Dougald Lamont

Hope for the holidays

Manitoba Liberals have been fighting hard to make a difference for you and your family in the legislature.

Health-care system needs fair funding fix

We all know our health-care system is in big trouble — nurses are burning out, doctors are hard to find and provinces are struggling to pay for it — or they say they are.

Seniors’ whistleblowers must be protected

You may have heard about a tragic case of elder abuse in a Winnipeg care home. In June, family members of 15 residents were notified that their relatives in care had allegedly been abused and assaulted.

The people who were allegedly hurt were seniors, some with dementia, some in their 90s. They were defenceless and in some cases, couldn’t even speak. My heart breaks for them and their families.

A whistleblower complaint was ignored until a second one was made at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Both the health authority and Extendicare admitted policies and procedures weren’t followed.

This shouldn’t happen to anyone, not even once. If it happens even once, people need to be free to speak up without fear of reprisal.

Together, we’ve saved lives

It has been an incredibly stressful time in Manitoba and Canada — we’ve all had our lives turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to rules and so much more. Let’s start by celebrating the fact that we are all still here because of each other, and for each other. Yes, it has been hard, and exhausting, because it is hard work to keep each other safe. And it is important to say this — because the premier has said we’re on our own, and we are going to be re-opening very fast. To lots of people, that’s a big relief. Others are anxious because it can feel like we’ve been working hard — and if we’re giving up all the rules, it may seem unfair. The answer is that we have all saved lives. All of you. The science is absolutely clear — that the actions we took, together, saved lives. Together, we protected people. Together, we kept each other safe, and together we cared for each other — even from a distance. That’s because science shows that masks, and vaccines, and basic measures to keep people safe have prevented thousands and thousands of serious cases of COVID and deaths. Thank you to the doctors, nurses and health care workers in emergency rooms and intensive care units who have worked to the breaking point to save the very sickest patients from dying. You have been miracle workers. The number of people who have stepped up is incredible, because wearing masks saved lives. Getting vaccinated saved lives. Delivering food and checking on neighbours and loved ones saved lives.While we talk about division, the reality is that the vast majority of Manitobans have been united in this fight. We have pulled together — the way we do in emergencies. And even when there were political squabbles, everyone else rolled up their sleeves to work and got vaccinated. Every one of us has had a role to play — and we did. That’s important to remember. Of course, we still need to be cautious because this pandemic keeps throwing us curveballs. We need to apply the lessons we’ve learned. But you should all know this — that we have made it this far because each and every one of you made a difference in some way in making each other’s lives better. Thank you. 

It has been an incredibly stressful time in Manitoba and Canada — we’ve all had our lives turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to rules and so much more. 

Let’s start by celebrating the fact that we are all still here because of each other, and for each other. Yes, it has been hard, and exhausting, because it is hard work to keep each other safe. 

And it is important to say this — because the premier has said we’re on our own, and we are going to be re-opening very fast. To lots of people, that’s a big relief. 

To end nursing shortage, start by apologizing

I’ll start by wishing you and yours happy holiday, and a happy new year of with healing, peace and hope.

We will have a lot of healing to do to make it through the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in our health-care system.

At its core, health care is about people caring for other people — and our health-care system is breaking down because the Progressive Conservatives are running a system that drives people out. Nurses are quitting in droves.

Nursing shortages are what is driving this crisis. ICU bed shortages. A waitlist for surgeries and tests that is at 160,000 and growing every day. ER closures in rural Manitoba.

The more we give, the more we’ll get back

I’ll start by wishing you a safe and happy holiday season. It’s been such a tough couple of years, especially being separated — I have found incredible joy in seeing people in person. All this separation has made the heart grow fonder.

While holiday gatherings may still look a bit different this year, I hope you have had a chance to gather and celebrate each other’s company, and enjoy a bit of normalcy when vaccines have allowed us to do so.  

In these extraordinary times, I am always blown away by the many ways Winnipeggers care for one another. Whether you’re looking to support people in need, or a deserving local business, the holiday season is always a time to give back,  

St. Boniface and St. Vital have many organizations that do great work to support our community.

Surgery backlogs a full-blown crisis

Five months ago, on June, 2021 Doctors Manitoba raised the alarm that our province was facing a massive backlog — you and your neighbours are waiting for over 110,000 surgeries and tests.

Hip replacements, knee replacements, eye surgeries, heart surgeries. We’re all waiting for them longer than ever, and the Progressive Conservatives haven’t even begun to tackle the problem.

By October, the lists had grown to 130,000 procedures. This is totally unacceptable, and so is the lack action. British Columbia started planning for dealing with backlogs after the first wave. Manitoba is now in its fourth, and there is no plan.

Over a month ago, Health Minister Audrey Gordon told media the task force was already under way, but upon being sworn in, Premier Heather Stefanson promised the same task force all over again — a few weeks from now.

Giving thanks in tough times

Fall in Manitoba is always beautiful and bittersweet, this year more than most.

The last 18 months of the pandemic have been probably some of the toughest any of us have lived through in decades. We’ve all dealt with divisions, stress, struggles and loss.  

There’s no other way of saying it: it’s been hard. And I am one of the lucky ones.

Earlier this year, I was listening to a podcast by Larry Willmore - who is one of the funniest, smartest and warmest people you’ll ever hear. He paid tribute to his brother who died of COVID-19, and his words are too good not to share.

Our seniors deserve so much better

Since being elected as MLA for St. Boniface in 2018, I have heard too many sad stories of seniors living in tough circumstances.

