Standing up for our community

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/03/2022 (1677 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Now that we’ve headed back to the legislature for our spring sitting, I wanted to provide a brief overview of the key issues and concerns I’ll be fighting for in the months to come alongside my NDP colleagues.

Firstly and most importantly, we’re going to continue fighting for better quality healthcare services for Manitobans. Progressive Conservative cuts have pushed our health-care system to the brink, and Manitobans are facing a lot of additional challenges and hardships as a result. Over 160,000 people continue to wait to receive the tests and surgeries they need. Patients continue to be shipped hundreds of kilometres away from their homes to receive medical care. This is totally and completely unacceptable. Manitobans deserve better, and I’ll be working to hold the PC government to account for these and other health-care related failures we’ve seen.

As the official Opposition critic for Manitoba Hydro, I’ll also continue to be very focused on ensuring the PCs are prevented from unnecessarily raising hydro rates on Manitobans. In the last couple years, we’ve seen them attempt to pass legislation that would have eliminated independent oversight over hydro rate-setting (Bill 35), and we’ve also seen them increase hydro rates via legislation, the first time this has been done in provincial history. I will continue fighting to ensure energy rates are as affordable as possible and that they’re set through an independent process, not at the PC cabinet table.

Rising hydro rates are only one aspect of our growing affordability crisis in Manitoba. One issue of particular concern, especially for seniors and people on fixed incomes in our community, is that the PCs have allowed the costs of rental housing to skyrocket. That’s why I once again introduced Bill 218 – The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act which, if the PC government supports it, will help to ensure that above-guideline rent increases imposed upon Manitoba renters are fair and manageable.

In addition to the issues outlined above, my colleagues and I will also continue to advocate on a wide range of issues that are of importance to everyday Manitobans.

If you have any questions or concerns about my work in the Legislature, or if there is an issue of particular concern that you’d like to see raised in the house, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone at 204-792-8779, or email at adrien.sala@yourmanitoba.ca. I’m always grateful to connect with community members and look forward to hearing from you.