Kinew adds cabinet portfolio to focus on first responders

Premier Wab Kinew shuffled his cabinet Monday and created a new ministerial position that will oversee first responders in the province.

Kinew appointed David Pankratz, the MLA for Waverley, as minister responsible for first responder initiatives.

Tuxedo MLA Carla Compton was appointed minister responsible for accessibility, taking over the role from Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine.

The new ministers were sworn in at a ceremony at the legislature Monday afternoon.

“Starting today, our government is showing a renewed interest in taking care of those who are on the front lines, taking care of keeping us safe, saving lives and, of course, responding to emergencies right across Manitoba,” Kinew said of Pankratz’s role.

The former firefighter will be responsible for ensuring staffing levels for first responders and police across the province are manageable, and that they receive the supports they need, such as counselling.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll see more continued support for first responders and the challenges we’re facing.”

Kinew said he wants Manitoba to have the best workers compensation coverage for first responders in the country. On Saturday, the province announced it would be introducing legislative changes to expand presumptive Workers Compensation Board coverage for firefighters, who are routinely exposed to smoke, hazardous chemicals, carcinogens, extreme temperatures and physically demanding conditions that can have long-term health effects.

According to the province, the changes will make it easier for firefighters and wildfire fighters diagnosed with occupational illnesses to access WCB benefits by presuming the illness is work-related.

The NDP cabinet now sits at 20 including the premier.

The United Firefighters of Winnipeg welcomed the news that first responders’ will have a voice at the cabinet table.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll see more continued support for first responders and the challenges we’re facing,” union president Nick Kasper said at the legislature.

“The things that first responders deal with on a daily basis” are impacted by decisions made by a number of government departments, including housing, addictions and homelessness, health and municipal affairs, Kasper said.

Having a minister at the cabinet table with first-hand experience will help the government find effective solutions “that work for the people responding to the calls but also provide better outcomes for the people who rely on us,” he said, adding first responders didn’t make a request for a government minister to represent their interests.

“It was a very welcome surprise for us,” he said.

Compton, a registered nurse, already has an assignment in her new role, reviewing the final report of the Integrated Adult Services Pilot Project, released in June, which called on the province’s disability services program to be overhauled with 13 recommendations.

“Manitoba’s accessibility community has been waiting for a dedicated minister for accessibility,” Kinew said.

Having accessibility as a file in the Families portfolio meant the issue wasn’t given enough attention, said Manitoba Possible chief executive officer Lindsey Cooke.

Manitoba Possible is a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking down barriers to full and equal participation through a diverse range of programs and services.

The new ministerial role came as a surprise to Cooke, who welcomed the news and was pleased to see specific issues addressed in Compton’s mandate letter.

“I was really thrilled to hear that they actually called out the integrated adult services pilot project. I was on that steering committee, and so I think that this is definitely needed attention on how we can actually learn from that pilot project and see progress in our community,” she said.

Manitoba Possible has seen a massive demand for assistive technology, but can’t meet everyone’s needs. Last year the organization received $360,000 in requests, but was able to fulfil only half of that amount.

Cooke said she was excited to see that Compton’s mandate letter from the premier refers to equipment.

Barrier Free Manitoba steering committee member and Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba executive director David Kron said the creation of the new ministry indicates the province is taking accessibility more seriously. Kron said he wants to meet and discuss his organizations’ priorities with Compton soon.

The Integrated Adult Services Pilot Project report is a priority for the province moving forward, he said.

“This is an opportunity for generational change. So I really am hoping that we have a person to steward this through the political process because it is an all-of-government reply,” Kron said.

As ministers, Pankratz and Compton will receive pay bumps of $61,468 in addition to their MLA salary of $112,273, cabinet communications director Amy Tuckett-McGimpsey said.

Both hold seats that the NDP is anxious to hold on to, University of Winnipeg political studies Prof. Malcolm Bird said Monday. The next election must be held by Oct. 5, 2027.

“This is an opportunity for generational change.”

Pankratz won his Waverley seat in 2023 by a slim margin, defeating incumbent Tory MLA Jon Reyes by 115 votes.

Compton won Tuxedo in a 2024 byelection after former premier Heather Stefanson resigned her seat. The NDP candidate won by 602 votes over the PCs’ Lawrence Pinsky.

Raising the profile of both MLAs is an attempt to strengthen the New Democrats’ grip on those constituencies, Bird said.

Robert Loiselle, MLA for St. Boniface, will serve as special envoy for military affairs, taking on the role previously held by Pankratz. Transcona MLA Shannon Corbett was also named deputy house leader.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

In 1997, Carol started at the Free Press working nights as a copy editor. In 2000, she jumped at a chance to return to reporting. In early 2020 — before a global pandemic was declared — she agreed to pitch in, temporarily, at the Free Press legislature bureau. She’s been there ever since.

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Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer

Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk.

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