A Steady Stream of Manitoba Bills

Manitoba’s legislators have been busy drafting and introducing bills into the House over the course of the past two months. Since the session resumed in March, more than 20 new bills have been introduced, including 4 private members bills. Most remain at first reading stage as of the writing of this post.

A number of these bills may be of particular note across the country, including:

• Bill 48, The Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Governance Act: The explanatory note sets out that the bill recognizes and confirms the legal effect of governance agreements entered into by Canada, Manitoba and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, the laws made by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation under them, and the legal capacity of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.
• Bill 54, The Labour Relations Amendment Act (Time Lines for Labour Board Decisions and Hearings): The bill requires the Labour Board to establish timelines for decisions to be made and for the setting of certification or decertification hearings.
• Bill 56, The Vital Statistics Amendment Act: The bill sets out the new requirements for a change of sex designation on a Manitoba birth registration or marriage registration, and provides a similar process to obtain a certificate of sex designation for a Canadian citizen resident in Manitoba for at least one year. Transexual surgery is no longer a requirement.
• Bill 59, The Adoption Amendment and Vital Statistics Amendment Act (Opening Birth and Adoption Records): The bill would open up adoption records and pre-adoption birth records for those born in Manitoba and adopted, or adopted in Manitoba, subject to certain protections.
• Bill 60, The Restorative Justice Act: The bill creates a restorative justice advisory council and requires the Province to put in place restorative justice policies.
• Bill 65, The Workers Compensation Amendment Act: The amendments would create stiffer penalties for claims suppression offences under The Workers Compensation Act, promotes prevention activities by the Workers Compensation Board and increases fines generally under the Act.
• Bill 68, The Child and Family Services Amendment Act (Critical Incident Reporting): The bill creates a critical incident reporting obligation for employees and others who work for or provide services to child and family services agencies, where death or serious injury of a child has resulted. The reports would be made to agencies who must report to the relevant child and family services authority and the Minister of Family Services.