Manitobans began the week with an upheaval in their Provincial Legislative Assembly when five key cabinet ministers in Premier Greg Selinger‘s caucus resigned Monday morning.
Unprecedented in Manitoba history
Professor Emeritus Paul Thomas of the Political Studies department at the University of Manitoba, says this move is “unprecedented in Manitoba history” but people were not totally surprised, as the grumbling and discontent with Selinger’s leadership had been growing.
Elected in 2011 with 46 per cent of the popular vote, the left-leaning New Democratic Party took 37 of the 57 legislature seats.
In power since 1999, the party has now watched as their poll numbers plummet. Recent surveys suggest their support is in the low-30’s with the opposition Progressive Conservatives comfortably ahead.
Manitobans are not letting go of the broken promise over the provincial sales tax. In the 2011 election campaign Selinger described an increase as “ridiculous”. In 2013 he raised it from seven per cent to eight.
That broken trust, and mismanagement of his government do not augur well for another Selinger mandate.
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