September 27, 2023 | Treaty 1 and Dakota Territory, Homeland of the Red River Métis, Winnipeg, MB - Today, surrounded by some of the leading minds in Manitoba health, Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew made his commitment to fix Manitoba health care by listening to frontline health leaders and changing the culture within health care in Manitoba.

“This election is about health care and for good reason,” said Kinew. “Manitoba used to have some of the best healthcare in Canada. But that all changed when Heather Stefanson and the PCs removed medical leadership positions, added more suits instead of scrubs, and wiped out the culture of collaboration that healthcare staff worked so hard to create. It’s time for a better approach and that starts by listening to the voices working on the frontline.”  

Kinew was supported by some of Manitoba’s best and brightest doctors:

Dr. Eric Jacobsohn

Medical Director of Research at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre; Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine and the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Manitoba; ICU Physician and Cardiac Anesthesiologist.

Dr. Brian Postl

Former Dean of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba; Former President and CEO of the Winnipeg Reginal Health Authority.

Dr. Dhali Dhaliwal

Former President and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba; Professor Emeritus at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba; Order of Manitoba Recipient.

Dr. Ryan Zarychanski

Manitoba Doctors’ 2023 Physician of the Year, Director of Knowledge Synthesis Unit at the Centre for Healthcare Innovation in Winnipeg, Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist at the Department of Medicine and Community Health at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Jillian Horton

General internist and associate chair of the Department of Internal Medicine; Director at the Alan Klass Medical Humanities Program at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba; Recipient of the 2020 Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada–Gold Humanism Award.

Dr. Kendiss Olafson

Critical Care Physician; Co-Lead of Quality Improvements in Winnipeg’s ICUs; Assistant Professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Lesley Garber

Continuing Medical Education Director at the Department of Continuing Education and Professional Development at the University of Manitoba; Otolaryngologist.

The announcement follows earlier endorsements this month from medical groups from across Manitoba health care, including many Manitoba doctors, the Manitoba Nurses Union, the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, and the Paramedics Association of Manitoba.  

Kinew laid out his plan to launch the largest recruitment plan in Manitoba’s history: hiring 400 doctors, 300 nurses, 200 paramedics and 100 homecare workers; followed by building up health care capacity and reducing wait times by re-opening the three emergency rooms Heather Stefanson and the PCs cut – starting with the Victoria ER.

“Throughout this campaign, our NDP team has committed to making healthcare better and we’re going to do that by changing the culture in the health care system and listening to voices on the frontline,” said Kinew. “Together, we can rebuild Manitoba’s health system and change the culture to treat our health care workers with the respect their owed and ensure that patients receive the care they deserve.”

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