Manitoba legislature session ends, sets tone for upcoming election campaign

The Manitoba legislature is set to break for the summer and an upcoming election campaign that is expected to focus on health care, taxes and crime.

The governing Progressive Conservatives have passed dozens of bills into law this spring, including the annual budget and anti-crime measures.

But five bills were derailed by the Opposition New Democrats, including one that would have set up a licensing and regulatory regime for supervised drug consumption sites.

The Tories said the bill would pave the way for safe addiction treatment centres by setting standards such as mandatory medical supervision.

The NDP and some community groups said the proposed regime would have been so onerous, it would have prevented any supervised consumption sites from opening.

Premier Heather Stefanson says the bill was about safe treatment, and it will be a campaign issue for the Oct. 3 election.

The Tories have also accused the Opposition New Democrats of being soft on crime and in favour of tax increases.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew has repeatedly denied accusations he would defund police or raise the provincial sales tax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2023.