Manitoba has been the home of hope, a place where people from all over the world come to build a life that is free, and full of hopes and dreams

The Manitoba government set out its key priorities to move Manitoba forward with guaranteed tax relief, job growth, health-care investments, education reform, and climate action in the speech from the throne, Premier Brian Pallister announced today.  Delivered by the Chief Justice Richard J.F. Chartier at the opening of the second session of the 42nd legislature, the speech from the throne is an ambitious agenda with over 100 initiatives and at least 20 new bills planned for introduction.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister

“Manitobans gave us a renewed mandate to keep moving our province forward and build on our first-term success in fixing the finances, repairing our services and rebuilding the economy,” said Pallister.  “Today’s speech from the throne is our roadmap to build a new Manitoba where young people will stay and fulfil their dreams, where families and seniors will enjoy peace and security, and where entrepreneurs and risk takers will find opportunities to grow and prosper.”

The speech from the throne reaffirms both the government’s 100-Day Action Plan and the five-point Moving Manitoba Forward Guarantee that will provide lower taxes for families, create 40,000 new private-sector jobs, ensure better health care sooner, build new schools, and move ahead with the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan, the premier noted.  

The speech from the throne highlighted key commitments from those initiatives including:

• tax relief including introducing legislation that would begin the implementation of the 2020 Tax Rollback Guarantee ... and eliminating the education portion of property taxes, with phase-out beginning the first year after the budget is balanced, and to be completed over a maximum of 10 years; 
• job growth
• health-care investments including implementing the provincial clinical and preventive services plan that will guide the investments made through the $2-billion Health Care Guarantee to provide better health care sooner 
• education reform including the construction of 13 new schools over the next 10 years in addition to the seven schools already committed, with an additional 1,510 school-based child-care spaces to be added as part of the 20 New Schools Guarantee
• climate action which will include the province continuing to implement the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan
• Safer Streets, Safer Lives Action Plan in order to crack down on drug dealers victimizing communities ... implementing the recommendations of the Manitoba Police Commission to improve public safety in downtown Winnipeg ... providing an additional $10 million for a comprehensive strategy that includes enforcement, increased co-ordination between police and business owners, and enhanced resources for the Public Safety Investigations Unit to bring drug dealers to justice

Additionally, the government intends to finalize Operation Return Home for the people of the Lake St. Martin First Nation who have been separated from their traditional lands for too long, and to work with the federal government to complete the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel.

In 2020, Manitoba will be celebrating its 150th anniversary as province, Premier Brian Pallister added.  With ‘United in Celebration’ as the theme of the birthday, the province is inviting all Canadians to join with Manitoba in celebrating its past, present and future”.

“For a century and a half, Manitoba has been the home of hope, a place where people from all over the world come to build a life that is free, and full of hopes and dreams,” said Pallister. “That is why our government will introduce a resolution that will affirm Manitoba’s commitment to freedom of conscience and religion for our public servants.”

To read the speech from the throne, visit http://gov.mb.ca/thronespeech.