Manitoba outlines key priorities in this year’s throne speech

This year’s throne speech focused on progress made over the last two years, with new steps to improve health care, lower costs, and keep communities safe, as the province outlines its plan for the year ahead.

The throne speech focused on health care, introducing three new bills aimed at improving patient safety, creating a patient safety charter, ending mandatory overtime starting with frontline nurses, and legislating staff-to-patient ratios in priority areas.

“We got all these great ideas in healthcare and stuff in the economy, so we have to execute those while being responsible with spending,” said Premier Wab Kinew.

Digital health cards and a new patient portal are also planned for 2026. Pharmacists’ scope of practice will expand to include birth control, UTI treatment, and other common ailments, and eliminating the requirement for sick notes.

“Glad to see the government made an announcement on the use of sick notes, it’s good news for our healthcare system and all Manitobans,” said Kevin Rebeck, the president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

Jason Linklater, the president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, said, “Without a credible health human resources plan, I think it’s very unlikely there will be success in filling vacancies across the provinces.”

While Kathleen Cook, the Critic for Health, Seniors, and Long-Term Care, said, “I think it was pretty wild for the Premier to say we have enough nurses, we don’t, anyone who visited Manitoba hospitals will tell you that, I think frontline nurses will tell you we don’t have enough.”

Meanwhile, in terms of economic development, the province says it is advancing a potential Churchill trade corridor in partnership with First Nations and the Red River Métis. Legislation will be introduced to enshrine the new Manitoba Crown–Indigenous Corporation into law.

“It reflects a ton of work being put in over the past year by people pursuing the idea we want to build Manitoba up, the idea for everybody,” said Kinew.

Loren Remillard, the president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said, “It was a throne speech that led with health and health dominated, but right now Canadians and Manitobans are looking for answers on economics, and we wanted to see that in the throne speech be the lead.”

As for addictions and community safety, the government says it will build on Manitoba’s protective care system, adding detox beds for people leaving the new Protective Care Centre and expanding housing and wraparound supports.

A targeted meth sweep is planned, focusing on producers and distributors, alongside a new drug-enforcement task force. Kinew also says a supervised safe consumption site remains on track to open as early as January, pending federal approvals.

“We’re just going to step up and have this meth sweep go on to make sure WPS, RCMP, and everybody work together to get rid of the scourge of this super high-powered meth that’s damaging our communities,” said Kinew.

As for education, four new schools will be built, and the addition of more than 400 child-care spaces across River East, Pembina Trails, Seven Oaks, and Brandon.

The speech also outlined plans to update the Accessibility for Manitobans Act and expand French-language legal services; however, the official opposition called it another year of false promises.

“It’s unfortunate the document was full of half-truths misleading Manitobans again and reiterating broken promises we’ve heard over and over again from this failing NDP government,” said Obby Khan, Official Opposition Leader.

The province says work is also underway on what it calls the most comprehensive after-action wildfire review ever undertaken in Manitoba, and it will invest in a new scoreboard and bleachers for the Crocus Plains Spartans, honouring high school football player Darius Hartshorne following his sudden passing.