Parties talk ways to address poverty during debate

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2023 (753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REPRESENTATIVES from four of Manitoba’s major political parties traded verbal blows Tuesday night, as they debated how to address and overcome poverty in the province.

A debate, hosted by Make Poverty History Manitoba, drew a large crowd at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Wellington Crescent.

The anti-poverty group presented the politicians with a list of questions, including whether their parties would advance Indigenous reconciliation, introduce poverty reduction legislation, implement an aggressive housing strategy and increase funding to mental health services.

St. Johns MLA Nahanni Fontaine represented the NDP, while PC Fort Garry candidate Rick Shone spoke for the Tories. Leaders Dougald Lamont and Janine Gibson represented the Liberals and Green Party, respectively.

Global News journalist Richard Cloutier moderated the event, leading the politicians through a series of 10 recommendations outlined by anti-poverty advocates in Manitoba.

A cornerstone of the discussions was whether each party would commit a goal of creating 10,000 affordable housing units across the province within the next 10 years. Gibson and Lamont said they would, with the latter explaining it may be aided by partnerships within the private market.

Fontaine and Shone each said their government is committed to improving provincial housing stock, but could not commit to the target.

The New Democrat and Tory were similarly united in their resistance to transforming the current Employment Income Assistance program into a Livable Basic Needs Benefit, which would ensure participants receive funding amounts at or above the poverty line.

While the pair found common ground on such issues, they took other opportunities to attack each other throughout the evening, with both presenting their respective party as the most capable of addressing poverty in Manitoba.

Lamont accused the parties of being one and the same saying “the NDP and PCs have both decided to keep the PC budget.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Head Start

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

Sign up for Head Start

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

In a rapid-fire question period at the end of the debate, the Liberals, Greens and NDP agreed a universal food program is required in schools; youths in care should receive additional social supports until they are 25-years-old. The parties also agreed it would be worth exploring additional transit funding supports.

Shone opposed all the above.

“There’s a lot of good things we strive to in these, but they are not yes or no questions,” he said. “The questions are full of nuance.”

The provincial election is slated for Oct. 3.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.