Q&A WITH THE HONOURABLE WAB KINEW
PHOTO BY IAN MCCAUSLAND
THE ECONOMIC HORSE PULLS THE SOCIAL CART: Q&A WITH THE HONOURABLE WAB KINEW
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce: You have recently been elected to lead the Government of Manitoba for the next four years as our next premier. Looking ahead to the end of your mandate four years from now, how will Manitoba be different than it is today? What will our economic landscape look like, and what new investments and strategic opportunities will your government have prioritized? Wab Kinew: By the end of our first term, more Manitobans will have access to the health care they need, closer to home. With our government, we will have staffed up the health-care system and opened a new emergency room in south Winnipeg, the Victoria Hospital campus. We’ll have made life more affordable by cutting the gas tax with high inflation and permanently bent the cost curve by freezing hydro rates. We’ll also have taken significant strides in ending chronic homelessness in Manitoba — we will help more people enter the workforce and help create thriving downtowns, from Winnipeg to Brandon.
ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS MCC: During the election campaign, leaders from all parties talked about the importance of growing Manitoba’s economy, and you’ve often referenced that the economic horse pulls the social cart. Please talk about your plan to grow Manitoba’s economy, including how you will make our province more competitive with other jurisdictions and explain what economic prosperity means to you. WK: Our Manitoba NDP government will be responsible stewards of the provincial economy. We promised to build — from hospitals to highways and more — and our government is ready to get to work on achieving our goal of creating 10,000 jobs for Manitobans. We will ensure that Manitoba jobs go to Manitobans by contracting jobs to local companies instead of shipping them out of province. We will help more families build a life in our great province, with good-paying jobs they can rely on. With our strengthened health-care system, we can keep the
T he Manitoba Chambers of Com- merce (MCC) recently connected with Premier Wab Kinew, who was sworn in as Manitoba’s 25th premier on Oct. 18 and who took time to answer 10 questions focused on economic growth, prosperity and the new provincial government’s vision for our province. The MCC asked for his input on four key priorities: strengthening eco- nomic competitiveness; attracting and retaining talent; facilitating global trade and reducing barriers; and building strong, resilient and healthy communities. These four pillars formed the basis of Vote Prosperity, developed by the MCC to outline priorities that would best position the province for sustainable economic growth and increased pros- perity for businesses and individuals.
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WINTER 2023
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