Manitoba Hansard — 22 April 2026 (Sitting 46, 43rd Legislature, 3rd Session)

43-3-46

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Third Session – Forty-Third Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Tom Lindsey Speaker Vol. LXXX No. 46 – 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2026 ISSN 0542-5492

MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-Third Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ASAGWARA, Uzoma, Hon. Union Station NDP BALCAEN, Wayne Brandon West PC BEREZA, Jeff Portage la Prairie PC BLASHKO, Tyler Lagimodière NDP BRAR, Diljeet Burrows NDP BUSHIE, Ian, Hon. Keewatinook NDP BYRAM, Jodie Agassiz PC CABLE, Renée, Hon. Southdale NDP CHEN, Jennifer Fort Richmond NDP COMPTON, Carla Tuxedo NDP COOK, Kathleen Roblin PC CORBETT, Shannon Transcona NDP CROSS, Billie Seine River NDP DELA CRUZ, Jelynn Radisson NDP DEVGAN, JD McPhillips NDP EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FONTAINE, Nahanni, Hon. St.

Johns NDP GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach PC GUENTER, Josh Borderland PC HIEBERT, Carrie Morden-Winkler PC JOHNSON, Derek Interlake-Gimli PC KENNEDY, Nellie, Hon. Assiniboia NDP KHAN, Obby Fort Whyte PC KINEW, Wab, Hon. Fort Rouge NDP KING, Trevor Lakeside PC KOSTYSHYN, Ron, Hon. Dauphin NDP LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail Ind. LAMOUREUX, Cindy Tyndall Park Lib. LINDSEY, Tom, Hon. Flin Flon NDP LOISELLE, Robert St. Boniface NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Malaya, Hon. Notre Dame NDP MOROZ, Mike, Hon. River Heights NDP MOSES, Jamie, Hon. St. Vital NDP MOYES, Mike, Hon.

Riel NDP NARTH, Konrad La Vérendrye PC NAYLOR, Lisa, Hon. Wolseley NDP NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC OXENHAM, Logan Kirkfield Park NDP PANKRATZ, David Waverley NDP PERCHOTTE, Richard Selkirk PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Turtle Mountain PC REDHEAD, Eric Thompson NDP ROBBINS, Colleen Spruce Woods PC SALA, Adrien, Hon. St. James NDP SANDHU, Mintu, Hon. The Maples NDP SCHMIDT, Tracy, Hon. Rossmere NDP SCHOTT, Rachelle Kildonan-River East NDP SCHULER, Ron Springfield-Ritchot PC SIMARD, Glen, Hon. Brandon East NDP SMITH, Bernadette, Hon. Point Douglas NDP STONE, Lauren Midland PC WASYLIW, Mark Fort Garry Ind.

WHARTON, Jeff Red River North PC WIEBE, Matt, Hon. Concordia NDP WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC Vacant The Pas-Kameesak

1507 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Wednesday, April 22, 2026 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): It is my duty to inform the House that the Speaker is unavoidably absent. There- fore, in accordance with the statutes, I would ask the honourable Deputy Speaker to please take the Chair. The Deputy Speaker (Tyler Blashko): O Eternal and Almighty God, from all–from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as they may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province.

Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only tha t which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen. We acknowledge we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory and that Manitoba is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk nations. We acknowledge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit. We respect the spirit and intent of treaties and treaty making and remain committed to working in partner- ship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration. Please be seated. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS The Deputy Speaker: Introduction of bills? Commit- tee reports? Tabling of reports? MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Spring Flood Update Hon.

Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure): I rise today to give an update to the House on the flood outlook for Manitoba. As members have already seen in the media, the Fisher River basin is very likely to have a significant flood this season, particularly affecting the com - munities of Peguis First Nation, Fisher River Cree Nation and communities in the rural municipality of Fisher. Elevated flood risk in the Icelandic River basin could affect towns like Arborg and Riverton, and low- lying lands in the Parkland region could experience high water levels as well.

The additional precipitation forecast to begin tonight could make the situation more severe. Manitoba is very fortunate to have the hydro- logical forecast centre within my department of Transportation and Infrastructure. These hard-working civil servants on that team, as well as across the whole department, have been working in lockstep with com- munities to secure sandbags, super sandbags, heavy equipment, planning, technical engineering support and design for clay diking as well as labour to protect homes and critical community infrastructure.

Staff have also been working with communities to improve critical roads and establish emergency detours. I want to thank all of the volunteers in Manitoba who have shown up to support their fellow Manitobans. Every day, for over a week, there have been hundreds of provincial, federal and municipal staff and volunteers who've travelled to Peguis to sup- port the community. The Premier (Mr. Kinew) and myself and the minis- ter of natural resources and Indigenous services have been up in Peguis through out the past week.

I also had the oppor tunity to meet with the chief in Fisher River, and it's really important that we've been able to connect and work closely with the chiefs in those nations that are taking the lead on these flood mitigation efforts. I also want to extend my gratitude to my federal counterpart, Eleanor Olszewski, who is the Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, for her attentiveness to these issues and the support that's come from the federal government. Manitoba's private contracting industry has also been assisting with preparedness efforts.

It has truly been a one Manitoba response to prepare for flooding and prevent devastating damage to homes, waste water treatment plants and arenas. For a quick snapshot of the situation in Fisher River Cree Nation and Peguis First Nation, our government provided over 800,000 sandbags and

1508 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 23,000 super sandbags to prevent–to protect assets, as well as heavy equipment and sandbag machinery. The runoff and weather events we have experi - enced for the last few weeks have also had an impact on the Parkland region: Vermilion River, Swan River and the Assiniboine River. This winter saw a sig - nificant amount of snow in the region, and this weekend's expected storm will increase the risk of overland flooding. If there is one thing Manitobans know how to contend with, it's flooding.

We collectively have a lot of experience, and our emergency management team is in regular contact with the regions potentially affected. Staff are currently out steaming culverts and breaking up ice to allow for water to flow. Thank you for your time –for this time, honour - able Speaker. Mr. Josh Guenter (Borderland): I just want to thank the minister opposite for the flood update. We cer - tainly appreciate being kept apprised of the govern- ment's efforts. And I also want to thank all those in the department, everyone involved in preparing Manitoba's flood response.

As a member representing the constituency of Borderland, which is often an epicentre of flooding being along the Red River, you know, I know the importance of this issue in this upcoming season, flooding season, where we're anticipating runoff and rising water levels and the challenges and dangers that that presents. So, again, I want to thank the minister and every- one in her department involved in the response this year. Thank you. Earth Day Hon.

Mike Moyes (Minister of Environment and Climate Change): I rise today to proudly say happy Earth Day and to honour the many Manitobans who dedicate their time, expertise and passion to protecting the environment. Across our province, environmental organiza - tions, educators, community leaders and innovators are doing the essential work of supporting wildlife and habitats, teaching families how to grow food, advancing climate resilience and building a cleaner economy through new technologies. Their efforts strengthen our communities, our health and our shared future.

Environmental stewardship is not work that can be done alone. Whether we're talking about clean energy, nature and water protection or preparing communities for extreme weather, these issues touch every part of our society and economy. I want to acknowledge the many partners –municipalities, Indigenous Nations, non-profits, businesses and young people–who lead this work. I would like to share several important milestones from the last year. Last June, our government and Efficiency Manitoba launched the Affordable Home Energy Program, with a goal of supporting thousands of families in installing heat pumps.

I'm pleased to report that 800 families have already installed geo - thermal heat pumps, with many more adopting air source heat pumps, reducing energy bills. This also strengthens our electricity grid and helps families stay comfortable year-round. * (13:40) I also want to recognize Efficiency Manitoba for being the only jurisdiction in Canada delivering on the federal Greener Homes Affordability Program to directly benefit residents right here at home. In October, we released Manitoba's Path to Net Zero, a broad road map that touches every sector of our society and economy.

Work is well under way on the first set of action plans that will make this path tangible and demonstrate clear leadership at a tim e when climate action is most urgent. The path is designed so that all Manitobans–businesses, students, Indigenous Nations, communities and NGOs–can see themselves in the work ahead, and we've heard this reflected back to us since its launch. Last month, as part of Budget 2026, we announced support for municipalities to make public transit free for students across Manitoba.

This will make the climate-friendly choice easier while reducing barriers for students getting to school and getting around and also help build a new generation of public transit riders. This initiative builds on the work of Manitoba's first climate educator-in-residence, who has been sup- porting curriculum development and helping integrate climate action into classrooms across our great province.

And just last week, the four First Nations of the Seal River Watershed Alliance, Parks Canada and our government shared with the world the formal proposal to protect nearly 7 per cent of Manitoba as the prov- ince's first Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1509 This proposal represents what is poised to become the single largest protected area in Manitoba, combining the largest prov incial protected area with the largest national protected area in our province. I want to acknowledge the years of dedication and co llabora- tion that have brought us to this historic moment. Today, I am also pleased to highlight new invest- ments in organizations that help Manitobans make informed climate choices and build resilient commu - nities.

ClimateWest will receive $170,000 over three – over the next three years to support climate resilience and adaptation across the Prairie provinces. The University of Winnipeg's Prairie Climate Centre will receive $200,000 to advance climate education and ensure Manitobans have access to the data and tools that they need. And Eco- West's Southeast Regional Transit initiative will receive $400,000 to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure and develop a low-carbon mobility option for approximately 80,000 residents in southeastern Manitoba.

I want to congratulate these organizations for their leadership and thank all those working behind the scenes to make this progress possible. I'm also proud to announce that Manitoba's youth advisory committee has now been formally appointed. These young Manitobans bring energy, insight and big ideas to the table and they will play an important role in shaping our climate action plans. I look for- ward to working with them in the years ahead and championing their ideas in this House.

Much has been accomplished in our time in gov- ernment: helping Manitobans make the switch to EVs, launching the first call for wind power in a generation, providing the biggest ever rebates to Manitobans to make homes more energy efficient, saving the Lemay Forest and reinstating funding to Manitoba's environ- mental NGOs, among others. And there's more to do. To everyone across Manitoba who continues to advocate for the environment, who calls for strong policy and who works every day to build a sustainable future for the next genera tion, we thank you.

Your efforts matter and your provincial government is com- mitted to working alongside you. Together, we're building a Manitoba that is cleaner, stronger and more prepared to address the challenges of tomorrow. Thank you. Merci. Miigwech. Mr. Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): Honourable Deputy Speaker, today I rise to recognize April 22 as Earth Day, a global day of action and reflection focused on protecting our environment and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come. Earth Day is a reminder that stewardship of our natural environment is a shared responsibility.

A balanced, practical approach is one that protects our environment while supporting economic growth, energy security and opportunities for Manitobans. Earth Day's theme, Our Power, Our Planet, emphasizes the importance of clean, reliable energy and the role it plays in reducing emissions and sup- porting long- term sustainability. Manitoba is well positioned to lead in this area, with one of the cleanest energy grids in North America, driven by hydro- electric power that provides affordable and depend- able electricity to families and businesses.

