Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen says the NDP Government's decision to not issue a budget before the April election could have far reaching implications. He explains the government has made hundreds of millions of dollars in financial promises but it appears none of that money has been legitimized in a budget.

"Since Boxing Day, the NDP has made somewhere in the neighbourhood of $750 million of announcements on a pre-election spending spree. Ministers of the NDP have been telling those people, whom they've been making the announcements to, and others, don't worry this is all going to be in the budget. Now of course we find out there's not actually going to be a budget so the real concern that people have is that this is all unbudgeted."

Goertzen says, if the Conservatives are lucky enough to get elected in April, they will review all of the finances of government and make decisions after that on whether they can honour the NDP announcements.

"So it's difficult and it's unprecedented but, unfortunately it's the position the NDP have put, not just us in, but really the Province of Manitoba. And whoever wins the election April 19th is going to have to deal with it."

Recent NDP announcements include $8 million for a recreation centre in Lorette and $5 million for a performing arts centre in Steinbach. Goertzen says the NDP has set up a very messy situation that will have to be cleaned up after the election either through higher taxes or the cancellation of unbudgeted promises. He says it remains a bit of a mystery why the government is not bringing down a budget.

"In talking to people who've been around the Legislature longer than I have, nobody can think of a time when the government has decided to do a fiscal update rather than a budget. And there's quite a difference. A budget tells you where the money is coming from in detail. It tells you where the money is going to in detail and it really talks about where taxpayers' dollars are going to be spent. It (the lack of a budget) leads to the question of; How bad are things really in the finances of the province if the NDP refuse to bring forward a budget prior to the election?"

Goertzen adds the government has been working on the budget since last fall but has chosen to keep the document hidden.