The wild card has been the Liberal party, which held one legislature seat before the election was called, but which had been polling high as recently as December.
Advertisement
“Manitoba is not a have-not province”, he said.
Under the Selinger NDP, the PCs say health care results for Manitoba families have grown worse, not better.
The Liberals took three seats, just two more than 2011, capping a disappointing campaign for the party, which was hoping to break out of its traditional third place standing.
The defeat is another blow to the NDP in Canada. In fact, it is not at all unusual for the NDP to be holding power in only one provincial capital – indeed, the last time that happened was less than one year ago.
The conservatives celebrated the end to their long stint in opposition at a hotel near Winnipeg’s airport. Selinger first became an MLA in 1999. “I’ve been training for 13 years, I’m ready to move up to the next level”, he said. However, a number of prominent former cabinet ministers, such as Jennifer Howard, are not running this time. Yet during the election campaign, NDP ads continued to focus largely on Selinger. “Tomorrow… The sky is going to be blue”, he said to a cheering crowd of supporters.
April: 12: Maintaining a wide lead in polls, Pallister is the main target in the televised debate.
Pallister also promised to invest in infrastructure, but also to reduce the provincial sales tax to seven per cent from eight.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 19.
He also lost voters’ trust during the campaign over misstatements.
According to Chomiak there are differences in what has been said publically by Pallister and what features in public records in Costa Rica.
“I think the unpopularity of Mr. Selinger is much more important to understanding the outcome than Mr. Pallister’s popularity”. Instead, the two men fought for over a month in a campaign filled with personal attacks and hyperbole. “Greg Selinger is still the one person (people) can count on to ensure that health care is still going to operate the way it needs, that services are going to be delivered and they’re not going to be cut”, she said.
The Tories haven’t held office in Manitoba since the 1990s under leader Gary Filmon.
“After four full majority mandates”, federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, “change is not something that comes totally unexpectedly”.
Advertisement
Policies were proposed and promises made, but the polls gave Pallister and his Conservative party the edge. And now the collection of women, environmentalists, aboriginals, tradespeople and the working poor who once voted solidly orange have moved on. He has also said the PCs will raise income tax brackets with inflation and join the New West Partnership trade agreement with other western provinces.
