November 19, 2019
Province Presents Speech from the Throne to Move Manitoba Forward
– – –Focus on Greater Security, Opportunity and Prosperity for All Manitobans: Pallister
The Manitoba government set out its key priorities to move Manitoba forward with guaranteed tax relief, job growth, health-care investments, education reform, and climate action in the speech from the throne, Premier Brian Pallister announced today. Delivered by the Chief Justice Richard J.F. Chartier at the opening of the second session of the 42nd legislature, the speech from the throne is an ambitious agenda with over 100 initiatives and at least 20 new bills planned for introduction.
“Manitobans gave us a renewed mandate to keep moving our province forward and build on our first-term success in fixing the finances, repairing our services and rebuilding the economy,” said Pallister. “Today’s speech from the throne is our roadmap to build a new Manitoba where young people will stay and fulfil their dreams, where families and seniors will enjoy peace and security, and where entrepreneurs and risk takers will find opportunities to grow and prosper.”
The speech from the throne reaffirms both the government’s 100-Day Action Plan and the five-point Moving Manitoba Forward Guarantee that will provide lower taxes for families, create 40,000 new private-sector jobs, ensure better health care sooner, build new schools, and move ahead with the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan, the premier noted. The speech from the throne highlighted key commitments from those initiatives including:
• tax relief:
- introducing legislation that would begin the implementation of the 2020 Tax Rollback Guarantee that will put at least $2,020 back onto the kitchen tables of Manitoba families;
- eliminating the education portion of property taxes, with phase-out beginning the first year after the budget is balanced, and to be completed over a maximum of 10 years;
• job growth:
- continuing to lead the country in removing inter-provincial trade barriers;
- speeding up the permitting system at the regional and municipal levels that will boost new investments representing $5.1 billion per year;
- launching the Partners in Economic Growth (PEG) initiative with regional and sector partners with a focus on the province’s areas of economic strength including agriculture, aerospace and technology;
- improving procurement process across government entities including Crown corporations, agencies and boards;
- introducing The Public Services Act that would reflect more modern workplace standards and values;
- promoting job creation in the north with a new $20-million Manitoba Mineral Development Fund;
- working with First Nation communities to formalize new resource development agreements and develop new opportunities for northern tourism, and begin work to create a northern airports authority;
- introducing legislation that would eliminate Sunday and holiday shopping restrictions while preserving the right of municipalities to maintain retail hour restrictions in their communities if they so choose;
- increasing funding for tourism promotion by 25 per cent;
- working with the film and TV industry to boost production through an enhanced Manitoba Film and Video Tax Credit;
- increasing the highway construction budget to $400 million from $350 million over the next four years;
• health-care investments:
- implementing the provincial clinical and preventive services plan that will guide the investments made through the $2-billion Health Care Guarantee to provide better health care sooner;
- beginning the reconstruction of the St. Boniface Emergency Department, another important step in efforts to reduce wait times;
- working with Shared Health and the regional health authorities to create 200 new nursing positions by 2023;
- establishing the $40-million Front-line Idea Fund for health-care workers to support innovative solutions to streamline and improve patient care, with successful applicants announced in 2020;
- launching the $3.4-million women’s health initiative including developing a framework to allow pharmacists to write prescription for uncomplicated urinary tract infections;
• education reform:
- constructing 13 new schools over the next 10 years in addition to the seven schools already committed including an additional 1,510 school-based child-care spaces to be added as part of the 20 New Schools Guarantee;
- launching the $25-million Teachers’ Idea Fund to support innovative solutions brought forward to streamline operations by teachers, and improve educational outcomes across the province, with successful applicants announced in 2020;
- undertaking a mandate review of the Department of Education to prepare to implement reforms recommended by the Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 review;
• climate action:
- continuing to implement the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan;
- exploring the electrification of Manitoba’s transportation infrastructure which will further reduce Manitoba’s carbon footprint;
- introducing new bio-fuel standards requirements;
- doubling the initial $52-million investment in the GROW trust to support landowners who wish to conserve temporary wetlands not protected by regulation;
- consulting with the private sector on the elimination of plastic bag use;
• Safer Streets, Safer Lives Action Plan:
- implementing the Safer Streets, Safer Lives Action Plan in order to crack down on drug dealers victimizing communities;
- implementing the recommendations of the Manitoba Police Commission to improve public safety in downtown Winnipeg;
- providing an additional $10 million for a comprehensive strategy that includes enforcement, increased co-ordination between police and business owners, and enhanced resources for the Public Safety Investigations Unit to bring drug dealers to justice;
- developing a cross-government hub of expertise to direct youth in trouble with the law to appropriate community programs and services including mental health and addictions;
- improving mental health and addictions services based on the recommendations made in the VIRGO report, and by the Illicit Drug Task Force and the Community Wellness and Public Safety Alliance; and
developing a modernized drug prevention curriculum.
Additionally, the government intends to:
• finalize Operation Return Home for the people of the Lake St. Martin First Nation who have been separated from their traditional lands for too long, and
• work with the federal government to complete the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel.
In 2020, Manitoba will be celebrating its 150th anniversary as province, the premier added. With ‘United in Celebration’ as the theme of the birthday, the province is inviting all Canadians to join with Manitoba in celebrating its past, present and future.
“For a century and a half, Manitoba has been the home of hope, a place where people from all over the world come to build a life that is free, and full of hopes and dreams,” said Pallister. “That is why our government will introduce a resolution that will affirm Manitoba’s commitment to freedom of conscience and religion for our public servants.”
To read the speech from the throne, visit https://www.gov.mb.ca/thronespeech.
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