Plenty achieved in short legislature session
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/11/2021 (567 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Although many of us are returning to a near-normal life thanks to vaccinations, Manitobans continue to struggle with changed circumstances and uncertainty, owing to the pandemic.
However, during the toughest months of the pandemic, the Progressive Conservative government made things even harder through health-care cuts, wage freezes, interference in bargaining, and the looming threat to the public education system through Bill 64.
We returned to the legislature in the fall, and I’m so glad to report that the government withdrew Bill 64, along with the four other bad bills the Manitoba NDP delayed last spring. The government’s withdrawal of these bills is a direct result of citizen action. Bill 64 was defeated because of your front-lawn signs, participation in town halls, and emails and letters to government.
Later in the session, I voted against the budget implementation bill that cut funding for health care and other government services. I also had the chance to speak out on behalf of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association. Government interference in bargaining impacts recruitment and retention of staff, which has a real and negative impact on students’ education.
As the critic on environment and climate, I continue to hold the PC government to account on how their inaction on climate change is contributing to wildfires and showed that the government has sent almost $600,000 of Manitobans’ money to a Texas-based company for processing fees for park passes and hunting and fishing licenses.
Finally, I was proud to introduce a resolution to urge the PC government to address the growing surgical backlog in our health-care system. The numbers are truly staggering. A recent report from Doctors Manitoba estimates that there have been more than 110,000 surgical and diagnostic procedures delayed since the beginning of the pandemic.
Manitobans have died while awaiting surgery and many are living with chronic conditions that greatly limit their mobility and quality of life. Other provinces have taken effective steps to address their own backlogs, but this PC government has refused to do so.
While they announced $50 million to address the backlog, they’ve spent less than five per cent of that five months later while Manitobans continue to wait for life-saving and life-enhancing surgeries.
Are you or one of your loved ones currently facing a delay for a surgery?
I want to hear about it. Call my office at 204-792-2773 or email me at lisa.naylor@yourmanitoba.ca
Lisa Naylor
Wolseley constituency report
Lisa Naylor is the NDP MLA for Wolseley.