Manitoba’s new premier is vowing to remove five bills from this fall’s legislative session, including a controversial one that would have seen Manitoba’s education system overhauled.
Kelvin Goertzen said Wednesday he plans on holding “a brief legislative sitting this fall” to both remove the bills and pass some legislation related to the spring budget.
“A new leader has to be able to set their own agenda, as such, cabinet and caucus has authorized, with my full support, that those bills will not move forward this fall,” Goertzen said at his first appearance since being chosen interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives following the resignation of Brian Pallister.
Bill 64, which would have eliminated all elected English-language school boards in the province, has run into staunch public opposition.
The proposed education legislation, which would have also centralized governance of schools, had been widely criticized in Winnipeg and rural areas.
The other bills Goertzen vowed to removed from the upcoming session includes one that aimed to crack down on blockades of roads, rail lines and other infrastructure.
A third would allow cabinet to bypass public regulatory hearings on electricity rates and set them unilaterally. Another bill would remove the automatic right to binding arbitration in labour disputes. The fifth would allow for more private liquor sales.
The next Tory leader could reintroduce the bills in the future after the new leader is chosen Oct. 30, but all three candidates in the race so far have said they would not go ahead with the education one.
The legislative had been scheduled to reconvene Oct. 6.
Goertzen’s intentions are a victory for the Opposition New Democrats, who prevented the bills from coming to a vote in the spring.
“What we saw today is a clear indication from the … government in its current iteration that they bent to the will of Manitobans,” NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.
At the press conference Goertzen said he spoke to both Kinew and Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas earlier in the day Wednesday and planned with Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman later in the day as well.
Bowman has long complained that he could not secure meetings with Pallister.
Over his roughly two months in office, Goertzen said he plans on “opening up the premier’s office” to hear views and ideas from “many different groups and organizations.”
“Some will have constructive criticism, some will have good ideas, some will have complaints, and some will have a strong vision of the future,” Goertzen said.
“For me, I intend to be quick to listen and slow to speak — I want to hear what their views are.”
Goertzen also said he has talked to two Tory backbenchers who have publicly criticized vaccine mandates, and has told them that the place to discuss concerns is within caucus.
“The time and the place to bring those differences and challenges is to a caucus, internally, or to a leader,” Goertzen said.
“I think that they understand that. We’ll see in the test of time if … that message wasn’t powerful or didn’t resonate enough.”
Goertzen has been a legislature member since 2003, and became Pallister’s go-to person for major overhauls of government services.
As health minister, he oversaw the closure of some emergency rooms in Winnipeg and a redesign of hospital services that was supposed to reduce wait times.
Pallister moved Goertzen over to education as the province launched a review aimed at improving test scores and reducing overhead costs. That review ultimately led to the changes planned in Bill 64.
In January Goertzen was appointed Minister of Legislative and Public Affairs and Deputy Premier of Manitoba.
On Wednesday the government announced Families Minister Rochelle Squires had been appointed deputy premier.
Goertzen made several other changes to cabinet roles and responsibilities Wednesday including adding Squires and Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler to the Priorities and Planning Committee of Cabinet.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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