Food Tax Cut, Bad Behaviour: What Happened in Manitoba's Spring Legislature Sitting
The spring sitting ended after marathon debate, with the budget bill cutting tax on prepared foods and 43 other NDP measures becoming law.
- Manitoba's legislature concluded its spring sitting Monday, passing the Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Act alongside over 40 bills, including a provincial sales tax cut on prepared foods and snacks starting July 1.
- Finance Minister Adrien Sala claimed the sales tax removal helps families with rising costs, while Opposition Progressive Conservatives argued for deeper relief, seeking to increase the basic personal income tax exemption to $21,000 from $15,780.
- Beyond the budget, the government passed legislation establishing nurse-to-patient ratios, eliminating mandatory overtime for nurses, and restricting long-bladed weapons. NDP House leader Nahanni Fontaine described these as "committed legislation for Manitoba citizens, families, seniors."
- Contentious debates marked the session's end, with Opposition house leader Derek Johnson reporting that MLAs sat for 30 hours. Tory Leader Obby Khan stated, "We have exhausted essentially all of our tools for BITSA."
- Members are scheduled to return Sept. 29 to address three government bills delayed by the Opposition. Premier Wab Kinew announced the province intends to ban those under 16 from some social media platforms.
10 Articles
10 Articles
The Toronto Star
Food tax cut, bad behaviour: What happened in Manitoba’s spring legislature sitting
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba legislature wrapped on Monday its spring sitting, which had the government pass a tax cut on some food items and saw accusations of racist comments and
Winnipeg Free Press
Food tax cut, bad behaviour: What happened in Manitoba's spring legislature sitting
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba legislature wrapped on Monday its spring sitting, which had the government pass a tax cut on some food items and saw accusations of racist comments and other unruly behaviour.
Manitoba Spring 2026 Session
As the Manitoba Legislature adjourns for the summer, the 2026 spring session will be remembered as much for procedural conflict as policy debate. In the closing days of the session, MLAs sat through overnight sittings as government and opposition members battled over the passage of the Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act (BITSA). The opposition argued the bill didn’t provide enough financial relief, while the government accused …
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