LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Friday, February 21, 1992

       

The House met at 10 a.m.

       

PRAYERS

 

MATTER OF PRIVILEGE

     

Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition):  Mr. Speaker, I rise on a matter of privilege.

     My motion, by the way, will be followed by a substantive motion.

     I was not in the House yesterday afternoon to hear some remarks made by the honourable member for Wellington (Ms. Barrett), but my members of the Legislature quickly let me know exactly what those remarks were.  I came in this morning and immediately obtained a copy from the files, which I am prepared to file in this House, in which the member said:  "I also found it very interesting that the member for Niakwa, his comments were very different from the comments that were made at the vigil by the Leader of the second opposition party (Mrs. Carstairs) who felt that vigils were of no use and who did not understand the use of vigils."

     Mr. Speaker, I have never in my life experienced such a misrepresentation of fact as was made in this House yesterday afternoon.  I made some statements at the vigil.  I particularly made sure that there was no media there, because I do not want vigils to turn into any kind of media event.  I want them to be a meeting of men and women who feel that this issue is one in which we must work together.

     I stated very clearly that it was not a political issue, and I made reference to every single MLA who was there that I saw.  I went up to the member for Radisson (Ms. Cerilli) afterwards and apologized to her because I had not seen her in the circle and said that I would have mentioned her name as well.

     I indicated in my comments to this vigil that I was frustrated that we had to keep coming back to these vigils.  I mentioned my concerns about my two daughters, my 22‑year‑old, who is afraid to go out at night; and my 19‑year‑old, who, because she is an equestrian and spends often long evenings in a barn and is often there by herself with her horse, that we always were concerned about what might happen to her in such a circumstance.

     Mr. Speaker, nowhere in those remarks did I indicate that vigils were useless.  Nowhere in those remarks did I say they were of no value.

* (1005)

     I think anyone who has been in this House since 1986 knows that I have on a number of occasions risen and spoken of the issue of violence towards women.  I have also spoken about violence towards men, because I think unless we change attitudes, there is going to be a continuation of violence towards all human beings.

     I believe it is appropriate for the member for Wellington (Ms. Barrett) to apologize, but if the member for Wellington is not prepared to apologize, I move, seconded by the member for Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux),

     THAT this House do refer the statement of February 20, 1992, made by the member for Wellington in this House to the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections.

Ms. Becky Barrett (Wellington):  Mr. Speaker, if the member for River Heights or any other member of this House finds any comments that I have made either yesterday or at any time in debate in this House offensive or inaccurate, I withdraw those comments and apologize for having made them.

Mr. Speaker:  That concludes the matter, satisfactory to the Chair.

       

PRESENTING PETITIONS

       

Ms. Becky Barrett (Wellington):  Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Judith A. Manning, Megan E. Cooper, Ian R. Wood and others, requesting the government show its strong commitment to dealing with child abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan):  Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Phuong Nguyen, Linda Froese, Gord Siddorn and others, requesting the government show its strong commitment to dealing with child abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign.

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (St. Johns):  Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Rolf C. Simon, Don Rencz, Al McGregor and others, requesting the government show its strong commitment to dealing with child abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign.

     

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

 

READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS

     

Mr. Speaker:  I have reviewed the petition, and it conforms with the privileges and practices of the House and complies with the rules.  Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

     The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth

     THAT child abuse is a crime abhorred by all good citizens of our society, but nonetheless it exists in today's world; and

     It is the responsibility of the government to recognize and deal with this most vicious of crimes; and

     Programs like the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign raise public awareness and necessary funds to deal with the crime; and

     The decision to terminate the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign will hamper the efforts of all good citizens to help abused children.

     WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of the Province of Manitoba may be pleased to request that the government of Manitoba show a strong commitment to deal with Child Abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign. (Ms. Barrett)

     I have reviewed the petition, and it conforms with the privileges and practices of the House and complies with the rules.  Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

     The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth

     THAT child abuse is a crime abhorred by all good citizens of our society, but nonetheless it exists in today's world; and

     It is the responsibility of the government to recognize and deal with this most vicious of crimes; and

     Programs like the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign raise public awareness and necessary funds to deal with the crime; and

     The decision to terminate the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign will hamper the efforts of all good citizens to help abused children.

     WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of the Province of Manitoba may be pleased to request that the government of Manitoba show a strong commitment to deal with Child Abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign. (Mr. Chomiak)

     I have reviewed the petition, and it conforms with the privileges and practices of the House and complies with the rules.  Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

     The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth

     THAT child abuse is a crime abhorred by all good citizens of our society, but nonetheless it exists in today's world; and

     It is the responsibility of the government to recognize and deal with this most vicious of crimes; and

     Programs like the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign raise public awareness and necessary funds to deal with the crime; and

     The decision to terminate the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign will hamper the efforts of all good citizens to help abused children.

     WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of the Province of Manitoba may be pleased to request that the government of Manitoba show a strong commitment to deal with Child Abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign. (Ms. Wasylycia-Leis)

       

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

 

Bill 42‑The Amusements Amendment Act

     

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Labour):  Mr. Speaker, I would like to move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns), that Bill 42, The Amusements Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les divertissements, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

 * (1010)

     

Bill 43‑The Farm Income Assurance Plans Amendment Act

 

Hon. Glen Findlay (Minister of Agriculture):  Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Rural Development (Mr. Derkach), that Bill 43, The Farm Income Assurance Plans Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les regimes d'assurance‑revenu agricole, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.

     His Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of this bill, recommends it to the House.  I would like to table also the message of the Lieutenant‑Governor.

Motion agreed to.

     

Bill 44‑The Milk Prices Review Amendment Act

 

Hon. Glen Findlay (Minister of Agriculture):  Mr. Speaker, I would like to move, seconded by the Minister of Rural Development (Mr. Derkach), Bill 44, The Milk Prices Review Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur le controle du prix du lait, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.

     His Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of this bill, recommends it to the House.  I would also like to table the message of His Honour.

Motion agreed to.

