Q&A WITH THE HONOURABLE WAB KINEW
economy, if we want tourism to stand up at the national and international level, our provincial government needs to be a strong leader in selling our exports. Manitoba can become a leader in the green economy, and we have the potential to show not only Canada but the rest of the world that you can have good jobs and do your part to combat climate change. Across exports, our government will work hard to become a leader on the global stage. STRONG AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES MCC: Health care has served as a central pillar of your election platform, and you’ve already committed to implementing all five recommendations with supporting actions from the joint Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Doctors Manitoba report titled Manitoba’s Physician Shortage: Physician Recruitment and Retention Recommendations from the Rural & Northern Health Summit. Given that we are facing a nationwide health human resources shortage, what specific measures will your government implement to address the attraction and retention of physicians in rural and northern Manitoba? WK: One of the main drivers of the staffing shortage was due to the culture of health care in our province. Many professionals left due to burnout and negative working conditions. With our plan to change the culture of health care, we will encourage more physicians to practise in our province and stay for the long-term. We will treat health professionals and physicians with the respect they deserve and work with them to put solutions in place. Our government will attract more doctors to the north by reinstating and doubling the rural physician recruitment fund that Brian Pallister cut. Through this fund’s northern recruitment, we will reduce the pressure on small communities that have been spread thin. Our recruitment strategy will bring health care closer to home for northern Manitobans. MCC: At the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, we believe that childcare must be considered critical infrastructure, and an affordable, accessible and high-quality early learning childcare framework is necessary to support workforce
participation and economic growth. You have committed to expanding $10/day childcare to include before- and after- school care, as well as add more options with flexible hours for shift workers. However, we have an estimated shortage of 1,000 early childhood educators (ECEs) in our province and approximately 35 per cent of licensed childcare facilities are operating with an exemption to their licences due to inadequate staffing levels. Therefore, what will your government do to address the significant shortage of ECEs in Manitoba? WK: Quality, affordable childcare is good for families and it's good for the economy. With a good universal childcare program, more Manitobans will be able to get to work in the careers they trained for, and more children will have high-quality education to get a good start in life. Early childhood educators are critically important to support our children and families across the province. We will ensure that ECE wages reflect the valuable work they do and remain competitive with other provinces. We will treat ECEs with the respect they deserve and ensure that we not only attract more ECEs to the province but keep the ECEs who are already here, doing the work to care for our children.
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MCC: Manitoba is home to the highest percentage of Indigenous Canadians, representing 18 per cent of our population, and we have the fastest- growing youth Indigenous population in Canada. There have been increases in post-secondary participation by and training opportunities for Indigenous Peoples; however, Indigenous communities continue to struggle with the effects of intergenerational trauma and have much higher rates of unemployment. How will your government improve labour market outcomes for and leverage the opportunities in Manitoba’s Indigenous population? WK: Our government is focused on helping more young people across Manitoba to get into the workforce with more training opportunities and good jobs. Not only will this help our economy, it will also help more young people choose a better path and build a life they are proud of. With our plan to increase training programs, paid apprenticeships and co-op programs, we will ensure that more young people, including Indigenous youth, have the opportunities they need. We will also invest in young people and Indigenous communities through our Critical Minerals Strategy, which will ensure that local resource projects offer good jobs to local people. TRADE MCC: Manitoba exports $20 billion worth of products every year. In 2022, our top exports were in pharmaceuticals, wheat, pork, buses and agricultural machinery. Seventy-five per cent of those exports go to the United States, but opportunities to diversify our export markets exist. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce has been asking the provincial government to commit to developing a clear and robust global trade strategy for several years. Will this be a priority for your government and, if so, what is your plan to elevate Manitoba’s position on the national and global stage? WK: One of the roles of a provincial government is to be the sales force for Team Manitoba. If we want critical minerals to make it to market, if we want clean hydrogen to prevail in the green
The Manitoba Chambers of Com- merce believes that by focusing attention on economic indica- tors and measuring our success, we will generate greater pros- perity for all Manitobans. The chamber believes that although we are experiencing inflation- ary pressures and a continued labour shortage, it is imperative that we focus on growing our economy and leveraging our strengths through a strategic, fo- cused and results-driven lens. ■
To view the MCC’s priorities for the business community and Manitoba’s economy, please visit voteprosperity.ca.
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WINTER 2023
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