May 19, 2021

Treaty 1 Territory, Homeland of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg MB—Today the PC government pushed through harmful legislation that advances their mission to avoid accountability, continues their attack on workers and puts their own ideological interests ahead of the needs of families, post-secondary students and First Nations.

“Manitobans want quality, affordable public services for every chapter in their families’ lives and they want to their voices to be heard when it comes to decisions that impact their community,” said NDP Leader Wab Kinew. “But the PCs are out of touch with regular families and they continue to silence local voices while they undermine our childcare, schools and post-secondary education. We need to invest in strong public services now to help families rebound from the pandemic and build a stronger future for our province.”

The bills that drew important criticism from the Official Opposition include Bill 45 that makes it harder for teachers to negotiate a fair deal. The NDP also voted against Bill 47 that allows the government to flow public funds to for-profit childcare centers while they continue the freeze to childcare centres, and Bill 33 that gives the Education Minister an unprecedented and ideological ability to interfere with postsecondary institutions and raise tuition fees.

The NDP voted against Bill 37, a bill that silences the voices of municipal voices and has been criticized by municipal leaders as anti-democratic, and Bill 56, the smoking ban legislation that lost support from the Cancer Society of Manitoba because it clearly undermines First Nations sovereignty. The NDP also voted against Bill 49, a bill that makes it easier for the PC government to avoid accountability by making it harder for journalists, the public, and the Opposition to gain access to public records.

“Manitobans are fed up with this government’s lack of transparency” said NDP House Leader Nahanni Fontaine. “They hid the contents of these bills for months, even though they hurt families. Then they ignored calls from doctors and public health experts to be transparent about COVID data and modelling. It’s clear that Manitobans want more transparency from their government, not less. But with the passage of Bill 49, the PCs will continue to make decisions in secret and keep Manitobans in the dark.”