The Manitoba Legislature has wrapped up for the season, and Steinbach MLA is reflecting on a session marked by change and challenges.
Kelvin Goertzen says one of the biggest developments was the election of Obby Khan as the new leader of the Progressive Conservative caucus. He adds that the leadership change brought a fresh start.
“It was exciting for the caucus to start that new era and to settle out the leadership issues and then see the direction that he was going to take us. So, it's only there for the last few weeks as the official opposition leader, but already I think we noticed the new energy and a new tone and it’s great.”
Wildfires across the province were a major focus at the legislature, especially after a provincial emergency was declared. Goertzen says future planning will come, but the immediate goal is to manage the current situation.
“Right now, there's just a lot of focus on how can we ensure that people are safe, that the people who are fighting the fires are safe, and they're getting the resources that they need. So, it does certainly change the focus of the legislature for the last couple of weeks.”
Budget and taxation were also key topics, with debate around the province’s deficit and recent changes to school tax rebates.
“A large part of the debate, this particular session was about taxation and the fact that the NDP changed the rebate for school taxes and so many residents in Winnipeg right now are getting their bills and seeing a really significant increase in the school taxes they're paying because the 50% rebate that used to be applied prior to the NDP coming into government has been eliminated and changed.”
Goertzen notes Steinbach residents will also feel the impact of that change this fall.
Although the legislature is now in recess until the fall, Goertzen says that the work of an MLA continues throughout the summer.
“There are committees that continue to happen. I know there are a few different sorts of standing committees that will happen in the legislature that I'll be a part of through the summer. There might be some. All party committees are going to happen as well that our Members will participate in, and so there's still legislative work that happens.”
The summer months also offer more time for community involvement, which Goertzen says is a key part of the job.
“I think elected representatives in some way, it's a bit of an information gathering process string. The summer is you really get to connect with people and hear what their concerns are and then hopefully turn that into some sort of legislative action in the fall.”
The session ended with an all-night sitting, which is something Goertzen says he no longer looks forward to as much as he once did.
“We went through the night voting and debating on bills. I think for some of the younger MLAs that feels very exciting. For some of us, we're a little bit older, it's not quite as exciting, but it is part of the democratic process and it's something that happens as you're trying to get a lot of things complete and finished before you head into the break.”
With files from Kenton Dyck