How do Manitoba's parties compare on these election issues?

While in office, the PCs signed a $180 million federal-provincial agreement to fund 3,700 new licensed child-care spaces in Manitoba. Families in the province began to pay a maximum fee of $10-a-day at regulated non-profit child-care centres under the agreement last April. Under that deal, $13.5 million was committed to create 450 more child-care spaces last July as well as $56 million to boost starting wages for child-care workers in regulated facilities in April.

The NDP promises to expand $10-a-day child-care at regulated non-profit child-care spaces during the summer months, weekends and school in-service days. The party also pledges to expand child-care hours to be more flexible for parents who work varying hours. The NDP pledges $1 million for the demolition and rebuild of the Park Community Centre in Brandon, and promises to add a new child-care centre to the building. The party promises to adopt the fiscal framework from the PC's last budget, which includes a plan to create 23,000 new child-care spaces by 2026.

The Liberals pledge to end waitlists for $10-a-day child-care. The party also promised to create child-care spaces closer to where parents work, in places like hospitals, clinics and schools. They plan to create a public registry of available public buildings and land for future child-care space development and create a single online portal for families to register for child-care.

The Greens promise to ensure the cost of child-care in Manitoba does not exceed 10 per cent of a household’s income.

The Keystone Party hasn’t announced any child-care promises yet.

The PC Party says it will instruct Manitoba Hydro to immediately remove the federal government’s carbon tax from all hydro bills within the first 10 days of being re-elected. The PCs also promise to cut the tax rate on the lowest provincial income tax bracket in half over the next four years, representing a 1.35 per cent cut annually.

The NDP promises measures it says would help people keep up with the rising cost of living, including not raising the provincial sales tax, temporarily eliminating the provincial gas tax, pushing to freeze hydroelectricity rates for a year, retaining a 50 per cent provincial property tax rebate and continuing to index provincial income tax brackets to inflation. The NDP says it would also stop sending education tax rebates to “billionaires outside of the province” and provide $10-a-day child-care during the summer, on weekends and on holidays.

The Liberals say they would eliminate education property tax rebates for the richest 80 per cent of the population and introduce a minimum income for people with disabilities and those over 60. They say they would increase income tax revenue by reducing the amount for many people, but raising it for those earning more than $120,000 a year.

The Green Party says it would introduce a basic income and a fare-free public transit system. It says it would also ensure the cost of child-care doesn’t exceed 10 per cent of a household’s income.

The Keystone Party pledges to cut the provincial sales tax by one per cent and to consider replacing Manitoba’s social assistance programs with increased income tax exemptions. It says it would also increase the basic personal amount on income taxes to $20,000 and tax half of the next $20,000 of a person’s income.

The PCs have highlighted several earlier announcements on crime, including introducing a new integrated unit to apprehend violent offenders, adding funding for Winnipeg’s drug treatment court and putting more officers, surveillance cameras, lights and all-purpose vehicles for police in downtown Winnipeg.

The NDP say they would hire more mental health workers to work with law enforcement, push for changes on bail measures, build a new justice centre in Dauphin to replace a jail that was closed, and hire more police officers — if that’s what policing agencies want. The party also promises to give people up to $300 to add security technology like alarms and doorbell cameras to their properties. The NDP would also require people to explain how they acquired their assets if crime is suspected.

The Liberals say they’ll expand resources to reduce and break cycles of crime, such as domestic violence shelters, set up halfway houses for offenders transitioning out of the provincial jail system, establish mental health and addictions crisis teams to work with police, fund culturally relevant anti-gang programs, and restore youth justice committees.

The Greens say they will help reduce crime by improving access to mental health and addictions services, and promoting culturally appropriate Indigenous programming and support programs focused on youth, families and community safety. The party will also consult with community safety organizations to ensure appropriate responses to crime intervention, appoint a Manitoba restorative justice advisory council, and develop and fund restorative justice programs to a level that represents at least five per cent of the justice department’s total budget. The Greens say they’ll increase spending on mental health courts, drug treatment courts and FASD courts, provide inmates services on issues including substance abuse, family and domestic violence and sexual abuse, and support pre- and post-release interventions that focus on education, employment and reintegration into society.

