Manitoba politicians pull all-nighter debating budget bill with food tax cut

Members of the Manitoba legislature are going overtime as they work to hash out a bill on affordability.

WINNIPEG — Members of the Manitoba legislature sat overnight and into Wednesday afternoon in an ongoing battle over a government budget bill that includes a tax cut on some food.

The bill contains several measures, including elimination of the provincial sales tax on items such as prepared meals, snacks and soft drinks at grocery and convenience stores. Most other foods, such as meat, bread and produce, are already tax-exempt.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives say the tax cut doesn’t amount to much — about $100 a year for a family of four, government estimates say — and have called for an income-tax cut to be added to the bill.

The government has said the food-tax cut cannot take effect on July 1 as planned unless the Tories let the bill pass before the legislature’s summer break, scheduled to start on Monday.

“The Manitoba PCs don’t care about Manitoba families,” NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine said before debate began Tuesday afternoon.

The Tories say the NDP, with its majority government, can enact the tax cut before the bill passes while also considering further tax-cut measures. They said savings on snacks won’t mean much in a time of rising prices on fuel, utilities and more.

“I think many Manitobans are feeling that this is a fiscal crisis situation because they’re getting squeezed on ... almost all of the different bills that they’re getting,” Kelvin Goertzen, a longtime Tory MLA, said Wednesday.

Goertzen spoke for roughly four hours overnight, via Zoom, without stopping — something that required preparation while he was out at a community dinner earlier in the evening.

“I was very mindful not to over-consume any liquids because the reality is that, when you’re speaking in the legislature you can’t stop. There’s no bathroom break. If you stop speaking, you are done,” Goertzen said.

A pack of cough drops helped Goertzen maintain his speaking voice.

Only Tory members spoke during the debate, pushing back a key vote on the bill that eventually came mid-afternoon on Wednesday. A final vote could come soon, subject to Opposition tactics.

“I’m trying to take the tax off your groceries, and I’ve got to say there’s nothing less helpful to your cost of living than procedural stunts in the legislature,” Premier Wab Kinew said.

Kinew had flown back from the annual western premiers conference in Alberta on Tuesday night. He said he was in his legislature office from 11 p.m. onward, going home briefly for a wardrobe change around 8 a.m.

He reiterated a backup plan to get the budget bill passed before summer — recalling the legislature.

“If the ... bill isn’t passed, we’re coming back in June.”

The NDP say the Tories’ proposed income-tax cut would drive up the deficit.

The NDP used the legislative standoff in a fundraising email sent to supporters earlier this month. The message asked for money to help the party fight Opposition “obstruction.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2026.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press