     

Bill 45‑The City of Winnipeg Amendment, Municipal Amendment

And Consequential Amendments Act

       

Hon. Jim Ernst (Minister of Urban Affairs):  Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs (Mrs. McIntosh), that Bill 45, The City of Winnipeg Amendment, Municipal Amendment and Consequential Amendments Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur la Ville de Winnipeg, la Loi sur les municipalites et d'autres dispositions legislatives, be introduced and the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

     

Bill 46‑The Jury Amendment Act

 

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Justice and Attorney General):  I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness), that Bill 46, The Jury Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les jures, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

     

Bill 47‑The Petty Trespasses Amendment Act

       

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness), that Bill 47, The Petty Trespasses Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur L'intrusion, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

     

Bill 49‑The Environment Amendment Act

       

Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister of Environment):  I move, seconded by the Minister of Justice (Mr. McCrae), that Bill 49, The Environment Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur L'environnement, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.

     His Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of this bill, recommends it to the House.  I would like to table the message of the Lieutenant‑Governor.

Motion agreed to.

* (1015)

     

Introduction of Guests

       

Mr. Speaker:  Prior to Oral Questions, may I direct the attention of honourable members to the gallery, where we have with us this morning Mr. Howard Pawley, the former Premier of the province, now a professor of political science at the University of Windsor, accompanied by 16 fourth year honours political science students from that same university.

     Also this morning from Elwick Community School we have 50 Grade 5 students.  These students are under the direction of Martin Kashty.  This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for The Maples (Mr. Cheema).

     Also this morning from Bismarck, North Dakota, we have 20 students and their teachers from the Century High School Patriot Jazz Ensemble.  These students are under the direction of Mr. Tim Fogderud.

     On behalf of honourable members, I welcome you all here this morning.

       

ORAL QUESTION PERIOD

 

GATT

Supply Management Proposal

     

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition):  Mr. Speaker, supply management and the protection of supply management in Canada is one of the most important challenges in our trade negotiations going on at the GATT round.  Canadians are joining together in a strong consensus position to defend the supply management system in Canada, which has provided viable industries in our country, viable jobs, and has helped us in our rural communities across this country, helped us maintain a strong agricultural industry, with nutritious and productive products in our country.

     Mr. Speaker, in trying to achieve that consensus, eight provinces out of 10 signed a declaration to the Prime Minister to speak strongly on behalf of supply management and to take a strong stand in Europe and in the United States to protect the supply management system.  Eight provinces out of 10 signed the declaration to the Prime Minister; two Conservative provinces did not.  One of them was Manitoba, and one of them was Alberta.

     I would ask the Premier:  Will he override his Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Findlay) and now take a strong stand to sign the declaration to the Prime Ministers so that we can in fact have a consensus position with agricultural ministers to protect supply management in this country?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier):  Mr. Speaker, if the member will examine that petition, it talks about, in the course of the GATT negotiations, ultimately giving the top priority to protecting supply management.  We have always said that we will not abandon any of our farmers.  We will take a balanced approach, and we will not favour one group of farmers to the exclusion of others.

     We know that the greatest challenge that is facing western Canada over the next decade will be the resolution and the removal of the export subsidies on grain.  If we are not able to achieve that, that member will be condemning tens of thousands of western Canadian farmers to leaving their farms.  We will not do that.  This government will not abandon any of our farmers and we will not play sides one against the other.

     We have therefore put on the table a balanced approach, a balanced approach that says we will do everything possible to strengthen Article 11 under the GATT to protect our supply management and to ensure that we roll back and remove so far as possible the export subsidies on grain so that our grain farmers can make a living forever in future, so that families can pass along their farms, so they can continue to farm in this country, in this province.

Mr. Doer:  I would ask the Premier also to include in his position for a balanced approach the whole area of transportation policy of Canada too, which is also on the table, and a very, very important element.  Please do not leave out all these elements, Mr. Speaker, in the pursuit of one objective that potentially could achieve zero objectives.

     The declaration calls on the Prime Minister to intensify and reinitiate multilateral discussions with the heads of other governments.  Mr. Speaker, other governments and other Premiers and other Ministers of Agriculture also want to remove the subsidies of grain in the European market and also want to remove and have a balanced approach to the negotiations going on in GATT, but they believe as part of that balanced approach that we should be unequivocal in our support and develop a consensus on supply management systems.  It is not an either/or, it is a pro‑Canadian position for the agricultural producers of Canada, and part of the pro‑Canadian position as part of that balanced approach is the support of supply management.

* (1020)

     Now why will this Premier not join other Premiers and other governments in signing the balanced declaration to the Prime Minister for a strong and united stand at GATT for all Canadian producers, including supply management producers?  Has the Premier written these people off?

Mr. Filmon:  Well, Mr. Speaker, that is precisely the point I make, that it is not an either/or.

     The wording on that says:  the highest priority to protecting supply management.  It is directed only to supply management, and it cuts adrift the grain farmers of western Canada, tens of thousands of them right across the west, many of them in this province, who would not have a future if we cannot resolve the export subsidy problem, the transportation issues and all of those issues that must be resolved in order to ensure a secure long‑term future for our grain farmers in this province.

     I will not cut them adrift like the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) is prepared to do, Mr. Speaker, for his politics.  I will take the balanced approach, and I will ensure that at all times we are working to protect both sides, strengthening Article 11 and ensuring that we roll back the export subsidies for our grain farmers.

Mr. Doer:  I will send a copy of this declaration over to the Premier, because it calls for a support of all the elements of a balanced position pursued by the federal government.  Mr. Speaker, the declaration talks about a balanced approach to trade.

     Surely the Premier knows that the Premier of Saskatchewan and the Minister of Agriculture of Saskatchewan, which is also vitally concerned and has a number more grain farmers than we do in Manitoba and is also vitally concerned about the subsidy issue in the European round, would not sign a declaration like this if it was going to affect their grain producers.  Mr. Speaker, it merely gives some consensus on the issue of supply management in Article 11.

     I would ask the Premier to re‑evaluate their position on this declaration and join the other eight provinces that have signed and have joined in a consensus position to the Prime Minister, provinces that also want a balanced approach to trade, and make sure that we have 10 provinces speaking with the same voice on supply management to Canada and through Canada to the international community rather than eight provinces, with Manitoba not being one of them.

Mr. Filmon:  Mr. Speaker, just so that the Leader of the Opposition does not in any way mislead anyone who might be listening, the petition does not refer to a balanced approach. The petition says:  declaration to the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada, in support of Canadian supply management programs‑‑period, nothing else.