Honourable Deputy Speaker, Manitoba is home to some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the country. From our prairies and forests to our lakes and rivers, places like Riding Mountain National Park and Whiteshell Provincial Park are not only sources of pride, but also vital parts of our natural heritage that must be protected and preserved. Our responsibility is clear: We must continue to invest in conservation, protect our water and natural resources and support responsible development that balances environmental protection with economic opportunity.

That means working with communities, Indigenous partners and industry to ensure sustainable outcomes that benefit all Manitobans. Earth Day is also an opportunity for individuals to take action. Whether it's reducing waste, con- serving energy, supporting local conservation efforts or simply spending time outdoors, every effort con- tributes to a healthier environment. I encourage all Manitobans to take time today to appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us and to reflect on the role we all play in protecting it.

By taking a practical, balanced and forward-looking approach, we can ensure that Manitoba remains a place where both environment and our economy thrive, for today and for future generations. Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker.

1510 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 Introduction of Guests The Deputy Speaker: Before we head on to members' statements, I'd like to recognize a student group in the gallery. We have seated in the public gallery from Ralph Maybank School 18 grade 5 students under the direction of Mathew Thompson. This group is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Fort Garry (Mr. Wasyliw). MEMBERS' STATEMENTS Annual Free Tax Clinic in Assiniboia Hon.

Nellie Kennedy (Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism): I rise today to recognize the incredible spirit of community service shown by the volunteers of our annual tax–free tax clinic in Assiniboia. For many in my community, particularly our seniors and those living on a fixed income, the task of filing taxes can feel incredibly overwhelming. It is in these moments that small, practical supports can make a truly meaningful difference in the lives of our neighbours. For two years, my constituency office has been proud to host this free tax clinic throughout March and April.

What began as a simple effort has grown into a vital community initiative, shaped by need and strengthened by the compassionate people who take

part in it. By removing financial and emotional barriers, we help ensure that constituents can access the benefits and credits they are entitled to while easing the stress that often accompanies this time of year. This clinic is intentionally low-barrier; participants are not simply handed forms but are welcomed in and supported through every single step of the process. Our volunteers take the time to sit down, listen and carefully guide individuals through each step.

And beyond the practical filling of forms, this space has become a profound place for connection, allowing us to meet with constituents, hear their concern s and their experiences and better understand the challenges they are navigating in their everyday lives. Honourable Deputy Speaker, it's truly inspiring to see the dedication of our community volunteers year after year. Without them, we would not be able to offer this service.

I ask all members to join me in applauding our volunteers, who are joining us online from this year and last, for their incredible service to the community members of our wonderful Assiniboia. Thank you. Child-Care Availability Mrs. Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods): I rise today to address an issue that is affecting families across Manitoba every single day: the growing child -care crisis. While this government often points to afford- ability measures, the reality on the ground tells a different story.

Yes, fees have come down, but what good is affordable child care if families cannot find a space in the first place? Parents in our communities are waiting months, sometimes years, just to secure a spot. Wait- lists are long, frustrating and uncertain. For many families, it's not a matter of choice; it's a matter of whether they can go back to work at all.

Honourable Deputy Speaker, 52 per cent of parents have delayed returning to work. * (13:50) Mothers and fathers are delaying careers, turning down opportunities and, in some cases, leaving the workforce entirely because they simply cannot access reliable child care. Like my own grandson that has been on the list since his mother was three months pregnant, and that'll be four years in–it was four years in January, and I know ones that have never got into a daycare. I have constituents driving one hour from home to daycare to work and then the same in the evening. This is shameful.

We have a residency doctor in Brandon having to delay their residency twice now due to no daycare availability for her, so training doctors now slows due to this crisis. The Auditor General says Manitoba is unlikely to meet their targets on time because this gov ernment has poor planning, lack of data that they are keeping and staff shortage. Rural and smaller communities are feeling this pressure even more. Families there have been –even fewer options, and the gap continues to widen. Because child care is not– The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member's time has expired. Some Honourable Members: Leave.

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1511 The Deputy Speaker: Is there leave? Some Honourable Members: No. The Deputy Speaker: I hear a no. Further member's statements? Kerry Auriat Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): I am privileged today to recognize my Brandon West constituent, Mr. Kerry Auriat, a man whose contributions to Brandon, to Manitoba and beyond are far greater than what you will ever find in his professional bio. I'm pleased to welcome Kerry, along with his fiancée, Christina Torres, who are joining us in the gallery today. Kerry is someone who gives quietly, consistently and with purpose.

He co- chaired the Murray House campaign, something he rarely takes credit for, yet his efforts were real and the comfort it provides to families will remain a lasting part of his legacy. His commitment to community runs wide. He has served the Brandon general hospital foundation, co-chaired funding efforts for the Brandon Riverbank, supported the Brandon YMCA, the Brandon University Foundation, the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, the Brandon Toy Lending Library, Crime Stoppers and the Brandon Chamber of Commerce. But it doesn't stop there. Kerry's influence reaches into both education and public life.

He has taught business at Brandon University, served on the board of governors, moderated debates and shared his commentary as a columnist, but it's the work that he does out of the spotlight that has made such a lasting difference in our community. It's a legacy that continues today, reflecting in the Auriat family broadcasting studio at Assiniboine College. Kerry has now taken on yet another chal - lenge: serving as chair of the capital campaign for the Assiniboine College Foundation's where care begins, a project that will transform diagnostic care in rural Manitoba.

His generosity reaches beyond our borders as treasurer of the Canadian Friends of Rambam health-care campus in Haifa, Israel, reflecting his belief in global responsibility and the power of health care to change lives. Kerry's impact is lasting. His service is always sincere and strengthens our community in ways that deserve recognition. Please join me in recognizing a true man of honour, Mr. Kerry Auriat. Access to Information Requests Mr.

Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): On May 28, 2025, I requested records from the Kinew government about how many people were on the ankle bracelet program and how many have been tampered with. On July 11, I received a reply from the Justice Department saying they didn't track those numbers. That turned out not to be true. October 27, CBC obtained that very information from the Justice Minister's office. Justice Minister's office full –and lied–provided fraudulent response to a FIPPA request.

There has been no investigation, no explanation, not even an apology and no one has been held account- able for breaching Manitoba law. [interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Wasyliw: On July 22 I made a request to the Minister of Education for chronic absentee numbers. After numerous delays, on February 3–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Wasyliw: –a full seven and a half months later, I was given a briefing note that didn't have that number, something the minister –office claimed they didn't have. Again, that turned out not to be true.

The 2024 chronic numbers were leaked to me by a senior NDP official. This government lied about the existence of those numbers and tried to bury them. Again, this government flagrantly–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Wasyliw: –and intentionally broke the law. To this day, the Kinew government refuses to take responsibility and no one has been held to account. They still refuse to release the 2025 numbers they have in their possession. On November 12, 2024, I made the request seeking access to the cost to maintain the Premier's (Mr. Kinew) car and driver.

On December 18, '24, they claimed that those records didn't exist, a response that was plain nonsense. A complaint was filed with the Ombudsman, who issued a ruling on January 16, 2026, ordering the Kinew government to release that information. To date, they have not. Seventeen and a half months later, this govern- ment continues to stonewall and refuses to disclose to

1512 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 Manitobans where their taxpayer dollars are going. This is a government that routinely and flippantly violates Manitoba law, a government that doesn't feel– The Deputy Speaker: The members' time has expired. Introduction of Guests The Deputy Speaker: Before we move on to oral questions, we have guests in the gallery. We have us in the public gallery: Omowale Atiku, Maia Everton, Cade Kroeker and Belise Umwali Rutaganda from the Royal Canadian Mint, who are here as guests of the Legislative Internship Program.

We also have seated in the public gallery, from Landmark School, 35 grade 9 students under the direction of Jane [phonetic] Mullin. This group is in the constituency of the honourable member for Dawson Trail (MLA Lagassé). ORAL QUESTIONS Economic and Affordability Pressures in Manitoba Concern Over Contract Issued to US Company Mr. Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): If you look up the definition of hypocrisy, you will find a picture of this Kinew government. At a time of economic pressures, Manitobans are looking for help and getting none from this NDP government.

Families can't pay their bills, can't put healthy food on their tables and they can't fill up their gas tanks. So what does this NDP government do? They send $12 million of work, of jobs, to the United States by cancelling those contracts here in Manitoba; cancelling those contracts with local companies that employ Manitobans. That is $12 million being sent by this NDP government to American firms. Why did the Premier betray Manitobans, fire Manitoban workers, fire Manitoban families and funnel business to the United States of America? Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): They love Donald Trump. What is he talking about?

We hate Donald Trump. We can't stand the guy. We're the party that put the big Canadian flag outside of the building. We're the ones who stood up and said we will never be the 51st state. And we're the ones who said we're going to work with the Govern- ment of Canada and every province and territory to build, build, build the true North strong and free. What did they do on that side of the House? Well, the leader of the PCs went onto a podcast and he said: Thank you; I would say thank you to Donald Trump for the tariffs. The member for Borderland (Mr. Guenter) also thanked Donald Trump.

The member for Spruce Woods (Mrs. Robbins), also a big Donald Trump fan. They come in here wrapped in the maple leaf, but we know that–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –their social media is littered with MAGA, Hegseth and fake Pulp Fiction quotes. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Khan: Manitobans can see for themselves; I asked the Premier a question about your jobs and he stands up and makes jokes. He real–will–won't repeat those accusations out that–outside the Chamber because he knows they are complete and utter lies.

When local suppliers win these contracts – [interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. Order. It's a well- known rule within this Chamber that we can't accuse other members of lying, so I'd ask you to recuse–or, withdraw that comment. Mr. Khan: I actually can't hear. * (14:00) The Deputy Speaker: The–[interjection] Order. Members are not able or allowed to accuse other members of lying in the Chamber, so I'd ask that you withdraw that comment. Mr. Khan: I withdraw. The Deputy Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition. Mr. Khan: When local suppliers win these contracts, they create jobs for Manitobans.

They grow our economy. The profits and wages earned stay here in Manitoba, making Manitoba communities better. What this NDP government has done is the exact opposite. They are setting a terrible example for others to follow. And now, the City of Winnipeg has ended their long-standing golf contract with Salisbury House in favour of the same billion -dollar company based out

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1513 of the United States that this NDP government sent $12 million to –$12 million that should stay in Manitoba are now gone. Will the Premier admit the error of his ways and cancel that contract and keep $12 million right here in Manitoba? Mr. Kinew: What's that in the distance? Is that the clout train that the member opposite is chasing? It's pretty far out there, because I don't know why he's talking about Salisbury House and the City of Winnipeg here at the provincial government. What have we done?

Well, Manitobans, we know that you love the great outdoors, and so let's talk about the parks, on this being Earth Day. We made parks free and then we brought back the contract for the sale of park passes right here to Canada, the true N orth, strong and free. Now, honourable Speaker, you might be wonder- ing, other than Earth Day, why is that relevant? Well, that's relevant because when that member was at the Cabinet table, they contracted out the park pass permits to a company from Texas –Texas.

There's nothing worse than Manitobans having to pay a company in the US to enjoy the great outdoors here in Manitoba; that flies in the PC administration, but not with us. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary. Mr. Khan: The hypocrisy of this Premier has no limit. He stands up and talks about contracts signed in the United States; his own government signed a contract for $12 million with a food supplier in the United States. Actually, when someone makes a mistake, they admit their error of their ways and they say: You know what? Sorry, we'll fix it.

