The spring session has begun at the Manitoba Legislature and MLA for Turtle Mountain, Doyle Piwniuk, says, he's excited to be back at the legislative building.

Piwniuk has been named PC Critic for Manitoba Public Insurance and Efficiency Manitoba.

"So, basically just keeping everybody in line, making sure of that accountability for the minister when it comes to MPI the Crown Corporation," explains Piwniuk. "And I'm also the critic for Efficiency Manitoba, where we'll have committee meeting where we meet with the CEO and Chair of the Board with both MPI and Efficiency Manitoba."

"And again, making sure there isn't any issues, of the direction we want to go, and to listen to Manitobans and to the frustrations they may have. Making sure those are addressed to the CEO, it's addressed to the Minister, and it's addressed to the Chair of the Board."

As former Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, Piwniuk is keeping his eye on specific projects that he started from previous years. 

"I want to make sure that I can be a voice, to make sure that Turtle Mountain gets their highways continued and their highways fixed, because it's so important," he says. "And another one is the Peace Garden, making sure that we work with North Dakota. Making sure that this new government, seeing as I'm representing the Board, does bring more money to the International Peace Garden to more of a bigger direction to attract international travelers to our region."

Piwniuk notes rural health care and economic development are also high on his list of priorities for his constituency.

"I'm bringing the message to a lot of the Reeves and councils, how we have to focus now on economic development," he explains, "because by focusing on economic development we're growing our communities, we're reversing the downward trend of population. We need our young people to come back to the area. We need new jobs. And my focus now is ... to really foster bringing more industry back into the region."

"We're working with a number of projects, and I want to continue that," he adds.

"It's so important because when you have a growing economy and everything is growing in your region, you're not going to have big issues with heath care as much, because the fact is the numbers are there to warrant more investment in our health care."