Proud to represent the Waverley community

Waverley

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2023 (673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

My heart is full of gratitude as last month I had the honour of being sworn in as the member of the Legislative Assembly for Waverley. Since then, I have been hard at work building connections with organizations across our constituency and strengthening relationships with folks from all our diverse communities. And, of course, spending time with family after a long campaign.

Thank you to my fellow candidates, Jon, Manjit, and Uche. Our shared appreciation for Waverley was evident throughout all our campaigns. I hope we can continue to collaborate to address issues affecting the community. I also wanted to thank all the volunteers who helped with our campaign, as well as those who were politically engaged alongside my fellow running mates. Finally, I thank the people of Waverley for their critical and thoughtful engagement at the polls. I am proud to represent this community, and ready to work at building up health care, education, and child-care seats for parents in Waverley. One particularly important partner in this work has been the Manitoba Islamic Association.

For over half a century, the Manitoba Islamic Association (MIA) has worked to connect Muslim communities across our province in worship, fellowship, and advocacy. The Winnipeg Grand Mosque and MIA community centre have been pillars of Waverley for many years, maintaining a recreation centre, kitchen, and other amenities for community members. They also provide educational resources such as Arabic classes, resources on Islamophobia, and intercultural research, all of which reveal the intricate links between Manitoban and Muslim culture and history.

Delivering high-quality education in culturally safe spaces is incredibly important work. Manitoba’s multicultural community requires that inclusive culturally safe environments are available for everyone. Our government acknowledges that improving access to education and childcare for all will require collaboration between the province and the local organizations who are already putting in the work.

I thank the MIA and the entire Muslim community in Manitoba for their tireless contributions and enriching presence in our province and our lives.

You can reach out to my office by emailing me at david.pankratz@yourmanitoba.ca