Get out! That’s what Manitoba voters told three of seven Liberals MPs in the last federal election..Elsewhere, a federal party losing three provincial seats isn’t a huge thumping. Ontario would hardly blink..But it’s a good chunk of political clout turfed in a 14-riding, sparsely populated province of $1.4 million people, nestled in the heart of Canada..So how did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handle the rejection? He recklessly charged ahead implementing policies – gun control measures and a hefty carbon tax – akin to cutting off oxygen in a province mostly inhabited by lesser, annoying rural folk who need guns and a lot of fuel for a little thing called survival..In the 2019 federal election, with a 64% voter turnout, Manitoba’s Conservatives gained two seats, electing seven MPs; the Liberals hold four seats having lost three; the NDP three seats, having gained one. Six seats are in rural areas, with Conservatives holding five, the NDP one..Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is viewed by many as Liberal-lite. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh doesn’t connect with rural voters. .There is that new kid on the block – Maxime Bernier’s Peoples Party of Canada, that will have a full slate of candidates in Manitoba. PPC is talking about issues, like abortion, other federal parties shy away from. .Even Trudeau seems smart enough to know his fading boyish looks and silly socks aren’t enough to win over Manitobans his policies devastated..The Liberals have a history of callously crushing voters then lovingly trying to buy back their affections when the election draws near..Hungering for a majority government, Trudeau is attempting to convince that voters in ridings he’s never heard of are suddenly really, very dear to his heart..Before Sunday’s election call, a torrent of federal funds recently rained down on Manitoba..Federal Families Minister Ahmed Hussen joined South Liberal MP Terry Duguid and Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Jim Carr to announce $1.2 billion for childcare in Manitoba..Winnipeg North MP Liberal Kevin Lamoureux and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett promised $180 million across Canada for programs for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls..Duguid announced $519,600 in federal funding for climate stuff in Lake Winnipeg’s basin program and $31.6 million towards building the $80-billion South Winnipeg Recreation Campus..The federal Liberals, who repeatedly quash efforts to make life a little financially easier for seniors, dug deep to find $25.8 million for Misericordia Terrace, a 97-unit assisted living centre in Winnipeg. .It goes on. Indigenous people, seniors, climate cryers – check! But no, nothing much to alleviate the hardship Trudeau and the weather inflicted on the rest of Manitoba..Farmers and ranchers will no doubt cast their votes according to the political response to crops ruined by drought and grasshoppers, forcing them to cull their herds..“Farmers and ranchers across Manitoba have suffered one of the most devastating droughts in years. Unfortunately, the federal government has failed to provide Canadian farm families with the resources and support they need,” Don Mazier, Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa Conservative MP, told his constituents. .Manitoba Conservatives have called on the federal government to provide more support for western producers with a special AgriRecovery per head payment to offset added costs of wintering herds. The Conservatives also called for an expanding income tax deferral to cover all classes of livestock farmers and ranchers were forced to liquidate. .The out-of-control federal deficit is a huge issue for Candice Bergen, MP for Portage-Lisgar and deputy Conservative leader. She warned that without fiscal correction Ottawa could be posting deficits until 2070..As the pending federal election call sent the country into a frenzy, Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Leah Gazan’s latest Facebook post showed pictures of her purchasing fruit and jars of maybe jam at a farmer’s market..That leaves the fledgling PPC..Apprehension runs deep over how Trudeau’s Liberals are dramatically – not for the better – changing Canada, said Noel Gautron, PPC’s provincial coordinator for Manitoba who is also running in the Provencher riding against Conservative MP Ted Falk..He believes that apprehension over a myriad of issues will drive out complacency this election..“One issue that follows through the whole province is the contention surrounding vaccine passports and general COVID restrictions, with particular emphasis on communities outside the cities. They’re – to put it bluntly – not having it,” said Gautron..Most Manitobans worry about high taxes, mounting federal debt, and little government transparency. Also of great concern is the potential loss of freedom of expression through bill C1-0 handing online content moderation over the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and C-36 clamping down on hate speech already enforced under the Criminal Code..“General social conservative values have a lack of voice in the House of Commons,” he said. “With particular emphasis on abortion, a lot of community members, that’s particularly top of mind for them.”.Like elsewhere, abortion legislation is a big issue in Manitoba. It’s something many politicians of all stripes privately express personal concern over, but never publicly state fearing the wrath of hard-core pro-lifers..Gautron points to a growing sense of unease..“I think people are waiting for the other shoe to drop with a lot of these issues. Particularly in the rural areas, the Liberal policy points are so far off, it’s quite jarring for all the communities.”.Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
