Premier Wab Kinew recently celebrated what he called good news for Manitoba’s economy. The government announced that the province added 3,900 jobs in September, calling the labour market “resilient” and “optimistic.” That sounds like a success story. But when you look at the full Statistics Canada report, the facts tell a much different story.

In August, Manitoba lost more than 5,000 jobs. Of those, 4,300 were in manufacturing — one of the most critical sectors in our economy. Two-thirds of those were full-time positions. That single month accounted for 22 per cent of all manufacturing job losses in Canada, even though Manitoba represents less than four per cent of the national manufacturing workforce. These weren’t temporary or seasonal jobs; they were good-paying, long-term ones. Those

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