View From the Legislature

While a great deal of time is often consumed in politics talking about the things that divide us, often overlooked and perhaps undervalued are the things that unite us.

In the Canadian parliamentary system, the beginning of a new session is marked with what is known as a government Speech from the Throne.

Since the federal Liberal government announced that it intended to legalize marijuana (cannabis) in Canada, all provinces have been dealing with the many challenges of implementing the federal legislation in a way that is safe.

Every November 11th Canadians are encouraged to pause and to remember. They are asked to remember those that have served Canada and to do so with gratitude for the many freedoms and opportunities that sacrifice has given us as Canadians.

On Thursday of last week, Chief Justice Richard Chartier was presented with the first poppy of this year’s annual poppy fundraising drive.

On Wednesday of last week, a new provincial Cabinet was sworn in at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg. I was honoured to be asked to continue to serve as the Minister of K-12 Education as well as the Government House Leader in this new Cabinet.

While most of us know the impact of what our personal credit rating has on our ability to borrow, we don’t always pay as much attention to the credit rating of our government.

For too long, many local residents who have needed personal care home support have had to move to communities far from Steinbach. For a city that is the third largest in Manitoba, this simply wasn’t an acceptable situation.

This past Thanksgiving weekend is one that many Manitobans will no doubt remember for the rest of their lives.

Many Canadian youth grow up with the dream of playing in the National Hockey League. Few of us actually achieve that dream and instead are left to cheer on those that do.