The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Seeking Success In politics, winning is usually considered everything, though there are exceptions. John Diefenbaker lost several times before winning a seat in parliament, and it never hurt his reputation or desire for higher office. Gary Doer lost three in a row to Gary Filmon, finally winning in 1999, and lasted 10 years as Manitoba premier. He probably realized, unlike Filmon, that 10 years was long enough and that he might not have won again. Doer's new job as ambassador to the U.S. is a much different scene, but his friendliness and likeability should do him and his country well. His successor, former finance minister Greg Selinger, 58, is a lot different than Doer. He lacks charisma and has given the rival Tories hope for the next election. At the Progressive Conservative annual meeting and policy conference held in Winnipeg last month, 250-plus delegates heard a rousing speech from leader Hugh McFadyen, full of enthusiasm, humour, and attacks on the NDP. It was one of the best leader's speeches I have heard, with humorous references to his children and pointed expressions of his desire to seek support from new Canadians and the ethnic community, in addition to support from business and the rural community. McFadyen pledged to work hard to win the October 4, 2011 election, which, as he said, is "only 696 days from today." In his speech, Hugh defined a Progressive Conservative as one who believes in freedom, opportunity and personal responsibility. They believe that government is needed to protect the most vulnerable, uphold the rule of law, and promote a strong economy. And they feel that a prosperous society can only happen when we have private property, free markets and fair regulations. Much to the delight of the partisan audience, Hugh defined a New Democrat as one who thinks it is okay to have Winnipeg as the murder capital of Canada, to have lost 5,200 full time jobs last year and to wait 34 hours in an emergency room. He said they are satisfied with Manitoba Hydro mismanagement and rate hikes, and think it is fine to cheat taxpayers with false election returns. The last reference relates to the 1999 election, when the NDP used cheque swaps and falsified election returns to claim illegal expenses. This gave them a $76,000 rebate, which they had to repay three years later with no disclosure or penalties. They even had the auditor who uncovered the scheme fired. The opposition and others, including a former NDP official agent, have been demanding a public inquiry, but the NDP has refused. McFadyen roundly attacked the new premier as one who has been responsible for the province's massive debt, knew about Crocus four years before it crashed, and was aware of the rebate scheme. He said Selinger is really not in favour of balanced budgets and was the minister in charge of the financially troubled Hydro. Hugh also mentioned his former Silver Heights classmate, Andrew Swan, as a new Attorney-General who will not get tough on crime and gangs if he could not even tough out a leadership campaign. McFadyen outlined some of what a Progressive Conservative government would do to correct problems in the province, especially in the health field and working toward making Manitoba a "have" province. The delegates were quickly put to work debating and passing most of the 92 policy resolutions put forward by the policy committee. Interesting and popular ones included exempting first-time home buyers from the dreadful land transfer tax, indexing income tax brackets to inflation, restoring balanced budget legislation and many initiatives related to health care and strong justice. These will become part of a strong election campaign, which the leader said is starting now Ð two years before voters head to the polls. Annual meetings are supposed to be fun and honour those who have served the party faithfully. Hugh presented an award to one of my favourite people, Doug Hunter, the chief administrative officer of the party who has served diligently for 15 years. It was richly deserved. The meeting and policy conference was the best one in years and garnered positive comments from those who attended Ð even the press! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
