Manitoba Finance () is the department of finance for the Canadian province of

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. The Minister of Finance (; originally Provincial Treasurer) is the

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

responsible for the department, as well as for managing the province's fiscal resources, overseeing

taxation A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal person, legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regiona ...

policies, and allocating funds to other governmental departments. Every year, the minister submits a

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

to the

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

outlining anticipated expenditures and revenues for the next 12 months. The minister is also required to submit a completed financial report for the annual cycle just completed. The Finance portfolio is the oldest cabinet position in the province of Manitoba, even predating the office of

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

by four years. Similarly, many regard the Finance Minister as the most important member of government, second only to the Premier. Prior to 1977, it was not considered unusual for Manitoba's provincial premiers to reserve the position of Treasurer or Finance Minister for themselves. In the 20th century, John Bracken,

Stuart Garson Stuart Sinclair Garson (December 1, 1898 – May 5, 1977) was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th premier of Manitoba from 1943 to 1948, and later became a Federal cabinet minister. Life and career Born in St. Catharine ...

, Douglas L. Campbell, Dufferin Roblin, and Edward Schreyer all assumed this responsibility at one time or another. (Roblin was his own Treasurer for the entire extent of his term in office). No premier has taken this responsibility since 1977, and such a combination of responsibilities would now be considered very unlikely. The current Finance Minister of Manitoba is

Cameron Friesen Cameron Scott Friesen, MLA is a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Morden-Winkler, currently serving as the Manitoba Minister of Finance. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, he wa ...

of the Progressive Conservatives.

Branches and divisions

Manitoba Finance includes the following special operating agencies, which present their own respective

annual report An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company's activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company's activities and financial performance. ...

s: * Entrepreneurship Manitoba (aka the Companies Office) — the registrar for information about corporations and business names in Manitoba. The registry is publicly available to search. It is also responsible for the appointments and renewals of Commissioner for Oaths and Notary Publics. * Manitoba Financial Service Agency ** Financial Institutions Regulation Branch (FIRB) ** Manitoba Securities Commission * Public Guardian and Trustee Agency (under the Consumer Protection Division) — "manages and protects the affairs of Manitobans who are unable to do so themselves and have no one else willing or able to act," including

mentally incompetent In United States and Canadian law, competence concerns the mental capacity of an individual to participate in legal proceedings or transactions, and the mental condition a person must have to be responsible for his or her decisions or acts. Comp ...

and vulnerable adults, children, and deceased estates. * Vital Statistics Agency (under the Consumer Protection Division) Other branches and divisions of Manitoba Finance include: * Communication and Engagement Division (CED) — leads government communications in Manitoba, supporting the work of all government departments and several Crown organizations to provide information to Manitobans. CED, acting as the Queen’s Printer of Manitoba, also publishes the ''Manitoba Gazette'' and other statutory publications; provides leadership and coordination of Manitoba’s style and visual identity; and ensures the effective administration and oversight of Crown copyright. ** Information and Privacy Policy Secretariat — responsible for central administration and coordination of '' The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act'' (FIPPA). * Finance Research Division — primarily responsible for intergovernmental fiscal relations,

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and

fiscal policy In economics and political science, fiscal policy is the use of government revenue collection (taxes or tax cuts) and expenditure to influence a country's economy. The use of government revenue expenditures to influence macroeconomic variables ...

analysis, and the formulation of tax policy. ** Manitoba Bureau of Statistics * Manitoba Tax Assistance Office — provides information and assistance regarding Manitoba's

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

, tax credit programs, and program applications. * Pension Commission — the Office of the Superintendent - Pension Commission is responsible for safeguarding employees’ rights to benefits promised under employment

pension plan A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

s as provided under pension benefits legislation. * Taxation Division — administers taxation legislation through information, compliance, audit, and enforcement programs, including:

retail sales Tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

, health and post secondary education

tax levy A tax levy under United States federal law is an administrative action by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under statutory authority, generally without going to court, to seize property to satisfy a tax liability. The levy "includes the power o ...

, insurance corporations tax, corporation

capital tax A wealth tax (also called a capital tax or equity tax) is a tax on an entity's holdings of assets. This includes the total value of personal assets, including cash, bank deposits, real estate, assets in insurance and pension plans, ownershi ...

tobacco tax Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the c ...

