Question Period - I ask what the Premier is doing to support refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan

Wednesday March 3, in question period, I asked the Premier what she is doing with respect to helping immigrants from Ukraine and Afghanistan. My question and the Premier’s response are below.

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, war crimes and human rights abuses have led to a crisis with large numbers of refugees fleeing the dire situation in Ukraine, as well as many refugees fleeing or attempting to flee from Afghanistan.

The Premier says she favours immigration, but what are the government's plans to help refugees? What additional funding allocations will be made? Is the government working with local community groups in Winnipeg to address the needs of immigrants? Will the government provide funding to local community groups to help with settlement in Manitoba? Will the government hire additional staff for the stressed provincial nominee system?

Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): I heard loud and clear from Manitobans as I travelled throughout our province about the importance of our Provincial Nominee Program, and I also heard from Manitobans with lived experience that there's ways that we can improve that program, and we are committed to improving that program for Manitobans, Madam Speaker.

And what I'd say is that we have announced the immigration advisory council, and I want to thank Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, who has agreed to co-chair that along with our minister, and I thank them. And there's lots of work to do ahead of us, Madam Speaker, that will address many of the issues that this member has brought forward.

Comments

Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March. South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory. The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions. This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14. Manitoba ( red line ) started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then. South Dakota ( blue line ) has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4. Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.

Manitoba Liberal accomplishments

Examples of Manitoba Liberal accomplishments in the last three years Ensured that 2,000 Manitoba fishers were able to earn a living in 2020 (To see the full story click on this link ). Introduced a bill that includes retired teachers on the Pension Investment Board which governs their pension investments. Introduced amendments to ensure school aged children are included in childcare and early childhood education plans moving forward. Called for improvements in the management of the COVID pandemic: · We called for attention to personal care homes even before there was a single case in a personal care home. · We called for a rapid response team to address outbreaks in personal care homes months before the PCs acted. · We called for a science-based approach to preparing schools to improve ventilati...

The Gerrard Report

Search This Blog