What does this NDP govern- ment do? Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Khan: They took that $12 million and they – [interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Khan: –tripled it to $36 million. That's $36 million that should be here in Manitoba for your family, for your job, for our economy, to make Manitoba better. But this Premier will send $36 million to the United States of America. Will the Premier stand up today, admit he was wrong, say he was sorry and bring that $36 million back to Manitoba to grow our economy and help Manitoba families today? Mr.

Kinew: When it comes to growing the economy, we're cutting taxes on all food and drinks at the grocery store in Manitoba. We cut the gas tax to put more money back in your pocket. This month alone, 11,000 new jobs in the great province of Manitoba. We're investing, we're returning money to you, we're working with the private sector to build a bright, beautiful future that includes the Port of Churchill. Now, what has the member opposite done? Well, he was found to have done something that he claimed in front of the media never happened.

Your office released the audio proving that that was false; he came back in here and said that was just your

interpretation. And then, he went out into the hallway and said none of it ever happened. He contradicted recorded proof. The entry for hypocrisy in the dictionary is his homeland; I will continue to acknowledge that land each and every day that we're here. [interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. The Leader of the Official Op position, on a new question. Manitoba Jobs Agreement Impact on Jobs and the Economy Mr. Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): No one believes what this smug, arrogant hypocrite is saying, honourable Speaker. You can look at his track record or his criminal record to see that.

When it comes to supporting Manitobans, Manitobans can see that this government is falling short. This NDP sent $36 million to the United States of America when that money should have stayed here. This NDP cut out local grocery stores, mom-and-pop stores and local restaurants, honourable Speaker. This NDP govern ment is now cutting 88 per cent of Manitobans that work in the construction industry in this province in favour of their union bosses. It is clear that this Premier, this hypocrite, does not care about you.

Will he reverse his decision today and commit to bringing that money back home to Manitoba and growing Manitoba's economy? Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Well, I want to acknowl- edge the traditional territory of hypocrisy on which he has resided for many, many years. It's the first time

1514 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 ever I've ever been accused of it, because I said I would cut the gas tax, and then I did. I said I would search the landfill, and then we did. I said we would staff up health care, and we have. Now, who is my boss? You are my boss. The people of Manitoba are my boss. You elected us to come here and to fix health care and make life affordable. That's what we're doing: fixing health care, making life affordable. Nobody elected us to sell out to the United States of America. That's why the PCs, who do that each and every single day, are not in government.

The Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a first supplementary question. Mr. Khan: Let's recap what the Premier said. He admitted that he is failing when it comes to health care. He admitted that he has the worst economy in Canada, and he admitted that affordability is not affordable under his NDP government. And now he's killing jobs in Manitoba with his NDP jobs -killing agreement. It's hurting Manitobans, not growing it. But don't take my word for it.

Winnipeg Construction Association, Manitoba Heavy Construc- tion Association, construction association of Manitoba, all say this NDP job -killing agreement is killing Manitobans. It's going to remove 88 per cent of the workforce in Manitoba. This NDP govern ment is once again picking unions over the rest of Manitobans. Will the Premier put an end to his NDP job-killing agreement–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Khan: –today and will he commit to growing Manitoba's economy for everyone? Mr.

Kinew: Honourable Speaker, 11,000 more jobs in the province just this month and thousands of people put to work since we took office. And we are never ashamed to say this: the best way to help somebody join the middle class is to help somebody join a union. And so that's why the Manitoba jobs a greement are on the side of the workers. You know who else is on the side of Manitoba jobs agreement? The federal government. The federal government, who are invest- ing billions of dollars into military investment, are asking for prevailing union wages to be paid.

You know who else is onside with the union jobs and prevailing union wages? Pierre Poilievre, fresh off of UFC Winnipeg. He supports unions. So whether you're a UFC fan, a hockey fan, a cheer fan or a Canada fan through and through, union jobs are for you. The only one opposed, of course, is to the shrinking ranks of the failed– The Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question. Transparency in Fee Collection and Use Mr. Khan: You know who's against the NDP job- killing agreement?

Hon ourable Deputy Speaker, 88 per cent of Manitobans that work in that industry are against this NDP job-killing agreement. I'm going to quote Ron Hambley, president of Winnipeg Construction Association, says: This MJA fee is being sent directly to Manitoba Building Trades without any clear oversight. Nobody in govern ment has explained how the number was set, what is sup- posed to happen with the funds, where does the money go. At the end of the day, taxpayers are paying for this. End quote.

Chris Lorenc, the president of Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, says, and I quote: Transpar- ency and accountability for public funds are absolutely critical. Neither are being done here. End quote. In light of this I've sent a letter to the Auditor General to examine how the fees was set, who governs, collects the funds and how those funds are reported publicly.

Will the Premier stand up today and tell Manitobans where those funds are going, or will he simply admit that he's taking millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars and funnelling it to his own– The Deputy Speaker: The member's time has expired. * (14:10) I'd ask the member if he's quoting from a private document or a public document. Mr. Khan: Sorry, I can't –I didn't hear the question. It's too much echoing, sorry. The Deputy Speaker: Were you quoting from a public document or private document? Mr. Khan: Public. Mr. Kinew: We're going to make sure that Manitobans are trained. That's what the resources are for.

Now, when we want to talk about people who have illegally funnelled money into their own party

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1515 coffers, the PC Party of Manitoba is the only party to ever have been found to have done that. That was in the Monnin inquiry. And who was the only premier ever found to have broken the law and to have been fined? Well, it was the PC premier, Heather Stefanson, that was the political member of the–political mentor of the mem- ber opposite. I want to do –I do want to raise one more point, however, and that was that there was a pretty big gap in the law overseeing teachers that the PCs passed during the dying days of their administration.

This allowed teachers found guilty of abusing children t o voluntarily surrender and not be put in the registry. Thankfully, our Education Minister closed that gap. But I do want the Leader of the PCs to tell us if that gap was allowed to persist in legislation because he was sitting in Cabinet alongside the member for– The Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. Economic Investment by Small Businesses Call for Government Action to Support Growth Mr.

Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Honourable Speaker, back in the good old not -so-distant days of 2019, Manitoba small businesses were growing, entre- preneurs were investing and confidence was strong. These are the businesses that grow into the major employers our economy depends on. Today, under this government, that confidence is gone. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, only a small share of busi - nesses plan to invest, while many are pulling back. Why has this government turned Manitoba from a place where businesses grow into a place where they're afraid to expand? Hon.

Jamie Moses (Minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation): Honourable Speaker, Manitoba is a wonderful place for businesses to invest in and grow and expand their businesses. That's why Manitoba ranks No. 1 in the country in job growth. Nearly 11,000 new jobs right here just over the last month. Businesses are growing, businesses are expanding and we're ranked No. 1 in the country. We won't take lessons from the former failed government, who, frankly, did nothing in their seven and a half years to grow our economy. Instead, we're seeing record levels of investment.

Just last week, we know that Boeing is investing another $36 million right here in the aerospace sector in Manitoba. Another company that is choosing to invest, choosing to grow right here in Manitoba because of the hard work of our government to grow a s table, strong economy that works for all Manitobans. The Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. Mr. Narth: Honourable Speaker, seniors taking a second job shouldn't be a victory lap for this minister. Businesses used to grow here. Businesses even used to move here. Now they're just trying to survive here. The numbers are clear.

Only about 20 per cent of small businesses plan to increase their investment here, while 35 per cent are planning to scale back. At the same time, more than half say that rising costs and government policy are the biggest barriers for them to grow. How does this minister expect to grow the economy when most businesses are not expanding, but instead are bracing for tougher times under this NDP government? Mr. Moses: Honourable Speaker, the member oppo- site is just clearly wrong. We are actually growing more businesses, and businesses are investing here in Manitoba. That's absolutely clear.

Just look at the last couple months. Bayer Crop Science announced that they're investing $45 million in a new research centre right here in Winnipeg, another company that finds Manitoba is the right place to invest. This is our track record: creating an e co- system for businesses to thrive here; 11,000 new jobs in the last month. But where are those folks working? We are tops in new construction sector jobs, honourable Speaker. It means that our plan and Manitoba jobs agreement are putting more Manitobans to work with guess what? Good wages, good union wages.

The more Manitobans have opportunities to work– The Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. The honourable member for La Vérendrye, on a final supplementary question. Mr. Narth: Honourable Speaker, we used to lead the country in machinery manufacturing. Now, in one year, this government has dropped that by 30 per cent. But I'll help the minister because the solution is clear: lower costs, restore confidence and make Manitoba competitive again. That means

1516 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 real tax relief, like raising the basic personal tax exemption to $30,000 and creating a single window business approval process to get projects moving. Will this government finally take action to sup - port small-business growth, or will they continue on their policies to drive investment out of Manitoba? Mr. Moses: Honourable Speaker, members opposite spend their time thanking Donald Trump for his tariffs and offering an unfunded economic proposal that will cost Manitobans millions, meaning cuts to education or other priorities.

Instead, we're going to focus on building busi - nesses the right way, working with all Manitobans, providing them good-paying jobs and more of them. Over 11,000 created just in the last month in the construction sector. That's a huge rate, and it's actually No. 1 in the entire country.

Honourable Speaker, I'd like to make sure the House knows that we're growing when it comes to real GDP, growing in towards imports, growing in terms of housing starts, growing in terms of builds, growing in terms of employment rate, growing in terms of new skills, trades person; and the only thing that's going down is our unemployment rate, just like members opposite are going down. We're actually improving our economy, unlike anything they ever did. Manitoba Jobs Agreement Request to Cancel Mr.

Josh Guenter (Borderland): The other day we talked about how Manitoba's own homegrown con- struction industry is opposed to this NDP govern- ment's job-killing Manitoba jobs agreement. Here's Chris Lorenc from the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association who said, and I quote, the Manitoba jobs agreement should raise red flags for every Manitoban. We are being forced to wastefully pay more and build less.

The fact that Manitoba is requiring the definition of qualifying Manitoban to be tied to holding a union card to be able to work on a Manitoba taxpayer funding project, like schools, hospitals or roads, is not only discriminatory, it is the biggest red flag of all. Why is this NDP government discriminating against Manitoba workers? Hon. Mintu Sandhu (Minister of Public Service Delivery): I want to thank the member for that ques - tion. We are listening to Manitobans and we are listening to Manitoba workers, honourable Speaker. Every worker under MJA is better off because of MJA. MJA is about Manitoba workers.

MJA is about fair wages, safe worksites, better benefits. I have never met a worker who wants to make less. We are turning construction sites–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. MLA Sandhu: –into training sites. We are training the workforce for the future. Thank you, honourable Speaker. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Borderland, on a supplementary question. Mr. Guenter: The minister will want to listen to this.

Chris Lorenc, who joined others in asking the Auditor General to investigate the government's MJA and the millions of dollars in political fees that they will be collecting, also said that, and I quote, it should terrify all of us that the government is going to impose that kind of measure, end quote. When people like Chris Lorenc, with 35 years of experience in building Manitoba, say things like that, wouldn't it be time for this government to use a little common sense, apologize for not listening, for trying to foist this corrupt deal on Manitoba workers and cancel this deal outright?

