As the summer heat gave way to an early autumn chill across Manitoba, the temperature inside Winnipeg’s legislative building remained decidedly hot. Union representatives and patient advocacy groups gathered Tuesday to voice their frustration over what they’re calling a “dangerous political blame game” surrounding the province’s struggling health care system.
“We’re tired of watching politicians point fingers while Manitobans wait hours for emergency care,” said Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union. Standing alongside representatives from Doctors Manitoba and the Manitoba Health Coalition, Jackson delivered a pointed message to provincial leaders: “This isn’t about who caused the problem anymore. It’s about who will fix it.”
The press conference came just days after Premier Wab Kinew and Opposition Leader Heather Stefanson exchanged heated accusations over responsibility for Manitoba’s health care challenges. Kinew’s NDP government inherited a system with significant staffing shortages and capacity issues when it took power last October, but nearly a year later, many performance metrics remain troubling.
Emergency room wait times at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre reached an average of 7.2 hours last month, according to Manitoba Health data. That represents a modest improvement from the 8.1-hour average seen under the previous Progressive Conservative government, but remains well above the national benchmark of 4 hours.
For Winnipeg resident Ellen Chorney, statistics tell only part of the story. “My husband waited nine hours with chest pain before seeing a doctor,” she told me after the press conference. “The nurses were amazing, but there simply weren’t enough of them. I don’t care which party is to blame – I just want to know my family can get care when we need it.”
The coalition of health organizations has released a five-point plan they say transcends partisan politics. Their proposals include accelerated nursing recruitment, expansion of rural health services, increased mental health funding, improved long-term care options, and greater transparency in health system performance reporting.
Dr. Candice Bradshaw of Doctors Manitoba emphasized that frontline health workers have grown weary of being caught in political crossfire. “Our members report spending more time documenting why they couldn’t provide timely care than actually delivering that care,” she said. “The bureaucracy has ballooned while clinical resources have diminished.”
Budget figures support Bradshaw’s assessment. Administrative spending within Manitoba Health increased 12% between 2019 and 2023, while direct patient care funding rose just 4.3% during the same period, according to provincial treasury board reports.
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara responded to Tuesday’s criticism by acknowledging the coalition’s concerns while defending the government’s approach. “We inherited a system in crisis,” Asagwara said. “We’ve committed $240 million in new funding specifically targeted at reducing wait times and rebuilding our nursing workforce.”
Asagwara pointed to recent successes, including the recruitment of 71 new nurses since January and the reopening of the Eriksdale emergency department that had been closed for nearly three years. “Change doesn’t happen overnight, but we’re making measurable progress,” the minister added.
Opposition health critic Rochelle Squires countered that the NDP government has had sufficient time to demonstrate meaningful improvements. “After nearly a year in power, Manitobans deserve better than continued excuses,” Squires said in a statement provided to Mediawall.news. “The previous government left a comprehensive health human resources plan that the NDP has ignored.”
Alan Lagimodiere, former PC Minister of Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations, said both parties share responsibility. “Health care challenges developed over decades, not just during one government’s term,” he told me. “The finger-pointing accomplishes nothing for patients waiting in hallways.”
Manitoba Health Coalition director Thomas Linner emphasized that public confidence in the health system hinges on visible improvements, not partisan rhetoric. “When politicians focus on blaming each other, they’re missing the bigger picture,” Linner said. “Manitobans don’t want to hear about who broke the system. They want to know it will be there when their family needs it.”
Recent polling suggests Linner’s assessment resonates with voters. A Probe Research survey conducted in July found that 67% of Manitobans consider health care their top concern, with 58% indicating they have little confidence in either major party to fix the problems.
The situation in Manitoba mirrors similar challenges across Canada, where provinces struggle with post-pandemic health workforce burnout and increased demand for services. A Conference Board of Canada report released last month ranks Manitoba ninth among provinces for emergency department performance and seventh for access to primary care.
For the health coalition, Tuesday’s press conference represented a deliberate effort to refocus the conversation. “We need to move beyond political theatre,” Jackson said. “Manitobans deserve a health system that functions regardless of which party holds power.”
As autumn election campaigns ramp up in neighboring Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Manitoba’s health advocacy groups hope their message resonates beyond provincial borders. Their collective stance suggests that while health care will inevitably remain a political issue, the public’s patience for partisan blame games is wearing increasingly thin.
