Darrell Inkster says the newly formed Manitoba Party takes a lot of cues from the Saskatchewan Party.

 

Inkster believes you only need to compare the two provinces to see why change is necessary.

 

"At one time, the city of Yorkton, Saskatchewan was the same size as [Dauphin]. You go there now, and you take a look at that city. It's incredible! There's one reason for that, the Saskatchewan Party and lower taxes. That's what I attribute it to, and that's what we think we can pull off here."

 

PST has become a major issue in the Manitoba election campaign so far. The Progressive Conservatives have vowed to lower the sales tax from 8% to 7%, which the NDP claims would mean deep cuts in spending.

 

The Manitoba Party wants to cut it to 5%, and Inkster says the loss of revenue going to the province would be justified, because he believes individuals are better able to spend their own money than any government does.

 

"If you save the taxes that you're paying to the provincial NDP right now, what are you going to do with it? You're going to go out and spend it on yourself, and in doing that, you're spending that money and getting it into the economy."

 

Another key issue for Inkster heading into the election is Manitoba Hydro. He says the utility company has become untouchable in recent years, thanks to it having no competition and little government oversight.

"They're taxing the bejeezus out of us too through Hydro rates that are getting almost beyond ridiculous for the average homeowner. We can't afford these rates anymore, and they're talking about raising them again every couple months. We can't take this anymore, and someone has to look at it."