     Then it says that the undersigned respectfully request the Prime Minister of Canada to immediately intensify and renegotiate multilateral negotiations as a matter of the highest importance.

* (1025)

     So we are saying, this is the highest importance; rollback of export subsidy is not the highest priority.  If we took that position, Mr. Speaker, we would be condemning to no economic future most of the grain farmers of western Canada and Manitoba.

     I will not do that to 20,000 Manitoba grain farmers.  That is not a balanced approach, and no amount of politicking is going to make me abandon those farmers just as the Leader of the Opposition is prepared to do.

     

Health Care System

User Fees

 

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (St. Johns):  Mr. Speaker, the Premier is reported to have had a cozy chat yesterday with Nova Scotia Premier Don Cameron, and they were apparently in agreement over just about every issue of the day.

     The Premier should know that the Premier of Nova Scotia, Don Cameron, and his Finance minister have both said that Liberal Premier of New Brunswick Frank McKenna's support for user fees in our health care system should be seriously considered.

     Was this matter of user fees in our health care system on the agenda at this meeting yesterday between our Premier and the Premier of Nova Scotia, and does this mean that this Premier is going‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  The question has been put.

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier):  No, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. Wasylycia-Leis:  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier, since this is a very serious issue in terms of our health care system and the future of medicare:  Will this Premier do what some other Premiers like the Premier of B.C. has done and state unequivocally that he is prepared to strenuously fight against the notion of user fees in our health care system and that he is opposed to any‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  The question has been put.

Mr. Filmon:  Mr. Speaker, I said that in Ottawa and I said that after returning from Ottawa and I would be happy to repeat it any time that the member would want to ask me.

Ms. Wasylycia-Leis:  Mr. Speaker, we certainly appreciate that unequivocal‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  Question, please.

     

Goods and Services Tax

Harmonization

       

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (St. Johns):  Will the Premier be forthcoming about his apparent plan, his secret plan dealing with GST harmonization and cross‑border shopping?  Will he table that plan for all of us here in Manitoba to see, to discuss, to have a dialogue over in the interests of this government's commitment to being open and honest with the people of Manitoba?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier):  Mr. Speaker, I think we should expect a little honesty out of the opposition from time to time, not just talk about open and honest government that we do have.

     The fact of the matter is that there has not been a proposal for harmonization with the GST that we have in any way endorsed or accepted or been involved with, Mr. Speaker, and despite confused media coverage on the issue‑‑

An Honourable Member:  Oh, it is the media's fault.

Mr. Filmon:  When the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) says that the provincial government should remove the GST and does not even understand that it is not a provincial tax, Mr. Speaker, we can understand that there is great confusion out here about that tax.  Harmonization is not on the table, and our counterproposal does not involve harmonization, I want to assure the member for St. Johns (Ms. Wasylycia-Leis) about that.

* (1030)

       

Goods and Services Tax

Harmonization

       

Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition):  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted that the Premier has now said very clearly in the House that there is not to be harmonization in any way, shape or form, either at the border or elsewhere in the province of Manitoba.  Will he now explain why some of his officials told a reporter that the plan was to twin the taxes only at the border?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier):  Mr. Speaker, harmonization means taking the GST and input tax credits and everything totally together and making us adopt the federal plan of GST.  We have said no to that before, and we have never wavered or varied from that position.  That remains the issue.

     If the federal government wants to put all kinds of permutations and combinations together, we said as all Premiers did, all 10 Premiers, and that includes the Premier of Saskatchewan, the Premier of British Columbia, the Premier of Ontario, the Premier of New Brunswick, the Premier of Newfoundland, that we would be open to suggestions from the federal government of ways and means that we could work together to stem the flow of cross‑border shopping.  Not because we want to make things more expensive for Manitobans, but because we have lost several thousand jobs in the retail sector in Manitoba, and if you look at statistics they demonstrate that probably one‑third of the retail sales jobs in North Dakota, our neighbouring province, are sustained by Manitoba shoppers.  Now that one‑third of jobs could be in Manitoba if the shopping took place here.

     I cannot understand the Liberal Party being on both sides of the issue.  On one hand they say, do something about job losses in Manitoba; on the other hand they say, do not do anything that would change anything, because we like it the way it is, where thousands of jobs have been removed from Manitoba retail operations and put into operations on the other side of the border where they do not pay taxes, where they do not support our medicare or anything else.  You cannot have it both ways.

       

Report Tabling Request

       

Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition):  If the Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness) and the Premier (Mr. Filmon) did not keep mixing up their uses of the words "twinning" and "harmonization" as well as their members of staff doing the same thing, then perhaps the public of Manitoba would not be so confused about the future of this initiative.

     Will the Premier today table his so‑called plan, which he is now prepared to discuss with the Premier of Nova Scotia, but is not prepared to lay before this House or the citizens of this province?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier):  Mr. Speaker, I know that the Leader of the second opposition party has not had to engage in any of these negotiations before.  She has never been involved in this kind of process.  Negotiations involve people putting forward proposals and counterproposals back and forth.  It does involve people attempting to arrive at some resolution that meets our tests, and one of our tests is nonharmonization.  That meets some other objectives, which may well be to try and repatriate some of the shopping that is taking place across the border and re‑establish some of the thousands of jobs that have been lost here in Manitoba.  It is very important to our Manitoba economy. It is very important to all of us to strengthen our economy for the future to re‑establish that shopping in Manitoba.

     I think that is a worthwhile objective.  I think it is an objective that all of us would want to work towards.  I would say to you that it is a significant objective.  I know that I heard Premier Rae say that there are $2 billion of losses annually to Ontario's economy by virtue of cross‑border shopping.  He is willing to take an objective view of this, and he is willing to look at potential solutions.  He is a New Democratic Premier.  We have a Liberal Premier such as Frank McKenna or a Liberal Premier such as Clyde Wells willing to be open and look at solutions, because those solutions are important to our economic future. All we have is irresponsible opposition‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.

Mrs. Carstairs:  Mr. Speaker, first of all, I certainly would not take any negotiating skills lessons from the Premier, because he has lost in every round with the federal government.

     Mr. Speaker, why is this government unprepared at this moment in time to share with the people of this province a plan that they are prepared to discuss with other Premiers?  Why are they denying open government, which they say they approve and applaud in this Chamber and in this province?