MLA Sandhu: Last month, the largest employment gains were in construction. So that's news for the member opposite. Manitobans want to see Churchill built, and we are training workforce to do that. This will mean more apprentices, more diverse workforce. These bids open to everyone –unionized, un-unionized, honourable Speaker. MJA is all about prioritizing Manitoba workers. We want to see more Manitoba licence plates on the worksite, like an – opposite what they did. They trained the workforce in Saskatchewan and Alberta. * (14:20) Thank you, honourable Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Borderland, on a final supplementary question. Mr. Guenter: Here's what the Brandon Chamber of Commerce had to say. The Brandon Chamber of Commerce has also expressed concerns about this NDP government's damaging economic policies. They not only single out the NDP imposition of a one-to-one apprenticeship ratio, which, by the way, is killing opportunities for Manitobans and has resulted in the first decline in years–[interjection]

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1517 The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Guenter: –in the number of Manitobans register- ing to become an apprentice. But they also called this government's MJA a concern for many industry groups. So, it's pretty clear that the only ones who love the Manitoba jobs agreement are sitting on that side of the Chamber or in the NDP party's backroom. So when will this government stop their tin-eared, ham-fisted approach, listen to the folks who know, and cancel this job-killing deal?

MLA Sandhu: I don't know why the member oppo- site hates workers here in Manitoba, honour able Speaker. Conservatives don't listen to Manitoba workers; they only listen to the lobbyists. They should go out and talk to those workers who want to make more money, not less. They were given the op portunity to learn more about MJA, but the members ignored. Thank you, honourable Speaker. Emergency Room Wait Times Government Reduction Record Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): ER wait times in Winnipeg have reached record highs under this NDP government.

The median ER wait time is now higher under the NDP than it has ever been. At 9:45 this morning, the posted wait time was 10 hours at the Grace, over nine hours at HSC and over 14 hours at St. Boniface Hospital. These wait times have increased since this time last year and have significantly increased since the NDP took office. Why are emergency room wait times getting so much worse under the NDP? Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): I welcome the opportunity to stand up in question period and talk about the work we've been doing to fix the damage that was done in health care.

And I think it's impor tant to note that when we came into government we had an extreme crisis in terms of staffing in the health -care system. That's because the previous govern ment fired hundreds of nurses, closed our three largest emergency de part- ments and cut hundreds of beds. So, I'm happy to share that we announced, as part of our budget, that we have hired a net -new, over 4,000 health-care workers for the front lines of our health-care system. Hundreds of those workers are in ERs across the province and at our biggest sites.

So we know there's a lot more work to do to fix that damage, but we're committed to doing that work every day for Manitobans. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a supplementary question. Mrs. Cook: Whatever the NDP says that they're doing, it's not working. Things are moving in the wrong direction. On May 1 of last year, this Minister of Health promised Manitobans they were going to lower ER wait times by one hour over the next several months. Since then, wait times have creeped higher and higher to now record- high levels. Four people, that we know of, have died seeking emergency care.

Why is it that the longer the NDP are in power, the worse things get? MLA Asagwara: Honourable Speaker, some thing else that we announced in our most recent budget was a $22.1- million investment to restore cardiac- care excellence here in Manitoba; a historic investment in cardiac care. And part of that historic investment was investing in the emergency department at St. Boniface Hospital, one of the ERs in our province that's been hardest hit by the former PCs' callous closures of our ERs. And we were so proud to stand with a family member, Morgan Ross, whose mother passed away, actually, in that ER.

And I want to thank Morgan for her courage, for her strength and for helping to inform the way that we strengthen not only emergency department care, but cardiac care for women in this province. Thank you, Morgan. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a final supplementary question. Mrs. Cook: Nothing that the minister is saying explains why ER wait times have continued to climb to record high levels under their watch. Last year at this time, the median wait time in Winnipeg ERs was 3.97 hours. The minister said they were going to reduce that by an hour.

It's been a year and they haven't reduced the wait time by even a fraction of an hour. In fact, the median wait is now 4.2 hours.

1518 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 If the NDP can't figure out how to lower ER wait times to the levels that they were at before they took over, could they at least stop making it worse? MLA Asagwara: Honourable Speaker, we knew when we came into government that our population was rapidly aging. We knew that people were showing up much more sick to the ERs. We knew that we had to do the work very, very quickly to stand up more capacity. [interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order.

MLA Asagwara: Now, everything we knew when we came into government is everything they knew for seven and a half years when they were in government. And instead of adding capacity, they cut it, year after year after year, including the member for Roblin, who advised Heather Stefanson to close the ERs and to cut health care. So, honourable Speaker, we're going to keep doing the work of fixing the damage that they did, building up capacity that should have been in place for years and years prior.

But I'll take no lessons from that member who spent her time in opposition –sorry, in government advising to cut health-care services. Criminal Activity in Manitoba Housing Units Concern for Safety of Senior Residents MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): We've been hearing from seniors in Manitoba Housing that they have serious safety concerns with the changes the minister has made to the operations of their buildings. But the minister ignored each and every concern and deflected with partisan attacks. Tr agically, it was revealed yesterday that someone died in the explosion at 444 Kennedy.

Will the minister put the partisan rhetoric aside and commit to sitting down to get to the bottom of these seniors' concerns? Hon. Bernadette Smith (Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness): I want to send my condolence out to, you know, that family and that whole community at 444 Kennedy. We're standing with them. I was out there, you know, supporting the residents, supporting all of the support services that are in that building, that are providing wrap-around supports to all of those residents that are in that community.

That strip, they all know each other, they all support one another, so I just want to, you know, let them know that we are there as a gov ernment. We're going to continue to be there, we're going to continue to show up and we're going to continue to provide the supports that are needed for that community and any other community that we support in Manitoba Housing. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Portage la Prairie, on a supplementary question. MLA Bereza: I've heard concerns about safety from residents all across Manitoba.

There's serious con - cerns about criminality raised by residents, and while the investigation is ongoing, the minister can do a lot today to reassure residents that she will act. She could commit to real action. She bragged about stopping evictions. The fact is that she needs to evict those engaging in criminal activity that make seniors feel unsafe in their homes. Will the minister do this today? Ms. Smith: That member knows, under their watch when they were in government, they changed the practice, the policy under 55 + buildings.

They allowed folks that were under 55 to start tenanting into those buildings, took out security, which were measures that kept seniors safe. We've reversed that practice. We're turning those 55+ buildings back to 55+ buildings. We've brought security back in, which they fired. We're going to continue to put safety and security as our top priority, as we've done since we've took government, as well as maintaining, which they cut. They cut 87 per cent off the maintenance of Manitoba Housing buildings. Top priority for our– The Deputy Speaker: Minister's time has expired.

The honourable member for Portage la Prairie, on a final supplementary question. MLA Bereza: So, the answer I heard is there will be no action taken. One resident was incredibly clear with their media, and I quote, the place is a psychiatric ward. It's ridiculous. The people that are living here, the drugs, the mental health issues, it's not a nice place to live. [interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. * (14:30) MLA Bereza: The minister can say what she wants, but action means more than words. The residents who have had enough and want action.

When will a minister commit to rooting criminal activity out of Manitoba Housing so seniors can live in peace?

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1519 The Deputy Speaker: I'll just ask the member to confirm, he was reading from –quoting from a public document or a private document? MLA Bereza: That was public. Ms. Smith: I went down and I spoke to that gentle - man. And, you know, that gentleman talked about living in that building for years and, under that former government, how bad it was and how much it's got better. Is there more work to be done? Absolutely. And we're committed to doing that work. We put wrap -around services in that building, including Canadian Mental Health, Sunshine House and IKWE.

They are doing tremendous work. But under, you know, the former govern ment, they put people in tents, didn't provide supports. These are folks that have complex needs. We are working with, you know, law enforce - ment. If there is criminal behaviour happening in our buildings, we are ensuring that those folks are not – they are evicted because we are– The Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. Environmental Initiatives Government Investments MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz (Radisson): Happy Earth Day, honourable Speaker.

After years under the climate change- denying Conservatives who cut thousands of dollars to essen- tial environmental organizations, turned its back on conservation and weakened environmental protec- tions, Manitobans deserve better. We know Manitobans care deeply about land, water and protecting our province for future genera - tions to enjoy. Can our Environment and Climate Change Minister tell this House what our government is doing to build a more sus tainable, environmentally responsi ble Manitoba for generations to come? Hon.

Mike Moyes (Minister of Environment and Climate Change): The previous PC government turned its back on the environment. They cut funding to important organizations that were protecting our land and our water. This Earth Day, our government announced $400,000 for the Southeast Regional Transit Initiative, connecting 11 municipalities and 80,000 Manitobans. We're also investing in the Prairie Climate Centre and supporting ClimateWest so Manitobans can take climate action. Where the PCs we're climate laggards, we're working to be climate leaders. Emergency Wildfire Response Utilization of Retired Firefighters Mr.

Rick Wowchuk (Swan River): Last year, the minister sat on his hands and did nothing. I stood in this very Chamber and begged him to hire back retired experts who had reached out to his office. Wildlife suppression is as much an art as it is a science, and the knowledge that these individuals possessed was vital. He waited and waited and waited because the govern- ment relies on hope like they are now. Hope is not strategy. Last year, the minister delayed in hiring these needed experts, and clearly he still is. Are these knowledgeable experts available and ready for hire? Hon.

Ian Bushie (Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures): The members opposite waited and waited and waited for them to actually care about what was going on last year. We sat here in a state of emergency while they rang the bells here all night and did nothing. So here we are, concretely investing $1.2 million to add 19 fire fighters, $1.2 million to upgrade the Wildfire Services, $1.1 million for aerial attack. Honourable Speaker, year after year–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Bushie: –we're investing. We're investing millions and millions of dollars.

I asked that member to ask the former minister of natural resources, the member for Riding Mountain (Mr. Nesbitt), when he –when we were investing millions of dollars, what was he doing with his millions? 2025 Wildfire Season EMO Preparedness Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): Honourable Speaker, June 16, 2025–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Ewasko: –33 days after–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Ewasko: –Sue and Richard–[interjection]

1520 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 The Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. Order, please. Order, please. I'll let the member for Lac du Bonnet restart his time, because I couldn't hear what he was saying. Mr. Ewasko: Plus the minute and a half that the NDP have killed today, honourable Speaker. June 16, 2025, 33 days after Sue and Richard Nowell tragically died in one of those fires last June, the minister responsible for EMO said, and I quote: Wildfire officials were prepared for everything that has transpired during the 2025 wildfire season.

Yesterday, the same minister doubled down and said we were as prepared as we could possibly have been for a season like we had. I ask the minister to stand today and apologize. Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Honourable Speaker, anytime we lose a Manitoban, it is a tragedy. And in the case of last summer's terrible wildfire season, which started in May, it was very sad to see that we lost two lives. I am very sorry for that family's loss; that's why we are renaming the bridge in their honour. I had the opportunity to speak to the Nowell brothers, to thank them for their good work.

