Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 12, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A10 EDITORIALS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2014 Freedom of Trade Liberty of Religion Equality of Civil Rights A 10 COMMENT EDITOR: Gerald Flood 204- 697- 7269 gerald. flood@ freepress. mb. ca winnipegfreepress. com EDITORIAL T HE Harper government has effectively delivered on its promise to pull the federal books back to balance, with its budget this year projecting a surplus in 2015 that could top $ 6 billion - surpassing all estimates to date. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget, released Tuesday, positions his party very nicely to lard up promises so Canadians can share in the rewards next year when voters head back to the polls. The Tories will have no trouble delivering on election promises it said in 2011 were contingent upon getting the budget back to balance: Income splitting for families with children, for example, will cost the treasury $ 2.5 billion. It falls in line with the party's favoured pitch to ordinary Canadians, helping them make ends meet while Canada continues to crawl out of the effects of a global recession. The 2014 budget underscores the Tories' keen ear for widespread public sentiment. Recent polling has indicated Canadians are firmly in favour of holding back on new spending in order to eliminate the deficit. While Mr. Flaherty stressed this has come at no expense to services for regular families and taxpayers, his budget speech omitted to note there is pain for some. The Harper government is estimating $ 7.4 billion in savings will flow over six years from cutting pay and benefits to public servants - subject to negotiations with more than a dozen unions, playing on discontent among private- sector workers who do not share in the pensions and benefits enjoyed by most government employees. All federal departments, most particularly Defence ( see editorial below), will continue to feel the austerity pinch with a freeze on spending or delay on planned new spending. The budget gives the feeling prosperity is just around the corner, despite the fact the unemployment rate remains at seven per cent, and much higher for youth. Opposition parties immediately played on the dearth of job creation programs in Mr. Flaherty's budget speech - his promise of interest- free loans to apprentices and assistance for the disabled in finding jobs only highlighted his government's inability so far to launch its vaunted national jobs fund. The budget's assumptions of economic growth are based on expectations the U. S. will continue on its recovery path. But the Tories now have their campaign narrative firmly in hand, having skillfully led Canada through a bleak economic period and, while much of the developed world still struggles, have cut debt- servicing costs to a level unseen for decades. That's powerful fire in the face of promises to liberate Canadians from pot laws or reducing fees charged by banks. Conventional wisdom Do the NDP faithful who attended the convention not realize that running a government is like running a household ( NDP out to define Pallister , Feb. 9)? When you spend more than you make, the money eventually has to be repaid, and the interest on that debt begins to accrue. Yes, Brian Pallister was part of the Filmon government that had to bring in severe austerity measures to cut government spending, but that was to rein in massive deficits and out- of- control spending habits of the previous NDP government run by Howard Pawley. Gary Filmon and his Conservative government turned out to be the bad guy for being responsible, paying down our deficit and reducing taxes. Unfortunately, history is going to have to repeat itself to get us out of the mess Premier Greg Selinger has created for his successor, whether it is Brian Pallister or someone else. BILL PARKES Winnipeg �� Dan Lett's recap of the NDP weekend convention has helped me decide on how to vote in the next provincial election ( Selinger dusts off, carries on , Feb. 10). If the best the NDP can come up with is an attack ad on Opposition leader Brian Pallister, Premier Greg Selinger and his group have run their course. Not only is the ad devoid of facts, it underscores that the NDP have nothing substantive to offer. I want two things out of politicians: to hear why they are the better choice, and to display believable integrity. Selinger and his gang don't appear to be capable of delivering on either. GARY HOOK Winnipeg �� Re: On the path to re- election, Feb. 10. Manitobans ought to bear in mind the observation and insight of H. L. Mencken, a magazine editor from the 1900s, provided with his statement: " Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." DAVE ENNIS Winnipeg Population politics In Statistics Canada underestimated Manitoba's population ( Feb. 7), Manitoba's chief statistician asserts Statistics Canada under- counted Manitoba's 2011 population by 18,000 individuals, noting the concerns lie with " the samples of Manitobans selected by Statistics Canada to determine the number of individuals missed by the 2011 census." Without any documented evidence, he asserts samples were not representative of Manitobans, arguing Manitoba's population is under- counted because of " statistical errors." Statistics Canada advised they " found no evidence of any error in its processes and confirmed the new population estimates" ( Population stats accurate , Letters, Feb. 8). Manitoba's chief statistician states the undercounting " has significant negative impact on fiscal transfers, resulting in the province not receiving its rightful share," around $ 100 million by his count. Faced