Speech from the Throne

(Winnipeg Sun November 19/19)

Highlights of some promises made:

• Increase funding for tourism promotion by 25%.
• Increase the highway construction budget from $350 million to $400 million over the next four years.
• Ask the federal government to accelerate the Lake Manitoba flood outlet process, given current high water levels.
• Finalize a “balanced scoreboard” reporting process to measure the progress of government departments.
• Conduct an inventory of land and property owned by government that is no longer required.
• Replace the Civil Service Act with a Public Service Act.
• Immediately begin the promised reconstruction of the St. Boniface Hospital emergency department.
• Launch a planned $3.4-million women’s health initiative with supports for those who experienced childhood sexual abuse, were sexually exploited as girls or suffer from eating disorders.
• Establish a four-year bachelor of midwifery program at the University of Manitoba.
• Begin work towards allowing pharmacists to write prescriptions for uncomplicated urinary tract infections, removing the need for a doctor’s visit.
• Begin engagement on restorative justice programs that allow young offenders to obtain job skills.
• Introduce a modernized drug prevention curriculum in schools next year.
• Amend employment codes to allow protected leave for sexual violence survivors, including 10 ad hoc days and up to 17 weeks “to obtain victims’ services, seek legal assistance or relocate.”
• Expand private-sector investment to increase the number of child-care spaces.
• Establish a “Municipal Audit and Accountability Program” to provide third party, value-for-money audits for municipalities.
• Introduce legislation to exempt all veterans’ organizations from municipal property taxes.
• Introduce a $25-million energy efficiency retrofit program for existing homes and buildings.
• Begin previously announced consultations on eliminating single-use plastic bags.
• Increase enforcement against illegal night hunting and add eight more conservation officers.
• Introduce legislation that allows restaurants to deliver wine directly to customers.
• Introduce new rules to exempt craft distillers, cideries and brewers from markups for products they make and sell on-site.
• Work to eliminate Sunday and holiday shopping restrictions, though municipalities could still impose their own limits.