You know, they do some very good work for the Province, I can add. We should also thank one of their partners, who is respon- sible for saving the lives of one of those brothers. So nothing but compassion and sympathy for this family, as well as everybody impacted by the terrible wildfire season. If you want to get partisan, ask the member where he was on that day. Chronic Absenteeism from School Links to Youth Involvement in Crime Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): In the last election, the Premier promised Manitobans that he would reduce youth crime.

Every year he's been in office, youth crime has gone up–a staggering 29 per cent in the last five years. Study after study shows that there's a direct con- nection between chronic absenteeism of children in school and involvement in crime. The Premier knows this because in his public safety strategy, he pledged that his Minister of Edu cation, Minister of Justice (Mr. Wiebe) would work together to address sc hool absenteeism. Surprise, surprise, honourable Speaker, this hasn't happened, and I'll table the FIPPA.

It shows that the Minister of Justice has yet to meet with the Minister of Education to discuss chronic absenteeism and youth in the justice system. My question to this–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Wasyliw: –Premier is: Why doesn't anybody in this–[interjection] The Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Wasyliw: –government take this seriously? The Deputy Speaker: The member's time has expired. Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Honourable Speaker, youth violent crime dropped by 23 per cent in Winnipeg. We're investing in schools.

We started a universal school food program to keep more young people on the positive path here in this great province. Now, this member paid for his house by going to court and defending pedophiles, trying to get them out of jail. It probably makes sense that he's sitting not too far from the member for Riding Mountain (Mr. Nesbitt) after we've learned what he's been up to. There are serious questions of accountability that the PC Party refuses to answer when it comes to their member putting up to a million dollars bail forward for some- body who sexually assaulted a minor.

These questions will continue to persist and dog the members opposite. The leader of the PCs, the member for Riding Mountain and the member for Lac du Bonnet all sat at the Cabinet table when they passed a law that had the huge gap in it. The Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. And with that, the time for oral questions has expired. An Honourable Member: Point of order. Point of Order The Deputy Speaker: The honourable First Minister, on a point of order. Hon.

Wab Kinew (Premier): I couldn't help but notice that the PCs made sure that there was enough time for the independent member for Fort Garry to ask a question today. I'd like to canvass the House for leave so that the independent member for Dawson Trail (MLA Lagassé) could ask the question that he's been waiting to ask. The Deputy Speaker: Is–[interjection]

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1521 Order. Order. Is there leave in the House for the independent member from Dawson Trail to ask a question? An Honourable Member: Yes. An Honourable Member: No. The Deputy Speaker: I hear a no. And it's also not a point of order. * * * The Deputy Speaker: Petitions? [interjection] Order. Grievances? [interjection] Order. * (14:40) Introduction of Guests The Deputy Speaker: Sorry, I do apologize. I forgot to recognize a group in the gallery.

I would like to draw the attention of all honour - able members to the public gallery where we have with us today Andrea Sutherland, Danny Blair, Matthew Loxley, Christ ey Allen, Elizabeth She arer and Asha Nelson, who are the guests of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (MLA Moyes). On behalf of all honourable members, we wel - come you here today. ORDERS OF THE DAY GOVERNMENT BUSINESS The Deputy Speaker: We are on orders of the day, government business. Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Honourable Deputy Speaker, can you please call Committee of Supply.

The Deputy Speaker: The House will now resolve into the Committee of Supply to consider depart - mental Estimates. Will the Deputy Speaker please take the Chair. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY (Concurrent Sections) ROOM 254 BUSINESS, MINING, TRADE AND JOB CREATION * (14:50) The Chairperson (Rachelle Schott): Will the Committee of Supply please come to order. This

section of the Committee of Supply will now consider the Estimates of the Department of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation. Does the honourable minister have an opening statement? An Honourable Member: Yes. The Chairperson: The honourable minister. Hon. Jamie Moses (Minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation): Yes. It is my pleasure to be here on behalf of my department as the Minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation to discuss Budget 2026 and the work we are undertaking to grow Manitoba's economy, create good jobs and build a more affordable future for Manitobans.

Manitoba is a place where workers can find a good-paying job close to home, where businesses choose to invest and where economic growth translates to real improvements in affordability and quality of life for all Manitobans. Budget 2026 reflects our commitment to creating good jobs, lowering costs for families and strength- ening services Manitobans rely on through continued investments in health care, safer and healthier com - munities and modernizing government services. This budget supports economic growth while helping Manitobans afford a good life in the com - munities they call home.

We recognize that the current geopolitical landscape and shifting trade dynamics are creating ongoing economic uncertainty for Manitobans. In response, Budget 2026 advances strategic invest- ments that support economic growth, encourage private- sector invest ment and expand opportunities for Manitoba businesses and workers. Creating good Manitoba jobs and supporting sus- tainable economic growth across every region remain top priorities for our government as we work to build a stronger, more resilient province. Our economy is continuing to gain momentum with good Manitoba

1522 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 jobs and wage growth that outpaces inflation, helping more Manitobans access employment and economic opportunities across the province. Our economic development strategy is centred on creating the con ditions to boost productivity and unlock economic opportunities. Through this strategy, we are working to make life more affordable by enhancing competitiveness and preparing our work- force for good-paying jobs.

For Manitoba businesses that are working up to scale up, modernize operations or enter new export markets, access to capital can be the difference between an idea and real growth. That's why, under the strategy, we have launched the Trade Growth Investment Financing program, providing loans to help small- and medium -sized enterprises invest in the productivity-enhancing capital they need to move forward.

We are helping Manitoba companies reach new customers and diversify revenue streams, as well, by supporting interprovincial and international trade initiatives that strengthen supply chains and open doors to new markets. We've doubled the exports program to $1 million, ensuring more small- and medium-sized companies are supported to participate in trade shows, attract international buyers and receive trade preparedness training. In '25- 26, we approved 84 Manitoba companies to access this support, a new record.

We're investing $500,000 to support inter - provincial trade missions that help 120 small - and medium-sized businesses tap into new Canadian markets and strengthen supply chains. In partnership with Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, we're helping open doors for Manitoba businesses to opportunities for growth through new connections and reaching new customers across the country. Manitoba is also engaged in the upcoming Canada- United States-Mexico Agreement negotiations, advo- cating for Manitoba businesses to Canada.

And we'll also be launching a new Manitoba's trade market diversification plan to expand Manitoba's national and global reach. In partnership with northern industries, communities and Indigenous nations, we are advo- cating historic nation-building projects like the Port of Churchill Plus, leveraging our unique position as the only prairie province with maritime access, giving us a strategic trade advantage, improve supply chain resilience and help bring more Manitobans' goods and resources to global markets. We are making it easier to do business in Manitoba. Following recommendations from the Premier's (Mr.

Kinew) business and jobs sub- committee on trade, this year we will work to stand up economic development agency, which will provide single-window access to support programs and ser - vices, making it easier to do business in Manitoba and help advance economic growth across all regions of our province. Through our collaborative efforts, we are pro- moting a diversified economy and preparing Manitoba for the future opportunities in emerging sectors.

Our emphasis on private-sector growth and the expansion of market opportunities underscore our commitment to supporting Manitoba industries and–in competing with both domestically and internationally, helping to attract new investment and foster long-term economic resilience. Advancing a stronger, faster -growing economy means bringing more Manitobans into the workforce. That's why one of our pillars of our economic development strategy focuses on building a more productive and inclusive workforce.

We understand that a strong economy depends on strong partnerships and collaboration across sectors; that's why we are bringing–building an ongoing engagement with industry leaders, labour organizations, post-secondary institutions and community partners to support work- force development and economic inclusion. By modernizing our apprenticeship system, we are preparing the next generation of skilled trades - persons, safeguarding jobs and helping businesses adapt. The number of 'apprentishes' in training is growing with 23 per cent increase in '24-25.

In '25-26, there was a record number of 4,396 apprentices in technical training. Budget 2026 adds an additiona l $7.2 million for apprenticeship training, the largest increase in over a decade. We are investing $4 million to launch building up Manitoba program, a streamlined workforce training initiative designed to support small- and medium - sized employers.

They help employers boost product- ivity and competitiveness while equipping workers with the skills and opportunities they need to progress their careers. * (15:00) We are also launching an $800,000 dream builders program to provide youth facing employment barriers with skills training, job opportunities and wrap- around supports. In col laboration with commu nity

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1523 organizations, this program will help young Manitobans gain the skills and experience needed to secure sustainable, long-term employment. Through the Canada -Manitoba Labour Market Development Agreement, we will receive $18.2 million over the next three years to support workers and businesses impacted by tariffs. We will deliver tar - geted training, reskilling and job retention programs to ensure workers can continue working in affected sectors or transition to other in-demand jobs, ensuring stability and adaptability in a changing economy.

We know strong economic growth must include every part of our province. That's why Manitoba is advancing a northern Manitoba labour force develop- ment strategy focused on increasing workforce partici- pation, promoting skills–trades–skilled trades, mining careers and supporting job creation in northern and Indigenous communities. By aligning training, employment supports, industry needs, this work will help to ensure northern Manitobans can fully benefit from new and emerging economies–economic oppor- tunities.

This approach is especially important as Manitoba continues to build on its strengths in mining and resource development. Manitoba has world-class geo- logy, with large reserves of high- quality critical minerals. To unlock the full potential in the in-demand resources, we are partnering with Indigenous nations at every stage of development to responsibly source critical minerals to benefit local communities. We are committed to inclusive growth and par - tnerships that help to ensure Manitobans benefit, with natural resources, broader economy and shares more equitably across the province.

We will continue to work collaboratively with Indigenous nations and organizations to ensure engagement related to mineral exploration and development. This includes hosting community outreach sessions and support Indigenous communities in a meaningful participation in mineral exploration and mining projects. We are supporting Manitoba's first First Nations -owned mine, Minago, with $2 million for pre -feasibility study, 'includue' hydrological assessments, technical validations. Manitoba is strengthening its key role as a supplier to minerals for the next generation of economic opportunities.

By working with the federal govern- ment to protect mining jobs in Thompson and part - nering with the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and the Canadian Infrastructure Bank to assess northern infrastructure needs, we're pushing ahead. We're investing an additional $2.5 million into the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund to continue supporting mining projects that create Indigenous partnerships, increase job opportunities and stimulate investment in the North. That's part of our Securing our Critical Mineral Future strategy. The fund has created over 1,300 jobs so far.

We understand Manitoba's future relies on strong partnerships. By working together, we can build a stronger and more resilient economy that supports inclusive growth in all regions of our province. I'd like to take a moment to thank the staff in the department for the work they do to support businesses, workers, communities across our province every day. Thank you, and I look forward to this discussion this afternoon. The Chairperson: We thank the minister for those comments. Does the critic of the official opposition have an opening statement? An Honourable Member: Yes.

The Chairperson: The member for La Vérendrye. Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): I'd like to thank the minister for this op portunity, making the time to have himself available, and his department, to answer some questions that are important to the current budget, the 2026- 27 budget, but also a department that's very important to the growth and prosperity of our province moving forward. We see a time when governments need to take a open-minded approach to the growth and develop- ment of the economy at a time when we're seeing gaps in employment that hasn't traditionally been seen.

