As the end of August draws nearer, I wanted to give you all a brief update of what I have been doing this summer, as well as the issues that will be important for the North this fall.
I am currently in the middle of my summer tour, visiting seventeen different communities. I started in the northern parts of our constituency and have been making my way south into the Interlake region. I’ve been having a wonderful time reconnecting with people who I haven’t been able to see during the pandemic, building new relationships, and hearing about the issues that are important to you.
In The Pas – Kameesak constituency, parents want their kids to be safe at school this fall. My NDP colleagues and I have been talking to parents, educators, and public health experts about what our schools need this September.
While the government was silent, we put forward a 5-point plan to protect our kids. We called on the province to upgrade ventilation systems in every school, set up in-school vaccine clinics that make it easier for families and staff to get vaccinated, create smaller class sizes by hiring more teachers, EAs and other support staff, increase mental health supports for kids and staff, and implement paid sick leave so families can afford to stay home when their kids are sick.
Instead, the PC government has eliminated the mask mandate in schools. It just doesn’t make sense. I know many Northern families are disappointed that the PCs would choose politics over the safety of our kids. Kids deserve to be safe, parents and teachers need consistency and support, and Manitobans need a government that looks out for their families.
The PCs priorities are out of touch with Manitobans. Instead of making classrooms safe for September, they’re focused on their own internal conflict and wasting money to promote Bill 64. Now that the Premier has announced his intentions to step down, the rest of the PC Caucus need to make it clear they don’t side with Pallister by withdrawing his five most controversial bills, including Bill 64. Bill 64 would irreparably damage local democracy in education – making it harder for our children to have the supports they need to succeed.
We have called on the PCs to abandon Pallister’s legislative agenda and move forward in a way that benefits all Manitobans. Their actions in the months to come will be telling. If they stand by these bills, they are saying loud and clear that any potential leader from within the PC Caucus will be no different than Brian Pallister.
The past five years have been damaging to Manitobans, with cuts to everything from healthcare to education, to raising hydro rates multiple times for families. The PCs have repeatedly failed our communities when they needed help the most. Now they have a chance to do better for Manitobans by tossing out Pallister’s agenda and getting to work on making sure kids and educators can go back to school safely this fall.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my office anytime at Amanda.lathlin@yourmanitoba.ca or 1-204-623-2034. Kinanaskomitin.
