The Throne Speech by the Lieutenant-Governor each year is a chance for the Manitoba Government to explain its vision for the future of the province and the direction that it intends to go to make Manitoba a better place to work, to live and to raise a family. What Manitobans heard in the Throne Speech was disappointing to most Manitobans. The speech made countless re-announcements and neglected to address critical issues, many of which have been outstanding for years. No mention was made of new or competitive tax rates, hallway medicine, or even the Crocus scandal, the issues that should be high on NDP’s list of priorities. What concerns me is the absence of a plan to move Manitoba forward. Manitoba’s economy is clearly not competitive with its neighbors to the West, yet not a single mention was made of improving Manitoba’s economy, encouraging private sector investment or creating quality jobs as a way to help young people in Manitoba. Young Manitobans have the skill and ability to pursue their dreams anywhere in the world. When they make decisions about where to live, they ask themselves where the best opportunities are, and in Manitoba, we are falling farther and farther behind other provinces, particularly in Western Canada.

My view of the Throne Speech is shared by many others. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation noted that the NDP’s efforts to keep young people here are useless if our taxes are still so high. The Federation commented that there was little-to-nothing real in the Throne Speech for taxpayers. The Manitoba Chamber of Commerce was very disappointed and the Chamber commented that the government has not tackled the problem Manitoba has with retaining talent. In addition, there was no mention of help for low income Manitobans and none of the initiatives will lead to create more jobs in Manitoba. The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce was extremely disappointed and stated that we need to get serious about youth retention, and we can’t do that until the government gets serious about tax relief.