There's factors that are sometimes out of the control of government, but it's government's responsibility to act and answer to those changes in the business environment as well as the employment environment. So, this opportunity that we have to ask the minis- ter questions on what the budget holds for responding to the changes in our economy and also the geo- political environment is of great value to the province. So, with that, I think of most value is getting into– getting a clear picture of the direction of our province as it pertains to business, mining, trade and jobs.

So, with that I'd like to start in on the questions. The Chairperson: We thank the member.

1524 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 Under Manitoba practice, debate on the minister's salary is the last item considered for a department in the Committee of Supply. Accordingly, we shall now defer consideration of line item 10.1(

a) contained in resolution 10.1 At this time we invite the minister's staff to join us at the table and we ask that the minister introduce the staff in attendance. Mr. Moses: The staff who we have with us here are assistant deputy minister of Finance and Administration, Melissa Ballantyne; assistant deputy minister of Workforce Development and Training, Lynn Houghton; assistant deputy minister of Minerals, Petroleum and Geoscience, Jeff Kraynyk; executive director of Economic Programs and Initiatives, Investment and Trade, Nestor Dudych. The Chairperson: Thank you.

Accordingly–according to our rule 78(16), during the consideration of departmental Estimates, ques - tioning for each department shall proceed in a global manner with questions put separately on all resolu- tions once the official opposition critic indicates that questioning has concluded. The floor is now open for questions. Mr. Narth: I'd like to start off with questions. I'll bounce around a little bit, but start off with some broad economic questions, sort of to paint a picture of the path that we were seeing and the direction of this year's budget.

So for committee today, would the minister please be able to define gross domestic product, or GDP, for the committee here? Mr. Moses: I thank the member opposite for the question. It's important to just go through what our economic goals are. Obviously, increasing GDP is really impor tant. I don't think member would be served by giving off our, you know, Webster's Dictionary definition of GDP or anything like that. I think the member and many members in this com- mittee and Manitobans at home have a phone and can search those sort of things out.

But I think it's just as important to put into context of Manitoba here, right? * (15:10) So, we have one of the most diverse economies in the country, and Manitoba's economy has performed better in '25 –in 2025 than initially anticipated, with our real GDP outperforming some of those additional predictions and that's all in the face of the ongoing economic challenges. We know that because of the tariff situation, it has softened some of the US demand and that uncertainty has impacted businesses across Manitoba, particularly weighted towards Manitoba's export-orientated sectors: agriculture and manufacturing.

So we also know that as some of the population growth changes and slowing, that has also impacted and constrained our labour supply and the part of that is related to the changes of the federal government immigration system. And so those things have undoubtedly introduced headwinds into Manitoba's economy, just like economies right across the country. The fact that Manitoba's economy is diversified has actually helped to provide us some resilience. So looking ahead, we know that most provinces are expecting to have some modest GDP growth, including Manitoba.

So, we're forecasting our GDP growth as is ranked–listed in our budget for 2026. Here you can probably see that on page 87 of our Budget 2026, Economic Review and Outlook fore - casts our GDP growth. And it's notably, though, that Manitoba's forecast to outperform manufacturing intensive economies such as Ontario and Quebec while the fastest growing provinces in 2025 and 2026 are the ones that are oil rich. Mr. Narth: I'd like to thank the minister for that.

I didn't–I wasn't wanting an exact Webster's diction- ary definition of gross domestic product, but I'd like to lead into whether or not the minister does feel that regardless of economic headwinds, you know, as a result of whatever they may be, but in this case, I sense the direction of justification is trad e disruption with the United States. But who would–does the minister feel that GDP growth is a fair metric of the government's performance? Mr. Moses: I appreciate the question around how we frame and understand the objectives of how we measure a strong economy here.

Obviously, I think GDP is used as a kind of global metric. It's the most common indicator and tool used to assess economic performance and success. I think, you know, that's obviously going to be something that we strongly use as a –to look at; however, it's not the only thing and I think it's also

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1525 important for us to understand what economic success can look like in different forms. So just as a –and just to back up a little bit–and particularly going back to your previous question as well–and, you know, how I really spoke about a diversified economy. I just wanted to, like, expand on that a little bit more, that we certainly do appre ciate how that diversity in our economy really adds to our benefit when there are downturns in a broader economic landscape,

whereas we're not dependent on a boom or bust cycle of oil industries or whether or not there are, you know, conflicts in the Middl e East that might hamper oil supply chain and have a drastic impact on those prices. We are very 'velirant' on a variety of industries. As the member opposite would be well aware, agriculture plays a massive role in our economy–ag tech as well, and ag manufacturing.

The larger manufacturing sector as a whole is a massive industry player and adds to our diversity, as well as our aerospace sector with added connection to defence, which is seeing a big 'grewth' as a –big growth as a result of federal government policy changes. Additionally, our life -sciences sector is –plays a significant role in growing our economy and employ- ing many Manitobans in high-paying jobs in research, technology and innovation.

Our resource sector plays a strong role, as well, in oil and gas development and the mining sector, which is seeing a massive boom in creation of jobs in the mining sector right now, and I think it's due in part to changes in prices globally, but also in our government's ability to support projects and get them to completion, as well as, I think, cer - tainly, the creative sector: film and tech, communica- tion sector is certainly a strong diversity that gives our economy here in Manitoba some of the resilience that we might see compared to other jurisdictions.

We also use metrics in addition to GDP as really looking at some of the other aspects that make a more wholesome–a fulsome approach, I would say–or rather, a fulsome view of our economy, things like unemploy- ment rates; participation rates; even housing starts, which is, of course, up, as member opposite might know; building value –building permit values, which again is up 21 per cent year over year. You know, we look at employed Manitobans, up almost 11,000 Manitobans, right? That unemployment rate continues to be one of the leaders in the country, having a low unemploy- ment rate.

And particularly in a province where we look to build and a government that really look to build, having a skilled tradesperson and look into how many of those folks are employed, and having that number be up, as well, are all strong indicators that our economy is doing very well given the globa l challenges; that we are, I would say, in many respects, outperforming competitors in this challenging environ- ment. And we're providing the right landscape for investors to seek and find Manitoba as the place –as the right place to make their future investments. Mr. Narth: Thank you to the minister for that.

I'll definitely–hope to have the opportunity to dive down into the actual industries and ask questions around what we're seeing. Really, the lack of growth and strength and the economic decline around some of those industries is concerning, something that I think the government should be representing more thoroughly. But I'll continue on the question line around our basic overarching performance, and I'd like to ask the minister if he thinks that GDP per capita is a fair metric for his performance as the minister responsible for jobs. * (15:20) Mr.

Moses: So I can see that the member is trying to boil down an economy into a single metric, right? And it's not the –I would think– the most–the healthiest approach to assessing the success of an economy. I think there are many factors that we should be looking at and we do look at as a govern ment, and I outlined some of them just previously; things like unemployment rates, things like participation rates. Again, those are both areas where we're seeing im - provements in Manitoba. Things like even average weekly earnings, again, we're seeing a 3 per cent– 3.5 per cent increase year over year.

Things like, you know, housing starts, and Manitobans were employed, working Manitobans. Those are all things that I think are very im portant, and we take them very seriously and look at those metrics as well. And so I think our job–and we look at our role–is to really create the con ditions and the landscape and the underlying atmosphere and con ditions for a suc - cessful economy. That's what we do in our de part- ment, and we provide–try to provide the right tools for an economy to thrive. We can see that the work we're doing is having some lasting impact and positive impacts and some good successes.

And that's what we highlight, those

1526 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 things like eight–10,800 new jobs being created just over the last month. That's a sign that our economy is thriving, that more businesses are making investments to grow here and that they're hiring more people as a result. That's why we see the things l ike no–not only jobs being added, but the fact that wages are increasing as well–another good sign that people are being able to advance economically here in Manitoba.

So, when we see these factors and when we see the unem ployment rate continue to be better than many other juris dictions, we know that our plan is working. When we face headwinds like we do in the uncertainty of the US trade relationship and we know that there's an issue when it comes to exports, what we do is we work with busi nesses; we work to support them. And one of the avenues we did is through our Export Support Program.

So I highlighted that in my opening comments, highlighting that our Export Sup- port Program was doubled throughout the last year, meaning that we increased the amount of dollars that businesses could access to help them reach a new trade show, an international fair, going to make a connection with a business in a global setting, so that they could, you know, make a new deal, get a new business contact, make some sales, make their supply chain more resilient, release the pressure of the uncertainty of the 'chariffs' from the White House. And so these are the things that we do as govern- ment: support businesses.

And that's just one program, as an example of how we've allowed more businesses to connect to global partners, inter national opportun- ities that have strengthened our economy here in Manitoba. So, when we look at the success of our govern - ment's role in fostering a healthy economy, we look at all these factors. And then we take action, working alongside the business community that not only sup- port their oppor tunities to 'withstain' the challenges that we're seeing from an ever-pressing global economy, an ever-changing and global economic landscape, but also one that's ever -more competitive.

So , to remain competitive and put Manitoba at the best foot forward, we need to be more proactive. And that's exactly what these sort of initiatives, like our Export Support Program, is actually doing. So, I think it's very im portant to make note and comment on those things as well, because it does show not only the health of our economy, the role that we play as govern ment in doing that and the success that we've had so far in doing that work and the success that we anticipate having in the future, based on the programs and programming that we've laid out thus far. Mr.

Narth: Would the minister then –we'll bounce around a little bit here, but it's good that the minister led us down this path to talk about the Export Support Program. Would the minister be able to outline what the dollar value is of that program over the last two years? Because I believe it came in in last year's budget as part of the contingency budget for the govern ment. And would he be able to outline the costs and also what percentage of an increase to the budget that that program represents? Mr. Moses: So, I appreciate the question regarding the Export Support Program.

It's, I think, been a very successful program now that we've –our government has been promoting it and talking about it with the business community. And we've been using it as a tool to make sure that businesses have the opportunities to go seek out the next opportunity. You know, I spoke to a company who was on and he got some of those dollars and went on an oppor - tunity to go to a show internationally, and they said when they came back that they had just like a list, like a whole stack of, like, contact cards, right, and found that very valuable for a couple of reasons: (1) they got a ton of contacts.

Afterwards, t hey followed up and did the work and went back and reached out to the companies who were specifically interested, ended up getting some successful deals and more business as a result of it.

But the second benefit is that they got a ton of exposure by being at these events, seeing what was out there, seeing what other people in the same similar industry or fields are up to–gave them ideas of how to improve their own business and how to become more competitive, how to up their game a little bit and they– and therefore raised their own ability to grow and become a successful company here in Manitoba. * (15:30) So there's a ton of value that companies get from increasing their exposure and attending these sort of events, including the fact that they get to have that exposure and build and grow their network, right?

I think a lot of folks in the business community know how powerful LinkedIn is these days, right, and having those connections with other folks in the business community.

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1527 And so building those connections, whether it's virtual or in person, like we support through our Export Support Program is really powerful. And I think, even coming out of the pandemic, when a lot of business connections were only made virtually, it's even more powerful now to have those face-to-face meetings, those opportunities where you get to see someone across the table from you or shake their hand at the end of the meeting. I think that's more and more what business leaders are telling me gets the job done, gets the deal over the finish line.

