Premier Wab Kinew answered every English‑language question in the legislature in French for four consecutive days, a move that sparked lively debate and led him to push for a new school curriculum.

Kinew announced that Manitoba’s education system should include a unit on the 1980s francophone rights battle, arguing that students need to understand the struggles that shaped the province’s language policies.

In the early 1980s the provincial government introduced a bill to provide many services in French. The proposal triggered protests from English‑speaking groups, and the NDP government withdrew the bill in 1984. The following year, the Supreme Court of Canada declared Manitoba’s unilingual laws unconstitutional, requiring them to be translated into French.

Kinew said many Manitobans are unaware of this history. Before any curriculum changes are made, his government will consult the Franco‑Manitoban School Division and the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, as well as other experts familiar with the era.

Teaching this episode matters because it links past language conflicts to today’s effort to protect the province’s bilingual heritage. Understanding the 1980s fight helps students appreciate why bilingual services and French‑immersion schools are vital to Manitoba’s cultural identity.

The legislature is also working on a live‑translation feed for question period so online viewers can follow the debate in both languages, a step that mirrors Kinew’s call for greater accessibility and bilingual awareness.