We know that Hugh McFadyen’s personal ideology would compel him to balance the Budget on a year-over basis.
Though Hugh has been trying to run away from this for the past couple of months, the fact remains that had Team Hughie been successful with their amendment to last years Budget, there would have been cuts to public services to the tune of $450 Million.
We also know that Team McFadyen has targetted Health, Education, Policing, Corrections, and Community programs for cuts.
But what does this really mean?
Well, to start, extreme cuts to public services was the response of the last Conservative government here in Manitoba….and it was a miserable failure. Not only did they sack more than a thousand nurses and institutionalize hallway medicine, they increased our taxes and ran up the largest deficits in our history.
Hugh McFadyen’s mentor, needlessly hacked and slashed Manitoba deeper into the recession of the 1990s, and his actions unnecessarily prolonged our economic pain.
At $1oo,000 a pop, cutting $450 Million would toss 4,500 Manitobans out of work immediately. If each of those now unemployed Manitobans have three immediate family members, then he immediate, personal impact directly affects 18,000 Manitobans.
Most people have a circle of friends, say seven to ten. They hear the troubles of the recently unemployed, and the next thing you know, 126,000 to 180,000 are put on watch.
Their understandble reaction is to pull back spending, put their lives on hold.
Reconsider the purchase of a new house, or car.
Renovations? mmmmk, Sandra just lost her job, perhaps we can live without those energy-efficient and spiffy looking new windows, or doors.
All of a sudden that night-out turns into another evening at home.
While it was nice being able to buy a 4,000 square foot house on Ruskin Row for $177,000, it was the sign of a totally dead economy.
My good friend Colin Craig over at the Canadian alleged Taxpayers Federation, or Dan Kelly at the CFIB, like to rage against publc services and the people who deliver them. What they ignore, and many don’t take the to stop and think about are the impacts on all of us with such extreme and reckless policy decisions.
When you rage against the publc sector in Manitoba, you are attacking the more than 177,000 people who work for the public sector. To be clear, that number includes all publc servants, not just those employed delivering core government of Manitoba services (~17,000).
“Well”, one might say, “cutting $450 Million dosen’t mean that 4,500 nurses, or police officers will be thrown out of work”.
Indeed, that is correct.
One could take the pen, sack some people and kill spending in some other areas.
And what would that mean?
Where do you work and from where does your employer derive revenue from?
Here is a list of 95 companies that do business with the government of Manitoba.
See any familier names?
3- 4- 5 INC BRANDON 3891110 MANITOBA LTD 4- WAY TAXI BRANDON ACADEMY KIDS DAY CARE INC ACCURATE MOVING & STORAGE ACKLANDS- GRAINGER INC ADMIRAL PRINTING LTD APOTEX INC TORONTO ON ARC INDUSTRIES SELKIRK ASHERN DAY CARE CO- OP INC BARIK MEDICAL INC BEACON HILL LODGES INC BELTONE HEARING AID CENTRE BOYD AUTOBODY & GLASS BROADWAY PHARMACY CALM AIR INTERNATIONAL CANAD INNS CANTOR’S WHOLESALE MEATS CARLTON INN CBS OUTDOOR CANADA CITADEL ROOFING CONTINENTAL TRAVEL GROUP CORNERSTONE ENTERPRISES INC CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL D’ARCY & DEACON LLP DAVE’S QUICK PRINT (1992) DIAMOND ATHLETIC MEDICAL SUPPLIES INC ENCORE ENVELOPE LTD FOSTER SHOE CORP LTD GATEWAY RESOURCES INC HANDI- HELPER TRANSIT HERITAGE CO- OP 1997 LTD HERZING COLLEGE HOBART FOOD EQUIPMENT GROUP HUSKIE TRAVEL IDC COMMUNICATIONS IDEAL WAREHOUSING LTD IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS IMPERIAL OIL IMPERIAL PARKING CANADA INTERNET COURIER IRON MOUNTAIN KINDERWORLD DAYCARE INC KMP MANAGEMENT INC LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD PROLIFIC GRAPHICS INC QUEST SIMPLEXGRINNELL UNICITY TAXI LTD ARNOLD BROS TRANSPORT LTD BONAVENTURE TRAVEL INC CORPORATE SOURCE INC DAIRY MAID & DELI DUFFY’S TAXI (1996) LTD ESDALE PRINTING COMPANY LTD PAN AM CLINIC FOUNDATION INC PATAL VOCATIONAL PREPARATION SCHOOLS LTD PLANNERS PLUS INC PRAIRIE SKY BOOKS PREMIER PRINTING LTD PROACTIVE INFORMATION SERVICES INC PROLIFIC GRAPHICS INC $18,900 PUROLATOR COURIER LTD GREAT- WEST LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY BRANDON SUN ESDALE PRINTING COMPANY LTD HEWLETT- PACKARD (CANADA) CO MTS ALLSTREAM INC SPARK DESIGN TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM $12,210 TELENIUM WINNIPEG FREE PRESS 4951167 MANITOBA LTD ACKLANDS- GRAINGER INC ALBERTSON CONSTRUCTION LTD ALPHA MASONRY LTD AMEC EARTH & ENVIRONMENTAL LTD B A ROBINSON CO LTD BFI CANADA INC $99,362 CAMPBELL HELICOPTERS LTD CANADIAN LUMBER DON’S PHOTO SHOP LTD EDDIE’S GRAVEL SUPPLY LTD EMCO CORP FARMYARD SUPPLY INC FEDERATED CO- OP LTD GARDEWINE NORTH GLACIER NORTH LTD J A ROBINSON PUMP SERVICE LTD MAPLE LEAF CONSTRUCTION LTD MCDIARMID LUMBER MILLENNIUM MECHANICAL PRAXAIR PRINCESS AUTO LTD TRUE VALUE HARDWAREOh, there are thousands of companies that do business with the government and if Hugh where to be given the chance, the chances are your company will face a reduction in sales. We know that when that happens…..well, chances are it won’t be your boss that’s the one on the unemployment line.
The point is, when Hugh, Colin, Dan, or others start ranting on about squishing the publc service; think of what it means to you, not only in terms of fewer nurses, doctors, police officers, and educators – but in the very real impacts on Manitoba businesses. One of which may be your employer.
