LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Monday, March 23, 2026
The Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom, know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen.
We acknowledge we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory and that Manitoba is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk nations. We acknowledge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis. We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit. We respect the spirit and intent of treaties and treaty making and remain committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.
Before we–please be seated.
Introduction of Guests
The Speaker: Before we begin today, first I'll draw the attention to the loge to my left where we have seated Drew Caldwell, former MLA for Brandon East.
And I would also draw everyone's attention to the public gallery where we have seated with us the family of the late Amanda Lathlin, MLA for The Pas-Kameesak.
Joining us is Elyse Lathlin, Sam Chartier, Anissia Lathlin-Chartier, Caitlin Pascal, Nikkita Pascal, Lori Lathlin, Terrance Lathlin, Arthur Lathlin, Theresa Constant, Colin Chartier, Sheldon Chartier, Joyce Turner, Annette Niven.
And also powwow group Mike Bignell, Jennifer Lavallee‑Bignell, Robert Merasty and Brodie Lynn Neepinak.
We welcome you here.
There's also seated in public gallery from Garden City Collegiate 23 grade 9 students under the direction of Lindsay Torino [phonetic].
The Speaker: Now at this point, I have a statement for the House.
It is my sad duty to officially advise members that a vacancy now exists in the electoral division of The Pas‑Kameesak due to the untimely passing of our colleague and friend, Amanda Lathlin, the former member for the constituency of The Pas‑Kameesak.
In accordance with The Legislative Assembly Act, I am tabling a copy of the notification to the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council of the vacancy thus created in the membership of the House.
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Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): Honourable Speaker, in honour of our former colleague, Amanda Lathlin, could you please canvass the House for leave to allow memorial items to be placed on her desk and for the honourable First Minister to make a memorial statement and perform an honour song.
The Speaker: Is there leave to allow the Deputy Premier's (MLA Asagwara) request? [Agreed]
The Premier performed an honour song.
* (13:40)
A moment of silence was observed.
The Speaker: Please be seated.
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): I want to begin by saying, sorry for your loss. And I want to acknowledge the 10 years that you served alongside the late, great Amanda Lathlin. It sucks to hear the emotion in your voice, to say see you again to our colleague.
I also want to welcome Amanda's family here to the Manitoba Legislature. Whenever we have guests, we always say, this is your building, this is the people's building, because really, this is the seat of our democracy and this belongs to everyone in Manitoba.
But when we talk to the Lathlin family and we say that this is your building, maybe there's another level of meaning to it. Because Amanda served here for many years–more than a decade. But prior to that, we also know that the late Oscar Lathlin, MLA and Cabinet minister, served here for many years. And so he was our minister, he was your representative, he was your papa and he was Amanda's dad.
Over the weekend, after we received this unwelcome news, I was sort of cleaning up around the house and underneath a piece of furniture I saw a pair of moccasins that Amanda was wearing the last time that she came over during our caucus Christmas party a few months back. And it's funny how when you're grieving somebody that you care about, these little things pop up and become the trigger.
So, to our colleagues here in the Chamber and to Amanda's family, I just want to say, take it easy on yourself. You know, grief comes in waves, and over the next little while, it's going to be important that everything is just calm and relaxed and there's no rush to do anything.
You've shown remarkable strength already. And it fills me with a lot of reassurance to know that Amanda was surrounded by you and to be surrounded by love right until the very end.
I also want to acknowledge that some of our colleagues had had the opportunity to visit her in the hospital. And a few of our fellow MLAs were there on Saturday, in particular, the members for Southdale (MLA Cable), Thompson (MLA Redhead) and Wolseley (MLA Naylor). So I acknowledge them.
You know, it was just about four months ago that Amanda was in this Chamber speaking, which would eventually be the last time that she put words on the permanent record here in the Manitoba Legislature. And interestingly enough, she was giving a speech about the Russell Cook Memorial Singers.
And, in particular, she was honouring how their gospel music and the hymns and the role that they have for families grieving and in churches in northwest Manitoba really helped people to heal. And so, somehow, those words hit a little different today that we're paying tribute to our good friend and relative.
Eighteen years ago, the premier of the day, Gary Doer, also stood in this very spot in the Manitoba Legislature and he praised Oscar Lathlin. In those remarks he talked about Oscar's sense of humour; he talked about his community spirit; he talked about the pride that he had in what, at the time, they called the Aboriginal way of life. And he had some good jokes that he shared that Oscar used to tell. And so, it was really nice to revisit those remarks over the past few days.
And so, from a long line of leadership, Amanda Lathlin rose up first as a councillor in the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, but making history in our province.
In 2015, though Indigenous women have been here on this part of the world since time 'immememorial'–since time immemorial, it took until 2015 for Amanda Lathlin to break that glass ceiling. And she became the first First Nations woman, the first Cree woman, to serve here in the Manitoba Legislature when she won a by-election in The Pas.
