Manitoba PCs pause bills on booze, elections, housing and more until fall session

Steve Lambert · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 8:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Some of the bills present earlier the Manitoba legislature volition person to hold until the autumn to beryllium passed into law.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives person exercised their close nether legislature rules to clasp backmost 5 bills for further statement beyond the summertime break.

One measure would forbid liquor licences successful municipality convenience stores and state stations — a determination the Tories accidental volition impact tiny businesses and lawsuit prime successful the fewer locations wherever specified licences person been issued.

Another measure would little governmental donation limits and necessitate governmental parties to person a codification of behaviour for predetermination advertising.

A 3rd measure would forestall owners of galore government-funded societal lodging units from selling their buildings without provincial consent.

The bills are astir definite to go instrumentality anyway, fixed the NDP bulk successful the legislature, but the Tories accidental a hold volition let for much clip for debate.

"We're going to instrumentality the clip connected behalf of Manitobans to inquire immoderate questions, to bash further consultations," interim Tory person Wayne Ewasko said Monday.

The 4th measure being delayed is aimed astatine protecting radical from lawsuits designed to forestall them from speaking connected matters of nationalist interest. Defendants would beryllium fixed much powerfulness to inquire a justice to disregard the suits.

The 5th measure contains respective changes to observances astatine schools. O Canada would person to beryllium sung daily, and a little-used proviso that required God Save The King to beryllium played would beryllium eliminated.

The measure removes the royal anthem arsenic an "optional patriotic observance," the Tories said, affecting a Canadian contented that recognizes the law monarchy.