While incumbent Premier Heather Stefanson’s Conservative Party currently has a healthy majority, her main opponent, New Democrat leader Wab Kinew is hoping to become the province’s first Anishinaabe leader in the province.
Stefanson promises to curb inflation with more tax cuts and higher paycheques for Manitobans if the Conservatives are re-elected in the Oct. 3 vote.
“We are the only party taking affordability seriously,” Stefanson said at a press conference that kicked off her campaign. “Last budget we saved Manitobans millions by lowering provincial income taxes and by providing rapid relief from the punishing NDP-Liberal carbon tax.”
Kinew is a member of the Onigaming First Nation in Ontario but was raised in Winnipeg. His focus is on health care with a promise to hire more professionals such as doctors and nurses while reducing wait times.
“When you talk to Manitobans, they tell you their number one priority is fixing healthcare and that starts with staffing up the healthcare system and that’s where our plan starts too,” Kinew said.
“Why is the premier coming up with all of these good ideas right on the verge of an election?”
Advance voting runs from Sept. 23 until Sept. 30.
The Manitoba Legislature has 57 seats.
Stefanson’s Conservative Party currently holds 35 while 18 seats are held by the NDP.
There are three seats for the Liberals, who are launching their campaign tomorrow.
With the election coming, both the Liberals and the NDP promised to search a Winnipeg area landfill for the bodies of First Nations women who are believed to be buried there. Stefanson has repeated that she will not support a search.
