Replacement-worker ban, machete sale rules are among the new laws in Manitoba

WINNIPEG — Bills to ban employers from using replacement workers, enact tax changes, and set new rules around the sale of machetes were among those passed into law Thursday as the yearlong session of the Manitoba legislature wrapped up.

But the NDP government, elected with a solid majority last year, did not get some bills through, including ones to further limit rent increases and require new judges to undergo training on sexual assault and racism.

The biggest legislation for the NDP was its omnibus budget bill, which enacts tax changes announced in the spring budget.

The government added several non-budget items to the bill. One bans employers from using replacement workers during strikes or lockouts. Another makes it easier for workers to join a union without holding a formal vote. A third increases the rebates for political campaign expenses to 50 per cent from 25 per cent.

The inclusion of the non-budget items had the Opposition Progressive Conservatives accusing the government of ducking debate, as budget-related bills are exempt from public hearings that are mandatory for others.

"These are major legislative changes that the NDP is undemocratically forcing through," Progressive Conservative legislature member Lauren Stone said Thursday.

The NDP said it was acting on its election promises.

"We've got a job to do and ... these are things that Manitobans have asked for," NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine said.

Also passed into law Thursday night is a series of new restrictions on the sale of machetes and other long-blade items, in an attempt to crack down on crime. Vendors will soon be required to record the names of buyers, restrict sales to people aged 18 and up, and have the instruments stored away from easy public access.

Yet another new law will see child and family services cases involving Indigenous people transferred to Indigenous service providers. Fontaine, who is also the province's minister of families, said the change will decolonize child welfare.

"We now have the legislative means to ensure that ... children are with their families, in their communities, in their nations," she said.

The NDP did not get its full legislative agenda through, however.

A bill to set down stricter conditions for landlords who want to raise rents above the rate of inflation was introduced in May but was not called for a vote.

Another bill not passed would have bolstered judges' training. It was initially put forward by Liberal Cindy Lamoureux in the spring but revamped by the NDP and introduced last week with just six sitting days left in the session.

The bill would have required new provincial court judges and justices of the peace to undergo training on sexual assault law, intimate partner violence, systemic racism and more.

The NDP wanted the Opposition to waive normal timelines to rush the bill into law, and the Tories offered to do so only if the NDP agreed to pass a Tory bill that would have set a reduced age for routine breast cancer screening. The two sides didn't reach a deal before the session ended.

All bills that failed to pass during the session are expected to be reintroduced, at square one, shortly after the start of the next session, expected on Nov. 19.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.