, fuel tax, mining tax, and emissions tax on

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

and

petroleum coke Petroleum coke, abbreviated coke or petcoke, is a final carbon-rich solid material that derives from oil refining, and is one type of the group of fuels referred to as cokes. Petcoke is the coke that, in particular, derives from a final cracki ...

. * Treasury Board Secretariat — coordinates the annual budget and estimates, prepares the public accounts for the Government of Manitoba and provides financial and analytical support as well as

strategic management In the field of management, strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by an organization's managers on behalf of stakeholders, based on consideration of Resource management, resour ...

advice to the Minister of Finance and the Treasury Board * Treasury Division — manages and administers the cash resources, borrowing programs, and all

investment Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing i ...

and debt management activities of the provincial government.

Funeral Board of Manitoba

The Funeral Board of Manitoba (FBM) is a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

regulatory organization concerned with

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

within Manitoba's

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

and

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

services marketplace. Administering ''The Funeral Directors and Embalmers Act'', ''The Cemeteries Act'', and ''The Prearranged Funeral Services Act'', it is responsible for licensing all Manitoba funeral directors and embalmers; funeral homes; particular cemeteries and their sales persons; and prearranged funeral service plan providers. Through the 1967 ''Embalmers and Funeral Directors Act'' the Board was established as the Board of Administration to oversee Manitoba's funeral industry. The Act was amended and renamed in 2009 to ''The Funeral Directors and Embalmers Act'', which changed the Board's name to the Funeral Board of Manitoba.

Vital Statistics Agency

, formed = , employees = 40 FTEs (2019) , minister1_name = Richard Groen , minister1_pfo = Deputy Minister of Finance , minister2_pfo = Asst. Deputy Minister of the Consumer Protection Division , chief1_name = Alena Lukes , chief1_position = Chief Operating Officer and Director of Vital Statistics , chief2_name = Kathryn Durkin-Chudd , chief2_position = Advisory Board Chair , parent_department = Manitoba Finance , keydocument1 = ''The Vital Statistics Act'' , website
vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/
, agency_type =

special operating agency A special operating agency is a designation given to a government organization within a department or agency of the Government of Canada that has some management flexibility, independence, and separate accountability. They function, without legisla ...

Civil registrar of vital events The Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency (VSA) is a

of the provincial government that is the civil registrar of Manitoba's

vital records Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some ...

. More specifically, it is responsible for registering vital statistics (birth, death, marriage, stillbirth and change of name) in Manitoba and provides documents as proof of those events. While the Agency began operations on 1 April 1994, the provincial vital event registry dates to 1882. As such, with all records being held in

perpetuity A perpetuity is an annuity that has no end, or a stream of cash payments that continues forever. There are few actual perpetuities in existence. For example, the United Kingdom (UK) government issued them in the past; these were known as conso ...

for all Manitoba events, the database contains vital records information for the Province of Manitoba from 1882 to present. Nearly 4 million records are held in the database . The VSA reports to the

through the Minister of Finance, and is responsible for administering and enforcing Manitoba's ''Vital Statistics Act, Marriage Act, Change of Name Act'', as well as processing disinterments under ''The Public Health Act''. It is a member of the Vital Statistics Council for Canada (VSCC), which was established in 1945 as partnership of provincial/territorial vital event registrars and federal officials responsible for national statistics.

Manitoba Bureau of Statistics

The Manitoba Bureau of Statistics (MBS), a branch of the Finance Department's Finance Research Division, is the Manitoba government’s central

statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...

agency, tasked with compiling, managing, analyzing, coordinating, and disseminating of

demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

, and

social statistics Social statistics is the use of statistical measurement systems to study human behavior in a social environment. This can be accomplished through polling a group of people, evaluating a subset of data obtained about a group of people, or by observ ...

for the province. Operating under the provincial ''Statistics Act'', the Bureau addresses data and statistical requirements by collaborating with government departments and agencies; and, under a federal-provincial agreement, MBS is the designated contact and official liaison between the Government of Manitoba and the federal government's

