Dear Editor,
Now that a provincial election is just over a year away, it appears the Manitoba PCs have suddenly discovered northern Manitoba.
However, you don’t have to dig very deep to learn that the Conservatives have opposed virtually every effort our NDP government has made to improve the quality of life of the people who live in northern Manitoba.
We are proud our government founded the University College of the North and have expanded facilities and training to ensure people in the North have opportunities for good jobs where they live.
The Conservatives opposed the creation of UCN and even said they would shelve it to pay for their own campaign promises.
The PCs have also repeatedly said the NDP’s record investments in northern roads and bridges should be diverted to pay for infrastructure in southern Manitoba.
PC Leader Brian Pallister has a record he would like people to forget. When he was in the provincial cabinet, he reduced hospital budgets for the North by nearly 23 per cent, cutting $8 million in front-line health services.
When Mr. Pallister was seeking his party leadership, the furthest north he travelled was Swan River. Last year, he announced his northern policy strategy from Winnipeg.
As someone who is from northern Manitoba and who has represented the North in the Manitoba Legislature since 1993, I am proud to be part of a government that has worked to make our province a better place to live for all its citizens.
While Mr. Pallister and the PCs would like you to believe they’ve changed, the truth is that their actions speak much louder than their words.
