Premier Pallister and Manitoba’s recently elected PC government delivered their first budget today.

The government committed to balancing the provincial budget over the next 8 years and appears to have avoided a long list of cuts to services.

But the budget falls short for many Manitobans with no increases to the minimum wage, nothing to reduce childcare wait lists for working parents and a reduction in investments in our highways – investments that have created good jobs.

“Manitobans want to see their government focused on families and their priorities, but for many, this budget falls short,” said MFL President, Kevin Rebeck. “A fifty-cent increase to the minimum wage would put $700 back into the pockets of low-wage Manitobans and help more families make ends meet.”

The government also repeated recent pledges to:
• Establish a Premier’s advisory group that only includes members of the business community.
• Review government regulations in areas such as workplace health and safety.
• Eliminate project labour agreements on government infrastructure projects.
• Open delivery of social services to privatization through social impact bonds.