MBiz

12 MBiz | november 2015 << CoNTiNued FroM PreVious brian PaLLister: To grow Manitoba's economy, we must build on its strengths, work together to shore up any weaknesses, and create new opportunities for people and businesses. Our economy is diversified with a strong small business base and a dynamic urban centre in Winnipeg. We will build on that strength by: Lowering the PST back to 7% during our first term. Providing other tax relief, including ending 'bracket creep' and raising the Basic Personal Exemption. Investing in long-term strategic infrastructure funding that allows Manitoba firms to plan and invest properly with a real return on investment for taxpayers. Modernizing government tendering procedures so they provide real value for money and allow Manitoba firms to bid and compete without expensive labour provisions like forced unionization. Our economy needs business to invest and grow. We will reduce the burden of government on business and entrepreneurs by: Eliminating wasteful government spending through a value-for-money performance audit and investing the savings in front line services that help people, and eliminating red tape that acts as a barrier to growth for small business through a Red Tape Reduction Task Force. Our economy needs government to gets its finances in order to keep taxes down and costs low. We will put Manitoba's finances on a sustainable track by: Reducing program spending growth by 1% - a goal the NDP promised but did not act upon – to gradually reduce the rate of government spending growth away from waste and towards needed services and investments. Together, these and other steps will help grow Manitoba's economy over the short and longer-term. rana bokhari: In the short term, Manitoba needs to do more than just say we are "open for business." We need to prove it. To do that we need to provide real leadership on this front and start rebuilding broken relationships with business leaders. That culture change is the number one need short term. In the medium term, as we restore the budget to balance we need to start chipping away at the payroll taxes that make our businesses uncompetitive. This will allow them to build internally and compete globally. In the long run, we need to ensure our workforce of the future is prepared for the future. We need to not only prepare for innovation, but embrace it. How we work is changing fast and a workforce that is adaptable and nimble will thrive while those locked in the past will not survive. What steps would you take to address Manitoba's workforce challenges? rana bokhari: As a young woman I want a Manitoba that allows women the same opportunities as men. By providing great child-care options we will empower women to have a family without sacrificing their career. Our workforce challenges are only hampered by inability to see how a modern and productive society works and a modern society bridges the gaps for women to return to work. Great child care makes for great societies and investing now will make us a powerhouse in the future. brian PaLLister: Investing in people is the smartest thing any Manitoban government can do. Manitobans are resourceful, inventive, and get things done. But they need a government that works with them for a change. Businesses need access to an educated, trained workforce ready to help firms compete and grow. We have to do two things: First, invest in education with better results and second, adapt training and learning to better meet business needs. The NDP government spends more on education but is getting less and less in results. While per capita spending on education in Manitoba is among the highest in the country, we were last in Canadian academic achievement in reading, math and science. 'Pay more, get less' would put a business out of business if it ran itself that way. Our Progressive Conservative government will re-establish education as a top priority by: Focusing on reading and early literacy through reading labs and mentoring so every child leaving Grade 3 can read at the highest national level. Empowering teachers to grade more effectively by allowing them to give a 'zero for zero work.' Empowering parents to participate more in their children's education by giving them more complete information on their child's progress in school. At the same time, we must pay more attention to the changing competitiveness needs of Manitoba firms. Trained and adaptable workforces are key to business success particularly with Aboriginals. Young Aboriginals and Metis must be encouraged to participate in the workforce. Our Progressive Conservative government will adapt training and learning to better meet business needs by: Implementing a new scholarships and bursaries initiative to more directly meet the needs of business. Increasing the number of apprenticeship seats at community colleges. Working in partnership with the Government of Canada to ensure it increases necessary educational funding investments to First Nations & Metis communities. greg seLinger: We have been taking a number of steps to make sure that Manitobans get good jobs in the fields they are trained in. Investment in education has been a cornerstone of our growth strategy for the past decade and a half. It is the most important investment we can make to ensure that our province continues to grow and prosper. Every parent wants their child to have the same opportunities that they had and more — the chance to have a rewarding career, own a home, start a family and build a good life here in Manitoba. In today's economy, advanced education and training is the most reliable path to a good job. Two out of every three jobs that will be created in the next decade will require college, university or apprenticeship training. Together with business and educational leaders, we have developed a new post-secondary strategy that is responsive to the needs of students and the economy and supports the collective needs of a growing, dynamic province. We have: Created five new hybrid university/college programs, which combine academic learning with technical skills for in-demand fields such as engineering and new media; expanded our existing apprenticeship model, which combines classroom instruction and on-the-job experience, and formed a new Trades and Technology Network to facilitate greater collaboration between Manitoba's four colleges and improve responsiveness to employers' needs. But planning for higher learning must begin in high school. High school should be seen as a launch pad, not a finish line — a place where students can get a head start, explore careers without being locked in, and graduate with a sense of direction and purpose. To help young people better prepare for rewarding careers, our government will work to ensure that all Manitoba Cover story

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