The party states, as matters of principle, that:

– global sustainability and justice can only be achieved when responsibility is shared at all levels of society. We are all called to take responsibility for ourselves, our families, and our communities
– common resources such as water, air, forests and other naturalresources should be shared equitably. Communities create a collective culture and knowledge and the party supports everyone’s right and access to the more contemporary ‘common’ resources that we’ve come to expect,e.g., education and adequate health care
– it honours the diversity of life on our planet. An eco-centric worldview values Earth’s diversity in all its forms, the non-human, as well as the human
– cultural, biological, social and economic diversity are central to healthy, functioning communities

The party has published no official statement concerning its policies on:
– the role or importance of the family

Health Care
The party states that:
– a health care system must do more than respond to illness. Health care must also promote wellness at every stage of life
– it takes seriously the broad range of personal, social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to the overall health of Manitobans
– since poverty is a primary factor leading to poor health, poverty reduction will be our most significant initiative in preventative health care. This will reduce the burden on the health care system, which in turn will contribute to its fiscal sustainability
– in addition to prevention measures, our long-term vision is to provide a strong community-based network that focuses on well-being and preventative support.  Primary physical and mental health care will be delivered at a local level, within a collaborative model
– it opposes any move to privatize health care.  Properly funding public health care will always require a significant allocation of the provincial budget, but it is a price we pay for a fair and equitable society in which everyone has access to health care services regardless of socio-economic circumstances. That being said, we are continually searching for the most efficient and cost effective ways to provide the health care services that are needed

The party advocates:
– respect and support for frontline health careworkers, including:  (i) repeal of the Public Services Sustainability Act, to reverse the freeze on public-sector wages and honor the right to engage in collective bargaining; (ii) consulting and collaborating with front-line health workers before making any major changes to the health care system, and during any subsequent implementation process; (iii) increasing the number of health care practitioners working in the public system; (iv) eliminating mandatory overtime for health professionals; and (iv) expanding opportunities for cross-training between health professionals, and implementing appropriate expansions in scope of practice
– increasing the focus on preventative,community-based health care, including (i) increasing the existing provincial sales tax rate on “junk food,” and using the proceeds of this tax to increase funding for health promotion initiatives; (ii) allocating 2% of total health care spending to support best-practice preventative programs; and (iii) working toward a local, cooperative health care model in which communities have a say over their own health facilities and can cooperate to deliver health care in the best interest of the local community
– expanding health care coverage in Manitoba by: (i) providing universal basic dental care and vision care to all children 12 years of age and under; (ii) negotiating universal Pharmacare with the federal government to access volume buying and significantly reduce the cost of prescription drugs; (iii) funding conception planning under Medicare and Pharmacare; and (iv) ensuirng access to abortion services across the province, including non-surgical abortion options
– improving medical and emergency medical services across Manitoba, by (i) ensuring that there are no further emergency room closures; (ii) relieving of pressure on existing emergency rooms by increasing the number of health practitioners and after hours non-urgent care; (iii) ensuring that rural and Northern communities have adequate emergency transport services; providing better support and coordination to municipalities for health professional recruitment and developing a provincial health human resource plan; increasing the utilization of internet technology to address the needs of rural and Northern patients and reduce the burden of long-distance travel
– providing increased services and support options for seniors, including (a) increasing the capacity of housing and support options for seniors so that seniors can be independent and self-sufficient as long aspossible and avoid unnecessary, unwanted and costly stays in hospitals and personal care homes; (ii) support for active living programming for seniors to enhance physical, social and mental health; and increased investments in the areas of injury prevention, healthpromotion, and chronic disease management
– increased services for individuals with disabilities and their families, including reduced wait times for residential services for families with adult children with intellectual disabilities; increased availability of support services for children living with disabilities; and estblishment and implementation of an updated FASD strategy with a focus on enhancing prevention and intervention services for people with FASD

Elder Care

The party advocates:
– providing increased services and support options for seniors, including (a) increasing the capacity of housing and support options for seniors so that seniors can be independent and self-sufficient as long aspossible and avoid unnecessary, unwanted and costly stays in hospitals and personal care homes; (ii) support for active living programming for seniors to enhance physical, social and mental health; and increased investments in the areas of injury prevention, healthpromotion, and chronic disease management

