NDP gala brings promises of school nutrition program, health care investments

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This article was published 10/06/2023 (870 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A candle-lit ballroom of around 650 people — some decked out in orange — gathered at the RBC Convention Centre Saturday evening for the Manitoba NDP’s fundraising gala.

The room, lit up by a slideshow of NDP MLA campaign ads, was buzzing with conversations between constituents and the people they hope will represent them this fall.

It was reportedly the largest fundraising gala since the party was in government.

Chad Gillert, 20, was waiting in the hallway outside the conference room, eager to mingle with fellow members of the Manitoba NDP.

Gillert, whose top election priorities are health care, education, childcare and affordability, feels the party is equipped to tackle the issues head-on.

“Their No. 1 priority is putting healthcare (first) and making sure we hire more nurses, hire more doctors, hire more beds, open emergency rooms and make sure that health care is available to all of us,” Gillert said.

Hearing about a friend’s nerve-racking experience in a Manitoba emergency room only strengthened his commitment to making healthcare his number one voting ask.

“I was texting a friend of mine. She told me that she couldn’t get care because there were long line ups for emergency rooms,” Gillert said. “I want to make sure that everyone gets care in Manitoba.”

Health care also happens to be a prime concern for Uzoma Asagwara, the NDP MLA for Union Station.

“The No. 1 priority for Manitobans right now is. It doesn’t matter where in Manitoba you go, everyone’s top concern is healthcare,” Asagwara said. “It’s our No. 1 concern.”

With four months left before the provincial election, Asagwara has spent plenty of time knocking on doors, attending events in Union Station and responding to the unique needs of their constituents.

“Being in this role since 2019, and navigating a pandemic alongside Manitobans and really prioritizing being a champion for health care I think has helped strengthen the trust that Manitobans have for the party, for our NDP team, and for me as the MLA for Union Station,” Asagwara said.

Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew unveiled the party’s commitment to investing in Manitoba’s children, pledging to implement a universal school nutrition program, should he take office.

“What I want for my kids, I want for every child in Manitoba. A good start and the opportunity to follow their dreams,” he said, according to a speech provided in advance to media. “Right now there are kids in our province coming to school hungry. When we feed hungry kids at school we set them on the right path toward more education, a good job, and a healthy life.”

According to a report published in February by Campaign 2000, Manitoba has the highest child poverty rate out of every province in Canada at 20.7 per cent, compared to the national rate of 13.5 per cent.

Additionally, a new election campaign ad was released, as well as a promise to consult with law enforcement, families and community foot patrols

Previously, the provincial NDP announced commitments to a rural health care plan, universal birth control coverage and a plan to stop chronic homelessness as key parts of the Manitoba NDP’s election campaign.

The gala comes just days after the party filed a complaint to Elections Manitoba about an anti-NDP ad campaign created by a Saskatchewan-based conservative group called the Canada Growth Council.

The attack ad, written on a billboard on Portage Avenue features Kinew, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. The group also sent a series of text messages to Manitobans.

“Can’t afford these two? Imagine adding Kinew,” the ad reads.

Provincial election data conducted by Probe Research Inc. in March suggested that 44 per cent of the Manitoba vote would go to the NDP, followed closely by the PCs at 38 per cent. The Manitoba Liberals tallied in 9 per cent of the vote, followed by 17 per cent who were undecided, were not planning to vote or preferred not to state their party preferences.

The Liberal Party of Manitoba has yet to release their full platform, but announced plans to give retention bonuses to nurses, return $338 million in federal child benefits taken from children in CFS, implement a K-12 universal nutrition program and crack down on corporate disclosure laws at their annual general meeting in April.

The Manitoba PCs have not yet released their election campaign promises.

The provincial election is set to take place on Oct. 3.

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca