View From the Legislature

The southeast region is known as a growing region with a strong economy. This has been a longstanding reputation as, for many years, people have recognized the communities of the region as great places to live, invest and raise their families.

This past week Statistics Canada reported that Canada’s inflation rate for July was at a stubbornly high 3.3 per cent.

It doesn’t take much to see that Manitoba has become a welcoming place for people from around the world. This is true in Steinbach and the surrounding area which has, for many years, seen families come from abroad to start a new life in Canada.

This past week several local community projects in the Steinbach constituency and across southeast Manitoba received support from two provincial financial programs.

Last week I was in Ste. Anne in my role as Minister of Justice to announce new police funding for municipal policing agencies across the province.

Last week I was once again honoured to co-chair the Midwest Canada-U.S. Relations Committee, a role I have held for the past several years.

Communities can deal with a variety of challenges at different times in their history. By far the most difficult challenge is when a community is losing residents and subsequently businesses or services.

Last weekend across Canada, millions of people gathered in parks and pavilions to celebrate Canada Day. In Manitoba and Steinbach, many events were held on a hot summer weekend to mark the 156th year of Canada as a nation.

Over the past few days as I was walking out of the Manitoba Legislative building, I saw a sight that has become common around this time of the year.

Last Thursday morning in my role as Minister of Justice, I was in Gimli to celebrate the opening of the new RCMP detachment in that community.