The Manitoba legislature is being recalled for an emergency sitting today to help expedite up to$1 billion in assistance to fight COVID-19 and protect Manitoba’s most vulnerable through the Manitoba Protection Plan, Premier Brian Pallister announced.

 

“Our government is enacting the necessary measures to protect our most valuable service – the front line of our health-care system – and Manitoba’s most vulnerable as we fight this global pandemic together,” said Pallister.

 

“This isn’t about partisanship; this is about doing the right thing to ensure our resources are there where they are needed, when they are needed most.”

 

A priority will be updating the province’s borrowing and spending authority to ensure the Manitoba government has sufficient ability to meet unexpected expenditures amidst declining revenues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the premier noted.

 

This authority is over and above what was presented in Budget 2020. The Manitoba government will also be introducing several new bills to support Manitoba’s most vulnerable and advocating for expedited passage of several existing bills to address the growing impacts of COVID-19 on Manitobans.

 

“We are taking concrete steps to move forward the Manitoba Protection Plan to help ensure we are doing everything we can to support Manitobans during this unprecedented and difficult time,” said Pallister.

 

“We are demonstrating that Manitoba is Canada’s most resilient province and together, we will get through this.”

 

To ensure compliance with current two-metre social distancing measures, during today’s sitting, all parties have agreed to limit attendance to one-third of the 57 members of the legislative assembly.

 

Members will not be seated at their usual desks, but rather be spread throughout the chamber to abide by two-metre social distancing measures.

 

The public gallery will remain closed, although Manitobans can observe the sitting at: www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/house_broadcasts.html.