The President of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM), Mr. Ivan Normandeau, welcomes the joint announcement by the Government of Canada and the Government of Manitoba aimed at increasing the number of physicians across the province through expanded training, particularly in rural communities:

This joint initiative by the governments of Canada and Manitoba aims to increase the number of physicians in rural and northern regions, a long-standing challenge for many communities. By supporting the training of internationally educated physicians, the initiative will help strengthen the capacity of Manitoba’s health care system.

For Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities, access to health care close to home is about much more than public health. It is also essential to economic development, community attractiveness and vitality. Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities see every day how the availability of health services directly affects the ability of communities to attract new families, welcome workers and support long-term growth.

This is especially important as Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities continue to experience sustained growth. In recent years, they have recorded some of the strongest population growth in the province. While this growth reflects the vitality of our communities, it also places increasing pressure on infrastructure and essential services, particularly health care.

In this context, strengthening access to health care through expanded training, particularly in regions serving rural bilingual populations, is essential to supporting the sustainable development of our communities and meeting residents’ needs and expectations.

Across Manitoba’s bilingual communities, access to health care is among the priorities of member municipal governments. Our bilingual municipalities fully recognize the need to strengthen the recruitment and retention of qualified physicians, including professionals able to provide services in both official languages.

This joint action by our federal and provincial government partners demonstrates that the realities and priorities of local communities are being heard and acted upon. Over time, this announcement could help strengthen health system capacity in regions where facilities such as Hôpital Ste. Anne Hospital, Pine Falls Health Complex, Centre de santé Notre-Dame Health Centre, Centre de santé de Saint-Claude Health Centre, Centre médico-social de De Salaberry District Health Centre, Lorne Memorial Hospital and Centre de santé Montcalm Health Centre play an essential role.

This is particularly important for Hôpital Ste. Anne Hospital, which continues to work with its partners to strengthen its role within the regional health system.

This announcement also demonstrates the importance of sustained collaboration among the federal, provincial and municipal governments and the health sector in responding to the growing needs of our communities.

It is in this same spirit that the AMBM and its member municipalities maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Manitoba government, including Minister Uzoma Asagwara, to bring forward the realities of rural and bilingual communities and support efforts to strengthen access to health care across the province.

This positive measure is consistent with the priorities expressed by our members and with the vision set out in the Prosperity Framework for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities. Our official languages are a strategic advantage for Manitoba. To fully activate our bilingual advantage, we must both attract new professionals and create the conditions that allow the talent already present in our communities to develop and thrive. This includes strengthening the capacity of institutions to provide high-quality services in both official languages. That is how we can build a truly bilingual Manitoba and stronger, more attractive and more prosperous communities.

The AMBM will continue its dialogue, in collaboration with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM), with the provincial and federal governments to ensure that the realities and needs of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities continue to be fully taken into account.

About the AMBM

The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 municipal governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their residents. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership also leads the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC) and the province as a whole.

Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.