View From the Legislature

On Monday September 20th, Canadians went to the polls to elect a federal government after little more than a month of campaigning by candidates. From the outset, many Canadians questioned why there was an election at all. Not only are most provinces still struggling with the pandemic, some deep into the fourth wave, but the Parliament as it existed before was continuing to work, with key monetary matters finding support through the House of Commons and the Senate.

Regardless of the wisdom of the timing of the election, when it was over, the composition of the new Parliament looked remarkably like the composition of the one before the election. The Liberal Party of Canada was again returned with a minority government with the Conservative Party of Canada again forming the official opposition. While it is generally good to see Canadians weigh in democratically on the decisions of the day, the outcome of the election just further added to questions about its timing.

However, with the election over, it is time to refocus on issues that are important to Manitobans and that require federal government support. On Wednesday of last week, I joined a call with Premiers from across the country. On that call we renewed our commitment to get a long-term fair cost sharing agreement when it comes to healthcare with the federal government. We have seen the need for this national support as Canadian provinces have gone from being responsible for 50% of the cost of healthcare at the outset of Medicare, to more than 80% in some provinces today.

Following the call with Canadian premiers, I spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday morning of last week. During the call, I reiterated the priority of Canadian Premiers of the need for a dedicated meeting between the Prime Minister and Premiers on healthcare funding. Canadian Premiers are asking for this meeting to happen as soon as possible and certainly before the end of the year.

Also on the call, I indicated that infrastructure remains a priority for Manitobans. Manitoba has appreciated partnering with the federal government on a number of infrastructure programs including the event centre for Steinbach which was announced prior to the federal campaign. However, there are a number of other projects in Manitoba that are in need of support and partnership with the federal government, and we are seeking both engagement and flexibility when it comes to these projects.

The federal election didn’t offer much in the way of change when it comes to the composition of our federal Parliament, nor has it changed the priority issues for Canadians and most provinces. Regardless, we will continue to work with the federal government on matters that are a priority for Manitoba and for provinces collectively.