Manitoba legislature begins spring sitting

The top of the Manitoba Legislature (Source: Jamie Dowsett/CTV Winnipeg)

WINNIPEG -

Manitoba politicians return to the legislature chamber today with Premier Heather Stefanson promising more COVID-19 relief.

Stefanson says this year's budget will likely be issued in April and will contain more help for people and businesses affected by the pandemic.

It will be another deficit budget, and Stefanson says the Progressive Conservative government is still aiming to balance the books by 2028.

But she says the government will take a cautious approach, given the effects of the pandemic and potential economic fallout from the war in Ukraine.

The spring sitting is scheduled to run until June.

The first order of business will be condolence speeches today for former legislature members who died recently, including New Democrat Danielle Adams who was killed in a highway crash in December.

Later in the session, the government will look at changes to the Elections Act that would make it easier for voters and reduce the workload on workers at polling stations.

One proposed change would allow voters to cast ballots at any polling station in their constituency on election day, instead of at one designated station.

Another proposal would make greater use of electronic machines to accept and count ballots.

"I think to the extent that we can move forward on some of these items, we'll look to do so through consultation with various stakeholders and through consultation with Manitobans," Stefanson said Monday.

The government is also mulling the idea of no longer publishing the home addresses of candidates online, due to increased concerns about personal safety in recent years.

Stefanson took over the premier's chair last November after Brian Pallister's retirement. The Tories have been trailing the Opposition New Democrats in opinion polls for months, following a couple of severe pandemic waves that left hospitals struggling to accommodate patients.

At one point, dozens of intensive care patients were flown to other provinces to free up beds. Thousands of surgeries and diagnostic tests have also been postponed as staff have been diverted to COVID-19 work.

The spring sitting will also see the return of all legislature members to the chamber. Many have taken part via video conferencing during the pandemic in order to reduce the number of people in the chamber and allow those in attendance to spread out.

The option will still be available for any member who is ill, Stefanson said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2022