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

Manitoba Financial Services Agency

, headquarters = 500-400 St. Mary Ave., Winnipeg, MB , employees = 48.6 FTEs (2019/2020) , minister1_name = Richard Groen , minister1_pfo = Deputy Minister of Finance , chief1_name = David Cheop , chief1_position = Chief Administrative Officer , child1_agency = Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC) , child2_agency = Financial Institutions Regulation Branch (FIRB) , agency_type =

The Manitoba Financial Service Agency (MFSA; ) is a

of the Manitoba government responsible for administering and enforcing legislation for the securities and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

sectors,

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

and mortgage brokers, credit unions/caisses populaires,

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

s, and

trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

and

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

companies who operate in Manitoba. It comprises the Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC) and Financial Institutions Regulation Branch (FIRB). It is headed by a

chief administrative officer A chief administrative officer (CAO) is a top-tier executive who supervises the daily operations of an organization and is ultimately responsible for its performance. Government and non-profit A CAO is responsible for administrative management of ...

, who is ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' the Chair and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the MSC. As of at least 2020, the chief is David Cheop. The Agency administers the following provincial legislation: * ''The Securities Act'', C.C.S.M. c. S 5 0 * ''The Commodity Futures Act'', C.C.S.M. c. C152 * ''The Real Estate Brokers Act'', C.C.S.M. c. R20 * ''The Mortgage Brokers Act'', C.C.S.M. c. M210 * ''The Insurance Act'', C.C.S.M. c. I40 * ''The Credit Unions and Caisse Populaires Act'', C.C.S.M. c. C301 * ''The Cooperatives Act'', C.C.S.M. c. C223 * ''The Corporations Act'', C.C.S.M. c. C225, Part XXIV

Financial Institutions Regulation Branch

The Financial Institutions Regulation Branch (FIRB; , DRIF) is the body responsible for regulatory oversight to financial institutions and cooperatives operating in Manitoba, including the insurance sector, credit unions/caisses populaires, and

and

companies. It is tasked with administering the provincial ''Insurance Act'', ''Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires Act'', and the ''Corporations Act'' (Part XXlV). The FIRB was created in April 2000 through the amalgamation of two branches under the Department of Consumers and Corporate Affairs: the Insurance Branch and the Trust, Cooperatives and Credit Union Regulation Branch. Since then, government restructuring has led to the FIRB being part of various departments; as of October 2012, FIRB was merged into the Manitoba Financial Services Agency (MFSA).

Manitoba Securities Commission

The Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC; ) is the securities regulatory authority of Manitoba. As a division of the Manitoba Financial Services Agency, it is an independent agency of the provincial government and its Chair reports to the legislature through the Minister of Finance. Following ''The Securities Act'', MSC was structured in its present form in 1968, divided into two branches: # the administrative or functional arm, consisting of full-time employees who conduct day-to-day operations. This arm includes 2 operating divisions of its own: #* the Securities division, which is organized into several operational sections—investigation, legal, registration & compliance,

corporate finance Corporate finance is the area of finance that deals with the sources of funding, the capital structure of corporations, the actions that managers take to increase the Value investing, value of the firm to the shareholders, and the tools and anal ...

& continuous disclosure, finance & administration, and education/information. #* Real Estate division # Commission members, the policy-making body consisting of Order-in-Council appointees (maximum of 7) who meet regularly. The Chair presides at the Commission members' meetings and is also the

of the administrative arm.

Public Utilities Board

The Manitoba Public Utilities Board is an independent quasi-judicial administrative tribunal that regulates

public utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

and designated monopolies. It has oversight and supervisory powers over the rates charged for electrical utility, auto insurance, gas and propane utilities, and all water and sewer utilities outside of Winnipeg. The Board is led by a chair and a vice-chair, appointed by the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. The chair has similar authority to that of a justice of the

Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench The Court of King's Bench of Manitoba (french: Cour du Banc du Roi du Manitoba)—or the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba, depending on the monarch—is the superior court of the Canadian province of Manitoba. The court is divided into two d ...

or as the deputy minister for the Manitoba Justice. Board members, appointed by the chair, are tasked with carrying out the Board's legislative mandate. The PUB Chairperson reports to the Minister of Finance. The Board has regulated services under legislation since 1913, with the current ''Public Utilities Board Act'' being passed in 1959. In addition to the ''Public Utilities Board Act'', regulatory administration is provided through: *

Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. Centra Gas Manitoba Inc., a subsidiary of Manitoba Hydro, is the primary distributor of Natural gas in Canada, natural gas in Manitoba, serving the Winnipeg and Winnipeg Metro Region, surrounding area, including rural communities. The company had ...

