Canadians Voting on Manitoba’s Socialist Rule
Voters in the wheat-growing province of Manitoba went to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to oust or retain the only socialist government in North America.
The provincial election pits an admirer of President Reagan against the incumbent premier, who is a member of a Canadian political party with formal ties to European socialist movements.
Manitoba Premier Howard Pawley--whose position is comparable to governor in the United States--describes himself as a democratic socialist. He is the leader of the New Democratic Party. But as he campaigns for a second term, Pawley tends to stress the rapid growth in private capital investment since he led his party to power in 1981.
His principal opponent is Gary Filmon, leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party. Filmon criticizes Pawley for running up a budget deficit of about $400 million and for imposing a 1.5% payroll tax on businesses.
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