Skip to main content

Mr. Pallister, on Churchill, it is a time for action, not a time for waiting

The recent meeting of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in Nelson House at the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and the election of Grand Chief Arlen Dumas has created an opportunity for action on Churchill. 

The residents of Churchill are waiting for action.  The people of Manitoba are waiting for action.   Yet, the Premier of Manitoba, Mr. Pallister, instead of acting says he wants to wait when it comes to Churchill.

Mr. Pallister’s government has been characterized by waiting and delays.  The brain, mental health and addictions initiative so touted during the election, will not even see a first report on what the government might do until almost half way through the government’s mandate in December 2017. The piecemeal, thousands of cuts approach, to health care has created much uncertainty and poor morale within health care.   Even where announcements have been made, like the badly thought out closing of the Misericordia Urgent Care Centre, the physicians have waited months for clarification on how the wonderful eye care team at the Misericordia Health Centre will be supported.   The Premier campaigned to bring in a carbon tax, but his statements to date have only created uncertainty.   Furthermore, the Premier’s inability to work cooperatively with the federal government has delayed funding for Manitoba for mental health, for home care and in other areas.  

Now, with the election of Arlen Dumas as the new Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, there is a golden opportunity to act quickly to resolve the impasse over the future of the Churchill rail line and the Port of Churchill.  I was at the recent meeting of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in Nelson House at the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and had a chance to talk with many chiefs including our new Grand Chief Arlen Dumas.   He has already spent a great deal of time on the situation of the Churchill rail line and port.  He is ready for action.   But, he needs the province and the federal government as partners.   Mr. Pallister was not at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs meeting.   It is one of the most important political forum’s in our province.   People asked me “Where is Mr. Pallister?”  His absence was noted.  


Instead of delaying and waiting, Mr. Pallister needs to act.  Even federal Conservative MP, Candice Bergen notes the vacuum created over the future of the port of Churchill and the rail line to Churchill.  That vacuum is there in considerable measure because we have a Premier who has done a great deal to create poor relations with the federal government and is the only Premier who has not even been able to sign the Health Accord and bring money for mental health and home care to Manitoba.    It is time for Mr. Pallister to stop waiting and starting working with others who want to make progress, others who want a solution to the current waiting and delays over the future of Churchill, and who want to help, as quickly as possible, the residents of Churchill, 

Comments

  1. Jon, Railways are federally regulated and run. Jean Chretien sold the Churchill line to Omnitracks. Finally, the PM comes to MB. We expected him to take action, to benefit northern Manitobans. Instead of forcing the owner to fix the line, he announces a garden we do not need. The $35m which Justin announced for this garden could have fixed most of the rail line. How can you defend Ottawa doing nothing to help northern voters? Do you really care about Churchill?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...