The Keystone Party says it will build more courts and jails, and add more judges, prosecutors and support staff to allow them to operate efficiently. Keystone will also aim to have an accused appear before a judge within 90 days from charges being laid, build a second remand centre and have “more jails built on rocky ridges unsuitable for farming, ranching or habitational development.” The party also says it will use the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to enact laws that prevent people accused or convicted or violent crimes of being granted bail or voting.

The PCs promise to expand parental rights in schools, including the right to be informed about curriculum, to be involved in addressing bullying and behavioural changes, to get advance notice about any presentations by people outside the school system, and to consent before any image of a child is made, shared or stored. Stefanson said any changes would be made after consultations. Those discussions would also look at whether to inform parents if a child expresses a different gender at school.

The NDP promises to create a universal school nutrition program in the province, offering meals to every student in need. Expanding the province’s current plan to all schools would cost $30 million a year.

The Liberals promise to expand training programs at the University of St. Boniface to ensure French-language spaces are available and staffed. The party also promises to ensure stable funding for the public education system and create a screening system for learning and other disabilities for all children. The Liberals aim to establish a universal K-12 nutrition program. The party promises to reinstate health coverage for international students.

The Greens promise to reduce wait times for assessing students with learning disabilities so they can receive necessary support. The Greens promise to provide post-secondary students needing financial help with at least 50 per cent of eligible funds as non-repayable financial assistance, and to introduce an income-contingent repayment plan for student loans. The party aims to fund education through corporate and personal income taxes, rather than through property taxes.

The Keystone Party pledges to stop funding school boards. The party promises to have approval of parents in creation and adoption of school curricula.

PC Leader Heather Stefanson says she wants the federal carbon tax off Manitobans’ hydro bills and will take Ottawa to court over the tax if needed. In July, the PC government announced a six-pillar critical minerals strategy, which includes opening mines faster.

The NDP promises to offer a $4,000 rebate for new and $2,500 for used electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. NDP Leader Wab Kinew estimated the program would cost $7 million per year. The NDP would also sign on to the federal commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and ocean by 2030. In May, Kinew also promised to enhance the mining sector by boosting critical mineral development.

The Liberals promise to create a $300-million-a-year green fund to fight climate change. The fund would go toward projects that help restore wildlife habitats, establish electric vehicle charging stations and energy-saving retrofits, among others. The party also promises to negotiate with the federal government for a new carbon tax agreement so the province can be in full control of proceeds. The Liberals pledge to increase the area of protected land in the province by 30 per cent by 2030 by working with municipalities, First Nations and other stakeholders.

The Green Party lists the climate crisis as the cornerstone of its 2023 action plan. The party pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide incentives for adopting electric vehicles. It also pledges to improve EV charging network coverage, particularly in rural and remote communities. The Greens would also electrify existing bus fleets and agricultural equipment, while exploring alternatives like drone technology and expanding bike lanes. The party hopes to make the province a green hub of central North America and supports the transition away from industrial agriculture by incentivizing small-scale animal producers.

The Keystone Party promises to work with provincial partners to resist the use of carbon taxes for farming and ranching operations, the 30 per cent reduction in farm use of fertilizers and the implementation of a farm ID program. The party also wants to encourage the development of secondary industries to refine mining and agricultural production.

During their time in government, the Progressive Conservative party made several health-care commitments, including $400 million to recruit, train and retain health-care workers, $1.5 billion to rebuild the Health Sciences Centre’s adult bed towers and University of Manitoba Bannatyne campus, and a pledge to explore using more private partnerships to deliver health-care.

The NDP has released a $500-million plan to hire 400 more physicians in the province, along with 300 nurses across Winnipeg within two years and 300 more in rural and northern Manitoba within their first term. The party has pledged to open five neighbourhood health clinics in Manitoba and reopen shuttered emergency rooms at Concordia, Seven Oaks and Victoria Hospital. The party also promised to reinstate a grant program that gave medical school students $12,000 in each of their four years, as well as a grant for physicians who establish a practice in Manitoba after graduation.

