Our government’s recently announced provincial and federal joint funding agreement of $63 million to bring high-speed Internet access to residents of northern, rural and remote Manitoba communities will lift limits, alter prospects and transform lives. This is just one example of more than 150 projects in which our provincial government and the federal government have worked together to improve the lives of Manitobans.
Many more such collaborative projects will unfold in the future, arising from federal-provincial agreements in areas such as housing, early learning and child care, workforce development, Indigenous initiatives and infrastructure investments. But our government’s responsibility is to represent the best interests of Manitobans. So when Manitobans are not well-served by a federal government policy or approach, we will speak up for them.
Three key issues for which this approach has been absolutely necessary are the federal carbon tax, federal business tax changes and federal health-care expenditures. On the latter issue, we have been clear in opposing the federal government’s reduction to annual increases in health spending - a reduction that will cost Manitoba more than $2 billion over 10 years, and at a time when our residents’ health needs are increasing.
Manitoba’s provincial Liberals, who held a town-hall meeting on health care in Thompson this week, need to explain to northerners why they support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to cut annual increases in health-care transfers to our province.
Our Manitoba government will continue working in partnership with Ottawa, while continuing to take action to protect Manitoba’s interests and to make our province stronger.
