Politicians take reflective pause

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This article was published 30/09/2023 (747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With just three days left before the provincial election, Manitoba politicians took a break from new announcements Saturday to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The day marked a pause in what has been a barrage of promises in recent weeks.

Though the parties announced no new pledges, campaigning continued, with leaders and candidates making appearances throughout the city and beyond.

Opposition leader Wab Kinew and a slate of NDP members — including Nahanni Fontaine, Bernadette Smith and Uzoma Asagwara — marched with a large crowd through downtown Winnipeg and into the Canada Life Centre, where they participated in a ceremonial powwow.

Kinew took a moment while addressing the crowd to reiterate a promise that, if elected premier, he would make Sept. 30 a statutory holiday in Manitoba.

The NDP later issued a release saying it is planning a rally Sunday afternoon at Maples Collegiate.

Progressive Conservative Premier Heather Stefanson spent the day attending events in Gambler First Nation, roughly 390 kilometres west of Winnipeg near the Saskatchewan border.

The community is a 20 per cent stakeholder in the nearby Potash and Agri Development Corp. of Manitoba mine, which Stefanson’s Tories green-lit for operations last year. The site began production in June.

“This is an important day to reflect, listen, and learn,” Stefanson said in a release. “Our party is committed to helping advance First Nations communities, and ensure that they have more opportunities. First Nations partnerships are key to growing our economy.”

Elsewhere in Winnipeg, Tory candidates Kevin Klein and Obby Khan — who were both members of Stefanson’s cabinet before the writ dropped — were slated to participate in a fundraiser hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association.

Dougald Lamont, leader of the Manitoba Liberals, was present at the Oodena Celebration Circle at The Forks, where a pipe ceremony and speeches were held before the parade to Canada Life Centre. Jon Gerrard, incumbent Liberal candidate for River Heights and former party leader, also attended.

The Liberals issued a slate of reconciliation commitments Friday, including a promise to search the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg for the remains of Indigenous women believed to be buried there.

The Liberal party is planning another platform announcement Sunday morning at Boyd Park.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca