Premier Doer took his fair share of lumps in the media during the past session at the legislature. They were well deserved as his government watered down the Balanced Budget Act, introduced a vote tax and passed unfriendly agriculture legislation. However, it is equally important to praise the government for the initiatives that it got right.
For starters, government conspiracy theorists like former X-Files character Fox Mulder would be particularly pleased with at least one of the Doer government's initiatives. As a result of legislation passed by the government, confidential documents prepared for provincial cabinet meetings will no longer remain sealed for thirty years. Such documents can now see the light of day after "just" twenty years.
While cynics will suggest the government made the move as a means to start releasing unflattering documents from the previous government's era (which coincidently commenced twenty years ago in 1988), any step towards greater transparency is a positive one. After all, taxpayers fund governments, so we deserve to know what they're up to.
During public hearings for the legislation last spring, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) pushed for a further reduction of the secrecy period to as close to zero as possible. The government didn't accept the CTF's recommendation, however, the reduction to twenty years is still a step in the right direction.
Another good initiative was the introduction of fixed election dates. The CTF has long recommended fixed election dates and is pleased to see that Manitoba has now joined the growing list of provincial governments that have brought predictability to their electoral processes.
At the federal level, voters saw this past year how the prime minister's on again off again election call kept everyone in limbo. It is easy to imagine the standstill a bureaucracy goes into when there is uncertainty around the timing of an election. Candidates, members of the media and campaign volunteers are also unnecessarily inconvenienced when election periods are in limbo.
Typically, the one who benefits from a flexible election call is the party in power. Booking ad space, securing campaign office locations and being able to avoid unfavourable news on the horizon are just a few advantages ruling parties enjoy when only they know when an election will be called. The premier did the right thing and took all this political manipulation out of the equation. Mark your calendars now, Manitobans will be heading to the polls on October 4, 2011.
Perhaps most of all, the Doer government deserves praise for its "CentrePort" legislation. The legislation responds to calls from the business community for the designation of a large area of land around the airport for the development of an inland port. Further, the bill also created a corporation called "CentrePort" which will be led by business, government and labour representatives to help guide the planning and development of the zone.
Assuming the new "government corporation" prepares a good business plan before asking for any tax dollars, it should be able to steer clear of the "boondoggle" title and instead deliver jobs and growth for the provincial economy. Building roads and providing appropriate zoning to support growth in the business community are exactly the types of initiatives that governments should engage in.
For these three legislative initiatives, the premier deserves praise. Hopefully taxpayers will see even more legislation like this in the sessions to come.
Colin Craig, Provincial Director,
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
