Contempt of Manitoba

Like many Manitobans, I’ve been keeping an eye on the news, not to see if Mark Chipman has managed to temporarily grab control of an NHL franchise and move it to Winnipeg, but to see how badly the province is being hit by the flood waters that have affected so many people.

We knew that there were going to be problems with flooding this year and though there has been a lot of preparation done, there’s still a battle raging across the province.

Armed with the knowledge that a natural disaster was going to be hitting the province, the CCCP decided that forcing another federal election was more important.

In case you forgot, the CCCP isn’t Russian for USSR, but it’s close. It stands for Central Canadian Coalition Party, comprised of the Fiberal Party of Toronto, led by Michael Ignatieff, the Non Democratic Party, led by Jack Layton, along with the Bloc Quebecois, whose sole purpose is to extort money from Canada and keep Canada under Quebec colonial rule.

Putting their own aspirations first, as always, this eclectic collection of socialists, determined to seize power with or without the consent of the Canadian people, are forcing us to open up our wallets once again and have us running around for another election that we need like another overflowing waterway.

The Fiberals, who feel a divine right to rule Canada, seemingly just can’t accept the fact that Canadians didn’t vote them into power and are determined to keep forcing as many elections as they can until they resume what they feel to be their rightful place. Seeing his only path to power, Layton is naturally on board with the Fiberals so he can grab some headlines and a piece of the pie for his otherwise irrelevant Marxist party.

The motion that passed the House of Commons that brought us this unnecessary election was called Contempt of Parliament. The CCCP has shown a strong contempt of Manitoba. Anyone living in flood-ravaged areas of the province who votes for the Fiberals or for the Non Democratic Party shows contempt for themselves, their neighbors, and their community.

Saddest Day of the Year

Two days from today is Easter Monday, otherwise known as G.E.M., short for Government Employees Monday, when all the government and public sector workers have an extra day off after Easter Sunday. I always regard it as the saddest day of the year on the calendar.

I bear no grudge for anyone who does get the day off and I hope all the public sector workers enjoy their day, but the fact is that there are far too many public sector workers in Winnipeg. Take a bus on Monday morning or go out in what is supposed to be rush-hour traffic. As I’ve said to others, you could fire off a few rounds with an AK-47 and not hit anyone.

So what’s wrong with this?

The lack of activity on G.E.M. only highlights how much of a “have not” province Manitoba really is, completely dependent on welfare, both from within and from the federal government. The NDP government is trying to tax us into prosperity. It's not working.

Do you ever wonder where the real money in Winnipeg is? Take a look at the empty seat next to you on the bus on Monday morning.

Winnipeg will emerge from its permanent recessionary state when and only when you have trouble finding a seat on the bus on G.E.M. Until then, we’ll continue to gain a firmer hold on the title of Armpit of Canada. We used to make fun of Saskatchewan, but now we’re the butt of their jokes, since they’ve long since passed Manitoba by leaps and bounds.

Oh, and for those of you who continue to lay awake at nights dreaming about the potential return of an NHL franchise to Winnipeg, the corporate dollars needed to sustain a franchise on a long-term basis do not come from empty seats on the bus on G.E.M. They come from real private-sector growth, and the lack of it in Winnipeg will be all too painfully obvious on Monday.

Manitoba's New Premier

Yesterday, the Bolsheviks announced their last budget before they’re booted out of office in October. To no one’s surprise, they’re leaving us with a legacy of high taxes and debt that has made us the armpit of North America. Even Saskatchewan, forever the butt of running jokes in Manitoba, has passed us by leaps and bounds.

So what’s coming next?

Welcome future Premier Hugh McFadyen, a man whose single biggest appeal to voters is that he’s not a member of the Bolshevik Party. Otherwise, as a former friend of mine once called him, he’s a twit.

Years ago, after Premier Gary Filmon was defeated, the PC Party of Manitoba selected a new, energetic, young leader whom they presumably hoped would grow into the role and lead them back into power.

He’s going to lead them back into power all right, but two terms too late. More importantly, he hasn’t grown into the role at all. His performance has been so abysmal that the Bolsheviks have won seats in ridings where the PC’s should have been able to win running a rhinoceros as a candidate. If a Bolshevik stands up and says that 2+2=4, you can rest assured he’ll be there to criticize, but he offers no concrete policies as alternatives.

The Bolshevik government has been ripe for the picking over their three terms in office and McFadyen has done little to make headway in opposition. He stands poised as Manitoba’s next premier only because the Bolsheviks have been so bad that he looks better by comparison.

Sadly, among members of the PC Party of Manitoba, it appears as though loyalty to the leader is more important than the best interests of the party. Manitobans are going to pay the price for this misguided loyalty.

Vision. Change. Progress. McFadyen 2011.

There will be change, to be sure, but the other two are left as an exercise for the reader.

If you’re a fan of tax and spend government or a big union boss, you won’t have long to wait before your comrades are back in power.

Maybe by then, the PC’s will figure out that Hugh McFadyen is not the answer. Only when they select a credible leader can Manitoba have a chance to overcome the crippling effects of socialism and get itself off the federal welfare roll.