MBiz

10 MBiz | november 2015 What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Manitoba over the next decade? rana bokhari: As our population ages and we struggle to keep youth engaged in our province, I see the potential for serious demographic issues. Too many talented and enthusiastic young Manitobans are finding career needs unfulfilled here. We need to make sure young Manitobans feel they have a bright future at home in Manitoba. We cannot be training the workforce for the rest of Canada. If we do this right, we can be a centre of excellence and be a net importer of highly skilled and motivated workers. The brain drain must end. greg seLinger: Manitoba needs to harness the incredible potential that our young people, including Indigenous and newcomer populations have. Over the next decade, we need to make sure that all Manitobans are able to access the training they need to get the good jobs that will allow them to build their futures right here at home. We need to make sure that no one is left behind because our economy and local businesses need as many skilled workers as possible to succeed. That is why we have put a major emphasis on increasing the number of training opportunities for all young Manitobans, including specific supports for Indigenous youth, newcomers and women. brian PaLLister: Manitoba faces myriad challenges. Serious deficit and debt issues, rising social service needs, an aging population requiring more and better health care, failing educational standards, deteriorating infrastructure, and a fast-growing Aboriginal population demanding more economic and social inclusion. At the same time, we need to become more economically competitive with neighbouring jurisdictions like Saskatchewan and the United States. We need to tackle these challenges collectively. All are big and serious. These challenges have been made worse by the current NDP government's failure to exercise fiscal discipline and plan for the future. For example, fixing Manitoba's financial future while protecting frontline services from rising debt service costs is a substantial and growing challenge: The Selinger NDP has doubled the provincial debt since he became premier to more than $30 billion. They did so while imposing the largest, and most regressive, tax and fee hikes in a generation by increasing the PST to 8% and broadening its base on far too many items. They ignored warnings from financial experts and as a result Manitoba has suffered the first credit downgrade in 30 years. Debt servicing costs, despite record low interest rates, are approaching $900 million a year. That is $900 million that cannot be invested to protect frontline services such as health care and education, and also cannot be invested in infrastructure or innovation to grow the economy. The current government refuses to listen. They are setting Manitoba families and businesses up for a perfect storm of a lowered credit rating, higher interest rates, and increased demand for critical frontline services. Getting Manitoba's deteriorating finances back on track while meeting rising service is a challenge we must all face together. What do you see as the biggest opportunity within Manitoba? rana bokhari: The biggest opportunity for Manitoba rests in the still untapped resource of our vibrant Aboriginal community. The Aboriginal population is the fastest-growing population and we need to continue to engage and develop the skills of our First Nations if we are to be a success as a province and a country. We see this as our biggest strength going forward and I'm excited about that potential. Follow the Leaders as Manitobans prepare to go to the polls in april 2016, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce will be asking the leaders of the province's three main political parties to address issues of economic competitiveness, workforce challenges and rural economic development. we were pleased to offer Manitoba NdP leader Premier greg selinger, PC Party of Manitoba leader Brian Pallister and Manitoba liberal Party leader rana Bokhari an opportunity to provide written responses to five key questions as we continue to develop our election platform. Cover story Fron left: rana Bokhari, greg selinger and Brian Pallister.

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