
Hiring nurses, repairing relationships, a new homelessness strategy: Throne speech outlines priorities for Manitoba
CTV
With broad strokes scant on details, the province's throne speech laid out its priorities, focusing on repairing relationships, addressing nursing shortages and surgical backlogs, and introducing a homelessness strategy this winter.
With broad strokes scant on details, the province's throne speech laid out its priorities, focusing on repairing relationships, addressing nursing shortages and surgical backlogs, and introducing a homelessness strategy this winter.
The 11-page speech, which distances newly minted Premier Heather Stefanson's government from that of former Premier Brian Pallister, was delivered by Manitoba's Lieutenant-Governor Janice Filmon on Tuesday afternoon.
"What I'm hearing from Manitobans is they want a departure from maybe the style and the way things have been done in the past," Stefanson said Tuesday.
"We don't have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, but I think there is a better way to do things and a more collaborative way with Manitobans."
Among the priorities outlined in the speech, the government says it will 'take action in the coming weeks,' to remove barriers that are delaying Manitobans from getting the care they need.
The province is promising a task force with doctors, nurses and other professionals focused on finding ways to clear the backlog of surgeries and diagnostic tests delayed due to the pandemic.
"This will be a priority for our government, to ensure that Manitobans get the health care that they need when they need it," Stefanson said, adding this task force will be set up "very, very shortly."