View from the legislature - July 30
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- Published on Thursday, July 30, 2015
By Leanne Rowat
Riding Mountain MLA
Another session of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly wrapped up on June 30, but not to the benefit of Manitobans. The session that started with the budget address on April 30 was the shortest spring session since the last election. The government chose to sit only 35 days compared to the longest session sitting 90 days in 2013.
This NDP government was selective in its support of the private members’ bills that the Progressive Conservative caucus introduced this session. They rejected the following that would have positively affected Manitobans: The Seniors’ Rights and Elder Abuse Protection Act, The Cyberbullying Prevention Act, the provision of an employer advocate through The Workers Compensation Ammendment and The Participation of Manitoba in the New West Partnership Act. It is clear that this government has stopped listening and supporting vulnerable groups of Manitobans, including our seniors and children.
During this session, I put focus onto the issues that are facing personal care homes in our communities. Each resident is supposed to be receiving 3.6 care hours per day and with current staff levels, that is not happening in many of our local care homes. In addition to staffing issues, these facilities are in need of some major repairs that are not being adequately addressed by the standards reviews that are completed by Prairie Mountain Health every two years. I was able to ask the health minister questions about these issues and will be continuing to follow up with her until the appropriate changes are made.
Many Manitobans are not surprised that Premier Greg Selinger is again ranked last among all Canadian premiers in job approval rating in a recent poll put out by Angus Reid Institute. His approval rating has fallen to 23 per cent — less than half of what it was in March 2012. With more and more controversies coming to light, it is becoming clear that this NDP government is doing whatever they see fit with little to no regard for taxpayers or proper procedure. In recent news, deputy premier Eric Robinson committed the government to pay $5 million for flood-fighting equipment without approval from the Treasury Board. This is unacceptable and Manitobans are tired of the NDP’s mismanagement and broken promises.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office in Russell at 204-773-3618 or 1-888-548-7499 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
