Manitoba Opposition Tories say lengthy omnibus bill means less public scrutiny
Manitobans may not be able to have public input on a host of proposed legislative changes, including a ban on replacement workers during labour disputes and a tightening of environmental rules.
That's because the NDP government has included those measures and others, originally planned as separate pieces of legislation, in an 89-page omnibus budget bill introduced this week.
The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act -- known by its acronym, BITSA -- is put before the legislature every year to enact measures contained in the spring budget.
Unlike other bills, it is not required to go to a legislature committee that holds public hearings.
The Opposition Progressive Conservatives accused the government Tuesday of ramming through changes and ducking public scrutiny.
"Will the premier apologize to Manitobans for denying them their democratic rights?" interim Tory leader Wayne Ewasko said in question period.
The New Democrats said bundling the measures together was necessary because the Tories have stalled proceedings at times during the spring legislature sitting.
"The PCs have been blocking debate. They've been blocking the public's ability to hear about important legislation," Premier Wab Kinew said.
The NDP also pointed to similar budget bills under the former Tory government that included non-budget items such as a change in 2020 that tried to shield the government from being sued for clawing back benefit payments to youngsters in the child welfare system.
This year's BITSA contains dozens of changes, many of them not directly connected to the budget.
Proposed changes to labour laws would forbid employers from using replacement workers during strikes and lockouts, and make it easier for workers to join a union.
A proposed change to the election financing law would boost rebates given to political parties and candidates for election expenses.
Another proposal would establish a seniors advocate who would report to the legislature, and another would expand the types of actions that would require an environmental licence.
The Tories said the measures should be in separate bills so that Manitobans can have their say on them. Manitoba is one of the few provinces that mandate public hearings on almost every bill, giving members of the public 10 minutes to speak to a legislature committee.
The NDP tactic also makes it more likely that all of their proposed measures will be passed into law before the end of the year.
The budget bill faces fewer potential hurdles and opposition delays than other bills.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Police: 3 killed, including suspected gunman, in Minneapolis shooting
Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead after a shooting Thursday at a Minneapolis apartment complex, police said.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."