I also know that her retail political skills were really strong. Many of us were just at the Trappers' Festival. Sadly, Amanda, because she was ailing, was not able to join us this year. But the first time I attended Trappers'– many, many moons ago now–Amanda blew me away. Every single person in The Pas, on the OCN side, every single person she knew by name and she greeted them on a first-name basis. And of course, she'd be smiling, and she'd be laughing, and she'd be teasing and getting people to laugh alongside her.
While she was in this place, her legacy was very, very profound. There are some issues that she felt very deeply on a personal level. One of them was about getting more support and resources for survivors of sexual assault, particularly kids in northern Manitoba, and she succeeded in passing that into law, and I can tell you that we take very seriously as a government the responsibility to carry forward Amanda's legacy.
This is why representation matters. This is a common sense priority that I think, if you ask any Manitoban, they would agree with. Should kids in northern Manitoba who experience a terrible harm before they reach the age of 18 get the same sort of support that a child in southern Manitoba who would unfortunately go through a similar tragedy? I think if you ask the average Manitoban out there, every single person would say, yes, absolutely, kids from the North should get the same support. And yet, it didn't happen until Amanda came here.
And that's why representation matters, in part because you need the voices at the table of the people who know what it's like to be able to make sure that our democracy really works and that a government or a system can represent the people that it's supposed to serve, and so Amanda made it better.
One of the other pieces of legislation that she really pushed for, another policy priority, was to get people who experience a miscarriage compassionate leave. Again, just something that I think everyone would agree with if, you know, you go through a challenging moment of having a miscarriage, should you be able to take time off from work without having to worry about paying bills or without having to worry about potentially even losing your job? I think every Manitoban out there would agree.
So Amanda pushed for that, and I was looking back at the old texts over the past few days. By the way, she sent me a lot of memes, a lot of memes, and they're pretty funny too, so I had a good laugh.
But she texted me when she wanted to bring that bill forward about compassionate leave for miscarriage, and she shared something that I hope she doesn't feel as though I'm breaking her confidence now, but she said: On that day in 2015 when I was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature, I miscarried, and so instead of celebrating with family and friends after my swearing-in, I was at the hospital. And she acknowledged our colleague from Southdale in being with her there during that time of need.
And so this shows how the personal was the political for Amanda Lathlin, and then how her coming from a northern–and a First Nations woman–and just her own unique way of life contributed to making this esteemed Chamber and this Legislature stronger.
She also fought for Oscar's Place, which is part of her dad's legacy. You know, they always talk about Oscar being a–such a kind and a generous person. I think many of us here knew him as somebody who really helped the community, but he always had a soft spot for the people who are living on the street, and that's why his legacy was Oscar's Place. And when that experienced some challenges, Amanda was quick to step up and to help out.
She liked to speak Cree here in the Legislature, and I know our colleague from Thompson, being a fluent Cree speaker, will help to carry that on, but she would always be saying tansi [hello], Honourable Speaker, to you, and closing her remarks off either with ekosi [thank you] or kinanâskomitin [thank you, I am grateful to you], as appropriate. So she brought who she was each and every day.
Most importantly to Amanda, though, she was a loving mom; and seeing her girls here today is a very, very important moment because it shows that the time that she put in, the love that she had for you. It's still here, and by you being here and you carrying on your memories and the love that you have for her, Amanda's still with us in this place, in that way, and she always will be a part of us through you.
* (13:50)
And just in the past number of weeks, five or so weeks ago, she became a grandma, and so the love that she had was very, very strong and found this new outlet and a new path forward. And so that we see baby Anissia here as well today is very, very powerful. And if I don't wrap up my remarks, we might hear her first comments on the record in the Legislature as well, too.
But I do want to acknowledge that importance, and though Amanda was sick she had the chance to meet her granddaughter, and though she was suffering she had the chance to be comforted by two generations of Lathlin girls that follow in her footsteps, so I want to acknowledge and honour you.
And so we pray for you guys; we pray for the Lathlin family more generally; we pray for the Opaskwayak Cree Nation; we pray for The Pas and OCN and for northwest Manitoba and, really, for all the friends and family that are going to be mourning Amanda today and in the coming weeks and months and years.
And so I say on the record here, kinanâskomitin, nimis. [thank you, I am grateful to you, my older sister.] Thank you very much, Amanda. Tell your dad, Oscar, that we miss him, and I'll hang on to those moccasins for you in case you need them.
Miigwech and bizindawiyeg. [Thanks for listening to me.] Thanks for listening.
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Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): I move, seconded by the First Minister, that this House do now adjourn.
The Speaker: It's been moved by the honourable Deputy Premier (MLA Asagwara), seconded by the honourable First Minister, that this House do now adjourn.
All those in favour, please say aye.
Some Honourable Members: Aye.
The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
The House, then, is accordingly adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow–1:30 p.m. tomorrow.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Monday, March 23, 2026
CONTENTS