Education & Young Workers
The party states that:
– it believes that an education system of quality must support students by addressing their individual needs, by providing them with high quality academic instruction, and by equipping them with the skills necessary for their future
– it acknowledges that individuals and communities have diverse learning needs and plans to provide them with appropriate funding and resources to meet those needs, including (i) addressing the financial inequities in the Manitoba Education System by providing equitable funding to all schools; and (ii) addressing further inequities by consulting with teachers and communities about the specific needs of their students and community, and addressing those needs accordingly
– it believes in assisting families in achieving these goals, as well as adults that are looking to further their education

To ensure that all students receive a quality education that meets their needs, the party advocates:
– revising the funding structure of public schools to ensure equitable funding for education, making education funding fair and transparent by funding education only through corporate and personal income taxes rather than partly through property taxes
– increasing support for students with specific needs by (i) reducing the wait time for assessing students with learning disabilities so that those who qualify for a special education designation receive early intervention and the necessary supports; (ii) providing culturally appropriate supports for newcomer students to receive early intervention when necessary; and providing funding to school divisions specifically in support of in-school, out-of-class tutoring services
– providing support in schools for children andfamilies living in poverty, including (i) putting into place programming and services that are designed to specifically address the in-school social, physical, and emotional needs of children and youth living in poverty; and (ii) providing support to enable all parents to fully participate in the education of their children
– improving the educational experience of Indigenous students by (i) developing a provincial strategy in partnership with Indigenous groups to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Manitobans; promoting environments where Indigenous students feel a sense of welcome and belonging in public schools through the implementation of culturally appropriate educational programming and services; and (iii) developing culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Indigenous families
– updating school curriculums to promote meaningful engagement by (i) centering the curriculum on participation in projects in order to incorporate diverse subject matter and teach a variety of skills,including critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration; and (ii) requiring that all future curriculum development be done from the perspective of teaching students to be ecologically aware and literate
– providing support and autonomy to teachers and schools by (i) providing local schools with increased autonomy over their schedules and curricula in response to local needs; (ii) supporting all school divisions, in collaboration with teachers andschool administrators, in creating annual professional development plans for teachers and school administrators; and (iii) repealing the Public Services Sustainability Act, which will reverse the freeze on public-sector wages and honor the right to engage in collective bargaining
– providing increased assistance to post-secondary students to promote equal accessto education by (i) providing students in need of financial assistance with at least 50% of eligible assistance as non-repayable financial assistance; and (ii) introducing an an income contingent repayment plan, where the repayment of student loans is based on the ability to pay

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– the role & importance of the family
– culture arts & tourism

Support for Families
The party advocates:
– to ensure that no child ever starts the school day hungry, implementing a K-12 universal nutritional program, and make sure that schools get the funding they need to support every single student

Health Care
The party advocates:
– Fix Health Care: reducing wait lists by supporting nurses demands for life-work balance; lifting the cap on surgeries like hip, knees and cataracts, and demanding investments in prevention to keep people healthy, like insulin pumps and supplies to manage diabetes.

Care for the Elderly
The party states:
– for years, and in some cases decades, there have been no investments in improving care and support for seniors’ housing and health care in our province
– when the pandemic hit, the system broke in all the weak places – and it was oft en seniors and their families who were hit hardest
– it wants to take the protection and care of seniors in Manitoba to a new level, with more intensive preventive care, better oversight, and better housing protections

The party advocates:
– in view of their success in other jurisdictions, placing nurse practitioners in care homes to provide a higher level of preventive care. Nurse Practitioners can perform many duties and assessments comparable to physicians, including prescribing medications. Residents will see a significant improvement in the quality of care while preventing costly ambulance trips and visits to the ER and hospital
– protecting affordable housing for seniors, and preventing future sell-offs of seniors’ housing, like Lions’ Place, by bringing in legislation requiring the Minister to sign off on future sales, including commitment to support for affordable rents for seniors housing with current ownership
– empowering and establishing “Family Councils” to hold Personal Care Homes to account, including through legislation already introduced by the party
– improving staffing ratios to 4.1 hours of direct care per resident per day to make sure seniors get more attention and care
– ensuring seniors and their families have an independent advocate to turn to, including an independent office of a Seniors Advocate with power to take complaints and investigate on behalf of seniors and their families and report issues to the legislature, and a mandate to launch unannounced inspections of facilities to make sure they are compliant

Education & Young Workers
The party advocates:
– improving quality and inclusion in education, by ensuring that the students who are being left behind in the K-12 system have the tools and resources to succeed, and that provincial universities and colleges have the resources they need to innovate and graduate students to the peak of their abilities

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– the role & importance of the family
– culture arts & tourism

Support for the Family

The party states that public child care is a smart investment, one that meets the needs of children and the economy, while also being good for gender equity

In order to continue to work toward its goal of affordable, high-quality child care for all families, and to  maximize the social and economic benefits of public child care, the party advocates:
– bringing the child care system under the Department of Education. This change recognizes the continuity from early childhood education through K-12 schooling, to post-secondary education and beyond

In order to promote good jobs and systainable growth, the party advocates:
– building additional child care spaces for young families, and committing to an ambitious goal of affordable, high-quality, accessible child care for all families, starting with bringing the child care system under the Department of Education
The party advocates:
– helping families make greener choices and keep life affordable, while working with the Federal government to put a price on pollution and make big polluters pay

Education & Young Workers
The party states that:
– getting a good job in today’s economy requires education and training more than ever before
– the days of working one job for your entire career are largely a thing of the past
– it understands that everyone’s path to success will look different.  Under its plan, the individual will supply the hard work and ambition, while it seeks to make the path easier by (i) making it easier to transfer credits across institutions, (i) creating a world-class online education planner that will show which skills are in the highest demand in Manitoba; (iii) helping students chart a path to acquiring these skills; and (iv) working with industry to keep updating information about which sectors have the highest demand for more workers

To build good jobs and sustainable growth, the party advocates:
– restoring the cap on K-3 class sizes eliminated by a prior government, and putting more Educational Assistants in classrooms
– helping every child overcome the unique challenges they face by providing better supports in schools, such as mental health supports and healthy food
– helping post-secondary students pay for their schooling while learning valuable job skills with co-op job placements and paid internships
– making university and college more affordable by freezing tuition growth to inflation and keeping student loans interest-free
– restoring the ACCESS bursary for rural, northern and Indigenous students
– helping young agricultural producers by reviewing Crown Lands policy

Health Care
In view of cuts implemented by a prior government, the party advocates:
– reopening closed emergency rooms and opening more acute care beds
– end reduction in nursing staffs and istead hiring more nurses in critical areas, and seeking to reset the government’s relationship with nurses and health care professionals
– cancelling planed cuts to CancerCare, and improved services for cancer patients
– transforming mental health care for Manitobans, including appointing a Minister Responsible for Mental Health and Addictions, creating new community-based mental health services, doubling the number of counsellors in ACCESS Centres, and examining how to fund some eligible mental health costs for families
– increasing community-based health care, offering more family-friendly hours in clinics, and training more Nurse Practitioners
– making Manitoba a leading voice for universal national Pharmacare and working with the Federal government to lower drug costs for Manitoba families
– reinstating coverage for outpatient physiotherapy and sleep-apnea treatment, and reviving the Special Drugs Program through an enhanced Pharmacare program
– cancelling plans to privatize home care, which is more expensive, and redirect the savings into improving home care for Manitobans, including ensuring that the length of home care visits reflects the care offered, so that every person receives the time and support they need
– improved palliative care, including better training for health care professionals and development of a new province-wide palliative strategy
– prioritizing women’s health by supporting access to reproductive health care, offering free menstrual products in schools, reinstting lactation consultants released by the prior government, and retaining recently trained midwives
– improving health care for northern Manitobans health care by reinstating the obstetrics program in Flin Flon and Lifeflight, hiring more midwives in northern communities, and partnering with the Federal government on new hospital-level health centres in northern First Nations communities
– addressing social determinants of health by: improving Rent Assist by reversing recent cuts; improving EIA rates; restoring the Getting Started benefit; and beginning to transform EIA into a basic income by eliminating the “welfare wall” as a disincentive to work; and striking a task force on a basic income and a dignified income for people with severe and prolonged disabilities
– ensuring that LGBTQIA2S+ people have access to health care services that are respectful and appropriate; introducing a non-binary option on Manitoba government ID such as health registration cards and driver’s licences
– reducing health care bureaucracy at the highest levels, and ensuring any changes to health care administration prioritize front-line services aboev highly-paid bureaucrats
– opposing health care premiums
– to improve healthcare, the party would commit to spending $148 million over four years, while bringing the budget from a $270 million deficit (2020/21) to a 0.5 million surplus
– emphasis would be placed on prevention and the social determinants of health, including (i) reopening hospital emergency rooms in Winnipeg and adding acute care beds, (ii) training and hiring nurses and nurse practitioners, (iii) measures to support mental health care for Manitobans, and (iv) measures to support women’s health and northern health

Culture, Arts & Tourism
In order to promote good jobs and sustainable growth, the party advocates:
– supporting French-language students by restoring the Assistant Deputy Minister in the Bureau de l’éducation française and, working together, developing a strategy to recruit French-language teachers