Mr. Filmon:  Mr. Speaker, because it is not a plan that has been approved or finalized.  It is a series of alternatives being presented that has to be agreed upon ultimately by 10 provinces and the federal government.  Therefore, when you are dealing with drafts and texts and all kinds of proposals, that is the kind of thing that causes confusion.

     That is the kind of thing that I know is great fodder for the Leader of the Liberal Party (Mrs. Carstairs) to ask questions on when nothing has been agreed to, nothing has been accepted, nothing has been refined or decided upon, so that gives her things to speculate on.  We are not in for speculation.  We are in for solutions.  We are in for solutions that will be good for the Manitoba economy that will ensure that we repatriate thousands of jobs in the retail sector and strengthen our economy.  That is what we are doing.

     

School Divisions

Election Postponement

 

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan):  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education.

     Rumours about the government's position on boundary review have been circulating for months.  Now that the minister has written trustees with the proposal regarding postponing school board elections for one year and now that a deputy minister has indicated that is a government option, will the minister indicate what the government's policy is on postponing school board elections for a year.

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training):  Mr. Speaker, I have met with the trustees and what the trustees have asked me is that any initiative put forward by this government be a well‑considered initiative.  We are still considering the issues at this time.

Mr. Chomiak:  Mr. Speaker, can the minister outline what the process being undertaken is, how long it will take, when it will be tabled‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  The question has been put.

Mrs. Vodrey:  I will be announcing the process when the mandate is fully considered and prepared.  It is a priority for this government.  It is a priority for us in education at this time.

     

French Language Division

       

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan):  Mr. Speaker, my final supplementary is:  Will the government review include the government's initiative for the imposition of a French‑language school division within the city of Winnipeg?

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training):  The mandate will be announced when all the issues have been considered, and it will be announced as a priority when the announcement is made.

     A

Aboriginal Education

Post-Secondary Accessibility

       

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley):  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education.

     Manitoba has the lowest participation rates in post‑secondary education for the generation aged 18 to 25.  One considerable portion of that young population is aboriginal.

     Now given that this minister's government has cut back on ACCESS programs, cut back on community colleges, and given also that the federal government's new funding programs for aboriginal education also severely restrict access to a number of programs, I would like to ask the minister what specific steps she has taken to change what I believe is a tragic situation.

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training):  We consider the training opportunities for the people of Manitoba to be very important, and we also consider the training opportunities for aboriginal people to be equally important.  We have not wavered on our commitment to access, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. Friesen:  Mr. Speaker, I do not think I heard any specific steps she has taken.

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.

     

Community Colleges

Post-Secondary Accessibility

       

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley):  Is the minister aware that Manitoba again is at the bottom of the list when we look at the proportion of students in community colleges compared to the number of students in universities?  Is she aware that this is because, clearly, the universities have been more open and accessible to our young people than community colleges?

Mr. Speaker:  Question, please.

Ms. Friesen:  I would like to ask the minister again:  What action is she taking to ensure that this situation ends and that she will end the waiting lists at community colleges?

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training):  We are very concerned about the range of educational opportunities in this province.  We are moving toward community college governance and, as we move toward community college governance, those colleges will be able to be very responsive in their regional areas to the kinds of training opportunities that are required.

 * (1040)

 

Funding

       

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley):  Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware that in the last budget, post‑secondary education suffered the second‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  The honourable member, kindly put your question, please.

Ms. Friesen:  Is the minister aware‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  The honourable member, kindly put your question now, please.

Ms. Friesen:  Given the post‑secondary education‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  I have asked the honourable member on two separate occasions to kindly put your question.  Put your question now, please.

Ms. Friesen:  Would the minister assure the House that she is going to at least restore the funding that was cut from her department last year, the second largest cut to government departments?

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training):  The funding available for community colleges will be announced when the budget is announced in this House.

     

Stephenfield Reservoir

 Irrigation Licensing

       

Mr. Paul Edwards (St. James):  Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government revealed that it had granted two new trial irrigation licences to farmers in the Winkler area to draw water from the Assiniboine River.

     It is a rare occasion that I agree with the member for Portage la Prairie (Mr. Connery), but I want to‑‑[interjection] If he wants to ask it, I will sit down this second, Mr. Speaker.

     I do not want to steal his thunder, but he said yesterday, it is a little hypocritical or two‑faced when this government is saying they need water for industrial‑residential and at the same time they are issuing licences.

     I agree with the minister on that calling of the Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns) on his hypocrisy in this case.  I am using the words of the member for Portage la Prairie, and I think the Minister of Natural Resources certainly deserves an opportunity to defend himself on that, Mr. Speaker.

     I ask him, therefore:  Why has he abandoned his earlier commitment that Assiniboine River water diversion south would not be used for agricultural irrigation?

Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources):  Mr. Speaker, to the honourable member for St. James‑‑and Portage la Prairie‑‑let me assure the honourable member that due to the foresight of my immediate predecessor, the honourable member for Rhineland, this government increased the capacity of the Stephenfield reservoir with the aid of the federal agency PFRA and my department to the point where we have been able to make the full reservations to the communities for residential and municipal water supplies of Carman and the R.M.s involved that enable without any threat to the changing of priorities of waters to provide on a yearly, not any firm licensing, two additional licensings to the Murta and Kroeker farms.  That is in keeping with the policy that the department follows.

     There has been in fact a Boyne River‑Stephenfield reservoir advisory board established to facilitate and to manage the local operations of the Stephenfield reservoir.  They have concurred with these decisions and are monitoring the situation.  It is anticipated that the final results of the review will not be available until the spring of '92.  It will then be determined whether or not these licences can be, in fact, made firm.

Mr. Edwards:  Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain how it is that his government is considering spending millions of dollars to divert water from the Assiniboine River to that very Stephenfield reservoir that he talks about, on the assumption that the water is needed for residential and industrial uses, which is what we are told by this minister, and at the same time granting new agricultural irrigation licences out of the same reservoir?

Mr. Enns:  Mr. Speaker, the honourable member should be aware that within that south central region, Carman, Morden, Winkler, Altona, perhaps the most progressive, if I may use that term, and productive region of our province, there has always been a certain amount of irrigation capacity available.  The problem that the 15 municipalities have that comprise the Pembina task force, who have made that application that he refers to, with respect to additional water, is that they are in urgent need of augmenting the water supplies to that region.  That is going to be considered in due course by the Clean Environment Commission and/or other agencies of government.

