AMBM President and Reeve of the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement following the swearing-in of Manitoba’s 25th Premier, the Honourable Wab Kinew, and his new Cabinet, on October 18th, 2023:
The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) warmly congratulates the Honourable Wab Kinew on his swearing-in as Manitoba’s 25th Premier, as well as the 14 other members of his Cabinet, in particular Mr. Ian Bushie, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations and Minister of Indigenous Economic Development, and Mr. Glen Simard, Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism, Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs and Minister responsible for the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at The Leaf (Assiniboine Park), a highly symbolic site, ideal for the celebrations. The location was perfectly chosen for a ceremony full of colour and tradition in honour of our province’s seven Indigenous Nations. Since the election on October 3rd, we have seen our new Premier perform a number of highly symbolic and unifying gestures for all Manitobans. A true reflection of Louis Riel’s great dream for Manitoba: a richly diverse society where people live together in harmony, free to express themselves and celebrate their cultural heritage.
We applaud Mr. Kinew for putting together a Cabinet that is a true reflection of our province, both geographically (including rural) and culturally, as well as in terms of parity.
The AMBM and its members are particularly enthusiastic about embarking on a solid and effective collaboration with this new Cabinet. Over the next few weeks, the AMBM and its subsidiaries (CDEM and EWC) will be meeting with several ministers and their teams to discuss current issues, inspired by the Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership: Towards a Strengthened Municipal-Provincial Partnership produced by the AMBM, with particular emphasis on rural areas. Our 16 priorities revolve around four major issues:
- Resolving the shortage of Francophone and bilingual workers
- Investing in the development of strategic, structuring infrastructure
- Increasing support for economic development, entrepreneurship and tourism
- Anchoring Manitoba’s commitment to bilingual government services.
Following my meeting with Premier Kinew on October 16th, we were able to confirm the alignment of our priorities. We also confirmed our mutual interest in working together to strengthen the municipal-provincial partnership and build strong, prosperous, attractive and resilient bilingual communities, with a direct impact on the development and vitality of their Francophone communities. We are confident that this new government recognizes the bilingual character and the economic and social added value of the French fact in our province, as well as the importance of adequately supporting Manitoba’s Francophone communities.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their citizens. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the head of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council of 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 (OLMCs).
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
