Manitoba government is launching a five-year strategy aimed at reducing poverty
Posted January 13, 2026 6:11 pm.
Last Updated January 13, 2026 7:20 pm.
The Manitoba government says it’s taking a new approach to poverty reduction, launching a five-year strategy informed by feedback from more than 3,000 Manitobans.
The province says community organizations, advocates, Indigenous peoples, and businesses are among the 3,000 Manitobans who input feedback for the poverty reduction strategy.
They say this strategy will help reduce poverty and assist with early childhood, from newborn to 5 years old, and the transition to adulthood in the system and among seniors.
“Pathways Forward is about creating a Manitoba where no one is left behind. By focusing on these three life stages, we are not only addressing poverty today, we are preventing poverty tomorrow,“ said Nahanni Fontaine, Minister of Families.
The province also says that the poverty reduction strategy will allow it to better respond to emerging needs and challenging circumstances.
“This strategy is a road map; it sets priorities and direction,” said Bernadette Smith, Minister of Housing, Addictions, and Homelessness.
Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck says while he is glad many of the initiatives the government is supporting to make life better for Manitobans, he thinks an increase to the minimum wage should have been added, citing polling conducted by Probe Research last year, which showed that 72 per cent of Manitobans did not think minimum wage was enough to get by.
“We believe when people work full time, they shouldn’t have to live in poverty, and for far too many Manitobans that’s still their reality today,“ said Rebeck.
“We’d like to see our government make that commitment and make that change to make a real difference to allow people to participate in our economy. To do that is the right thing to do, it’s the fair thing to do, and we will continue to call on government to do that until minimum wage workers make a living wage.”
