It’s graduation season. And this year I’m thrilled to join the ranks of proud parents who will be watching their children graduate, as my oldest son graduates high school.

As a parent myself, I know that kids in Manitoba deserve the best. They deserve small class sizes and a teacher who can give each student the one-on-one attention they need. They deserve a classroom with educational assistants and resources, plus warm meals for those who need them.

Unfortunately, Brian Pallister and Premier Stefanson have been cutting education funding for years. And we recently learned they have a secret plan to cut school funding for thousands of kids if they are elected this fall. The Progressive Conservative government’s new funding model for public schools will mean millions of dollars more in cuts to classrooms. Under the new model, the PCs would cut $11 million from Seven Oaks School Division, $10 million from Louis Riel School Division, $8.5 million from St. James-Assiniboia School Division, $4.5 million from Pembina Trails School Division, and over $2 million from Winnipeg School Division. These cuts mean fewer teachers and EAs, more students crammed into classrooms, and less support for parents and families.

The PCs can’t be trusted on education. Instead of investing in our schools, they’re handing out cheques to hugely successful out-of-province companies like Loblaws, which have been making your groceries more expensive. And Manitobans still remember Bill 64, the PC’s failed education bill which would have consolidated school divisions in our province under one centralized authority. Fortunately, Manitobans said no to Bill 64, and together we were able to stop it from passing.

The Manitoba HIV Program Report shows that the number of people living with HIV in the province grew from 111 to 169, or 52 per cent, between 2018 and 2021. This alarming rise in HIV rates in Manitoba is an issue that demands immediate attention and action. The government’s inaction, however, has only exacerbated the situation, leading to severe consequences for individuals, our communities, and the health-care system as a whole.

Despite clear evidence of escalating HIV transmission rates, the government has failed to implement comprehensive prevention and education programs. This lack of action has perpetuated misinformation, stigma, and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS, hindering efforts to promote awareness and encourage safe practices. Rising HIV rates and record-breaking overdoses year after year have still not been enough for this government to take action or implement supervised consumption sites. By neglecting the urgent need for robust healthcare services, accessible testing, and harm reduction strategies, the government has allowed the rates of transmission to skyrocket.

Furthermore, the insufficient funding allocated to HIV/AIDS initiatives in Manitoba has severely affected organizations who are working tirelessly to combat the crisis, all combined with the years that the government had spent damaging our health-care system leading to catastrophe in the pandemic. This lack of support has disrupted the availability of essential services, such as counselling, treatment, and support networks, leaving individuals living with HIV vulnerable and isolated.

The government’s failure to prioritize the fight against HIV is a disregard for the health and well-being of its citizens. Urgent measures must be taken to reverse this trend, including increased funding for prevention programs, harm-reduction efforts including supervised consumption sites, widespread outreach and comprehensive health education in schools.

Working people deserve to have a political party that stands up for their interests.

The super-rich do not make most of their money from a salary. They make it by charging rent on what they own, whether they own houses, tools, mining rights, factories or something else.

What they own and the wealth they get from owning it gives them power and access to influential decision makers. No individual worker, whether they make 30, 60 or even $100,000 a year, can contest that power.

But when we stand together, we can take back control of our economy and our lives, ensuring that the wealth we create as workers is distributed fairly and reinvested in our communities instead of being siphoned off into tax havens for the benefit of a small, yacht-obsessed elite.