With the excitement of each new year come the laudable but often lofty commitments to re-evaluate one's life; be it resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking or be more charitable. Whatever the case, this is the time when we take stock. Governments would be wise to engage in a similar exercise by re-evaluating policies and positions.

There are a number of policies that Manitoba's NDP government should put in the "re-assess category." Here are but three:

To start, the superficial fight the government has engaged in with the
Maples Surgical Centre before it can begin providing MRI scans is doing nothing but putting patients' health at risk and will cost taxpayers millions in legal and court costs. In case you missed it, the NDP government is requiring that Maples receive accreditation not only from the College of Physicians and Surgeons (which they have) but also from the Department of Health, thereby politicizing the entire process.

This latest attempt by the NDP government to throw up road blocks so that Maples cannot properly function shows a clear need for this government to re-evaluate why they refuse to put the well-being of Manitobans health before their ideological zeal to maintain a very ill health care monopoly. The Supreme Court of Canada's decision this past year in Chaioulli v. Quebec means the Doer government would likely not succeed in preventing patients from receiving needed tests.

Next on the NDP government to-do list is home heating rebate nonsense that was hatched during the last legislative session. With the rising price of fuel costs and subsequent increase in home heating costs, government bureaucrats were scrambling to find a solution that would look like the NDP were trying to help low income families, and at the same time, look fiscally responsible. Sadly the end result does neither.

Those that heat their homes with natural gas will have a price freeze, while those that use oil will be left in the cold. In other words, the NDP government is cross-subsidizing natural gas with electricity profits so that low income Manitobans can rest easier this winter. Yet there is no mention of those low income Manitobans who use home heating oil and not natural gas.

To their credit, Manitoba's two Liberal MLAs did not miss a chance in question period to hammer the government on this ridiculous income redistribution scheme.

This brings us to the third policy decision the NDP must re-visit. Since its inception in 1992, the Crocus Investment Fund has received over $72 million from taxpayers through federal and provincial tax credits. The scathing report from Manitoba's provincial auditor makes it clear that only a commission of inquiry with powers under the Evidence Act has the legal power to investigate all aspects of the Crocus scandal. Neither the provincial auditor, nor Manitoba's Security Commission has the authority to investigate the private companies Crocus invests in.

For Manitobans to feel truly confident that their money will not be put at risk in this manner again in the future and to answer for taxpayers and investors why this happened, to hold those responsible to account, and to prevent this from happening again, the government must call a public inquiry.

These are just a few suggestions the CTF would like to make to our provincial government for 2006 - here's to a less taxing new year!