View From the Legislature

This past week I was honoured to take part in announcements that invest in Manitoba’s future and its ability to be a leader in a number of important and diverse sectors.

On Tuesday morning, Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture Ralph Eichler and I were at the Bothwell Cheese Winnipeg retail outlet on Provencher Boulevard in St. Boniface to announce, in partnership with the federal government, an investment of $1.1 million to support Bothwell Cheese. The funding is part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program between Canada and Manitoba and will be used to invest in modern processing equipment and equipment to help recycle and reduce the amount of water used by the company.

With its cheese processing plant located in New Bothwell, Bothwell Cheese has a history that goes back more than 75 years. From a small cooperative, it has become a well recognized national and international brand, winning many awards and top cheese making competitions globally. The investment in new technology announced on Tuesday will help Bothwell Cheese increase its workforce and its export sales as it continues to build upon its humble beginnings into an international success.

Also, on Friday of last week I was pleased as Minister responsible for training in Manitoba, to announced $24 million of funding over the next four years for a number of sector councils in our province. Sector councils are economic sectors, such as aerospace, construction, agriculture and digital technologies which work together to grow their industries in Manitoba. The ten sectors that received funding represent 280,000 workers and 9,000 employers in our province. The funding allows sectors to help attract workers and to provide those workers with skills to succeed in those sectors.

The sector funding announcement was made at Standard Aero in Winnipeg. Manitoba has become successful in areas such as aerospace because it has been able to partner with the industry. The industry has in turn created thousands of good paying jobs for Manitobans.

Ultimately, the Manitoba government wants to continue to work with our education and industry partners to ensure we are providing young people the skills they need to find success in the workforce if that is the path they choose. In turn, we work with industry to help create the economic environment that allows them to create jobs and enhance our economy. These partnerships can pay dividends for generations to come.

From Bothwell and beyond, Manitoba businesses are able to compete and succeed both inside Manitoba and internationally. These two most recent announcements demonstrate that our government can find important ways to partner with various sectors to ensure our economy is growing and providing opportunity for Manitobans.