The Liberals have promised medicare coverage for regulated therapy and psychotherapy, and to introduce a provincewide 24/7 referral phone line for addictions treatment. They also vowed to dole out bonuses of up to $10,000 for health-care and home-care workers, and for those who return to the field. They pledged to establish a medicine program at Brandon University to train more physicians to work in rural and northern Manitoba, and a doctoral program at the University of Manitoba to train more psychotherapists. 

The Greens have promised to increase the number of health-care practitioners working in the public system, and promised universal basic dental and vision care for all children 12 and under. The party would eliminate mandatory overtime hours for health-care professionals. It would also increase the provincial sales tax rate on junk food, with proceeds going to fund health initiatives.

The Keystone Party has promised more trauma centres in rural and urban Manitoba, as well as specialized facilities to support people dealing with joint replacements, sleep disorders, diabetes and other widespread conditions. The party has said it will also press the federal government to limit its role in health-care.

The PCs promise to eliminate the land-transfer tax for first-time homebuyers in Manitoba. The party also pledges an additional $67 million to fix 89 Manitoba Housing buildings.

The NDP promises to end chronic homelessness in the province within 10 years, which the party says will cost $20 million annually. It says it would also increase a tax credit for renters, make it harder for landlords to raise rents above the province’s annual guideline and work with non-profits and private landlords to find people without a home a place to stay.

The Liberals pledge to provide 10,000 same-day housing units for people who are homeless, using a combination of new and repurposed spaces, and end homelessness in Manitoba by 2025.

The Greens say the party would address homelessness by introducing a housing-first strategy in the province. It has also promised to increase the supply of affordable housing in Manitoba, reverse cuts made to the province’s Rent Assist program and end homelessness in the province by 2025.

So far, the Keystone Party has not made any promises related to housing.

Prior to the election period, the PC government pledged to spend up to $1.3 million on treaty education resources for K-12 schools in Manitoba this fall. It also provided $300,000 in 2022 to increase the number of proficient Indigenous language speakers and translators in the province. More recently, PC Leader Heather Stefanson has stood firm on a decision not to fund a search of the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, citing a risk to workers’ safety and the ongoing legal case against the man accused of killing the two First Nations women.

The NDP has made a number of promises related to crime and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, committing to implement the 231 calls to justice outlined by the National Inquiry into MMIWG, reinstate a special MMIWG adviser, expand the mandate of cabinet’s gender-based violence committee to prioritize MMIWG, create a unit to help Indigenous families navigate the justice system, establish a government database to track MMIWG victims in Manitoba and develop police standards to ensure consistent benchmarks for investigating MMIWG cases.

The party also pledged to open three 24/7 drop-in centres to ensure Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people have a safe place specifically to access emergency resources. Party leader Wab Kinew has said a search of Prairie Green for the remains of Harris and Myran would also take place “as soon as possible” under an NDP government.

The Liberals pledge to return over $300 million in federal benefits ruled to have been improperly withheld by the province from Indigenous children who were under the care of Manitoba’s Child and Family Services between 2006 and 2019. The party would also work on reforms to the child welfare system and train Indigenous midwives and doulas to work in northern Manitoba. It would also implement the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Jordan’s Principle in the province. The party has said it would cover half the cost to search Prairie Green for Harris and Myran’s remains.

The Greens commit to recognize the constitutional rights of Indigenous nations in Manitoba, as well as their rights to sovereignty and self-determination. The party pledged to implement the 94 Calls to Action set forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that are within provincial jurisdiction and push for implementation of the 231 calls for justice from the national MMIWG inquiry. The party has called for an “open and proactive approach” to a potential search of Prairie Green that would consider all possible options.

The Keystone Party has not announced any reconciliation-related promises and none have been made with respect to a potential search of the Prairie Green landfill.