The Conservatives are taking aim at Greg Selinger and the NDP for providing a ‘less detailed Fantasy Fiscal Update' and padding the numbers to hide his plan to raise taxes.
The Conservatives said the NDP padded its numbers to hide an estimated $180 million gap in its fiscal plan.
“The federal budget has exposed Greg Selinger’s deliberate attempt to pad the numbers by claiming massive increases in federal infrastructure money that doesn’t exist,” said Cameron Friesen, PC Finance Critic and candidate for Morden - Winkler. “This shortfall exposes Selinger’s plan to hike the PST or other taxes to make up the difference.”
The NDP was quick with a comeback, stating that finance officials have been modest in estimating the federal revenues that Manitoba will receive.
The NDP said officials do their best to forecast revenues, and will now be reviewing the numbers in detail following the release of the federal government's budget this past week.
“Based on the federal budget and its commitment to the Building Canada Fund, the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin channels, and Freedom Road, we stand by the numbers estimated by provincial finance officials in the government's recent Economic and Fiscal Outlook,” said government spokesman Andrew Tod.
He added that the NDP knows that there are funds remaining.
“For Manitoba we know that we have $202 million remaining in building Canada funding to be allocated to Manitoba’s priorities like highway upgrades.”
