Jackman-Atkinson: Resolutions for all

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By: Kate Jackman-Atkinson

myWestman.ca

As the final days of 2013 draw to a close, many of us will find ourselves looking to the new year.  Most people view the new year as a chance to start over; we make resolutions to make the next year better than the last. 

As Manitobans count down the minutes and seconds to the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, we will be formulating our new years resolutions.  We will look to the failures and miss-steps of 2013 and aim for a better 2014. Our governments should do the same.

Just as we as individuals seek continual improvement, so too should our governments.

This time of year, polls are conducted to determine people’s top resolutions for the coming year.  If governments are looking for a little help with their resolutions, most of these resolutions apply equally well to governments as individuals. 

An ever-popular new years resolution is losing weight.  Many individuals battle the bulge and governments should too.  In the wake of expense, scandals and growing concerns over inflated bureaucracies, governments would be wise to start trimming.  While many governments have undertaken some ‘weight loss’ regimes, such as not filling vacancies, combining offices and cutting back on programs, the ‘battle of the bulge’ is a long way from being won. We can all still point to a recent encounter that would suggest a bloated bureaucracy is still alive in our governments.

As any who has made this a personal new years resolution can tell you, getting weight off and keeping it off requires dedication.  Experts say that setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important goals when it comes to the success of weight loss as a new years resolution. While governments have made some moves in this direction, they need to keep focused on this goal and make smart decisions.

Reducing debt is another area in which both individuals and governments can resolve to do better in 2014. Since 2009, the provincial government has been running a deficit and budget 2013 forecasts a loss of $518 million. Net debt, which takes into account the debt of all crown corporations such as Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, has been rising for the last five years and was also forecast to increase in budget 2013.  

Manitoba was relatively unscathed by the recent financial turmoil, but a situation of escalating debt isn’t a good one– it makes us more vulnerable in the future.  The economy seems to be strengthening and governments would be well advised to get deficit spending under control, before the next downturn in the economic cycle.

Another new years resolution that would apply to governments as well as individuals is to try new things.  Individuals want to expand their horizons by learning a language, a new hobby or a useful skill.  Governments should aim to expand their horizons as well.  The world is changing quickly and governments shouldn’t continue to do things the same way just because they always have. This doesn’t mean that they have to re-invent the wheel, a bad idea for government, but they should be willing to look at ways others are doing things in the hopes of improving how they operate.

As we prepare to welcome the new year, I hope both individuals and governments enjoy a peaceful and prosperous new year, and that their resolutions last past Jan. 2.