The party has provided no official statement regarding its policies or positions regarding:
– the priority or role of the family

The Role and Purpose of Family
The party states that, as a matter of principle:
– it is committed to building a province where people can succeed
– it wants a province where families can thrive and enjoy strong economic and social development
– it aspires to create a climate where all can reach their full potential
– it supports promotion of conditions where the security of family and supportive communities allow all children to play, learn and develop into healthy and successful citizens

Support for families
The party states that
– since it formed government in 2016, it reduced PST from 8% to 7%, saving a family of four an average of $500 per year
– within four years of forming government in 2016, it increased spending in support of families from $1.9 billion to $2.2 billion
– as part of a ‘Five-Point Guarantee’ introduced prior to the last election, it committed to a tax rollback that would save families an average of $2,020 over four years, including (i) delivering reduction of the PST from 8% to 7%, resulting in $325 million to taxpayers each year for the next four years, (ii) ensuring that 7,720 additional low-income taxpayers will pay no incom tax, through indexing of personal income brackets and personal tax exemptions; (iii) removing PST from home insurance, haircuts, and fees for will and tax preparation; (iv) eliminating probate fees; and (v) beginning phase-out of education property taxes.  The reduction would be broken down, over four years, as follows:
* 1% PST Reduction from 8% to 7%:    $1335 million
* Indexing of BPA and Brackets:    $124 million
* Elimination of Probate Fees:    $32 million
* PST Exemptions:    (i) home insurance, $110; (ii) personal care services, $22; (iii) preparing tax forms, $10; (iv) preparing wills, $4; (v) reduction in education taxes, $141 = $287 million
**** Total provinical tax savings, over four years: $1,778 million
**** Total savings for each of 880,000 taxpayers:  $2020.00

Early Learning & Childcare
To improve early learning and child care, the party advocates:
(i) improving the affordability and availability of child care; (ii) building 1,510 more school-based spaces; (iii) developing a new Portable Child Care Benefit that will extend up to $500 per month to help 3,000 lower-income families find child care: (iv) creating new spaces sooner with help from the private sector; (v) reviewing the funding model to keep existing centres open; and (vi) addressing shortages and meeting staff training requirements at child care centres

Children & Family Services
To improve outcomes and continue reducing the number of children in care, the party advocates:
– reducing apprehensions and increasing reunifications
– increasing predictable funding made available to CFS Authorities to provide them with flexibility to direct resources where most needed
– developing a serious injury reporting regulation to identify the most effective and efficient way to report serious injuries
– strengthening Emergency Placement Resources (EPR) to prioritize the best interests of children and long-term permanent care arrangements
– woring toward fewer children in care for fewer days with better outcomes by legislating new amendments that align with Bill C-92

Health Care

The party states that:
– as a matter of principle, it is committed to building a province where access to high quality and timely health care, and access to resources that promote healthy living, are available to all
– since it formed government in 2016, (i) it reduced ambulance fees by 50%, (ii) shortened emergency room and other wait times, and (iii) has made record investments in health care, more than $400 million more, in 2019 ,than in the 2016 budget.
– within four years of forming government in 2016, it increased health spending from $6.2 billion to $6.6 billion
– as part of a ‘Five-Point Guarantee’ made prior to the last election, it would devote $2 billion in new funding to health care, for projects including (i) building a new emergency department at St Boniface Hospital, (ii) hiring 200 new nurses, (iii) hiring 80 more rural paramedics, (iv) continuing to recruit additional physicians, (v) expanding mental health and addiction treatment services, (vi) women’s health matters, (vii) creation of a $40 million front line idea fund, to gather innovative ideas from front-line workers on how to improve service (viii) increased capacity for hip, knee, and cataract surgeries, (ix) more echocardiograms and ultrasounds, (x) funding of new services for seniors, and (xi) developing a new diabetes prevention strategy
– improving emergency assessment, treatment and mental health walk-in services for high-risk, sexually exploited girls
– establishing a four-year Bachelor of Midwifery program at the University of Manitoba beginning in 2020 for up to six students, including three northern indigenous students
– lowering wait times for treatment of Manitobans with eating disorders by: (i) investing in two additional inpatient beds; (ii) establishing a medically supported feeding clinic for nutritional resuscitation of inpatients as well as outpatients who require tube feeding or meal support; (iii) expanding outpatient program capacity; (iv) improving programming for co-existing eating disorder and substance use disorder patient

