The past few weeks have brought some good news for Manitobans. For months now, my NDP colleagues and I have heard from folks all over the province about their concerns regarding several harmful bills that the PCs were trying to push through. These bills included Bill 64, the Education Modernization Act, Bill 57, the Protection of Critical Infrastructure Act, Bill 40, the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation Amendment and Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act, Bill 35, the Public Utilities Ratepayer Protection and Regulatory Reform Act, and Bill 16, the Labour Relations Amendment Act.
These five bills would have been detrimental for Manitobans. They would have raised hydro bills for working Manitobans, taken away the rights of workers, impacted the future of public education, removed the right to peacefully protest, and impeded addiction supports.
I am thrilled that we were able to delay these harmful bills to give Manitobans time to learn about them and really voice their concerns. This caused the PCs to withdraw all five bills recently and shows that we at the Official Opposition take the concerns of our constituents and all Manitobans seriously. We stood up for Manitobans and will continue to do so because the fight is not over.
I talked to so many people in our region who were especially concerned about the controversial education reform Bill 64. Even though the PCs withdrew Bill 64, they still cut $5 million from the K-12 education system this year and will be cutting almost a quarter billion from revenues for our schools in the coming months. When you think of the damage those cuts will do to schools – less one-on-one time for kids with their teachers, fewer educational assistants to help kids who need it, less nutritional programs to help every kid focus on learning – it’s clear that defeating Bill 64 was only the start. These actions are just not acceptable, especially in our current times when children are finally returning to schools after the difficult past year. Our children need more support – not less!
The NDP and I will continue to stand up and be a voice to all Manitobans impacted by the PCs’ harmful agenda. In the coming weeks, I will be travelling to all communities in the Thompson constituency to hold office hours and listen to the concerns of the people that I serve. I look forward to seeing many of you soon! In the meantime, you can contact my office anytime at [email protected] or 204-677-2744.
