In yesterday’s Speech from the Throne, Manitoba Premier, Wab Kinew laid out the NDP government’s agenda to kick-off the next legislative session, including a number of commitments that will be encouraging news to those working in the public sector.

Some key highlights from the speech for MGEU members include:

  • Moving forward with the design of a new Emergency Room in Eriksdale
  • Adding hip and knee surgeries in Selkirk
  • Starting work on a new personal care home in Lac du Bonnet
  • Reconvening the Advisory Council on Workplace Safety and Health
  • Opening two Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. offices next year
  • Consulting with the community on the new Dauphin Centre for Justice
  • Restoring educational opportunities in Correctional Institutions
  • Implementing an Early Childhood Education recruitment and retention strategy

Ross: Difficult to expand public services without increasing staffing

While these infrastructure improvements and program announcements are intended to expand and enhance the services provided by many MGEU members, President, Kyle Ross, questioned how that will be possible without first addressing one key issue: the critical staffing shortages currently impacting the province’s public services.

“By making commitments to expand our public services and programs, this government is heading in the right direction. But who is going to make these improvements to services a reality, given the current public sector staffing crisis?” he asked.

“Long waits for crime survivors accessing Victim Services, delays receiving birth certificates, extensive waitlists for many health care services – these are just some of the consequences we are seeing from understaffing,” he said. “It takes people to provide our public services and we need more workers to do just that. We urge the government to prioritize filling vacancies and hiring the staff needed to expand these services and programs.”

Ross said the union looks forward to engaging with the government in the weeks and months ahead to address these challenges, while the province works to implement the initiatives announced yesterday.