Manitoba politicians pull all-nighter to pass bills before session ends

Manitoba politicians stayed up all night in the legislature to pass laws before the end of the current legislative session.

Proceedings were delayed for about four hours on Thursday when the sound system in the legislature chamber stopped working.

Once the problem was fixed, debate on nine bills lasted until 4 a.m. Friday.

Among the new laws is one that will pave the way for ride-hailing services such as Uber and give municipalities authority over the vehicle-for-hire industry.

Another will allow steeper tuition increases at universities, while a third will let medical professionals abstain from participating in physician-assisted death.

The Opposition NDP criticized the Progressive Conservative government for "ramming through measures that will damage the future of Manitoba families."

The new legislation will raise tuition for Manitoba students by five per cent plus the rate of inflation annually, which means families will be forced to pay hundreds of additional dollars every year to afford an education, the NDP stated in a news release.

"This government is making education less affordable for families trying to make ends meet. Putting food on the table while paying tuition will become harder each and every year under [Premier Brian] Pallister's government," said NDP Leader Wab Kinew.

The NDP also released a timeline of how the marathon meeting went, listing approximate times bills passed third reading: 

• Bill 34 - 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9.
• Bill 35 - 7:40 p.m., Nov. 9.
• Bill 215 - 7:50 p.m., Nov. 9.
• Bill 23 - 9p.m., Nov. 9.
• Bill 24 - 10:20 p.m., Nov. 9.
• Bill 27 - 11:30 p.m., Nov. 9.
• Bill 30 - 1 a.m., Nov. 10.
• Bill 31 - 2:20 a.m., Nov. 10.
• Bill 36 - 3:30 a.m., Nov. 10.

The legislature will now be on a break until Nov. 21, when the Progressive Conservative government will announce its plans for the coming year in a speech from the throne.