View From the Legislature

The Manitoba Legislature has concluded its fall sittings for 2021. I was honoured to serve as the province’s twenty third Premier during the fall sitting held in October and to serve as the Deputy Premier during the most recent sitting which can only be described as historic. It featured the very first time in the 151-year history of Manitoba that a female has sat in the office of the Premier.

When Premier Heather Stefanson took her place in the Legislature it was both historic and inspiring to many Manitobans. It also hopefully brings us closer to a time when it will no longer be unique or unusual to see a woman in the top political job in our province.

While this past sitting of the Legislature saw most MLAs back in person, planning is underway for the spring session to have all MLAs back in person if the health regulations allow.

The most recent sitting of the Legislature was also historic in that for the first time a land acknowledgement was read by agreement of all MLAs in the Legislature. Land acknowledgements are heard often across Canada to begin events or ceremonies, but it has not traditionally been done in the Manitoba Legislature. Earlier this year I asked that a committee be formed to consult with indigenous leaders and others to create a land acknowledgement that could be considered by MLAs. This was adopted by consent early in the last sitting of the Legislature and will form a daily practice, following the daily prayer, when the Legislature is in session. It is a small but important step as part of reconciliation.

The session also saw the passage of the Throne Speech, which outlined the priorities of the government for the next year. Those priorities include the training and hiring of hundreds of new nurses and healthcare personnel, helping Manitoba businesses rebound from the challenges of the pandemic and working to get Manitoba’s renowned immigration program accelerated following the slowdown of the past almost two years.

These priorities were added to during the State of the Province address last week as the Premier provided an economic and social update to the 1,200 or so who were in attendance at the lunch hosted by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

While the Legislature has now ended its fall sittings, committee work and other activities will continue at the Legislature. This includes pre-budget consultations with Manitobans as the Department of Finance continues to work toward the 2021-2022 provincial budget which will be introduced in the spring of next year. You can participate in the consultation online by going to Engagemb.ca and completing the budget consultation survey.