Manitoba NDP 7 point plan

Well its nice that in Manitoba at least privatising Manitoba Hydro can still be frightening! So Doer got the idea of a few priorities listed as a plan from Tony Blair! There is an election blog at this site.



April 24, 2007

NDP: 7 key pointsDoer unveils election platform
By ROCHELLE SQUIRES, LEGISLATURE REPORTER



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Premier Gary Doer unveiled a platform that promised seven broad initiatives to improve the lives of Manitobans, but provided few specifics on how his party would deliver results if elected.

The seven-point action plan is up from Doer's traditional five-point plan used in past campaigns.

"We wanted the seven areas as priorities and we didn't want to eliminate any," said Doer, who initially used the strategy in 1999 that helped him win his first majority government.

"I want to give credit to where the idea originated. It originated with the 1997 campaign with (Prime Minister Tony) Blair in England and I used it in 1999. Some of our ideas are our own and some ideas we're attracted to and use," said Doer.

The NDP platform pledges to keep health care as its top priority, followed by a commitment to clean up the environment, keep young people in the province, improve safety, build better roads and infrastructure, keep government affordable and keep Manitoba Hydro as a Crown corporation.

Doer said some of the initiatives in the seven-point strategy would be in addition to promises already made during his last throne speech and recent provincial budget.

"There'll be announcements in this campaign that are going to be new but there'll be lots of announcements in this campaign that basically deal with services that people care about," said Doer.

As part of his strategy to improve health care, Doer promised to add 700 new nurses and nurse practitioners over the next four years.

"It's very simple, if you have more nurses on the front lines you'll have less patients on the waiting list," said Doer. "The cornerstone of any wait times strategy is a plan to hire, recruit, retain and educate nurses, doctors and other valued health-care professionals."

Paul Thomas, political science professor at the University of Manitoba, said it's a smart strategy to come out with a limited five- or seven-point action plan.

"It's now become a popular formula," said Thomas. "In a world of diminished expectations (of government), that seems to be the way things are done these days."

Thomas said it's better for politicians to promise only a few things they are certain they can deliver. The public has no appetite for grandiose promises from politicians, he added.

"When everything's a priority, nothing's a priority," Thomas added.

U of M political science professor Kim Speers said the NDP platform lacks depth and leaves many questions lingering.

"Every party wants to improve health care, but how? What is the plan they're proposing?" Speers asked.

"Are they going to keep the tuition freeze? And where's the economic development in the NDP platform? It's not there."

The last promise to preserve Manitoba Hydro is merely a scare tactic the NDP is using to make Opposition Tories appear frightening, she added.