Health policy, teachers' contracts, stronger meth penalties on agenda as Manitoba PCs meet in Brandon

The party's coffers are full, it's leadingin the polls and it faces no apparent leadership turmoil.

As Manitoba's Progressive Conservatives cruise toward theirthird year in office, even thepolicy agenda for the party's annual meeting, which began Friday afternoon in Brandon, suggests a machine ticking along witha steady hum.

The governing Tories don't face any issues quite like the New Democratic Party did at its last convention in Brandon, when the Opposition party releasedaninternal review of harassment that describedan"atmosphere of fear and loyalty" when the NDPwas in office.

• Manitoba NDP had an 'over-sexualized, sexist and misogynist' culture, harassment report says

The PC party hasrecently managed to side-step deeper controversy over the behaviour of Emerson MLA Cliff Graydon by booting him from its caucus and removing him from the board of Manitoba Hydro over controversy around comments he made to female staffers.

• 'He told me to sit on his lap': 2nd woman comes forward with accusation against Manitoba MLA Cliff Graydon

Premier Brian Pallistermay face external heat for cancelling Manitoba's carbon tax or frosty relations with Ottawa, but there are no public rumblings of internal dissensionfrom the PC Party membership.

Resolution calls for 1bargaining unit for school divisions

The list of policy considerations for delegates to the PC convention range from crime to education to health and beyond.

One resolution says meth dealers and traffickers should face stiffer penalties.

On the labour front, the party will be asked to consider a resolution calling for one bargaining unit to negotiate contractsfor all school divisions. It's apolicy initiative the government is actively pursuing, though it has yet to make good on its plans.

• Teachers told to keep bargaining through local units despite plan for province-wide bargaining

Another resolution focused onorganized labourcalls forunions to be added to the list of organizations that must register for the lobbyist registry.

'Decisive action' on compensation payments

As the Progressive Conservative government continues with its significant changes to Manitoba's health-care system, party members will also vote on a motion to support effortsto prevent risk factors associated with heart disease among women and boost the number of geriatric physicians working in the various regional health authorities across the province.

Meanwhile, as PremierPallisterfaces criticismfrom the Manitoba MetisFederation for cancelling a second agreement with the MMFlate in October, a resolution calls on the government to take "decisive action to end the practice of paying compensation to prevent Manitobans from exercising their right to raise legitimate concerns."

Those words echo Pallister'sexplanation for cancelling the deal with the MMFearlier this week.

"TheMtisfederation and allMtisManitobanshave the right to participate in processes. They fought hard for those rights and we respect that enough to make sure we won't make payments to stop them from exercising those rights, now or in the future," Pallistersaid on Wednesday.

Some policy ideas don't seem to be attached to specific ideology, such as "encouragingthe expansion of hydro sales to the rest of Canada" an ideathat should appeal to a broad section of Manitobans.

Other resolutionscarry on the policy flag the Tories ran on in 2016, including a resolution that calls for "keeping taxes low while continuing to reduce the deficit so more money can be better spent on the priorities of Manitobans."

The party's AGMwraps up on Saturday evening.