I recently attended a protest at the Legislature where residents of 101 Marion were looking to bring attention to the problems at their building. It is the tall building that greets you as you come over the Norwood Bridge. It’s a beautiful structure and there’s a fine community of folks living there who are fed up with being treated like they are second-class citizens.  

They’ve been putting their own money into cleaning up, planting gardens, and especially dealing with issues with a problem landlord - the Government of Manitoba, which owns Manitoba Housing.

It’s no secret, Manitoba Housing has had issues for a long time - under the NDP, the bill for overdue maintenance went over $1 billion.

We need a referendum on the future of education

You may have heard or read that the PCs are planning massive changes to Manitoba’s public school system.

How massive? The chair of the Hanover School Division in Steinbach said the PCs are planning to “blow up” the whole school system, with “no plan to glue it back together again.”

The PCs are planning on getting rid of school boards entirely. No more local elections. The work currently being done by people in paid administration will have to be done by other peoples’ parents, for free, instead.

School principals will be appointed by government. I don’t want governments of any stripe hiring principals directly. We need to keep politics out of education.

Don’t let PCS “blow up” the education system

In the last year, the pandemic has been tough, but if there is one sector that has worked better than almost any other in this crisis, it’s been the public education system.

As a parent with three kids in public schools (and a fourth at university) I can say that we owe our educators a debt of thanks. School boards, trustees, superintendents, principals, teachers, EAs, bus drivers - they have all done an amazing job, under tough circumstances, keeping our children safe and making sure they keep learning.

They deserve our gratitude, our respect, recognition - and above all, our support.

That’s not happening under the PCs. It should be.

Manitobans deserve better from government

Whether you’re a family who lost a loved one, you can’t see family members, or you’re not allowed to work or run your business — these are tough times.

Since last March, my fellow Manitoba Liberal MLAs and I have been standing up and fighting for the constituents of St. Boniface and all other Manitobans.

Yes, we need strict restrictions to keep people safe. We also need the rules to be clear and fair.

Restrictions must be based on science and public health — not on politics. They must also be based on what is safe, not whether something is “essential” or not.

Buying local is giving back to our community

I hope you and yours are holding up. It’s been a hard year for so many people.

It’s important to remember in these times that there will be a time, hopefully not long from now, that the pandemic will be a memory.

In the meantime, it’s important that we stay focused on the things that matter — supporting each other and our loved ones, and making sure that the things we love about our community and our province make it through this. We have the resources to make it happen.

I know that many Manitobans are hurting — and if you are, please let us know. We have spent the last few months advocating for you and for our community to get schools ready, protect personal care homes, and help businesses. We’ve been able to get real changes in policy from the provincial and federal governments.

Time for a seniors’ advocate is now

With Winnipeg in code red, and COVID-19 cases climbing, I want to start by saying something positive.

There is going to be a time when all of this is over. We are in the thick of it now but things are going to get better. We need to look after one another, speak up, and make sure to support the people, businesses and organizations we want to keep.

We also need to recognize what’s not working and plan to fix it.

At the top of the list is better care for seniors — now. There have been really scary and tragic outbreaks affecting personal care homes and hospitals. Make no mistake — they were preventable.

More support needed for safer schools

As parents, students, teachers, and staff are getting back into the school routine, my office has been getting lots of calls about safety concerns and calling on the Pallister government to offer better support.

Manitoba Liberals stand with concerned families and have been calling on the PCs to listen and implement the calls of Safe September Manitoba.

While there are many areas that the Pallister government should have acted on long ago, a few areas of major concern are remote learning, supporting students with disabilities, and early childhood education.

Even with $85 million in additional funding from the federal government, Pallister is still not clear with what is being done with that money to make our schools safer — or if it’s even being used at all. I proposed the money be spent on improved ventilation, remote learning, and more hiring.

More support needed for safer schools

As parents, students, teachers, and staff are getting back into the school routine, my office has been getting lots of calls about safety concerns and calling on the Pallister government to offer better support.

Manitoba Liberals stand with concerned families and have been calling on the PCs to listen and implement the calls of Safe September Manitoba.

While there are many areas that the Pallister government should have acted on long ago, a few areas of major concern are remote learning, supporting students with disabilities, and early childhood education.

Even with $85 million in additional funding from the federal government, Pallister is still not clear with what is being done with that money to make our schools safer — or if it’s even being used at all. I proposed the money be spent on improved ventilation, remote learning, and more hiring.

Investment needed in early childhood education

We’ve had a growing crisis in affordable, quality child care in Manitoba. And I don’t use the word ‘crisis’ lightly. In 2016, the child care wait list was 12,000. Last year it was 16,000.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had heard a number of very serious concerns that Manitoba’s early childhood education system was headed for a breakdown in the next 18 months.

The reason is that child care centres just don’t have the resources they need to operate. Grants and parent fees have been frozen.

Although they have post-secondary education qualifications, early childhood educators’ wages can be so low that they can’t afford to pay rent.

PCs power grab takes away your voices

If you’ve ever been frustrated with the way development happens in the City of Winnipeg, the Pallister PC government is about to make it worse. It’s important you know, so we can act now to stop it.

The Pallister PCs are proposing to take all planning and development decisions away from the City of Winnipeg, and hand them to an unelected commission where developers will get a right of appeal, but you as a citizen won’t.

It’s undemocratic and it’s unfair. It’s a power grab that takes away your rights.

You may wonder what the Pallister PCs and the provincial government have to do with how the City of Winnipeg runs its business. The answer is — everything.