logo
Manitoba bill encourages trade with other provinces

Manitoba bill encourages trade with other provinces

The Manitoba government wants to give preferential treatment to other provinces that remove barriers to buying and selling goods and services within Canada.
Bill 47 establishes 'mutual recognition rules' to facilitate more inter-regional trade and rebrands June 1 as 'Buy Manitoba, Buy Canadian Day.'
'A competitive and open economy within Canada, that is open to trade and encourages domestic buy-in will make sure that we remain the 'True North, Strong and Free,'' Trade Minister Jamie Moses told the legislative assembly as he read aloud the proposed legislation for the first time Thursday.
Moses said the bill aims to increase the flow of goods, services and investments between Manitoba and the rest of the country.
It gives Manitoba the power to designate another province or territory that takes similar steps to remove barriers to trade as a 'reciprocating jurisdiction.'
That means another region's products will be treated as if they have met local certification, testing and quality standards and will not be subject to additional approval requirements and related fees.
Out-of-province services will also be exempt from related red tape.
These changes fulfil the province's 'commitment to continue to grow our province's economic resilience and prosperity,' said Moses, whose extensive portfolio includes business, mining, trade and job creation.
At the same time, the minister said he wants to start recognizing June 1 as a special day to celebrate local businesses.
Premier Wab Kinew met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford last week to sign a bilateral deal to increase the movement of goods and labour.
Ford's government recently tabled legislation to loosen protections on certain goods and services that Ontario gets from elsewhere in Canada.
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter
Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.
Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.
Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Moving homeless from ‘image routes' is just optics
Moving homeless from ‘image routes' is just optics

Winnipeg Free Press

time2 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Moving homeless from ‘image routes' is just optics

Opinion To be charitable, you might describe it as 'out of sight, out of mind.' Uncharitably, describing it as an attempt to put lipstick on a pig seems more apt. Winnipeg City Coun. Jeff Browaty dressed it up as a safety issue, and it is, but it certainly feels like the safety part is only half — or even less than half — of the story. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS An encampment along the Disraeli Freeway on Tuesday, July 22. Browaty wants ban encampments on Winnipeg's 'image routes.' And the 'image' part of 'image routes' is perhaps a giveaway. 'Along our major thoroughfares, our image routes, it's not just about the visibility of the encampments. There's an esthetic (issue) but, also, it's dangerous. It's dangerous for the people who are living at those encampments. The ones … around the Disraeli (Freeway) are so close to a major thoroughfare (and it) would be dangerous if (people) were to fall into traffic,' Browaty said. The move would add routes — including Disraeli Freeway, Pembina Highway, Portage Avenue, McPhillips Street, Main Street, St. Mary's Road, St. Anne's Road, Kenaston Boulevard and Regent Avenue — to a motion that is being put forward to halt encampments in community gardens, playgrounds, areas with spray pads and pools, community centres and other spaces designed for children and families. It's something that Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham seems willing to get behind: 'When you've got people … camping close to roads, especially major thoroughfares, to me, it's an issue of safety. I think that can be and should be looked at,' he said. It's easy to understand why city councillors might want to make sure that encampments don't mar the esthetics of the city, because that's obviously something that might reflect badly on the City of Winnipeg and, for that matter, on its councillors. But leaning into the safety side of the argument sounds like more than a little bit of a stretch: after all, while it would be dangerous for encampment residents, especially those under the influence of drugs and alcohol, to 'fall into traffic,' it would be every bit as dangerous for others to fall into a river — and there are many, many riverside encampments. Those squatting in abandoned or fire-damaged buildings are equally at risk — as are those buying and using drugs from questionable and dangerous sources. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Overall, this latest move looks more like addressing the optics of the homeless, rather than actually trying to solve the issue. And more than that — if it were successful, it would simply move a transient population to somewhere else in the city, and make it someone else's problem. It seems reminiscent of moves taken before large events like the Paris Olympics in 2024, when thousands of homeless people were moved from encampments near Olympic sites. The French government called it a security issue with no connection to the Olympics at all — activists described the move as social cleansing. The move of people out of Paris, interestingly, lasted only as long as the Games. It's almost become an Olympic tradition: before the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 202 Tokyo Olympics, there were also large-scale roundups of residents suffering from homelessness, poverty and drug issues. Roundups have also happened prior to large-scale economic forums, political conventions, and even prior to the 2022 Super Bowl. Safety is often cited as a reason for packaging up the homeless and shifting them safely out of sight. But, if the goal is really safety, then a ban has to have a plan. It has to include not only a place for the homeless to go, but a place that is also better organized and measurably safer for its inhabitants — and longer-term than simply through the tourist season, accompanied by a fond hope that no one returns to old haunts. Otherwise? Lipstick.