     I can assure the honourable member no decision of government has been made in that respect, but specifically to the operation of the Stephenfield reservoir, the federal government and the provincial government spent some $300,000, $400,000 on increasing the capacity of the reservoir.  That project was completed in the year 1990, and that operation of that reservoir has not been changed fundamentally.  The priorities of the residential and municipal water requirements, as stated by The Water Act, are being fully met.

Mr. Edwards:  Mr. Speaker, finally for the same minister:  Can the minister indicate on what basis these new trial irrigation licences are going to be granted, which are in total contradiction of his earlier statement that water would not be taken from the Assiniboine for agricultural irrigation and, in particular, in view of the fact that former member of Parliament Mr. Murta just happened to be one of the people who received those licences?

Mr. Enns:  Mr. Speaker, I am tempted to infringe on the rules of the House to indicate just how important diversified agriculture is to Manitoba.  I am tempted to talk about the 400, 500 jobs in rural Manitoba that are created at Carberry with our potato processing plant there, the 200 additional jobs that were provided this summer to keep the plant running for student help. I am tempted to talk about the fact that every acre that we take out of wheat or cereal production need not look for the subsidization as currently made available for cereal and grain production, that surely it is in the interest of all members of this House to see that our province economically prosper, particularly in rural Manitoba on this basis.

     Mr. Speaker, I know that I am already stretching my privileges in this regard.  I think I have answered the question.  The priorities of domestic residential municipal demands first are being met in every way with the provision of these two provisional licences at this time.

     

Brandon General Hospital

Budget Reduction

       

Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East):  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Health.

     Because of underfunding by this government, the administration of the Brandon General Hospital is being required to reduce its current budget by $1.3 million and has been forced to reduce health care services and to lay off 33 LPNs and other staff.

     My question to the minister is:  Is this the result of the minister's previous order to the urban hospitals to cut $19 million out of their current budgets?

Hon. Donald Orchard (Minister of Health):  Mr. Speaker, I was afraid my friend would not get back on this topic today.

     My honourable friend talks about cutbacks at Brandon General Hospital.  Let me tell you about cutbacks at the Brandon General Hospital.  In 1987‑88, the last budget at which my honourable friend was around cabinet and struck the budget, was slightly over $32 million.  Mr. Speaker, the budget last year was just slightly under $41 million, an increase of $9 million, 28 percent under this government, and he calls it a cutback‑‑No. 1.

     What my honourable friend does not want to talk about is the 1986‑87 decision that he was very much a part of as the senior cabinet minister from western Manitoba, wherein the NDP, under Howard Pawley, cut 29 beds from Brandon General Hospital.

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     Mr. Speaker, I want to tell you that in 1989‑90 this government, with more funding and more budget to Brandon General Hospital, reinstated 12 of those beds to service in the Brandon General Hospital, to provide psychogeriatric care for seniors in the Westman region.

     I want to tell my honourable friend his allegations of cutbacks are false, fearmongering.

     

Service Reduction

       

Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East):  Will the minister take time to take another look at the extent to which hospital services are being reduced at BGH and satisfy himself that the level of health care services are being maintained?  I ask that because I know the minister has detailed information through Manitoba Health Services Commission and is fully familiar with the extent of the cutbacks and the $1.3 million that they are going to be required to find.

Hon. Donald Orchard (Minister of Health):  Mr. Speaker, I did not hear my honourable friend's "cogent" remarks.  Would that be appropriate?  I want to tell my honourable friend that the $1.3 million at issue at Brandon General Hospital is monies that are projected to be in deficit at the hospital above their budget.  I also want to remind my honourable friend that at the same time that he was a senior cabinet minister representing western Manitoba, ordering the cut, closure of 29 beds at Brandon General Hospital, that was accompanied by a policy of the Pawley government, which he, the senior member from western Manitoba, was in.  They said, there shall be no deficits at our hospitals.

     We have continued with that policy, Mr. Speaker, because it is an appropriate policy, allowing managers in the hospital to manage the budgets that are given by the Province of Manitoba to them.

     Is my honourable friend denying the wisdom of the NDP policy decision of Howard Pawley in 1987‑88 wherein they said, there shall be no deficits at our hospitals?  Is he refuting that policy now?  Because I am not.

     Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, there is no reduction in service in Brandon General Hospital as a result of these management decisions concurred in by the board of Brandon General Hospital.

Mr. Leonard Evans:  Mr. Speaker, I have a final question for the minister, and I know we cannot debate.  I would like to talk to him about the daycare surgery, the CAT scan, the new‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  Question, please.

Mr. Leonard Evans:  ‑‑expansions at Brandon General Hospital and avoidance of massive layoffs‑‑

Mr. Speaker:  Order, please.  The honourable member for Brandon East, put your question.

Mr. Leonard Evans:  Will the minister confirm that because of inadequate funding by his government even more cutbacks and layoffs at Brandon General Hospital will likely occur in the near future and that we can expect a further reduction in the level of health care within the next year?

Mr. Orchard:  Mr. Speaker, my honourable friend is doing it again.  He is calling a $9‑million increase in funding to Brandon General Hospital since we have come into government, a 28 percent increase in budget, a cutback.  Goodness, gracious.  Do you want to check Ontario to find out what they do?

     Now, my honourable friend mentioned a very key word.  He mentioned day surgery.  I want to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that this government has brought in a day surgery program to Brandon General Hospital wherein the volume of surgical delivery has been maintained and in some areas increased.  Do you know what has happened?  The need for acute care beds in medical and surgical has gone down because, with day surgery, fewer patients are admitted to the hospital.  What the hospital management has done is collapsed three wards into two because of reduced admission requirements because of day surgery, exactly the program that every informed health care system in the world is moving to.

     As you move services to the community, you do not continue to fund excess capacity at the hospital.  The administration of Brandon General Hospital has made that responsible decision after having two years of experience with the day surgery program that we funded, Mr. Speaker.

       

Stephenfield Reservoir

Irrigation Licensing

       

Mr. Edward Connery (Portage la Prairie):  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources is right.  Next to Portage, the southern Pembina Valley is one of the best growing areas in Canada, but in light of the fact that two licences have been granted last year to irrigate out of the Boyne‑Stephenfield water structure, if a licence is given to the Pembina Valley Water Co‑operative to withdraw 20 cfs without any additional structures in place to impound additional water, whose licences would take precedence?  Would 25‑year‑old, 30‑year‑old irrigation licences take precedence over the withdrawal of the water to the Boyne‑Stephenfield structure?

Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources):  Mr. Speaker, of course my hope would be that it would be not a question of having to withdraw access licensing privileges of any producers in Manitoba, but rather to be able to sensibly program and plan for gradual increases of this valuable source for economic development in rural Manitoba.

     Let me come back to the Stephenfield reservoir for just a minute.  Since its inception, built in 1963, there has always been no question as to its priority purposes, to provide residential, municipal water supplies for that region, the Carman‑Morden area, but since its inception in 1963 there was surplus capacity, and that surplus capacity has been wisely licensed out to those who request it for irrigation purposes. That format, that operation of their reservoir has not changed.

     

Water Rights Priorities

       

Mr. Edward Connery (Portage la Prairie):  Mr. Speaker, if one were to read Hansard tomorrow, we would find that the minister did not answer the question.

Mr. Speaker:  The honourable member, kindly put your question, please.

Mr. Connery:  Will the minister indicate to the House the list of priorities for water demands within the province of Manitoba?

Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources):  Under The Water Rights Act that I am charged with, the responsibility of administering the priorities of allocation for water are very clear.  They are domestic, residential, municipal, industrial, recreational, followed by irrigation.

Mr. Speaker:  Time for Oral Questions has expired.

     

ORDERS OF THE DAY

 

House Business

       

Hon. Clayton Manness (Government House Leader):  Mr. Speaker, it has been agreed that there will be matters of condolence dealt with by the House at this time.  After that time, I would propose to move into adourned Debate on Second Readings.

     

Motions of Condolence

       

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier):  I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Environment (Mr. Cummings), that this House convey to the family of the late Charles Witney, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service; and that Mr. Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.

Motion presented.

Mr. Filmon:  Charles Witney was better known as Buck Witney and was a personality known outside the framework of the Legislature in this province, someone who both before and after his term of service in this Legislature, a term that extended 10 years from 1959 to 1969, was also a radio personality and commented in latter years on a program entitled "In Touch with Today" from the East, but carried by stations here in Manitoba.

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     He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the general election of May 14, 1959, as a Progressive Conservative for the Electoral Division of Flin Flon, re‑elected in the general election of December 14, 1962, and June 23, 1966, and then defeated in the general election of June 25, 1969.  He served as Minister of Mines and Natural Resources, Minister of Health, and Minister of Labour during his period of service in the Roblin administration.

     A theme that will recur in all three of our condolence motions today, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that each of these former members of the Legislature also served in the armed forces as part of their careers prior to serving the public, of course, in this Assembly.  Mr. Witney was born, raised and educated in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, served in the RCAF as a radar mechanic.

     Mr. Witney is survived by two sons and grandchildren, as well as his wife, Vera.  Those of us who are old enough to recall the workings of the Legislature and the service in the Legislature during that period of the 1960s, the Roblin administration, know that Mr. Witney was a very active and very capable member who, in his various portfolios, was extremely effective and one of the better‑known ministers of that Roblin administration.

     We all, of course, regret his passing, his passing at an untimely age of 71.  He was an individual who was both personable and competent in all that he did and certainly served both his community and his province, and indeed his country very well.

     Mr. Speaker, all members of the House give thanks and praise for Buck Witney's years of service to the community and surroundings of Flin Flon, to the province, and ultimately to his country in time of war.

     We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Vera, to his sons, Keith and Ian, and to their families.

Mr. Jerry Storie (Flin Flon):  Mr. Speaker, certainly we on this side would like to join with the Premier (Mr. Filmon) in expressing our condolences to the family, to Mr. Witney's wife and children, and to his many relatives and friends across the country.

     Mr. Speaker, I did not have the fortune of knowing Mr. Witney as a constituent.  Mr. Witney served the Flin Flon constituency from 1959 to 1969.  I did not become a resident of Flin Flon until 1975.  However, when I did move to Flin Flon, certainly the name of Buck Witney was a very familiar name.  Our arena, the Witney Forum, of course is named after Mr. Witney and the family name.  As perhaps luck would have it, one of my colleagues, the member for Point Douglas (Mr. Hickes), actually played hockey for the Flin Flon Bombers, and of course Buck Witney was a strong supporter of the Flin Flon Bombers.

     Mr. Speaker, any time you have the privilege of serving, it requires dedication and commitment to duty, and certainly a commitment to the people of the constituency.  The Flin Flon constituency, even at that time, was a relatively large constituency in terms of the size of many constituencies that members represent here today.  Mr. Witney, following in, I suppose, the tradition of northern members, did more than his share of travel in the constituency and was well liked, and I think, expressed very adequately the concerns of the people of the Flin Flon constituency.  Certainly his time in government, his time in cabinet in particular, was appreciated by the people of Flin Flon.  Certainly the clout that Mr. Witney carried in the Roblin government was beneficial in terms of the way he could serve the people of Flin Flon and the surrounding communities.

     Mr. Speaker, Mr. Witney served both as the Minister of Natural Resources and as the Minister of Health, and his contribution to the province should not be overlooked.  As the Premier has suggested, he was an extremely capable minister and a very popular figure with the media, as well as with other Legislatures.  I know that the successful candidate in the 1969 election was very fond of Mr. Witney and certainly respected his contribution.

     Mr. Speaker, I suppose, on a day like today, we should leave by saying that Mr. Witney's 10 years of service is above average.  Ten years of service represents almost double the life expectancy of most MLAs, and Mr. Witney's contributions are exceptional, both to the province of Manitoba and to the people whom he represented very capably and adequately for a little more than 10 years.

     We in this Chamber, I think, should at this time acknowledge his contribution, pay homage to the fact that he did serve in this public capacity in such a distinguished fashion for those 10 years, pass on our best wishes to his family and indicate that we will remember his contribution as his colleagues, in a sense. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition):  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Liberal Party in Manitoba, I wish to express our condolences to the family of the late Charles (Buck) Witney.  In reading the materials that are always provided to us, it struck me how appropriate it was that someone who had been elected from the Electoral Division of Flin Flon should serve as the minister of mines.  I know, when one has a process of putting together a cabinet, obviously one has a number of considerations, but when one looks at the North, which is the centre of our mining activity, it is always appropriate that a minister who has detailed information in terms of his constituency's services to those mines should be appointed to such a position.

