Wrapping up the fall session

The holidays are approaching, and I know that issues such as health care, affordability, and community safety are on your mind this season.

The Manitoba Legislature has just wrapped up its fall sitting. The Manitoba NDP spent the fall advocating for the issues that people in Wolseley and across Manitoba care about, as well as fighting back against the government’s attempts to make life more difficult and expensive. Unfortunately, the government’s decisions have been making things harder for Manitobans. We saw this in its recent throne speech, which laid out its plan for the next year.

The throne speech made one thing very clear – the Stefanson government is just like the Pallister government. The speech didn’t deliver on the things Manitobans care about and won’t fix the Progressive Conservatives’ poor record. They have failed to take any action on climate change, failed to address the cost-of-living crisis or act on the housing and poverty crisis. There was no mention of implementing a reconciliation strategy, improving adult education, or freezing Hydro rates.

But the most concerning part was the government’s attempts to privatize health care. Everyone in Manitoba knows about the crisis in our health-care system. And we know that the Pallister and Stefanson governments have repeatedly cut funding to health care, which has made the crisis even worse. But instead of investing in our public health-care system like Manitobans need, the PCs are now looking to send even more money to for-profit, private health corporations.

Private health is not the solution we need to fix the mess the PCs created. Manitobans know that. Health-care professionals know that. And the Manitoba NDP knows that. But the PCs are narrowly focused on private benefits from our public system. It’s the wrong approach.

Another issue the throne speech failed on is public safety. This government cut funding to address this issue including cuts to restorative justice programming, employment training and the Elizabeth Fry Society and John Howard Society. They also cut special police units in the Integrated Organized Crime task force and Manitoba Warrant task force. This government isn’t serious about addressing the root causes of crime, such as poverty, addictions, and homelessness.

The Manitoba NDP has a different approach, and that’s why this fall we committed to ending chronic homelessness within two terms of forming government.

I want to hear about the issues on your mind this season. You can contact my office at lisa.naylor@yourmanitoba.ca or 204-792-2773.

Lisa Naylor
Wolseley constituency report

Lisa Naylor is the NDP MLA for Wolseley.

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