The party’s 2023 budget includes investments of $7.9-billion in the health care system, including:
• providing $668-million more to heal health care
• $130-million to reduce the diagnostic and surgical backlog
• continuing to invest $200-million into the Health Human Resource Action Plan
• a $120-million infusion to the Pharmacare program, including extending coverage for insulin pumps for eligible adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• $1.2-billion in multi-year capital investments in rural hospitals and other health infrastructure, in addition to renovations in Winnipeg to the St. Boniface Hospital, the Grace Hospital, CancerCare Manitoba and the Health Sciences Centre
• creating a new Hearing Aid Program for seniors
• an additional $15.9-million to advance initiatives under the seniors strategy
• $55-million to implement the recommendations from the Stevenson report on long-term care
• ongoing funding for RAAM clinics, including a new clinic in Winnipeg, which will be Indigenous-led through a partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre

Addictions
In order to provide continuous care for those caught in addiction, the party advocates:
– providing continuous care including: (i) acute medical sobering unit (ii) new recovery and drop-in centre (iii) enhanced mobile services (iv) an additional Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinic (v) more supportive recovery housing
– piloting a mentorship-based model to fight addictions using cultural services and community partners for families with parental substance abuse issues
– continuing to invest in supports for children and youth with complex needs, including (i) expanded Street Reach services in Winnipeg and Thompson; (ii) investing in Indigenous led healing services; (iii) expanding school-based mental health and addictions supports

To address escalating addiction and crime rates in Winnipeg and across the province, the pary advocates:
– modern education for children, including (i) development of a modern anti-addictions curriculum, emphasizing the role of peer pressure, social media and cultural influences, with evidence-based lessons; and (ii) engaging students with these modernized, age-appropriate learning outcomes related to substance abuse and prevention, starting in Grade 3
– providing more treatment services, faster, based on a comprehensive overhaul of mental and health addictions within the province; and (i) adding 12 new treatment and waiting spaces for those suffering from meth psychosis and other mental health and addictions issues at the Health Sciences Centre’s emergency room; (ii) creating a new sobering centre; and (iii) adding supportive housing, a new RAAM clinic and a new recovery and drop-in centre

Education and Young Workers
The party states that:
– as a matter of principle, it is committed to building a province where access to a quality education and affordable post-secondary education complete with resources for lifelong learning throughout the province is available to all
– within four years of forming government in 2016, it increased spending on education from $4.1 billion to $4.6 billion
– as part of a ‘Five-Point Guarantee’ offered during the prior election, it has committed to:
* building 20 new schools within ten years, across the province
* developing a $25 million Teachers’ Idea Fund, to promote innovative projects to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes, teachers’ practices, and student engagement and well-being
* fast-tracking development of Manitoba’s Skills, Talent and Knowledge Strategy, to focus on strengthening connections between industry, employers and apprenticeship and training providers
* expanding demand-led training opportunities, where employers and employment service organizations develop customized training opportunities leading to employment
* renewing Manitoba’s Sector Council program to increase employer investment in training, and ensure post-secondary training is aligned with the labour  market to give our students the best chance for rewarding career
* in order to help ensure that students with financial need can access post-secondary education, it enhanced provincial matching funds for scholarships and bursaries, to $6.75 million, and is committed to build Scholarship and Bursary support to $10 million of 1:2 matching funds, resulting in $30 million available to students after private sector matches
* renewing Manitoba’s employment and income assistance framework to ensure simplified and modernized benefit design and delivery, and enhanced pathways for employable recipients to enter the labour market
* improved alignment with labour market needs and other benefit systems including programs offered by the Government of Canada, student financial aid and other employment training supports
* to build upon the 9,900 Manitobans participating in registered apprenticeship programming, including 1,000 in the high school apprenticeship program, expanding the number of high school apprenticeship program participants in areas with unmet demand for training, and offering more opportunities for increased access to hands-on skilled trades programming for young people between the ages of 13-16
– support young workers while improving the environment, doubling  current funding for non-profit-organizations and municipalities providing Manitoba youth opportunities to take up summer jobs including technological and innovation projects, work in provincial and municipal campgrounds and waterbody cleanups

Culture, Arts & Tourism
The party states that:
– as a matter of principle, it is committed to encouragement and celebration of a vibrant and diverse culture of the arts, sports and volunteerism secured and sustained by a strong, steady economy
– to bolster the provincial film industry, which totaled $723 million between 2012 and 2017, focusing on provincial strengths by increasing the broader (‘all spend’) portion of the current film tax credit from 30% to 38% of all production costs, to encourage more permanent investments in film production