of America.”

When Republican candidate for Arizona governor, Kari Lake, recently promised reporters she would be their “worst fricking nightmare,” she also vowed that  “we will reform the media as well.”

Lake, who denies the legitimacy of President Biden’s election, has been compared to a prophet in a charismatic Christian publication.

“There’s a media mountain and they’ve got to conquer it,” Clarkson says. 

Some Dominionist groups definitely want a theocratic form of government, others want to transform democracy but not do away with it all together, Riccardi-Swartz says.

At the more extreme end, “there would be no more public schools,” she says. “The family would educate their children. There would be no social welfare endeavors because the church would  take care of all the needs of the poor.”

It doesn’t speak for all religious conservatives

Riccardi-Swartz says having a conservative Christian viewpoint does not mean that a person is a Christian nationalist or even a Dominionist.

Bart Barber, the new leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, denounced Christian nationalism on “60 Minutes” several weeks ago, saying that it stands in opposition to “everything I believe about religious liberty. … I object to it because Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’”

Riccardi-Swartz says the Christian radical right “has been slowly rising” over the past few decades.

“The easy scapegoat of course is Trump. But these ideas were there long before Trump,” she says.

Social media and digital technology have allowed Dominionist-type groups to network and partner more efficiently “than they were 30 years, even 10 years ago.”

“It’s always been there simmering. Now it’s at a full boil,” Riccardi-Swartz says.

How dominionists impacted the election

Republican right wing Christian gubernatorial candidate Douglas Mastriano lost the Pennsylvania race to Democrat Josh Shapiro.

But in many ways it was not really a defeat, Clarkson says.

With more than 40% of the vote, Mastriano “had an enormous sleeping victory that was unprecedented in the United States.” 

“We’ve never had another candidate like this in American history, running for a major office,” Clarkson says. 

“We have an openly theocratic candidate who said he is the voice of God,” Clarkson says. “The people around him believe the same.”

Toward the end of a Facebook video of a March 15 campaign event, Mastriano says, “God’s spoken through a donkey. He’s speaking through Doug Mastriano right now.”

“He remains a sitting state senator and leads a group of people who meet every week in the state Capitol to plan strategy,” Clarkson says. “The movement will continue.”

Mastriano’s campaign coordinators came out of New Apostolic Reformation churches and spent little money on advertising, relying instead on social media networks such as Facebook, Clarkson says.

That Mastriano’s campaign achieved as much as it did “is an astounding thing,” he says. 

It’s not just white men, Clarkson says, adding that women and people of color also play increasingly large roles in the NAR movement.

“If we see seats being filled with people who are actively in support of the so-called election fraud, who are proponents of Christian nationalism, who are conspiratorially minded, we don’t know what will happen,” Riccardi-Swartz says.

“What will happen to public schools? What will happen to gay marriage? There’s a whole list of things on the agenda that will tell us a lot about the temperature of democracy in the United States.”

Educate yourself, and vote

Riccardi-Swartz says education and information are key defenses against anti-democratic ideas.

“Be well read. Read widely,” Riccardi-Swartz says. Don’t read just one newspaper or listen to one radio station, she says.

“If you hear people in your community proclaiming conspiratorial ideas, call them out on that. Say, ‘I don’t think that’s actually accurate. Can we do some research and find out? Can we have a conversation about why you believe this?’”

Clarkson says it’s important to register to vote and then get out and cast a ballot. Lake, Mastriano and other election deniers were defeated in the midterm elections.

“The Christian right is one of if not the most powerful factions in American politics,” Clarkson says.

But a majority of Americans still believe in separation of church and state, he says. “And that matters in a democracy.”

For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.

[GCn20]

On 2023-05-05 at 7:56 AM, Wideleft said:

Haven't seen it, but worth noting that the Federal Cons opened their campaign calls with "Did you know Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh are going to raise your taxes?" during the last election.  I personally received one and called the woman on her lie.  She was left speechless when I asked her to provide proof that was in either campaign (she couldn't) and I told her she should be ashamed of herself for spreading such lies.

It's all part of the right-wing election playbook.

Puh-lease...it's no more pathetic than stating that allowing some private liquor sales will take millions of dollars out of health care. RIdiculous pre-election statements are most definitely not exclusive to the right.