RCMP commissioner challenges accuracy of Alberta Next survey on provincial policing
RCMP commissioner challenges accuracy of Alberta Next survey on provincial policing

CTV News

time12 hours ago

  • CTV News

RCMP commissioner challenges accuracy of Alberta Next survey on provincial policing

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme waits to appear before the House of Commons Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee, Tuesday, February 27, 2024 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld In a letter to the premier, RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme challenged the accuracy of the Alberta Next policing survey, saying some of the information is incorrect. The Alberta Next Panel survey, which launched in late June, aims to collect feedback from Albertans on issues including immigration, the Alberta pension plan and provincial policing. Before taking the survey, participants are required to watch a short video with information about each topic. One video regarding the provincial police service incorrectly asserted that the Government of Canada sets provincial policing priorities, the commissioner said. Duheme pointed out that under Article 6 of the Provincial Police Service Agreements, it is the responsibility of the provincial minister to establish the objectives, priorities and goal of the provincial police service. 'Neither the Government of Canada nor RCMP Headquarters sets priorities in this regard,' wrote Duheme, adding that the Municipal Police Service Agreement enables the head of the municipality to set objectives, priorities and goals of the municipal police service. 'In this vein, the RCMP is, and has been proud to deliver policing services that reflect the priorities and needs of communities across Alberta,' said Duheme. In a response to the letter, the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said federal white paper, A New Policing Vision for Canada, 'clearly signals a shift in the RCMP's long-term mandate.' The paper said the federal government should be committed to working closely with provinces to support a transition away from contract policing while maintaining strong interoperability with federal policing. Contracts with municipalities and the RCMP are set to expire in 2032. The paper also said provinces should be on a path to fully exercise their responsibilities over policing, adding that provinces are best placed to define their own policing models. Duheme addressed a statement in the video that claimed regular members in Alberta are prevented from obtaining promotional opportunities in the province on the belief that they must be bilingual, saying it is inaccurate. 'In addition, I assure you that the RCMP does not move regular members out of communities on a 'moment's notice,' said Duheme. 'The process to relocate a member includes careful planning to support them and their families should they choose to pursue another opportunity. This choice is up to each individual member.' The ministry's statement said the RCMP previously confirmed in a CBC story that all deputy and assistant commissioner positions in Ottawa are designated bilingual, as are senior positions held by civilians within senior staff. 'On bilingualism, the RCMP is wrong,' said the statement from press secretary Arthur Green. However, the story also discovered that many senior officers in bilingual-designated positions can't speak French and aren't learning it. A 'frequently asked questions' portion of the document contained an inaccuracy related to the distinction between major crimes and the RCMP's federal policing program, claimed Duheme. 'I would like to clarify that in the context of a transition, the RCMP would retain responsibility for investigating criminal activity that poses the highest threat to Canada through its federal policing mandate,' wrote Duheme. The responsibility for major crimes investigations, such as homicides, would be retained by the incoming police or jurisdiction, which is currently the case where the service is delivered by Alberta RCMP as the provincial police service. Premier Danielle Smith unveiled a plan for the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service last month, allowing municipalities to opt for a provincial police service over the RCMP. The move has had mixed reactions and has raised questions about recruitment while RCMP has been struggling to hire officers.

