Finance Minister  Cameron Friesen says the Province's projected deficit for last year's budget was in excess of $1 Billion, 50 percent higher than the former NDP government's estimate two months ago, a difference of almost $350 million.

"That is a significant decline," Friesen says.

"This is not just an accounting issue, we are suggesting clearly the NDP understood that they were managing information, they were providing an incomplete picture of the Province's financial situation to Manitobans."

Despite the challenges, Friesen says he looks forward to presenting the Conservatives' first budget of the 41st Legislature May 31.

"We are furiously working overtime," Friesen says to bring a plan for the coming year, finding savings by rectifying "areas of mismanagement" and "financial waste" to reinvest in frontline services.

The PCs have promised to work to balance the books, reduce ambulance fees and provide more funding for tourism.