     I noted he then went on to serve with distinction the Department of Health and finally the Department of Labour.  He then, like all too many of us, chose to leave the province of Manitoba.  Unfortunately, we see that record much too often to keep all of us contented.  However, we all know that various things tug and pull on us, and that he chose to make his life elsewhere.

     We want to express to his widow and to his family our sincere condolences on his passing, and hope that the wonderful memories of their life together can help to ease the pain always associated with the death of a loved one.

Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources):  Just a few words to associate myself with the resolution before the House.

     It was my privilege to have sat with Mr. Witney, Buck, in cabinet and in this Chamber.  He was a gentleman of the highest order and carried on a continued interest in the affairs of the government of Manitoba.

     I had a pleasant experience during the bad fires that we experienced here in this province in '89 of receiving a lengthy letter from Mr. Witney, reminding me‑‑commiserating with the problems that the province was having‑‑that he was the minister of the Department of Natural Resources at the time that the province acquired its first water bomber.  One does that kind of mental check at the horrendous costs that we were adding up‑‑the operation of five water bombers‑‑into the millions of dollars, and that was a nice reminder from Mr. Witney, to me of himself, and of his continued interest in the affairs of this province.

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     I am also prodded to remind ourselves, Mr. Witney served this province with distinction in cabinet, distinction at a time when remuneration for that service was at a minimum.  Indeed, as sometimes is the case, after years of distinguished service, in the case of Mr. Witney, first of all to his country‑‑in defence of the country as an RAF radar technician‑‑later on in the public service for the constituency of Flin Flon and indeed the Executive Council in cabinet, precious little reward followed him in his retirement years as he moved on to Toronto with the ongoing responsibilities of sustaining his family, Vera and children.

     I simply wanted to add these comments to the condolence motion that we are forwarding to his family.  I remember Vera, his wife, well.  It was a great team of ministers that Mr. Roblin, and in the latter few years Mr. Weir, had assembled to serve the province of Manitoba.  Mr. Buck Witney was one of them, and it was a privilege for me to have sat in the same Chamber with him.  Thank you.

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition):  Mr. Speaker, I would like to add a few words of condolence to the Witney family.

     It is interesting with names.  I did not know who Mr. Charles Witney was, but as soon as I heard Buck Witney‑‑I had heard of his political contributions to Manitoba, and did associate the name very clearly with the person, when I was going to school and listening to a little bit of the affairs of this Legislature. Certainly it is appropriate that Buck is the name that I know most people remember Mr. Witney to have.

     I did not know personally Mr. Witney, but I have been to Flin Flon a number of times.  Of course that community has a number of people who have lived there through all their careers, and certainly the name of Mr. Witney has come up in many conversations I have had in the community of Flin Flon.  I know that the word used by the member for Lakeside (Mr. Enns) to describe Mr. Witney‑‑a true gentleman‑‑is the word and legacy that is maintained by the people of Flin Flon in conversations I have had with them.

     I would just like to pay tribute on behalf of our party to his tremendous contributions to the people of Manitoba‑‑as members opposite, all members have said, 10 years is a good length of stay in this temporary Chamber‑‑and pass on our condolences to his family.  Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker:  Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members:  Agreed.

Mr. Speaker:  Would honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion?

(A moment of silence was observed)

Mr. Filmon:  I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns), that this House convey to the family of the late Thomas Paterson Hillhouse, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.

Motion presented.

Mr. Filmon:  Mr. Speaker, Tom Hillhouse is another individual who I think is well known by reputation as well as on a personal basis by many members in this Legislature, and indeed I think it is fitting that the former Premier of our province, Mr. Pawley, was here today in the gallery, because he was, I think, a close associate of Mr. Hillhouse, knew him well and often reported to us on his health and his well‑being as the Leader of the Liberal Party.  Tom Hillhouse cast a wide shadow in this province. Despite not having served in cabinet, he was very well known for his many activities and long dedicated service in many ways in our province.

     He passed away after a long and productive service in this province, at 95 years of age, continued to live in the province, in fact, in a personal care home in the Selkirk‑St. Andrews area district.  He was visited, I know, from time to time by members who knew him.

     He served for 19 years in this Legislature, having been elected to the Assembly in the by‑election of October 24, 1950, as a Liberal Progressive for the Electoral Division of St. Andrews.  He was re‑elected in the general elections of June 8, 1953, June 16, 1958, May 14, 1959, December 14, 1962, and June 23, 1966.  Mr. Hillhouse then retired prior to the June 1969 general election.

(Mrs. Louise Dacquay, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair)

     Among many reasons to recall his service and to celebrate his contributions, Mr. Hillhouse was known as one of the most straightforward politicians ever to serve in the Legislature.  In fact, a friend said at the time of his passing that he thought that that forthright manner and his reputation as an agitator and strong defender of the common man possibly resulted in his not having been selected for cabinet.  Nevertheless, those characteristics served him well and obviously served the people of St. Andrews in Selkirk well because he was a very strong advocate on their behalf.

     Mr. Hillhouse was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 25th of June 1896, and came with his family to Winnipeg in 1900.  He served four years overseas in the First World War.  As I said earlier in my comments on Mr. Witney, all three of our deceased members who we are honouring here today served their country in time of war, were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, and certainly they were men of great courage and great distinction throughout their lives of service.

     Mr. Hillhouse graduated with his B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1920 and three years later graduated from the Manitoba Law School, beginning his practice of law in Selkirk in 1923, a practice that he carried on for many, many decades.

     In remembering Tom Hillhouse, we give thanks and praise for his many, many years of service, not only to his community, but to his province and to his country.

Mr. Doer:  Madam Deputy Speaker, I too want to rise and pay tribute to the contributions of Tommy Hillhouse to the public of this province and pay condolences to his family and friends.

     As the Premier has pointed out, the long and illustrious career of Mr. Hillhouse has been basically articulated as a career that has defended the "common man," a person who told it like it was and always would speak up for the people he represented and for the concerns of the "ordinary" people of this province.  That is a tremendous legacy to have that remembrance of your contributions as a person who was straightforward and honest and spoke out for the people in the best way possible, no matter what the consequences of that would be for your own personal political career.

