WINNIPEG — Manitoba's NDP government has agreed to support the Liberal bill for universal screening for learning disabilities in the early grades.
The government announced in the spring that it aims to test the literacy skills of young students by 2026.
Liberal assemblywoman Cindy Lamoureux wanted the changes enshrined in law, as well as provisions to ensure parents are notified of the results.
Lamoureux put forward the bill, which has now passed its final reading in the legislature with all-party support.
Education Secretary Tracy Schmidt says she will work with school divisions and other groups to determine what specific screening tools will be used.
Provincial data last year shows 45 per cent of Grade 3 students met literacy expectations.
The new bill was welcomed Tuesday by Carrie Wood, a teacher, mother and dyslexia advocate.
“Unfortunately, kids can slip away right now… where we wait and hope they overcome their reading difficulties. It happened to both of my kids,” Wood said.
“If this was in kindergarten, they would have been noticed almost as soon as they walked into the school.”
This is not the first time the NDP government has supported a bill put forward by Lamoureux.
The NDP reworked Lamoureux's judicial education bill last year and passed it as a government bill this spring. The new law requires provincial court judges to receive ongoing training on topics such as intimate partner violence, sexual violence and systemic racism.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2025.
