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Manitoba Election: Key Issues As Voters Heads To The Polls

First Posted: 10/04/11 05:05 AM ET Updated: 12/03/11 05:12 AM ET

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Manitoba Crime
Winnipeg is the violent crime capital of Canada and all party leaders promised to change that.

WINNIPEG - Key issues in Manitoba election:

Health care: Voters identified health care as a key issue and parties sparred over how to improve it. The NDP promised every Manitoban would have a family doctor by 2015 and will have the best cancer care in the country, while the Tories promised to give more power to paramedics and expand community clinic hours. The Liberals vowed to improve emergency room care.

Crime: Winnipeg is the violent crime capital of Canada and all party leaders promised to change that. The NDP said it would add more police officers and fund more recreation programs to keep kids from getting involved in gangs. The Tories, who were endorsed at the last minute by the Manitoba Police Association, would use ankle bracelets more to protect domestic abuse victims and track sex offenders. The Liberals promised to attack crime by lowering dropout rates and boosting recreation programs.

Privatization: Although no party is proposing privatizing services currently offered through public Crown corporations, this became an issue in the campaign because of NDP attack ads targeting Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen. While the NDP repeatedly said McFadyen had a hidden agenda to privatize Manitoba Hydro and force people to pay market rates, McFadyen said he had no such plans.

Deficit: The NDP changed its own balanced budget legislation in response to the economic downturn. Now, the NDP are promising to bring the books back into the black by 2014. The Liberals are promising the same thing. The Conservatives say it can't be done and say they will balance the books three years later.

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Shirley Muir and George Stephenson: Any Voters in Manitoba Still Awake?

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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
piceaglauca
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10:03 AM on 10/04/2011
Anecdote: Crime has increased on Selinger's watch and he trys to cover it up by focusing on the Jets or Blue Bombers. Well criminals don't go to these things because they can't afford it unless they have stole the tickets but what they can do is steal from people that do so when the Jets play remember your car and personal belongings are a target.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
piceaglauca
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10:00 AM on 10/04/2011
This article needs to develop a chart of past and present promises by the in -power party to see where we are on the achievement board. It is true that Winnipeg is not a good place to be right now as there are too many shootings. Mr. Selinger has played down the crime issue but recently Air Canada has moved their lay-over staff to suburban hotels to protect them saying the downtown is a threat. Mr. Selinger plays it down but if you ask the residents you will be told that city officials and the province have done very little to solve the problem. Panhandlers are a dime a dozen. Waiting for a bus is scary. Squigee (sp) kids drive you crazy. Sexual assults are common. Car break ins are deplorable and many businesses are no longer there. Selinger didn't take a proactive appraoch to Air Canada he questioned their accuracy. We need a few more companies to say the same thing to get the message across. You know something isn't right when you see too many police and security guards. So the government has not done well on crime.
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