Wab Kinew marks one year since his election as prime minister

It’s been a year since Manitobans elected Premier Wab Kinew, and polls suggest his NDP government is still on honeymoon with voters.

Kinew says he was happy to keep his promise to temporarily suspend the provincial fuel tax and hire more health care workers.

But he says there are challenges and asserts it will take years to get health care services where he wants them to be.

Kinew is also looking for ways to make good on its promise to balance the budget by 2027 while meeting spending commitments and providing raises for public sector workers.

Kinew says government departments are looking for areas to control costs, but he did not provide any examples.

A political analyst says Kinew managed to keep his campaign promises and appear empathetic and charismatic.

Christopher Adams of the University of Manitoba says the NDP also benefited from the fact that the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives are still recovering from electoral defeats.