Province puts priority on keeping people in Manitoba: Kinew

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This article was published 28/05/2024 (468 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP government is focused on reducing migration out of the province, Premier Wab Kinew told a sold-out Manitoba Chambers of Commerce breakfast event Tuesday.

Kinew, as other premiers before him have done, proclaimed Manitoba will become a “have” province.

“It’s very ambitious, that point I will concede,” he later told reporters. “But I won’t ever question the need to have an ambitious vision for the future of our province.”

The ways to keep people in Manitoba — and attract new talent — are multi-faceted, he told the pro-business crowd.

One of Manitoba’s competitive advantages is its affordable housing, he explained before touting the New Democrats’ $1,500 homeowners affordability tax credit, introduced in the latest budget.

The credit has been described as a method to effectively eliminate education property taxes on homes valued at less than $285,000. It means all northern Manitoba homeowners will be better off, as will people in other areas, Kinew said, estimating 80 per cent in Winnipeg will benefit.

People consider cost of living as part of the puzzle — along with a growing economy, job opportunities and entertainment options — when choosing where to settle, Kinew said.

“Keeping life affordable in Manitoba — it will be part of our competitive advantage to get more young people staying here.”

The NDP economic plan includes leaning into areas where Manitoba’s economy is strong — including agriculture and transportation — and emphasizing the province’s low-carbon economy, the premier added.

The provincial government can’t make any new announcements due to a Tuxedo byelection blackout period. However, he hinted news about the critical mineral sector is coming soon.

Another crucial part of growing the economy is increasing the number of workforce participants in Manitoba, Kinew said, quoting former NDP premier Gary Doer, saying: “The best economic plan is a good education plan.”

“I’m extending our hand… saying, ‘Let’s work together to create more jobs, create more economic activity to make Manitoba more attractive for the average young Canadian.’”– NDP Premier Wab Kinew

The workforce participation rate is “nowhere close” to 100 per cent, Kinew noted.

“If we can move the needle five points, 10 points, that would be huge,” he said. “Considering these are generational challenges, in some cases … I think that would be huge.”

The government is currently trying pilot programs, such as providing education funding to First Nations.

Kinew said he’d like next year’s budget to include a comprehensive plan on mobilizing more people in the workforce, and it’s something the New Democrats are working on.

The premier suggested his speech Tuesday in downtown Winnipeg was akin to a handshake with the business community. “I’m extending our hand … saying, ‘Let’s work together to create more jobs, create more economic activity to make Manitoba more attractive for the average young Canadian.’”

The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce commissioned a $429,000 study on the reasons for a consistent net loss in interprovincial migration. The report, by the Canada West Foundation, is expected to be finished in the coming months.

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Chambers president Chuck Davidson questioned Kinew about the lack of a trade strategy in Manitoba.

In response, Kinew said the relationship with the United States is “by far our most important trading relationship.”

Regardless of who America elects as its new president in November, Manitoba must be aggressive, to ensure it has access to the southern market, the premier added.

Advertising Manitoba’s critical minerals and deep-sea port at Churchill is part of the strategy to secure Manitoba’s importance, he said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle 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.