On December 10, the provincial government announced that it had extended its own timeline to balance the budget. In response, MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky sent the following letter to the Winnipeg Free Press:
I am writing in response to "Bleeding Red until 2017." The Selinger government has announced that its self-imposed timeline to come into budgetary balance by 2014-15 is out the window and a new target of 2016-17 is the new date. Why are we throwing darts trying to predict the future when we should be talking about what kind of communities we want to build?
Manitoba families are more concerned with being able to access quality health care and mental health services, education and training opportunities for kids and young adults, and ensuring safer neighbourhoods than finger in the wind predictions about where we may be in four years.
Manitoba experienced economic turbulence (like a flood and a global economic meltdown) and that’s a reality. It will take some time for our economy to rebound. It is still possible to be prudent economically while protecting services.
Rather than setting artificial dates that presuppose economic factors that are unpredictable, why not stick to providing good government and protecting services that Manitobans elect governments to provide?
Michelle Gawronsky
MGEU President