On 2023-05-05 at 10:03 AM, Tracker said:

Same old stories- lying Tories.

Private booze sales=hallway medicine...same old lying NDP.

[GCn20]

On 2023-05-05 at 8:45 AM, Sard said:

Why is it that raising social programs (ie. helping people get out of poverty and into the work force) is seen as stifling economic growth?  I haven't done the math, but in my eyes, more people working means a larger tax base along with more money in circulation (and not just restricted to a bunch of people who are hoarding their wealth), which by definition is economic growth... or am I missing something?

Raising social programs is not stifling economic growth if it is mitigated by enough economic growth to counter act the expenditure. It is a complete fallacy that right wing voters are against increased social programming. What most right wingers are against is increasing social programming while stifling economic growth. However, the left doesn't wanna hear that because it is too reasonable an expectation.

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

Puh-lease...it's no more pathetic than stating that allowing some private liquor sales will take millions of dollars out of health care. RIdiculous pre-election statements are most definitely not exclusive to the right.

Private booze sales=hallway medicine...same old lying NDP.

Ok... so currently, all profits from liquor sales go back into the health care system.

Moving to a privatized profit driven model for liquor sales and you don't expect any loss to the health care revenue stream?

Health care receives $284 million annually.

MB spends approximately $212 million annually on treating alcohol related health issues.

Which would net $72 million for other Healthcare spending

So, you take away the $284 million revenue stream, increase the consumption of alcohol because once privatized, consumption always goes up (almost universally accepted fact through numerous studies) leading to increase in spending on the alcohol related health issues....

So... you lose $284 million, increase the cost of alcohol related care and you stand by the "pathetic than stating that allowing some private liquor sales will take millions of dollars out of health care." Statement?

 

How? I am genuinely curious to see your math on this one.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Wanna-B-Fanboy

[TrueBlue4ever]

16 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Ok... so currently, all profits from liquor sales go back into the health care system.

Moving to a privatized profit driven model for liquor sales and you don't expect any loss to the health care revenue stream?

Health care receives $284 million annually.

MB spends approximately $212 million annually on treating alcohol related health issues.

Which would net $72 million for other Healthcare spending

So, you take away the $284 million revenue stream, increase the consumption of alcohol because once privatized, consumption always goes up (almost universally accepted fact through numerous studies) leading to increase in spending on the alcohol related health issues....

So... you lose $284 million, increase the cost of alcohol related care and you stand by the "pathetic than stating that allowing some private liquor sales will take millions of dollars out of health care." Statement?

 

How? I am genuinely curious to see your math on this one.

And while you are at it, still waiting to hear your “smoking gun” news that will destroy Wab Kinew. Time to answer some direct questions, please and thank you. 

[GCn20]

17 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Ok... so currently, all profits from liquor sales go back into the health care system.

Moving to a privatized profit driven model for liquor sales and you don't expect any loss to the health care revenue stream?

Health care receives $284 million annually.

MB spends approximately $212 million annually on treating alcohol related health issues.

Which would net $72 million for other Healthcare spending

So, you take away the $284 million revenue stream, increase the consumption of alcohol because once privatized, consumption always goes up (almost universally accepted fact through numerous studies) leading to increase in spending on the alcohol related health issues....

So... you lose $284 million, increase the cost of alcohol related care and you stand by the "pathetic than stating that allowing some private liquor sales will take millions of dollars out of health care." Statement?

 

How? I am genuinely curious to see your math on this one.

1. All profits from liquor sales do NOT go directly back into health care. They go to general revenues and then are budgeted back out. Just like any other government revenue source.

2. Your comment about alcohol care amounts is completely bogus. With increased sales come increased tax revenues, and that offsets increased spending on alcohol health care and adds back into revenues. Various provinces that went this route years ago, because this was a post prohibition solution to alcohol sales, ALL report better over all revenues through a mix of private/public alcohol sales.

Therefore your figures are bogus...completely bogus. Manitoba is one of the only provinces left that has not abandoned government run liquor stores. Why? I'll tell you why. Increased access leads to increased sales. Increased sales = increased tax dollars. 90% of government revenues from liquor is generated through taxation and not retail distribution.  Also, it is fallacy that people would completely abandon retail government liquor stores, if they did then maybe that says something about the way they are operated. At any rate it is nothing but complete fiction that moving away from government run retail would lead to lost revenues. It would simply lead to a shift in how revenues are generated.

