The Honourable Anita Neville, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, opened the second session of Manitoba’s 43rd Legislature in Winnipeg yesterday with Premier Wab Kinew’s second Speech from the Throne.
While Throne Speeches often contain more promises than details, this speech provided an opportunity for the New Democratic Party (NDP) government to highlight its accomplishments one year into its mandate and hint at future plans. Manitobans awoke yesterday to the headline announcement of a hydro rate freeze, leaked to the Winnipeg Free Press, a tactic that many governments utilize to ensure public attention.
Entitled “Reasons to Hope”, yesterday’s speech focused on Premier Kinew’s consistent themes of affordability, health care, Indigenous reconciliation and safety. It also introduced the commitment of “Honouring our past while giving hope to our future,” referencing a new mother and child bison statue to be built outside the Legislative Building to honour veterans and other Manitoba heroes.
Premier Kinew’s highlighted “Reasons to Hope” include:
- Making Progress on Health Care
- Lowering Your Bills
- Growing the Economy with Good Jobs
- Making our Downtowns and Neighbourhoods Safer
- Giving Kids the Freedom to be Kids
- Protecting our Environment
- Protecting Freedom and Democracy
- Leave No One Behind
- Moving Forward as One Manitoba
The Throne Speech followed last week’s announcement of an expanded Cabinet under the theme of “Toward a Hopeful Future,” which added three new Ministers and created two new departments, along with a shuffle of related Deputy Ministers. The changes included the following:
- Mike Moroz (MLA for River Heights), Minister for the new Department of Innovation and New Technology (MINT);
- Mintu Sandhu (MLA for The Maples), new Minister of Public Service Delivery
- Nellie Kennedy (MLA for Assiniboia), new Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism;
- Jamie Moses (MLA for St. Vital) – Minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation;
- Ian Bushie (MLA for Keewatinook) – Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures;
- Glen Simard (MLA for Brandon East) – Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations, Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, and the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation; and
- Lisa Naylor (MLA for Wolseley) – Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Related Links
Here to Help
For more information and insights about what these developments mean for the political landscape in Manitoba, please reach out to our experts:
Tara Bingham – Senior Strategy Advisor
tara@prairieskystrategy.ca
204.390.7760
To learn more about Prairie Sky Strategy, please visit our website.