Holocaust education ‘not just a Jewish topic,' educator says
Holocaust education ‘not just a Jewish topic,' educator says

Winnipeg Free Press

timea day ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Holocaust education ‘not just a Jewish topic,' educator says

Lessons that build empathy through Holocaust survivor testimonies and case studies of Jewish life before 1933 are at the core of Manitoba's newest curriculum. Starting this fall, Grade 6, 9 and 11 teachers will analyze the systematic killing of six million Jews during the Second World War and what antisemitism looks like 80 years later. The curriculum developer told the Free Press that Manitoba students will be challenged to identify bystanders, victims, perpetrators, collaborators and survivors to grasp how propaganda and indifference enabled genocide. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES History teacher Kelly Hiebert specializes in Holocaust and antisemitism studies and spent much of the last 10 months meeting with other teachers, museum curators and ethno-religious leaders to design a new social studies framework. 'This is not just a Jewish topic, and I always try to tell this to people,' said Kelly Hiebert, who teaches high school history in Winnipeg. 'This is looking at the longest hatred of all time — but this can also relate to other marginalized and minority groups that have been persecuted over time.' The Nazi regime also singled out members of the LGBTTQ+ community, Jehovah's Witnesses, communists and people of colour, among others, Hiebert noted. The career teacher, who does not practise Judaism, specializes in Holocaust and antisemitism studies. He's spent much of the last 10 months meeting with other teachers, museum curators and ethno-religious leaders to design a new social studies framework. The result is a curriculum that explores the Nazi seizure of power in Germany and subsequent creation of ghettos and concentration camps, Canada's response to Jewish refugees, and the lasting impact of the genocide on the world at large. Hiebert said the 'progressive scaffolding' model will teach students foundational knowledge and help them develop compassion for others through 'take action' assignments. The Manitoba government announced on Yom HaShoah in May 2024, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, that it was introducing mandatory education to combat antisemitism. Further details were revealed in the spring. One of the early tasks involved drafting a list of definitions. Both the Manitoba and Canadian governments have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, 'a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.' 'Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities,' it adds. Examples of it include the denial or downplaying of the use of gas chambers to target Jews and calling the state of Israel a 'racist endeavour,' as per the IHRA understanding. Hiebert recommends teachers ask older students to critically examine the IHRA definition, along with the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and a summary published by the Nexus Project, an American non-profit organization. As far as he is concerned, criticism of Israel becomes antisemitic only when it involves demonization, delegitimization and 'double standards that you're not using against China, you're not using against Russia, you're not using against Myanmar and the Rohingya people.' 'There will be disagreements (in Manitoba classrooms),' Hiebert said, reflecting on his 18-year career in education and the complex history in the Middle East that has led to current events. Incidents of both antisemitism and Islamophobia rose in the wake of Hamas militants' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and retaliatory violence that has turned into a 21-month-long war. 'Why this is so necessary now is to help students understand the historical significance of antisemitism, develop critical thinking and develop compassion and empathy for others,' he said. Hiebert said he is urging colleagues to prioritize building relationships, trust and respectful classroom environments before introducing these sensitive topics. Marianne Cerilli, a former teacher and NDP MLA who now runs her own consulting firm in Winnipeg, recently facilitated a workshop on teaching controversial topics. Cerilli said she was called upon by a rural teachers union to share her tips with its members in the spring. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. A survey of attendees revealed many of them felt unprepared to discuss politicized topics at school and they wanted more time to talk to colleagues about their experiences, she said. She advises teachers to brush up on conflict de-escalation and resolution techniques, consider personal biases and practise active listening. The education department will be available to work with teachers who have questions or concerns about the curriculum this fall, said Tracy Schmidt, minister of kindergarten-to-Grade 12 schooling. 'But we don't anticipate a whole lot of concern,' Schmidt said, adding she believes the rollout is 'a really positive step.' Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store