Manitoba throne speech details new monument for legislative grounds, focus on health care and affordability

A new monument for the legislative grounds, increasing the quality of Manitoba’s health-care system and decreasing costs for people in the province were some priorities outlined by the NDP government in Tuesday’s throne speech.

Bringing more internationally trained health-care professionals to Manitoba and adding 800 knee and hip surgery slots at Selkirk Regional Hospital to reduce wait times were some of the plans detailed in the speech, delivered on the floor of the legislature by Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville.

“Every day, we measure our success by how much Manitobans are free to pursue a good life,” said Premier Wab Kinew in a press release.

“The opportunity of a good job to support your family. Knowing that if you work hard, you can afford a home. Health care that’s there when your family needs it. We’re starting to see progress on these important priorities and we won’t stop working to make life better for all Manitobans.”

The throne speech also detailed how the province plans to bring a portable MRI to Thompson, the Pas and other First Nation communities, with Neville saying in the speech, “northern families shouldn’t have to miss school or work for health care.”

It also detailed how the Children’s Hospital will be getting renovated as part of a partnership between the province and the Children’s Hospital Foundation to make visits for families more comfortable.

The speech detailed how caring for seniors is an important priority for the government, with the province announcing that Lac Du Bonnet will also soon be home to a new personal care home – the government’s first since being elected.

The government also says it will be supporting the Place of Pride campus, offering senior members of the 2SLGBTQ+ housing and community services in Winnipeg’s downtown.

Applications for Manitoba’s long-awaited plastic health cards, set to replace the often mangled paper documents, are also expected to start by year’s end.

New monument for legislative grounds

A statue of a mother and child bison will soon grace the grounds of the Manitoba legislature.

Outlined in the throne speech was a new monument for the legislative grounds, as a statue of Queen Victoria — which had become a symbol of colonialism — was toppled in 2021.

The new statue will be commissioned by the Government of Manitoba and on Tuesday, Premier Kinew said the new monument will send an important message about what Manitoba stands for.

“The bison is our provincial symbol. The legislature is the people’s building. It belongs to you. It belongs to everybody here in Manitoba. And I think that having a bison mother and child on the front of the legislature is a way to invite people down,” Kinew told reporters.

“It’s sending and broadcasting a message about who we are as a people and when we reflect on part of the recent history that’s brought us to this point of bringing in a new statute. It also evokes and acknowledges the history of residential schools and the bond between parents and children harmed in that era.”

Manitoba Hydro rates frozen

The Government of Manitoba also detailed how it plans to freeze Manitoba Hydro rates for one year, which it says will offer relief on the pocketbook of many homeowners and renters.

Grocery bills are another area the province is looking to address, saying Manitoba will be examining anti-competitive contracts that make grocery bills more expensive.

“If Manitoba families are forced to tighten their belts just to put food on the table, it’s time to tighten the rules,” said Neville.

The province says it’s also boosting the overall economy through its “new critical minerals strategy, a new Indigenous loan guarantee program to help big energy projects move forward and large infrastructure projects like twinning the Trans-Canada Highway east.”

The launch of the new Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit will see homeowners in the province getting up to $1,500 in relief, with new laws and protections coming for renters.

Work in classroom continues

The throne speech also recognized the important work of Justice Murray Sinclair, calling him a “great Canadian, a great Manitoban, a great Anishinaabe.”

The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba said Sinclair’s work on education in Manitoba will continue.

“In the very places where language was once silenced, today with the help of elders and language speakers, we are bringing Indigenous languages back to the classroom,” she said.

Manitoba says it will continue work on the universal school meal program and its cellphone ban to help kids focus on learning.

The province also detailed how it will be updating science curriculums and a new dedicated unit on financial literacy in Grade 9, with a commitment to ensure all First Nations people are able to vote in school board elections. It’s something Kinew says many would be troubled to learn is not already the case.

“I think people would be shocked that in 2024 First Nations people who live on reserve can’t vote in every election in Manitoba,” he said. “So we’re going to address the situation and again, my goal here is just: let’s encourage more people to participate in our democracy.”