Little thing are important. Sure, the big things grab the headlines: $422 million deficit; $842 million in interest payments; and $35 billion in provincial government debt. But making it a little easier for a Manitoban to pick up a bottle of wine on the way to a dinner party is worth talking about too.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari announced that if she’s elected she’ll make it more convenient for Manitobans to pick up a six pack of beer and create new opportunities for businesses to sell liquor while also keeping kids from buying booze, protecting government liquor revenues and even ensuring public liquor store employees will have jobs.

Here’s what Ms Bokhari’s proposing:

Private businesses such as grocery stores will be able to sell beer and wine while hard liquor will be available in stand-alone stores where kids aren’t allowed to shop. It’s the kind of amazing innovation we’ve all gotten used to seeing every time we cross the border into the U.S.

Retailers that get caught breaking the rules and selling alcohol to kids will face higher fines and stiffer penalties.

Public store employees will get the chance take over the stores where they work with the support of government loans and those who don’t will be given other jobs within the government.

Private retailers will still have to buy their supplies from provincial warehouses. The government will apply a wholesale markup on all liquor. In other words, there’s no need to worry that the government won’t be able to collect its able share of cash from liquor.

Greg Selinger’s NDP opposes virtually any real reform of Manitoba’s liquor system. Never mind the fact that private liquor stores in Alberta have worked so well that NDP Premier Rachel Notley hasn’t made any move to nationalize them. Premier Selinger’s intransigence on liquor system reform isn’t surprising given his response to high taxes and spiraling debt has been to not take his foot off the gas.

The Conservative response to liquor reform is more puzzling.

“I get the strategy, politically, of throwing ideas around on things that people care about day-to-day,” said Conservative Leader Brian Pallister when asked about the Liberal proposal. “You know, cheaper beer tonight, happy guy. But that’s not who I’m going to elect to be the premier of the province of Manitoba.”

It is innovative to suggest that making voters happy by addressing everyday issues won’t translate to votes, but let’s leave that aside. Former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein made that province debt free while overhauling its liquor system at the same time. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has both lowered taxes and announced a dramatic reform of his province’s liquor system. While extremely important to reduce debt and cut taxes, making it more convenient to pick up a six-pack tells the average guy that a politician gets it.

Some will no doubt pat Ms. Bokhari on the head and say that she’s “doesn’t see the big picture.” But the average Manitoban who would like to buy a six pack while grocery shopping may look at it differently. And a neighbourhood entrepreneur might appreciate the opportunity to hire an extra employee to sell that six pack. These are changes that are working just fine in other provinces and there’s every reason to believe they would work well in Manitoba too.