That's what we value as well as part of our government. And so that's why –one of the reasons why we're continuing to support the Expor t Support Program as a very successful program. So just to clarify, in the previous year, we –there were 47 companies that participated in the Export Support Program that received 200– about $255,000. Now, that was in the previous year, 2024, that year the budget for the program was $500,000, so it wasn' t fully used.

The following year, when we really started to promote the program in 2025, we increased that to 84 companies and we expand–and at the same time we also doubled the allotment for that fund up to $1 million and we expended the full $1 million. So these gave significant more opportunities for companies to utilize the Export Support Program. Again, we've doubled the amount of it. So this is a huge lift to companies who want to go out and reach more companies.

And, really, I think the point to make is that not only did we have the foresight to do this and continue to expand it–this program–throughout the challenges we're seeing in the tariffs coming out of the White House, but also, I think we really got a chance to give our companies a leg up, give them the leg up in the long-term success of their business. So I really want to shout-out to the program staff who helped to initiate the increased volume of this program. It's been really beneficial for many com - panies.

We're going to continue to engage with those companies, encourage them to put their best foot forward, tell the great story of Manitoba, utilize this program to grow our economy here at home and continue to share the success of this program. Mr. Narth: Thank you to the minister for giving us some insight on that program. I appreciate it. Would the minister be able to give us some numbers on how much we've seen an increase in export from Manitoba since that program's been rolled out? So, essentially for the 1 and a quarter million dollars, how much have we seen export numbers increase? Mr. Moses: Thanks.

I appreciate that. So I'll probably be–Manitoba Bureau of Statistics would probably have the exact numbers, so you probably want to refer to them, but I'll just talk briefly just about our Manitoba –one of the reasons why we know that these programs are successful. In light of the trade, you know, changes in the United States, people are saying that their US customers are–it's harder to work with them because of the tariff front. And so, many of our manufacturers are looking for new export markets.

Us helping them and pro- viding them support to either make the case to those US customers that they've had for a long time, but are now questioning whether they want to purchase from us–continue to purchase from us or find new markets in Asia, or find new markets in India or in Europe, are all the sort of things that businesses are looking for. So our Export Support Program is actually very well received by the business community, and it is showing significant amount of successes.

We look at some of the trade shows that we know businesses have attended –things like our BIO inter - national, which is the largest life sciences conference; the prospectors developers association of Canada, the largest mining conference; Agritechnica, one of the largest ag manufacturers' conferences in Europe– believe in Germany; the Team Canada Trade Mission to Mexico. I've heard from companies from each one of these trips who've said not only is it valuable, but they came away with more business opportunit ies as a result of participating on those events.

And so we know that our ability to foster an economy that works for businesses is also dependent on our ability to adapt for long- term success and economic growth. And so our ability not only to put forward programs like this but, in the face of tariffs, adapt. We've understood and saw the tariffs that came into place. We listened to the business com munity. We adapted. We doubled the program so more busi - nesses can partici pate, find new markets, make sure

1528 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 they had resilient supply chains. And that's how we continue to have a long-term economic success. Mr. Narth: Yes, unfor tunately, we–you don't have that statistic available, but I think everybody realizes that, as the minister has stated, as we all realize, that Manitoba's economy is quite diversified with, you know, a significant portion of our GDP contribution being in agriculture.

So, I appreciate that the minister has highlighted manufacturing as being the highlight to export, but in reality, our economy is represented by much more than manufacturing. * (15:40) And nearly every other aspect of our exports for Manitoba has been uninterrupted by trade disputes with the United States. Many of our exports go to other countries–not that they haven't been disrupted in some way, shape or form –but largely, they've been uninterrupted and whatever interruptions have existed have opened the markets.

And when we look at agriculture, the trade and export of those goods are not as time sensitive as – unless it's livestock, but if it's commodities, and especially processed commodities, are not as time sensitive. And it's commonplace that month -long or year-long interruptions aren't devastating to that market. So, I can appreciate the focus that the minister has made on manufacturing, but would the minister be able to maybe provide this committee with those statistics to highlight the percentage of exports that are represented by manufacturing in Manitoba –total exports for Manitoba?

And then, if supportive of that, tell Manitobans and this committee, you know, exactly the entire picture of our export market and how that would tie to the export support program. Mr. Moses: I appreciate the question. So, first of all, I think, like, member opposite is asking about our manufacturing exports and export marketing in general, and what percentage that plays and what role the Export Support Program would play in–to facilitating growth in those areas.

But I think the undertone of the member oppo- site's question is a little bit–was a little bit to downplay the role that the US market plays in our exports, as little bit, to say that maybe the changes that, from the tariff landscape in the US, aren't having a significant role in our economy here in Manitoba. I'm not sure if that's the theme of member oppo- site's question, but that's kind of the tone that I was getting and I just wanted to maybe dispel that a little bit. It has had a significant role in our entire country's economy from–when it comes to exports.

Manitoba, like many other provinces, the vast majority of our exports go to the United States. In fact, in Manitoba, and it's roughly around the 72, 73 per cent of all of our exports go to the US, right? That is a really significant number. Imagine seven out of 10 of every product or item, service that leaves Manitoba's borders and is exported internationally, goes to the United States of America. That's a market that is in–impossible to ignore and it's, quite frankly, impossible to diversify away from in just one single year or in–and that would be the same true for any jurisdiction in the country.

And I think for us, it's not necessarily about shrinking the American pie necessarily from a business perspective; it's about growing the pie in other parts of the world. So that's the effort that we're doing with our Export Support Program. It's allowing businesses to diversify markets to help make their–make and ensure that their supply chains, their customer base is as resilient as possible in any uncertainty that might occur in the economy.

The other point I want to make, and away from the manufacturer's aspect of that, is that even though there are–we know that the Canada -US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement allowed many exporters to continue on a fairly similar landscape as prior to the intro - duction of tariffs.

The atmosphere in the US was shifted, where there was a lot of uncertainty, both from Canadian and US investors, where they were more hesitant to purchase product or to purchase it with a long lead time or purchase it with any recur - rence, which meant that it made it more challenging for US businesses on the back end, who were then trying to supply the US market. And as a result, Manitoba businesses were chal - lenged from that standpoint as well.

So even though in the industries where they did not feel the direct tariff financial impact, they felt the uncertainty, as a result of the tariffs played a significant role in decision making and market decisions which impacted Manitoba businesses and businesses right across the country. And so there was that aspect as well. And the third point I want to make is that there was also a significant impact of the canola tariffs and

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1529 pork tariffs from China. And so the People's Republic of China imposed tariffs on our market here, which affected agricultural producers as, of course, member opposite might know. Manitoba is the largest pork exporter in Canada. And so that fact had a larg e impact. And canola is also a large major export from Canada as well: canola seed, canola meal; those have– play real impacts and the PRC making a massive change to their tariff changed the landscape from export, as well, over the past year.

And so I do think that our role in fostering a strong economic landscape by providing and doubling our Export Support Program has allowed producers in ag tech, in manufacturing, in some of the services and some of the other technical skills, more opportunities to find new markets. And so I think just here, by share –we're seeing that this is a share of trade data I'm getting here –this one right here? Roughly here, yes. So we're looking at–yes, so 2024, so the numbers I had there are 2024.

We're looking at roughly 72 per cent US expor ts; China was 7 per cent; Japan was 4 per cent; Mexico was 3 per cent; South Korea was 1 per cent. Those are the 2024 stats on percentages of exports out of Manitoba to international companies from 2024. I'm just running out of time. If the member wants, after the next question, I can provide some of the stats from 2025. * (15:50) Mr.

Narth: I appreciate that response, but maybe I'll make it more pointed and more specific because, you know, as I've seen personally, you know, as I repre - sent the southeast corner of the province, one of the strongest entrepreneurial business-led regions of our province: I talk to business owners, exporters each and every day, as well as I am one myself. I'm sure the minister knows that I'm a business owne r, that busi - ness is dependent on export, as well as an agriculture producer.

So, I not only know it as a representative of the people of my constituency, I realize it first -hand, so I am able to resonate the message to the minister that a lot of the downturn in our growth has not been due directly to tariffs. So, I'd ask the minister if the –him, together with his staff, would be able to supply the data on how much of our exports were directly impacted by tariffs. So, that's not the uncertainty in the market, the what-ifs, the people being uncomfortable with selling to the states, Americans being uncomfortable buying from Canadians–none of that.

Just what percentage of the exports of Canada were directly affected by changes to tariff agreements? Mr. Moses: I thank the member opposite for the question. I think the member opposite is trying to separate two things that are inseparable. You can't separate the tariffs from the impact of the tariffs, right? Like, you're saying–you're trying to suggest: Tell me what the impacts of the tariffs have been without saying all the chaos that talking about tariffs has also caused.

They happen at the same time; they're caused – they're one in each other, this –essentially the same problem, and they're having a ripple -effect impact throughout the entire Canadian economy and, quite frankly, across the world economy. And so you–it's impossible to really separate and say that, you know, a tariff number, per cent that was put on item X has had this much percentage

whereas the companies who delayed investments in product Y doesn't count as an impact as a result of the fir st decision, right? They're correlating, they're inseparable, they work together and that's why the impacts and the uncertainty of the tariffs are a really challenging situation for the economy. I think what we're seeing coming out of 2025 is that companies are starting to now understand the current landscape, that there are still right places to make investment which is why we're starting to see Manitoba become the right place to make those invest- ments in. We are seeing that having (

a) a diversified economy, having a place like Manitoba that has clean, baseload, reliable energy, that has great universities with an incredible opportunity for people to get a great educa- tion, low-cost education, do so affordably with one of the most affordable costs of living and housing prices. That's–I mean I think, quite frankly, people are seeing what we did when it comes to taking the PST off grocery prices and saying, yes, Manitoba's the place to be. An Honourable Member: They're hipping and hollering. Mr. Moses: Manitoba's the place to be.

They're hipping and hollering and saying, yes, I want to come here. I hear young people across the country saying: you know what, I'm going to move back to Manitoba, I was–maybe I went away for school in BC, Ontario, but I'm going to come and get a job in Manitoba.

1530 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 Can get a job, get a good- paying job? Eventually, I'll own a home, maybe one day I'll even get a cottage and enjoy a really good high quality of life here in Manitoba. That's what you get here. When businesses hear that story, that they can offer to their employees with a good wage, wage that is very good for our economy here but is even in some cases more competitive than in other juris dictions–in many jurisdictions, particularly in southern Ontario, from the employer's standpoint.

When they hear that story, when they hear our hydro rates, know that they can have reliable baseload power at among the lowest rates in the country, large employers are saying, yes, sign me up. When they can see a parcel of land available in Manitoba versus what it might cost in Ontario, say, yes, this is a great place. Maybe I want to be located in southeast Manitoba. Maybe I want to locate in the Pembina Valley, maybe I want to locate in CentrePort or in Westman. This is a great opportunity here.

