If elected, NDP promises new CancerCare Manitoba HQ, Liberals plan to help post-secondaries

Manitoba's NDP promised Sunday to build new headquarters for CancerCareManitoba on the campus of the city's Health Sciences Centre if elected this fall.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the building capital would cost $350 million in provincial funds.CancerCare is "bursting at the seams" with staff, he said, but the facility would improve space and lighting issues and the overall quality of care.

"Manitoba has the money in our budget to be able to make this investment," Kinewsaid during a news conference Sunday morning. "We just need the political will to stand up and say: 'We want to build CancerCare for the future, so let's consider the people of Manitobaand that's what we're committed to doing."

Kinew was short on details about how many people the new building would be able to treat or the number of beds. In terms of staff for the potential new facility's operations, he said he'd start by looking within CancerCare.

He added that while there are "detailed plans," the first step is going to be to look at the scope of them and determine if they meet the current need, or if they need to be updated.

The party's latest promise continued a trend throughout theelection campaign, in whichalmost every announcement made has involved health care.

"We already have the staff, what we need is to be able to give the staff the resources, the space and the equipment so that they can fulfiltheir jobs to the best of their ability," he said.

In 2017, a new $300-million headquarters for CancerCare Manitoba was among numerous planned health-care facilities axed by the Progressive Conservative government.

"The state-of-the-art CancerCare headquarters will deliver cutting-edge care, the best quality, the newest techniques and it will do so in a space with more room, more light, more comfort for people who are going through such a difficult time in their lives," he said.

In an emailed statement, PCspokespersonShannon Martin said the PCs havemade "significant" investments into CancerCare, includingexpanding access to life-saving drugs.

Liberals promise post-secondary investments

The province's Liberal party announced its plans to "jump start the economy" with funding promises for post-secondary investments if elected.

"High tuition fees and the worry of taking on unmanageable debt are major barriers to why young people choose not to pursue higher education," Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said at a campaign announcement at Winnipeg's King's Parkon Sunday.

The party promised to reinstate health care for international students as part of its announcement.

"For international students, inadequate health-care coverage can lead to out-of-pocket spending on major medical bills," Lamont said.

Additionally, the Liberals announced they'll reinstate the tuition rebate program for graduates that stay in the province, according to a news release on Sunday. The program,first drawn up by the party in 2003, would provide a rebate of up to 60 per cent on all eligible tuition fees when students begin working, the release stated.

Manitoba's Liberals also committed to stable, multi-year funding so that provincial post-secondary institutions can stay affordable while maintaining their own investments. The party also pledged to respect the autonomy of post-secondary learning spaces so they can "fulfil their mandatesfree from political interference," the release said.

A little over two weeks remain until Manitobans head to the polls on Oct. 3.