NDP promises more money to hire, retain nurse practitioners in Manitoba

Manitoba's New Democrats arepromising to spend more money on incentives for nurses to work in Manitoba.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew promised Thursday to increase the pool of money set aside to recruit and retain nurses by $1 million, partly to recruit nurse practitioners left out of existing incentive plans.

"We are committing to ensure that the nurse practitioners who've been left behind from incentive programs to date willget those financial incentives to continue serving us better," Kinew said outside Winnipeg's Grace Hospital, where he reiterated NDP pledges to work more closely with nurses than the Progressive Conservative government has to date.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson, who attended the NDP announcement but did not speak at the event, said she is endorsing the New Democrats' plan to hire and retain nurses, but not the party itself.

"I have long advocated for the expanded use of nurse practitioners. They are so undervalued in our system and can be such a huge asset for all of those Manitobans that don't have physicians," Jackson said in a scrum following the NDP news conference.

Kinewalso said Thursdayhe wants to change the culture within the public service, where he claims some administrators are acting at the behest of politicians.

"Time and time again, what we've heard from nurses on the front lines is that some of the senior bureaucrats who've been installed under the PCs are simply sending marching orders down to the front lines," he said.

In April, Kinewpromised to cut administrationat Shared Health, claiming"nobody can explain the benefits" ofthe government agencycreated by the PCs in 2018to help co-ordinate health-care service delivery and planning.

"Probably most people in the room couldn't even tell you where the front door to Shared Health is," Kinewsaid at the time, vowing to redirect money spent on Shared Health administratorsto the front lines of health care.

On Thursday, Kinew walked back that pledge and said he would not cut specific areas of the health administration.

"What I'm talking about is a more targeted approach within the health bureaucracy and identifying areas where we need to improve the emotional intelligence of the health-system leadership," he said.

Progressive Conservative spokesperson Shannon Martin criticizedthe NDP for abandoning its earlier commitment.

"What is the life expectancy of a Wab Kinew pledge? We're 26 days out from the election and he still can't decide what he stands for," Martin, the departingMcPhillips MLA, said in an email.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the NDP cannot "keep their story straight, even when it's just campaign promises."

"Manitoba needsstability, and it's clear the NDP is not even offering stability on their promises and commitments," he said.

The NDP has spent the first week of the provincial election campaign focusing on health care. The vote takes place on Oct. 3.

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