Putting together a provincial budget has been a monumental task, according to Manitoba's premier. Part of the challenge, according to Brian Pallister, is having to incorporate some of the poor fiscal commitments that were made by the previous NDP administration into their financial plan.

"What we were handed was a lot of bills that were covered up, projects that were not yet paid for but were committed to, side deals that the previous government made, some with friends of theirs that should never have been made. Very generous locked-in deals on leases and long term contracts, a lot of things that I don't think honourable, forward thinking people would have done. So, those things make the budget process that much harder."

According to Pallister, striking a balance between getting Manitoba's fiscal house in order and maintaining strong front line services remains a priority for the Progressive Conservative government as they work through the budget process.
    
Meanwhile, the premier expects Manitoba's public sector unions to do their part in helping to bring the province back into fiscal balance. Pallister suggested that union leaders always got what they wanted under the previous NDP administration, so he understands why there is some resistance to the PC government's tougher approach.

Since taking office, Pallister indicated he intended to meet with the various union leaders on a variety of subjects and suggested everything was on the table including wage roll-backs on existing contracts, including the promise of legislation that would dictate future wage offers based on the province's ability to pay.

"Seven out of every ten tax dollars that Manitobans pay goes toward the wages of government workers. Those workers want to see better security for their positions, but we need to get back to a more sustainable situation to accomplish that," said Pallister. "We need our union bosses to understand that the best interests of the province is our priority and we think that includes the best interests of their unions too."

Pallister also commented on the federal government's national carbon pricing strategy, a strategy that Manitoba refuses to sign on to at this time.

A group of municipal leaders in the Red River Valley announced this week their opposition to the Trudeau government's emissions reducing plan, saying the policy would hurt local manufacturers and ultimately have a huge negative impact on their local economies. According to Winkler mayor Martin Harder, the carbon tax being proposed is nothing more than a tax grab.

"Municipal leaders know their communities best and I place tremendous value on their views," said Pallister. "Climate change is something that cannot be ignored and reducing carbon pollution is part of the solution and it's not fair fo us to ignore the problems of environmental degradation and damage. So, we need to take some steps and we're developing a made-in-Manitoba plan .... in consultation with municipal representatives and many other individuals and groups to develop a plan that suits Manitoba.

The premier expects the province will be releasing details of that carbon reducing plan in a few weeks.