Highlights from the throne speech

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This article was published 21/11/2023 (735 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s new NDP government laid out its priorities for its first year in office Tuesday, delivering an inaugural throne speech that mirrored some of the party’s election campaign pledges.

While short on finer details, the blueprint contains promises to reduce health-care wait times, ease the cost-of-living crisis, reduce some class sizes and improve the province’s relationship with Indigenous peoples.

The 15-page speech was read by Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville to open the first session of the 43rd legislature, seven weeks after Wab Kinew — Manitoba’s first First Nations premier — and the NDP won a majority government.

Here are 12 highlights from the throne speech.

Provincial gas tax to be paused

On Jan. 1, the province plans to pause the 14-cent-per-litre provincial gas tax — which goes into general revenue — to give Manitobans some relief at the pumps.

Kinew wouldn’t say how long the pause will last.

The throne speech repeated a campaign pledge to freeze Manitoba Hydro rates for a year. Kinew told reporters the freeze likely won’t begin until 2025.

The government also promised to protect Hydro’s subsidiaries from privatization.

Hospital, surgical and MRI backlogs

More beds will be added to acute care hospitals in a bid to reduce the backlog of patients who wait in emergency rooms until a bed opens on a ward.

Emergency rooms at Victoria and Eriksdale hospitals will be reopened.

Ten additional surgical slates are being opened at Grace Hospital, while spinal surgical capacity is being expanded at Health Sciences Centre, Concordia Hospital and Brandon Regional Health Centre.

The speech mentioned a new mobile MRI unit to reduce wait times in northern Manitoba, expanded training to hire more staff and a willingness to listen to and act on the concerns of front-line staff.

Kinew said more details will be revealed in the coming days on how the government plans to cut wait times and address staffing shortages.

Geothermal heat pumps for homes

Kinew said the provincial and federal governments will cost-share electric geothermal heat pumps for thousands of homes across Manitoba.

The first phase will target 2,500 homes — 90 per cent of them in rural or northern Manitoba — which use heating oil.

Kinew said the pumps will help cut heating costs and reduce emissions. He promised to announce more climate-friendly measures or incentives in the future.

The speech mentioned future incentives for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Reducing class sizes for younger kids

Kinew said the province wants to lower class sizes for younger students, specifically those in kindergarten and Grade 1.

The goal is to ensure those children get more one-on-one time with teachers and educational assistants.

Kinew said there will be incentives for school divisions to reduce class sizes, but he wouldn’t rule out a cap.

There are also plans to recruit more French-language teachers and appoint an assistant deputy minister for Indigenous excellence to support Indigenous students.

Free birth control

A pre-election pledge to make prescription birth control free in Manitoba was also part of the throne speech.

The NDP had promised to cover the full cost of dozens of commonly used methods.

The speech said the government will affirm Manitobans’ right to access abortions and protect abortion providers. More details will eventually be announced, said Kinew.

Ending chronic homelessness

The province has set an ambitious goal of ending chronic homelessness over the next eight years.

Details on how it plans to get started were scarce, although it identified aims of connecting homeless people with barrier-free housing, addictions and mental health supports, health care and employment.

The speech mentioned plans to transform child welfare. A 2022 street census in Winnipeg found one of the most common paths into homelessness is having experience in the care of Child and Family Services.

The speech didn’t mention plans for a safe drug consumption site. Kinew said details will be released later.

New statutory holiday

Next year’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be a provincial statutory holiday in Manitoba.

Orange Shirt Day will be held annually on Sept. 30 to recognize residential school survivors and encourage Manitobans to learn about the history of the system.

Kinew said the province will also table legislation to acknowledge Louis Riel as Manitoba’s first premier.

Closer ties with Indigenous governments

The premier has set a goal of “resetting” the Manitoba government’s relationships with Métis, Inuit and First Nation leaderships, with economic reconciliation among the priorities.

Naawi-Oodena, the country’s largest urban reserve on the former Kapyong Barracks site, was cited in the speech.

So was the province’s commitment to search the privately owned Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of Indigenous women Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, although the document didn’t reveal any new details.

Winnipeg police believe the women were slain by an alleged serial killer.

Mental health staff for non-violent calls

Manitoba will hire more mental health professionals who can respond to non-violent calls to help free up police officers.

The planned hirings were among the public safety or crime measures mentioned in the speech.

It said the province will pursue opioid manufacturers and bring in an Unexplained Wealth Act to build cases against people who profit from drug trafficking.

Premier’s business team

A “premier’s business and jobs team” is going to be established, with members from across Manitoba, to create a provincial economic strategy.

The new government has set a goal of becoming a leader in the low-carbon economy.

It also has plans for a critical minerals strategy.

Free school meals

The government wants to set up a nutrition program in every public school in Manitoba, hoping it will improve learning and graduation rates.

Kinew said the full program will be in place for the 2024-25 school year.

In the interim in 2023-24, the province intends to fill in some of the gaps and provide free meals in schools that are currently on a waiting list.

Steps to eliminate hate in schools

Acknowledging the Israel-Hamas conflict, the speech said Holocaust education will be mandatory for kindergarten-Grade 12 students to combat division and anti-Semitism.

Anti-Islamophobia kits from the Manitoba Islamic Association will be given to schools as part of efforts to stamp out hate.

The province also pledged to ensure schools are safe and welcoming for LGBTTQ+ people.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca