June 1, 2020

Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg, MB – Official Opposition House Leader Nahanni Fontaine and Liberal MLA Jon Gerrard have written a joint letter to Government House Leader Kelvin Goertzen asking him to immediately recall the Legislature.

“All government’s need to be held accountable to the people who elected them, particularly governments that announce thousands of layoffs and hundreds of millions in budget cuts in the middle of a health pandemic,” said Fontaine. “Premier Pallister has reopened Manitoba’s economy, yet refuses to go back to work himself. The Premier and his Cabinet owe Manitoba families an answer for their cuts—what are they hiding?”

The Legislature has sat for just 26 full days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting the House seven weeks behind schedule. It is the fewest amount of days sat in the Manitoba Legislature in several decades. There are 50 government bills that are waiting to be debated by MLAs and discussed in public committee hearings. A provincial budget remains unpassed, a process which includes completing 100 hours of hearings with Opposition MLAs, the Premier and his Cabinet Ministers.

Provincial legislatures across Canada have opted to continue operations throughout the summer months in order to complete business. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec have all held sitting days and B.C. will resume sittings later in June. The federal government has agreed to sit on specified dates throughout the summer months.