with an ongoing exodus of Manitobans to other provinces, the provincial NDP " manages" the population by pumping immigrants into Manitoba via the federally mandated Provincial Nominee Program. Politics underlies this whole matter. There's an attitude of entitlement and an utter lack of shame in NDP circles for planning an economy that lives off of the backs of other Canadians. GARLAND LALIBERTE Winnipeg Education tax has benefits Re: Don't lift school taxes from elderly ( Editorial, Feb. 11). The elderly have a responsibility in our society to support the educational system. As a grandparent, I want to see my grandchildren receive the best education possible in our province. If we start manipulating and phasing in educational tax credits for aging Manitobans, our educational system will be forced into a cookiecutter school system run by a provincial bureaucracy. The province is gradually moving toward a centralized system, vetoing local school closures, capping taxes, forcing the amalgamation of school divisions as well as reviewing and approving local budgets. Aging Manitobans share an interest and responsibility in well- financed, quality schools. The government should become more prudent in managing finances, particularly for education. PETER MANASTYRSKY Winnipeg Ideology versus philosophy Roger Gibbins is confused ( Trudeau's Senate worst of all options , Feb. 11) - party politics is ideological, whereas liberal and conservative are philosophical positions. Only the former is irreverent of good reasoning. It is in the national interest that only Canadian political philosophy be present in the red chamber. Justin Trudeau's reform targets the infusion of ideology. SCOTT INSCH Winnipeg Stories worth telling Thanks to Gordon Sinclair Jr. for shining a light on the world of self- publishing ( Sharing our stories in selfies , Feb. 11). With the advent of computers we ordinary folk can no longer be silenced by publishers' commercial evaluations - we circumvent them. Once printed, however, the barriers remain. The Free Press and radio stations do not review self- published books. Kudos to McNally Robinson for welcoming so many self- published authors and giving their books shelf space. ORIOLE VELDHUIS Winnipeg Cops need cameras It's interesting that while violent crime is decreasing, even in the tougher parts of our city, there was a 15 per cent increase in assaults on police officers ( Crime stats create optimism , Feb. 8). Isn't it time for Winnipeg police officers to don personal video cameras? Several cities comparable to Winnipeg have seen assaults decrease significantly with this type of program. GIS�LE SAURETTE- ROCH Winnipeg Windrow woes I live on a street where one side of the street is back lanes and the other is front drives ( City to mull over back lane windrows , Feb. 5). The windrows from the front drives are cleared, while on the other side of the street ( where I live) the windrows from behind our garages are not. My husband and I are handicapped seniors and cannot shovel. We have to hire someone to shovel for us, and are sometimes house- bound for a week until we can get shovelled out. If we required an ambulance it would be impossible for them to get to our door because of the threefoot windrow across our walkway. We all pay taxes, yet the houses with front drives get their driveway cleared without having to hire someone to do it. JOYCE STOBERT Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 204- 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTER OF THE DAY Re: The night that changed everything , Feb. 9. I really enjoyed John Einarson's article about the Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show , as well as the reactions he collected from Winnipeg residents. I was seven years old on that special night, and I watched Ed Sullivan in my pyjamas on our recently purchased tiny black- and- white television with my highly reserved, conservative parents. My father, a professor of entomology at the University of Manitoba, sat silent throughout the performance. His only comment at the show's conclusion: " They spelled ' beetles' wrong." MAUREEN JAY Winnipeg Ed Sullivan brought the Beatles to living rooms across North America, including Winnipeg. Fab four bugged some T HE Canadian military came to the government's rescue Tuesday, much the way it has in the past, by stowing its plans for new equipment. The Defence Department was supposed to begin spending $ 3.1 billion over the next few years on a wide range of desperately needed equipment, but those plans were put on hold indefinitely to meet the government's fiscal objectives. Former Liberal governments practised the same neglect, but the Harper Conservatives came to power in 2006 on a campaign of bolstering the military and asserting Canada's interests in the Arctic. Now that the war in Afghanistan is over, however, the government obviously believes the military's needs are less urgent. There's a real risk, however, that the military could be left without critical platforms over the next few years. The navy's two supply ships, for example, are due for retirement in 2017. They were to be replaced with socalled joint support ships, but those plans are now in doubt. The future of the air force is also questionable, since the aging CF- 18 was scheduled to be phased out starting in 2017. There are still no plans for a replacement. Since the government's priorities are unlikely to change in the next few years, it should at least table a new defence strategy. Its current policy is now a shambles. Military shambles Budget gives Tories, Canada new shine A_ 10_ Feb- 12- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A10 2/ 11/ 14 8: 47: 08 PM ;