Get out! That’s what Manitoba voters told three of seven Liberals MPs in the last federal election..Elsewhere, a federal party losing three provincial seats isn’t a huge thumping. Ontario would hardly blink..But it’s a good chunk of political clout turfed in a 14-riding, sparsely populated province of $1.4 million people, nestled in the heart of Canada..So how did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handle the rejection? He recklessly charged ahead implementing policies – gun control measures and a hefty carbon tax – akin to cutting off oxygen in a province mostly inhabited by lesser, annoying rural folk who need guns and a lot of fuel for a little thing called survival..In the 2019 federal election, with a 64% voter turnout, Manitoba’s Conservatives gained two seats, electing seven MPs; the Liberals hold four seats having lost three; the NDP three seats, having gained one. Six seats are in rural areas, with Conservatives holding five, the NDP one..Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is viewed by many as Liberal-lite. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh doesn’t connect with rural voters. .There is that new kid on the block – Maxime Bernier’s Peoples Party of Canada, that will have a full slate of candidates in Manitoba. PPC is talking about issues, like abortion, other federal parties shy away from. .Even Trudeau seems smart enough to know his fading boyish looks and silly socks aren’t enough to win over Manitobans his policies devastated..The Liberals have a history of callously crushing voters then lovingly trying to buy back their affections when the election draws near..Hungering for a majority government, Trudeau is attempting to convince that voters in ridings he’s never heard of are suddenly really, very dear to his heart..Before Sunday’s election call, a torrent of federal funds recently rained down on Manitoba..Federal Families Minister Ahmed Hussen joined South Liberal MP Terry Duguid and Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Jim Carr to announce $1.2 billion for childcare in Manitoba..Winnipeg North MP Liberal Kevin Lamoureux and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett promised $180 million across Canada for programs for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls..Duguid announced $519,600 in federal funding for climate stuff in Lake Winnipeg’s basin program and $31.6 million towards building the $80-billion South Winnipeg Recreation Campus..The federal Liberals, who repeatedly quash efforts to make life a little financially easier for seniors, dug deep to find $25.8 million for Misericordia Terrace, a 97-unit assisted living centre in Winnipeg. .It goes on. Indigenous people, seniors, climate cryers – check! But no, nothing much to alleviate the hardship Trudeau and the weather inflicted on the rest of Manitoba..Farmers and ranchers will no doubt cast their votes according to the political response to crops ruined by drought and grasshoppers, forcing them to cull their herds..“Farmers and ranchers across Manitoba have suffered one of the most devastating droughts in years. Unfortunately, the federal government has failed to provide Canadian farm families with the resources and support they need,” Don Mazier, Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa Conservative MP, told his constituents. .Manitoba Conservatives have called on the federal government to provide more support for western producers with a special AgriRecovery per head payment to offset added costs of wintering herds. The Conservatives also called for an expanding income tax deferral to cover all classes of livestock farmers and ranchers were forced to liquidate. .The out-of-control federal deficit is a huge issue for Candice Bergen, MP for Portage-Lisgar and deputy Conservative leader. She warned that without fiscal correction Ottawa could be posting deficits until 2070..As the pending federal election call sent the country into a frenzy, Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Leah Gazan’s latest Facebook post showed pictures of her purchasing fruit and jars of maybe jam at a farmer’s market..That leaves the fledgling PPC..Apprehension runs deep over how Trudeau’s Liberals are dramatically – not for the better – changing Canada, said Noel Gautron, PPC’s provincial coordinator for Manitoba who is also running in the Provencher riding against Conservative MP Ted Falk..He believes that apprehension over a myriad of issues will drive out complacency this election..“One issue that follows through the whole province is the contention surrounding vaccine passports and general COVID restrictions, with particular emphasis on communities outside the cities. They’re – to put it bluntly – not having it,” said Gautron..Most Manitobans worry about high taxes, mounting federal debt, and little government transparency. Also of great concern is the potential loss of freedom of expression through bill C1-0 handing online content moderation over the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and C-36 clamping down on hate speech already enforced under the Criminal Code..“General social conservative values have a lack of voice in the House of Commons,” he said. “With particular emphasis on abortion, a lot of community members, that’s particularly top of mind for them.”.Like elsewhere, abortion legislation is a big issue in Manitoba. It’s something many politicians of all stripes privately express personal concern over, but never publicly state fearing the wrath of hard-core pro-lifers..Gautron points to a growing sense of unease..“I think people are waiting for the other shoe to drop with a lot of these issues. Particularly in the rural areas, the Liberal policy points are so far off, it’s quite jarring for all the communities.”.Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com