So, I think all of that uncertainty that we saw in the economy is wrapped up and intertwined with the actual tariffs itself. They're inseparable. And, so certainly, we have been feeling, and all jurisdictions across Canada, have been feeling the impacts of tariffs. So it's impossible to really break out one versus the other. We can certainly tell you that exports have undoubtedly changed and decreased over 2025 as a result of the tariffs.

But I think our government has responded very strongly, both with our ability to work with business community, provide programming like our Export Support Program; helping businesses navigate, specifically changing their NOC codes and understanding how to make sure they qualify for – become CUSMA compliant, we've done that work; worked with partners like CME to provide that training and do those sort of things; reinvest in our own Canadian economy by having our B2B supply chain, B2B business connection events; actually work with our business council on the US trade relation- ship; do the advocacy work with the federal govern- ment on advocating for businesses in Manitoba's needs–what they need to be heard when it comes to that CUSMA conversation.

So we'll continue to do that work throughout 2026 because it's really important for our business com - munity and for workers in Manitoba. Mr. Narth: I would probably beg to differ on some of the comments that the minister made, with Manitoba being second to none for regulatory burden for small businesses and medium-sized businesses. I don't think it's fair for the minister to say that it's the what-ifs and uncertainty in the export environment that is driving down investment or growth of busi nesses–export businesses in our province.

And I don't want to dwell on one area because we have so many to go over. * (16:00) So I'd ask it again, because I think it's very straightforward, it's very simple, it's, you know, very clear what the tariff changes have been over the last two years and where those changes have been imposed. I think it's also very easy to see the makeup of our export market for Manitoba in general, so I think it's reasonable for the minister and his department to supply us with that infor mation.

But if the minister isn't able to provide that at this time, I 'd ask that the minister take it under advisement and provide those numbers for us at a later time. But again, to make it clear, I'd like to know what impact the changes to tariffs have had over the last two years and what percentage that represents of total Manitoba exports. Mr. Moses: I thank the member opposite for the question and I do really see, you know –understand why you're asking these questions. It's very important, right. This is the largest impacting factor in our economy that we've experienced over the last two years.

And I understand you have a, you know, personal connection as well, not only yourself in your own personal business but also your community, the folks you're advocating for as well. And I've talked to those folks, as well, in our economy who are impacte d by tariffs, and they tell me that it's both the actual tariff dollars and it's the uncertainty effect that are hurting them.

I talked to many businesses, in fact, that are say- ing that it's almost–the uncertainty is worse because of the lack of commitments on investors or lack of commitment on purchasers or folks who aren't sure about whether they're going to have the ability, in the long term, to commit to making this purchase because of what might change from the direction in the White House at any given moment. And so, again, I'll go back to my comment I made in the last point where it is inseparable to really distinguish between the true economic impact on our GDP. If you're looking at just boiling it down to our

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1531 GDP number is–to boil it–separate what the impact is just to the tariffs and to the uncertainty, because there's many deals that we won't know would have happened had we not been in that situation where we have had that ever-changing climate over the past year and a bit. And so, our 'rosponsibility' is to provide a eco- system in Manitoba where we have a framework for success, economically, and that's exactly what we've done. We brought together a business council, a US council on trade, to understand the impacts of busi - nesses.

We advocated for those needs from the business community directly to the federal government. We deferred some of the taxes for businesses during that time period. We aligned and strengthened our Canadian economy with our Fair Trade in Canada Act, as well as our ability to build strong relationships with the United States and–our largest trading partner. We did initiatives like rolling out our –doubling our Export Support Program to help businesses strengthen their supply chain and make new con- nections internationally.

We've seen a lot of success in this program, as I highlighted: nearly double the amount of businesses were supported and using for the first time the full allotment of dollars in that budget to ensure that more small-, medium-sized enterprises have opportunities to find success in the global market. And so, our team really understands that you're looking for that –you know, some of those specifics, but I'll just reiterate that, yes, we've seen a drop in the imports as a result of the 'chariffs' from US and from China. If –it had impacts in our agriculture, manufacturing, steel sectors, undoubtedly.

And that uncertainty as a result of both of those changes have had ripple -effecting impacts throughout our entire economy. That story is true for every province and territory in our country. So, I will continue to champion the fact that our government has done an incredible job of with- standing those issues –those challenges, that we con - tinue to work with and alongside our business com - munity and that our programming is setting the right sort of environment for future success.

And so, I would continue to encourage the member to understand how we can build a successful economy here: one that is powered and strengthened by our diversity in our economy–not relying on the boom-and-bust cycle of one industry, but really having a fulsome approach to economic success. We're trying to continue to build that approach, whether that's through energy products, whether that's through advancing manufacturing, strengthening our aerospace sector, leaning into our life sciences or understanding how we can become the most inno- vative, creative sector and province in our country.

So we're going to continue to do all that good work and build an economy that's resilient and that is growing for Manitoba businesses and workers. Mr. Narth: Unfortunately, we weren't able to get an answer–a clear answer from the minister on that very important question. But I do think it's an unfair representation of the state of export in our economy and an unfair representation of the economic strength or weaking resilience that we see in Manitoba. Manitoba exporters have been preparing for a change in the CUSMA agreement–you know, what used to be the NAFTA agreement.

We saw that the current administration in the United States is the same administration that brought forward the last trade agreement for North America. If a business is in export trade with other countries, t his is just part of doing business. So, you know, many within the industry, specific- ally those that have functioned for a longer period of time, have been preparing themselves for what the change in trade agreements could mean.

And that's everything from manufacturing right down to supply- managed agriculture. * (16:10) This is something that has never provided cer - tainty in, really, Manitoba's history, never mind recent history. So, I think there's a short period through the late 1990s when we could have rest assured that we had some certainty, but I don't know if that certainty could be said to have been any longer than the cer - tainty that we've seen through the CUSMA agreement.

So, I think it's unfair representation and excuse for any potential downturn that we may be seeing in our economic strength, specifically our export strength in Manitoba. And it's disappointing that the minister isn't able to provide the actual statistics, which I think probably a good solid Google search here –you know, maybe while the minister is researching and discussing with his department, I could do some research myself to provide that to Manitobans and the com mittee here today.

1532 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2026 But, you know, what we've –we're hearing, not only, you know, as the opposition, as the critic to this portfolio, as a representative of my constituency, but we're also seeing through surveys done by industry groups like the Canadian Federation of Inde pendent Business, we're seeing, you know, quite concern ing statistics coming out that more businesses are looking at closing or leaving Manitoba than looking to settle in Manitoba or expand in Manitoba.

And when we dive deeper into the rationale behind these decisions, it's the rising regula tory burden that we see in Manitoba being the largest barrier to growth. So my question to the minister is: Would he agree that outpacing tariff uncertainty–the actual effects of tariffs and the changes that they've brought –that regulatory burden is leading the decision for more businesses to close or relocate than grow and establish in our province? Mr. Moses: Well, first, honourable Chair, I'd like to maybe just dispel or dissuade the member opposite from having that glass -half-empty approach to his narrative, right?

I think the glass is half full here for our economy, and my thinking is that busi nesses are coming to Manitoba. And I've got a lot of great stories to tell. First of all, you use –you paint the narrative that businesses are fleeing the province. I don't think that's true. Recent stories and articles are talking about even just the commercial vacancy in downtown Winnipeg is on the decline. More businesses are coming back to the downtown Winnipeg to locate their businesses and find success for the growth of their organi zation and their enterprise, right? So more busi nesses are doing that.

We know that there's great opportunities here. We know folks in the aerospace sector are growing, whether that's–you're talking about StandardAero or you're talking about Magellan. NFI Group, for example–they are growing. They've announced that, with their all-Canadian build, they've been–hired more people. They've grown their opportunities for sales. This is a fantastic opportunity here. Businesses are not only rooting in Manitoba; they are growing in Manitoba, and businesses that are from outside of t he province are seeing Manitoba as the right place to be.

So we're very pleased with the continued success we have. We know we're going to do more, but with– right now, under the uncertainty and landscape we've been on for the last, you know, 14 months, we're doing very well in terms of growth and new prospects of companies coming in here, setting down roots and establishing Manitoba as a place to find their economic success. Member opposite talks about regulatory burden.

So if there's a specific issue, I'd like to –him to highlight it, if there's a specific regulatory burden, because our government has done an intensive amount of work to improving the permitting processing system we have here in government, a significant increase over the former government which let so much red tape through, it was–they spent time counting the red tape. They spent–put more red tape in to count the red tape. That's what we saw in the last government. But I'll digress. I'll give the member opposite instead some examples of how we've actually improved the system for businesses to go through.

So, for–in–particularly and specifically on mining: We've actually decreased the processing time over the last year by 28 per cent. So, again, that means it's a 28 per cent reduction in the average permitting time for a mining project. That's a real and significant impact. I don't know if the member caught that; I'll just repeat it again. On mining permitting time, it's a 28 per cent improvement in the processing time.

That's a real credit to the team, our commitment, our government's commitment to doing t hat work, our team's effort to implement those strategies and do it in a new and more efficient and in an increased way. And we're very happy with some of those results. That's on the mining side. I'll give the member another example on the per- mitting side for quarries. There was a massive wait-list for the quarries left by the former government. And so we've seen, over the last 18 months, reduction of nearly 24 per cent in the quarry permitting wait-list, in the backlog.

Now that is a huge improvement from what it was under the former government which let those applica- tions just sit and sit and sit and sit. And so instead, we're actually taking action. We're improving the system, making it work more efficiently, getting more businesses up and running more quickly, making sure that the permit and regulatory approval proc ess is as streamlined as possible. We'll continue to do that work, but if there's a specific issue the member has, please bring it to the table instead of having this glass-half-full–glass-half- empty approach about our economy.

The Chairperson: Before recognizing the next speaker, I just want to ask all members to refrain from back

April 22, 2026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1533 chatter and heckling and commentary when it's not your turn, you're not the recognized member. Mr. Narth: I disagree that–with the minister that we or I see the glass as half empty versus half full. You know, on this side of the House, we would just like to see a Manitoba where the glass is completely full. We see the opportunity that our great province has. And we also see that government stands in the way of our potential.

So maybe to clarify my previous statement, and, you know, to add to some of the comment that the minister had made that improvements have been made to the regulatory process and red tape involved in industries–specific industries. He highlighted the mineral exploration and extraction around quarries and mine establishment, so that's one specific. But with that being said, would the minister agree that regulatory burden is one of the largest restrictions and limitations to business growth in our province, if not the largest? * (16:20) Mr.

Moses: I'll answer the member opposite's ques - tion very directly: No, I don't agree, because I think his assertions are incorrect. We don't have–I don't think a regulatory burden is the overwhelmingly largest impact to –any impact to businesses. And I'll also say that I think our government has done a really good job of aligning business needs with regulatory approvals. And so we've not only taken as really strong an approach with making our government work more efficiency–efficiently.

We've done a lot of work to understand how we can streamline some of these processes, particularly when it comes to environ- mental reviews, permitting, processing. And we were happy to announce last week, Premier (Mr. Kinew) and Prime Minister announced that we're undertaking the environmental impact assess- ment and bringing a

Document details

Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	43-3-46
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	43rd 3rd hansardpdf 46.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	995471d91c960dc74a4342a00bcf0207956063f9

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