View From the Legislature

With inflation reaching well above 5 per cent over the past several months in Canada, and gas and food costs continuing to go higher, the rising cost of living has quickly become a major issue for Canadians. After years of very low inflation and only occasional spikes in the core cost of fuel and food, the past few months have been particularly difficult for consumers.

Even before sanctions against Russia were imposed for their unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, supply chains had been disrupted and costs were increasing. Adding to these cost pressures are other factors, such as another increase to the federal Liberal governments carbon tax scheduled for April. All of these factors lead experts to predict that costs of fuel and food are not likely to come down quickly. This is one of the reasons that the Manitoba government, together with Alberta and Saskatchewan, have asked the federal Liberal government to not proceed with the scheduled increase to the carbon tax on gas in April. Now is simply not the time to add these additional costs of gas and transportation to the household bills of Canadians.

Affordability will also be a key theme in the upcoming provincial budget. It was announced this past week that the provincial budget for 2022/2023 will be unveiled on April 12th at the Manitoba Legislature. The budget comes at a critical time for Manitoba as it focuses on affordability, economic growth and strengthening healthcare following two years that have tested each of these areas.

The importance of this budget may have been part of the reason that so many Manitobans participated in the annual prebudget consultations. This year, as a result of health restrictions that were in place prior to March, the majority of consultations happened virtually. Yet despite that, more than 51,000 Manitobans shared their opinions and priorities on the upcoming budget either through surveys, quick polls or telephone town halls.

The majority of those who responded expressed that their number one priority for the budget is healthcare. While healthcare is always top of mind, the strain that Canada and the world has seen placed on healthcare over the past two years has understandably given it even greater focus in the minds of Manitobans.

Every budget has a number of areas that need to be prioritized. This budget will have special attention focused on it as so many external and worldwide pressures are causing challenges. The input that Manitobans have provided is more important than ever in trying to find the right mix of measures to meet the needs that exist today while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.

Following the budget presentation, I look forward to sharing with you its highlights and projections for the coming year.