Ovations and objections: leaders weigh in on budget By: Free Press staff Posted: 6:31 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025 Last Modified: 9:41 AM CDT Friday, Mar. 21, 2025 Updates

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Beefs and bouquets rolled in Thursday for the NDP government’s second provincial budget:

“If we were to give it a grade, I would say a B+, which is very high and I say that because it is a consecutive improvement from the previous year. What we’ve discovered in our initial analysis of the budget is that Manitoba Housing has received close to a 19 per cent increase… so that is promising.”

— Jason Whitford, End Homelessness Winnipeg

“This is a budget that has been announced with a lot of consideration for Manitobans, but also that includes First Nations… But, of course, the north is very different from the south. We need to continue to look to the north to make sure that we’re taken CARE OF as well.”

— Grand Chief Garrison Settee, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak

“I was glad to hear an emphasis today on funding for the north end (sewage treatment) plant. It is critical for our future… The discussion of a new (municipal) funding model, I’d like to have that continue down the road, but right now my focus for the city of Winnipeg is the north end plant.”

— Mayor Scott Gillingham

“I think it’s hopeful. I was happy to see that there are some investments in health care… We are seeing a lot of shortages right now in specialty areas of practice, like MRI and breast imaging.”

— Dayna McTaggert, Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists for Manitoba

“I’m glad they addressed the elephant in the room of Mr. Trump. These are difficult times and a difficult time for a government to make a plan… I have to say I’m very pleased to see the doubling investment in housing. It’s not where the Right to Housing Coalition wants it to be, but it’s a large step forward.”

— Kate Kehler, Social Planning Council of Winnipeg

“We’re a little disappointed in the lack of details and the mention of early childhood educators. I know this government has many priorities to balance, but (we’d like) more focus on child care.”

— Jodie Kehl, Manitoba Child Care Association

“Manitoba’s a growing province and that’s reflected in the announcement there’s going to be new schools built. This is good news for those divisions who are struggling with classes that are big.”

— Sandy Nemeth, Manitoba School Boards Association

“At a first glance, I think it’s reasonable. They’re talking about investing in workers, they’re talking about investing in Manitoba and at a time when things are unsure, I think that’s the thing a government needs to do.”

— Kyle Ross, Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union

”I see that there is a lot of building going on. We are going to open the Victoria Hospital emergency room, we’re going to add some beds to decrease wait times, going to add beds to long-term care — all of which are incredibly important and I think that needs to happen — but I really worry that we have not ensured we have the staff available to actually work those beds.”

— Darlene Jackson, Manitoba Nurses Union

“We have a premier who is showing us how to respond to the threat of these tariffs, and that’s by investing in front-line public services, into our schools, into health care, into jobs and front lines.”

— Gina McKay, CUPE Manitoba

“We were glad to hear that health care is still a priority for this government. I’m glad to hear and see some capital investments that are good for jobs, good for the economy, but also good for health care. What we didn’t hear was details on engagement around that, so what are the details around how that’s going to be rolled out?”

— Nichelle Desilets, Doctors Manitoba president-elect

“I think this government is doing a good job of prioritizing getting jobs going, stimulating our economy, investing in public services; these are the kinds of things we need to make sure that we Trump-proof our economy and keep things moving.”

— Kevin Rebeck, Manitoba Federation of Labour

“This budget makes important investments in stimulus spending, which is very important as we enter an economic downturn, so that’s really good to see. It also makes important investments in health care… However, it does not do enough to rectify income inequality.”

— Molly McCracken, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Manitoba chapter

“It’s unfortunate to see the government to continue to move in that direction of borrowing more money and continuing to waste billions of dollars a year on interest payments.”

— Gage Haubrich, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

“As far as long-term care goes… What’s not clear to us is if there’s any funding for operational costs. We haven’t had an increase in operational funding for over 15 years, so when you look at property taxes, food, Hydro, all of those things, it’s just not sustainable for us anymore.”

— Laurie Cerqueti, Manitoba Association of Residential and Community Care Homes for Everyone, Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre

“We are pleased to see the Manitoba government recognize the challenges that small businesses are facing, especially in light of ongoing trade disputes and significant economic uncertainty. But further tax cuts may be necessary to promote growth and expansion and to help small businesses remain competitive should we find ourselves in a prolonged trade war.”

— Tyler Slobogian, Canadian Federation of Independent Business

“Manitoba still lacks a comprehensive allied health workforce plan, which is holding our province back. We heard elements of a plan today, including a dedicated staff position to oversee allied health retention and recruitment efforts.”

— Jason Linklater, Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals

“KAP supports the increases in funding and loan limits that will help Manitoba farmers manage their operations”

— Jill Verwey, Keystone Agricultural Producers

“In addition to anti-crime measures, MRFA and Restaurants Canada welcome measures targeting interprovincial trade barriers, tax and cashflow relief, and other measures that will help protect restaurant locations and jobs”

— Shaun Jeffrey, Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association

“The construction industry will always be ready to get to work on building these important projects for Manitobans. Our members look forward to seeing more details on the projects that were announced today”

— Darryl Harrison, Winnipeg Construction Association

“We have to be at the table for when we discuss the calculations because any more funding or new funding that comes can’t be on a per capita basis, because that doesn’t work for all municipalities across the board. We’re hearing that loud and clear — that lower tax base, smaller numbered municipalities with large land masses —  it’s not fair for them and it’s an unfair calculation.”

— Kathy Valentino, Association of Manitoba Municipalities