The "math" you are so fond of is flawed. It does not take into account that most revenues are generated through taxation on alcohol. Therefore, you cannot say that revenues are lost when they can be easily offset or even increased through ease of access ergo increase in sales.

As someone in the liquor sales industry, there is another BIG red herring to address as well. Taxation on spirits and wine are being held back from regular increases in order to drive people into the liquor stores when compared to beer. I just went into my hard drive and in the year 2000 my cost per unit of alcohol was $.85 avg, on beer it was $1.09. In 2021, my last active year managing my business the cost of alcohol was $1.19 and beer $2.26. That's a crap load of lost revenue right there if the province weren't artificially holding down the taxation of spirits and wine in order to drive people towards their retailers. Anyone with half a brain can see that.

52 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

And while you are at it, still waiting to hear your “smoking gun” news that will destroy Wab Kinew. Time to answer some direct questions, please and thank you. 

It's not MY smoking gun. Perhaps go back and read again.

Edited May 12, 2023 by GCn20

[Wideleft]

Didn't the PC government campaign on transparency?

 

Manitoba’s health minister won’t say if there’s been a net loss or gain in the effort to recruit health care providers or whether she thinks the public needs to know.

It’s a decision that may erode voters’ trust in government, says one political expert.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced last week that 900 health care providers had been hired since the Progressive Conservatives’ health human resources action plan, to address the staff shortage, was unveiled in November.

Gordon hasn’t answered questions about whether those 900 hires represent a net gain or loss: if more workers have been hired than the number who have left.

On Thursday after question period, the minister was asked to explain why she refuses to share that information, and if she sees any value in being transparent with Manitobans about actual health care staffing levels.

“I believe that we are accountable to the public for the commitments we make as a government,” Gordon said. “Our commitment was to add… 2,000 more health professionals. We are providing the public with information on our achievements towards that goal, which is nearly 900 additional health professionals,” she said. “That is what I believe the public wants to know,” Gordon told reporters.

An expert in politics and public administration said the public needs to know both sides of the ledger: how many people have been hired and how many have left. It’s especially important given an election will be held in the fall.

“The public does certainly deserve all the information, so it can make an informed decision about the legitimacy of this government,” said University of Manitoba Prof. Karine Levasseur.

“If only part of the information is being received and not the entirety of the information, are we getting a clear picture? Why is the minister refusing to answer a valid question from journalists?” she said.

“Every time unwarranted secrecy happens, it erodes that legitimacy. We see pockets where trust is declining in government,” said Levasseur.

While the minister won’t say whether there has been a net gain or loss of staff, allied health professionals say that information is readily available from the employer — and there’s a glaring net loss.

The Manitoba Association of Allied Health Care Professionals tracked new hires and terminations every month from November 2021 to March 2023. It shows more terminations than hires in all but two months during that time.

From the time the province announced its action plan in November, until March, turnover data provided by the employer shows 100 new hires and 151 terminations, for a net loss of 51 allied health professionals.

For the same five-month period a year earlier, November 2021 to March 2022, there were new hires (116) and terminations (172), for a net loss of 56 allied health professionals.

The NDP health critic said the public needs to know whether there is a net gain or loss in allied health care professionals, nurses and doctors and the fact Gordon refuses to share that information with the public is telling.

“I think the the fact that minister is refusing to answer a very straightforward and important question is in and of itself the answer,” Uzoma Asagwara said after question period.

“The fact is that we have lost health care professionals. (The governing PCs) are not doing enough to make sure we have the health care capacity in terms of human resources, and their failures are directly hurting Manitobans,” Asagwara said.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/05/11/manitoba-government-refuses-to-say-how-many-health-workers-have-quit

And now the education file (I've highlighted an important point made by Kinew).

Winnipeg divisions faced cuts under shelved education funding model

 

The Stefanson government is defending its ongoing overhaul of how the province pays for public schools, after a leaked document revealed one rejected proposal would have cut millions from Winnipeg school boards’ budgets.

Confidential government documents obtained by the Manitoba NDP compare the total funding allotments for all 37 public school boards in 2022-23 based on both the existing formula and a “new funding model.”

The internal document, which the official Opposition released Thursday, was prepared for the education department’s funding review team in November 2022.

The proposal suggests 14 boards — including all but one metro division, River East Transcona — would have received fewer dollars if the updated formula was implemented.

Those include: Winnipeg; Pembina Trails; Louis Riel; Seven Oaks; St. James Assiniboia; Sunrise; Seine River; Lord Selkirk; Evergreen; Border Land; Red River Valley; Southwest Horizon; Interlake; and Flin Flon.

Per the tables, Frontier would have received the largest raise, equivalent to a six per cent hike. Park West, Garden Valley, Beautiful Plains, Kelsey, Hanover, Mountain View, Portage la Prairie, and Prairie Spirit trailed behind, each with respective increases above three per cent.

Whiteshell’s sum was identical in both columns.

The NDP used the five-page snippet from a larger slide deck to repeatedly grill the Progressive Conservatives in question period Thursday.

Opposition Leader Wab Kinew accused Premier Heather Stefanson of hiding plans to cut funding to some divisions.

“This is the plan that the PCs developed behind closed doors to cut millions of dollars in funding every year from schools in Manitoba,” Kinew told the chamber.

After the 40-minute proceeding in which NDP MLAs took each opportunity to decry the funding model, Finance Minister Cliff Cullen told reporters the proposal had been “completely rejected” by the government.

“We are not proposing any reduction in school division funding,” Cullen told reporters.

He said the proposal was brought forward by the education funding model review team late last year, prior to budget discussions, and was turned down at that time.

Not long after, the province announced it was delaying the implementation of a new formula, previously anticipated to be intact for the coming school year, to undertake more consultations.

The review team has not reconvened since that announcement was made five months ago.

A source, who was not authorized to speak on the subject, indicated the province’s autumn proposal — only several pages of which were shared by the NDP — had “a concerning forecast.” The exact details of the proposed formula remain unclear.

Cullen said the Tories’ intention for education funding is accurately represented in the latest budget, which included an overall 6.1 per cent increase in spending.

Asked if he would guarantee no school boards will see their funding decrease under a new formula, Cullen said: “It has never been our intent to reduce funding to school boards” and there is no expectation it will happen.

The government has extended a contract with consulting firm Deloitte Ltd. to lead discussions with school boards and other stakeholders to gather opinions on a new funding model within the next few weeks, Cullen said.

He noted the review team developed multiple funding models, but additional consultation time was required.

Cullen would not commit to releasing a proposed funding model for public review before voters head to the polls Oct. 3. “I would hope that we could get something public prior to the election, but again we want to be respectful of our stakeholders.”

Divisions currently receive funding based on student population, transportation requirements and building expenses, among numerous line items and grants.

Education leaders and partners have long raised concerns about the existing model and a problematic equalization formula that has, since its implementation in 2002-03, perpetuated inequities in classrooms.

“We’re disappointed that the government hasn’t completed that work,” said Nathan Martindale, president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

“We did have a (representative) on that review team, but we haven’t heard anything in terms of when that team will meet again or what they’re going to look at.”

Contrary to Cullen’s assurances the model was rejected, Kinew insisted the Tories would cut funding to some school divisions, as outlined in the documents. He said an NDP government would end the work that produced the rejected funding model.

“We have to stop the PCs from doing to education what they’ve already done to health care,” Kinew said after question period. “And the fact that the PCs can’t show you another version of the education funding model confirms that this is what’s being considered as their future plan for education.”

The Fort Rouge MLA explained he did not have the full document when asked why only five pages were made public.

“(It’s) five more pages than the government has released of its education funding plan,” Kinew said. “We’re sharing with the people of Manitoba what the PC government would not.”

The Manitoba School Boards Association did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

[JCon]

Some people want to let these ones back in. So much destruction. Never again. 

[GCn20]

5 minutes ago, JCon said:

Some people want to let these ones back in. So much destruction. Never again. 

I agree. They need to go. Their was a time and a place for the knives to come out for spending and that time has passed, and they never cut in the right places anyway.

Edited May 12, 2023 by GCn20