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The Throne Speech is set to be delivered at the Manitoba Legislative Building this Tuesday, and Portage MLA Jeff Bereza has some thoughts on what he'd like to see outlined.
The speech will mark the opening of the 42nd Legislature of the province, following the 2023 provincial election. This will be the first throne speech of Premier Wab Kinew's government, as the NDP took power in that election. In the premier's plans for his government's priorities, agenda, and vision for the upcoming term, Bereza is hoping for an announcement related to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's imposing tariffs.
"With my portfolio being agriculture, and with the election that happened in the U.S., there's a lot of our agricultural products that move across the border. For the farmers, I hope to see a plan in place for that."
He notes he's also concerned over the federal carbon tax and how it will impact farmers with the colder season coming upon us.
"Like other provinces in Western Canada, we are looking to deal with the burden that's especially not only on agriculture, but all of us in general, who are doing anything with home heating and fuel. The farmers right now are drying corn. They're heating their barns for hogs, and it's costing extra money, which again, flows downhill to the consumer."
Bereza adds he would obviously love to see something mentioned about a new MRI in the new Portage hospital.
"I'd like to see a more proactive approach when it comes to healthcare instead of a reactive one," continues Bereza. "And right now, with our member Kathleen Cook, who is the Health critic, she's been pushing to reduce the screening age for breast cancer to 40. We have a perfect opportunity here in Portage. A lot of hospitals are going to need mammograms, of course, because of the screening age going down. But one of the things, after breast cancer or an irregularity is detected, an MRI is the next step. And then the step after that is to have a proper doctor. Well, we have Dr. Michelle Nostedt here in Portage, who's one of the most renowned breast cancer doctors in the province."
He adds that this means Portage la Prairie is well-positioned for breast cancer treatment, noting the city is a perfect place to act as a hub for these procedures.
Bereza also explains the costs that trickle down to consumers and stresses the need for relief from the carbon tax. Crime is another point of focus he'd like to see addressed.
"We want to see some measures for crime. We see some of our neighbouring municipalities and communities around here, like Swan River, that are dealing with a real problem with needles. To look further into the root causes of why we are running into so many issues with crime requires the Throne Speech to be an opportunity to move our province ahead. I'm hoping that we'll see things in the Throne Speech that actually do move us ahead."
He adds that three new ministers were appointed, which requires deputy ministers, assistant deputy ministers, and quite a number of staff.
"There's a lot of extra cost with that. You know, instead of seeing more levels of bureaucracy, I believe all Manitobans want things that will help them out. More levels of bureaucracy help nobody."