MANITOBA VOTES 2023 – LA VERENDRYE: Love for community inspires La Verendrye candidate

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This article was published 21/09/2023 (594 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Southeast Manitoba has been ignored by government and it’s time steps are taken to address a variety of issues according to the Liberal candidate for La Verendrye.

Raised on a dairy farm south of Richer, Monica Guetre said there are solutions to every problem.

“Every problem has a practical solution,” she said. “Sometimes the solution is a compromise.”

Guetre works at a major pharmaceutical company, has a science degree from the University of Winnipeg, has travelled extensively and worked in the Northwest Territories for a Dene band.

She’s also no stranger to politics.

Guetre represented the La Verendrye constituency on the Manitoba Liberal Party board of directors and ran for office twice.

Her first attempt was in the riding of Steinbach in 2003 when she earned 7.9 percent of the total vote. In 2011 she ran in La Verendrye, earning five percent of the total vote.

She’s also a contributing writer to the Dawson Trail Dispatch.

Guetre said La Verendrye is simply not on the radar of the provincial government.

“We have been ignored,” she said. “There are so many roadblocks to seeing a doctor, healthcare, we have a failing educational system…”

“It’s harder to start a family, grow a business, or age in our community,” she added.

Guetre accused the PC party and the NDP of “throwing money left, right, and centre right now”.

Yet she said that won’t fix the issues such as health care which she believes is broken.

A broken arm landed her in the emergency room last year and she said she sat for 10 hours.

“I have friends who have lost their loved ones because health care was delayed and in some instances denied on a timely basis,” she said. “This is not right.”

Guetre said recent statistics show that Manitoba is so far behind the rest of Canada that the province needs 360 new doctors just to be considered average.

“That’s why I’m getting involved,” she said.

Guetre also criticized the education property tax rebate brought in by the PC government, saying it isn’t working. She said school divisions, municipalities, and the health-care system are all cash strapped and struggling.

People don’t mind paying property taxes when they understand their money is going to the right place, she added.

“We want municipalities to be funded, we want to drive on safe roads,” she said.

Instead Guetre said we’re watching school divisions forced to cut teachers because of lack of funds, or a system that’s simply not ready for $10 per day childcare.

“They’re not even ready for it,” she said. “We don’t have enough early learning childcare people to fill those spots and there is a huge waiting list.”

The Liberals also have a plan to help small business through a Manitoba Business Development Bank, that would be a boost for those who need it.

“What I’ve seen… is that money goes to specific companies rather than building Manitoba entrepreneurs and offering fairness when it comes to accessing capital,” she said. “We’re looking at small businesses in the province who have great ideas, who have struggled to find capital to even start up.”

Using bonuses and creating a fair pay structure, the Liberal party will try to attract health professionals who have moved away, train new ones and retain the ones we have.

“A lot of them have left the province because they’re not being remunerated, they’re overworked,” she said.

Seniors also need more attention according to Guetre.

“There’s been a lot of abuse of seniors in the personal care homes as well as seniors getting assistance while living at home,” she said.

Creating the position of seniors advocate is key according to Guetre.

This advocate would be apolitical, and would not be part of any government organization.

She also advocates using nurse practitioners in personal care homes.

“That to me is a cost effective way in ensuring that seniors get health care,” she said.

During a recent visit to St Pierre, Guetre said she was told of a rumour that the local emergency room is slated for closure. That rumour has not been confirmed.

“Where are those people supposed to go?” she asked. “Where is anybody supposed to go anymore to get health care?”

And while every party has a plan for health care, the Liberal plan is one of common sense according to Guetre.

“We’re not throwing money out the door, trying to buy votes,” she said. “We’re saying we’re going to focus our money, try and concentrate on those things. We have a lot of rebuilding to do, but it’s all costed out and fiscally responsible.”

“We have to spend our tax dollars responsibly,” she added. “We can’t just throw money down the drain like they have for many years. Enough is enough.”

Guetre has strong feelings on Sio Silica’s plan to mine silica sand through the aquifer in Southeast Manitoba.

She accused the government of ignoring their own legislation by allowing Sio Silica to begin what she calls “fracking” under the banner of R&D.

“They have to have a full impact assessment of a mining operation, and this mining operation is also around a lot of people in eastern Manitoba,” she said. “And we all drink water from the same well, from the aquifer.”

Guetre is opposed to the project because of the risk of contaminating the aquifer or the possibility of collapse when the silica sand is removed.

“That affects all of us in eastern Manitoba,” she said.

While La Verendrye has been considered a safe PC riding for many years with the Liberals earning 12.9 percent of the vote in the 2019 election, Guetre is up for the challenge, saying people are ready for a change.

“We clearly stand out from the PC, the NDP and any other party, in that we are fiscally responsible,” she said. “We do know that when it comes to everyday life there are certain things that we absolutely count on and we will ensure that is how our money is spent.”

“I love my neighborhood, I love the people in southeastern Manitoba,” she said. “It’s where I grew up, it is my home. I believe strongly in this province.”