View From the Legislature

The spring session of the Manitoba Legislature begins next week, and it will be one of the most active sessions in some time with more than 50 pieces of legislation scheduled to be debated and voted upon before the Legislature breaks in June.

The spring session last year was interrupted, as so many things were, by the onset of the pandemic. This caused several weeks of regularly scheduled time in the Legislature to be postponed. Just as many organizations have been required to adapt over the past year, so to the Manitoba Legislature was tasked with changing many of its practices that are rooted in hundreds of years of parliamentary history. This adaptation led to the ability of elected members to participate in debates virtually. It required a great deal of cooperation between all political parties and the staff of the Legislative Assembly, but it ensured that in the fall of last year all members were able to represent their constituents, either virtually or in the Chamber.

As the spring session begins, we will again be using virtual technology with a reduced number of members being physically in the Legislative Chamber. Now that this technology has been installed and tested last fall, we can be reasonably assured that this spring’s session can go ahead without interruption which will be important given the significant legislative agenda that needs to be considered.

In addition to the legislation that is before the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, a provincial budget will be introduced this spring as well. While Manitoba was recently able to balance the budget, this spring’s budget will be significantly challenged due to the pandemic. However, it will be an incredibly important budget in terms of ensuring that Manitobans receive the support they need without increasing the taxes that are paid. Over the past year there have been many programs developed to support individuals, businesses, and organizations as they deal with the impact of the pandemic and this support and future measures will be a feature of the budget documents for this year.

This will also be the first session for me in the Manitoba Legislature fulfilling new responsibilities as the Deputy Premier as well as the Minister of Legislative and Public Affairs. As well, I will continue serving as the Government House Leader and in this role, I always look forward to working with opposition parties to ensure that the Manitoba Legislature is able to operate in a way that allows for important debate but also moves the legislative agenda forward.

As the spring session begins and moves into summer, I look forward to updating you on the proceedings that are taking place at the Manitoba Legislature. It is a very different time at the Manitoba Legislature as it is in all places in the world, but it is important that the democratic institutions of government continue to operate in as normal a fashion as possible.