(

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

distribution,

utility As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...

rate setting) * ''Crown Corporations Governance and Accountability Act'' * ''Efficiency Manitoba Act'' * ''Gas Allocation Act'' * ''Gas Pipe Line Act'' (safety of natural gas and propane distribution) * ''Greater Winnipeg Gas Distribution Act'' (natural gas distribution franchise) * Manitoba Hydro (

electric utility An electric utility is a company in the electric power industry (often a public utility) that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major pr ...

rate setting) *

Manitoba Public Insurance Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation (MPI; french: Société d'assurance publique du Manitoba) is the non-profit Crown corporation which administers public auto insurance, motor vehicle registration, and driver licensing in Manitoba. Established ...

( auto insurance rate setting) * ''Manitoba Water Services Board Act'' (appeals) * ''Municipal Act'' (water and sewer utility rate regulation, excluding Winnipeg) * Stittco Utilities Man Ltd. (propane distribution) * The City of Winnipeg Charter

Treasury Board

The Treasury Board of Manitoba is a Cabinet sub-committee responsible for the overall

fiscal management In economics and political science, fiscal policy is the use of government revenue collection (taxes or tax cuts) and expenditure to influence a country's economy. The use of government revenue expenditures to influence macroeconomic variables d ...

and reporting of the provincial government, as well as the "establishment of policies required for the effective management of

public funds Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual o ...

to meet government objectives." The Treasury Board Secretariat of Manitoba provides financial and analytical support as well as

advice to the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board. The Secretariat is headed by a Deputy Minister who acts as Secretary to Treasury Board, currently Ann Ulusoy. It has been an independent secretariat since 1987/88. Treasury Board Secretariat consists of the: * Office of the Secretary to Treasury Board, * Office of the Provincial Comptroller, * Fiscal Management and Capital Planning Division, * Analytical Division, * Strategic Initiatives Division, and the * Scorecards Division.

History

The Finance portfolio is the oldest cabinet position in the province, predating the office of Premier by four years; and the minister was styled as the Provincial Treasurer until 1969. The first Provincial Secretary in Manitoba was Marc-Amable Girard, who was appointed to the position on 16 September 1870 by

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Adams George Archibald Sir Riley Robert Archibald , more commonly known as Sir Adams George Archibald (May 3, 1814 – December 14, 1892) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a Father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though ...

soon after his arrival in the province. Until January 1871, Girard and Provincial Secretary

Alfred Boyd Alfred Boyd (September 20, 1835 – August 16, 1908) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and is usually considered to have been the first premier of Manitoba (1870–1871)—though he was not recognized by that title at the time nor was he th ...

were the only members of Archibald's ministry. Since the introduction of partisan politics in 1888, all Manitoba Finance Ministers have belonged to the governing party of the day. During the coalition ministry that governed Manitoba from 1940 to 1950, the position was reserved for members of the dominant Liberal-Progressive Party. Prior to 1977, it was typical for Manitoba's provincial premiers to reserve the position of Treasurer or Finance Minister for themselves. In the 20th century, John Bracken,

generally accepted accounting principles Publicly traded companies typically are subject to rigorous standards. Small and midsized businesses often follow more simplified standards, plus any specific disclosures required by their specific lenders and shareholders. Some firms operate on th ...

'', which had already been adopted in most other provinces. Following the 2019 provincial general election, Manitoba Finance underwent significant reorganization. While Central Services branched off as an independent department, the Finance department gained its Labour and Regulatory Services Division, the Consumer Protection Division, and Communications Services Manitoba, as well as the Vital Statistics Agency, Entrepreneurship Manitoba, and the Public Guardian and Trustee of Manitoba.

List of Ministers of Finance

References

{{Canada topic, Economy of Finance, Minister of *