Trail Talking

I would like to discuss our health-care system and how it’s taken a turn for the worse since the NDP were elected. Many of you have heard the tragic death of Chad Giffin, who passed away after waiting eight hours at the Health Sciences Centre. A few months earlier, Roseanne Milburn, a Canadian Forces veteran, had her leg amputated because she was left waiting in a hospital with an open wound for eight days straight.

In addition to extreme cases like these, my fellow MLAs and I continue to hear from constituents about increasing wait times and mismanagement in our health-care system. Unfortunately, it seems like the NDP are more concerned with themselves and their popularity over making real progress. Just this month, the NDP government is spending taxpayer dollars on an ad campaign congratulating themselves on health care – money that should be going to tangible improvements. Not to mention, on the same day as Ms. Milburn’s amputation, NDP health minister Uzoma Asagwara posted a video online doing a TikTok dance in the ministerial office. It’s time for the NDP to take their job seriously.

In addition to that, MPI will be raising your insurance rates by 5.7% on April 1st due to NDP mismanagement, costing Manitobans more money than whatever they supposedly “saved” with the temporary gas tax pause. To make matters worse, annual driver’s license fees have also been increased by $10 – the first hike in over 30 years. Manitobans are simply being let down by Wab Kinew, who still has not introduced an actual affordability plan to help Manitobans address the cost-of-living crisis.

As our provincial government, the NDP are supposed to be working towards bettering the lives of Manitobans, not creating more hardships. I am disappointed to see that it has gone that way, but I want to assure you all that as your MLA, I will continue to stand up for the constituents of Dawson Trail, making sure that your voices and concerns are being heard.

Putting politics aside, I would like to acknowledge the loss of Minister Nello Altomare, who proudly served the constituency of Transcona for five years while battling cancer. It has been an honour to call him a colleague, and I hope the Dawson Trail community will join me in wishing his loved ones strength during this difficult time.