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     I guess, Madam Deputy Speaker, in a day of somewhat cynical politics, perhaps it is fitting that we are speaking to the memory and contributions of a person like Mr. Hillhouse this morning.  I know that, as the Premier has mentioned, he was a friend of many people in the Selkirk community, of all walks of life, from all political parties.  Former Premier Howard Pawley was a friend of Tommy, as he called him, and would have visits with him quite often in the Selkirk community.  They would talk about public life and issues that were facing us.  Certainly he is a person who was well respected, as well as in the province, in his Selkirk community.

     I think it is worth noting that Mr. Hillhouse won six elections from 1950 to 1969 and retired prior to the 1969 general election, so that is the ultimate testament, when parties come and go and when governments come and go, he won it over two basic administrations, it looks like to me.  He was able to maintain the respect and credibility of his local constituents because of his integrity and honesty.

     Madam Deputy Speaker, we in the New Democratic Party, on behalf of Manitobans and on behalf of all friends, acquaintances and colleagues of Tommy Hillhouse, would like to pass on our condolences to his family and certainly all his friends in the province.

Mrs. Carstairs:  Madam Deputy Speaker, I join in the condolence motion for Thomas Paterson Hillhouse as an individual who served his community extremely well.  As the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) indicated, he was known as Tommy.  As the Premier said, he came over from Glasgow, Scotland, when still quite a young child, but he never lost that Scottish burr.  It was always very much a part of his speech pattern throughout his entire life.

     Tommy served for 19 years in this House, and he was a very outspoken Liberal Progressive.  He never allowed himself to ever be called just a Liberal, I have to say.  He had to be known as a Liberal Progressive.  He served with people like D.L. Campbell, Gildas Molgat and Larry Desjardins.  I think what I remember most about Tommy was that Tommy became a vulnerable citizen.  He was under the protection of the Public Trustee because, as he aged, he had a form of senility.  We know there is a great tendency to diagnose everyone of that nature with Alzheimer's, and one cannot do that really until after they have died because of the autopsy required.

     Tommy was certainly a vulnerable citizen and required the protection of the Public Trustee's office.  It was interesting to me upon election to this House to find out that there was interest across party lines that he be protected.  I first had a concern raised to me by Larry Desjardins, I then spoke with Howard Pawley, I had a call from D.L. Campbell, I had a call from Gildas Molgat, all concerned that Tommy be looked after in an appropriate fashion to be made sure that he did indeed need the protection of the Public Trustee.  It was quickly verified that indeed he did.  He had an appropriate placement, and ultimately, that placement became a nursing home.

     Tommy did not have an immediate family, and so it was necessary, I think, in the circumstances, for his friends to gather round and to make sure that he received the kind of care and protection that he required.  For me, of course, it was a mark of how someone who had been so respected as a representative of the common man would in turn find himself in need for those of us who serve in a Chamber like this to reach out to then serve that common man.

     Because I met him when he was 90 and because at that point he was already somewhat detached, I did not know him well.  I do know from his colleagues in this House, the ones that I mentioned earlier, that he had that Scottish humour.  He could take a joke and pass on a joke and that he had a great joy for living.  He celebrated, of course, things like St. Andrew's Day and the birthday of Bobby Burns with great rejoicing.

     There is no one immediately to pass on this condolence motion to, so I say to all of those whom he served in his constituency and all of his many friends, he is remembered well by many people.  He is remembered well because of his years of service, but fundamentally he is remembered because Tommy cared about human beings, and through his service, he expressed that every day he sat in the Legislature.

Mr. Gregory Dewar (Selkirk):  I am pleased to be able to rise today to reflect upon the life of one of Selkirk's most respected public figures.  When I was born in Selkirk, in 1956, Tommy Hillhouse was my MLA.  I was a bit too young at the time to appreciate what an outstanding MLA I had.  Mr. Hillhouse was the MLA for St. Andrews and Selkirk for 19 years.  He was first elected in 1950, again in '53, '58, '59, '62.  This was a very important election for my family because Tommy Hillhouse ran against my grandfather in that election.  My grandfather lost. He won again in '66, and he held that seat until 1969.

     Tommy Hillhouse was a lawyer by profession, and he opened his law practice in Selkirk in 1923.  He practised until 1980, when he retired at the age of 84.  As well, he was the municipal solicitor for the municipalities of St. Andrews and West St. Paul.

     At a memorial service held in Selkirk for Mr. Hillhouse, it was mentioned that he was a strong, independent individual who was deeply concerned about his constituency's social issues. According to his campaign literature from the late 1950s, he listed the following political priorities:  pensions for civil servants, a reformed approach to the mentally disabled, consumer protection and the cleaning up of the pollution in the Red River.  He also fought to have the divorce and the expropriation laws updated.  He was a legislator who was ahead of his time.

     Thomas Paterson Hillhouse died on October 25, 1991 at the age of 95.  Selkirk was very saddened with this loss.  He is survived by his brother, Jack, of Winnipeg, and on behalf of the residents of Selkirk, I would like to convey to his surviving family our sincere condolences.  Thank you.

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Labour):  I rise today to add a few personal comments to the record with respect to the passing of Mr. Hillhouse.  Mr. Hillhouse was a long‑time friend of my family, who lived, as I did, and worked in the old constituency of St. Andrews and Kildonan, which Mr. Hillhouse represented, and then Selkirk.

     He was also a gentleman I remember well as a very young person at the age of about six or seven selling strawberries with my grandfather on Highway 9.  As my grandfather called him, old Tommy would always stop in on his way back from the Legislature when it was in session or on his way to his law practice in Selkirk.  He would always buy three baskets of strawberries for a dollar from us.  I would sell bundles of green onions to make a little extra money, and I do not know if Mr. Hillhouse ate those green onions, but he always made sure he bought two bundles from me for 50 cents.  I remember that well as a child, and perhaps that was my first exposure to an elected official and to a politician.  To this day I can picture very clearly Mr. Hillhouse, as I called him, would pull up in his car and get out and always have a few minutes to chat and to pat me on the head and to buy my green onions and talk with my grandfather.

     Mr. Hillhouse, with his passing, so passes an era in politics of our province, an era of public service, a representative of the growing up of our province.  Mr. Hillhouse was part of that generation which came to Manitoba really as pioneers at the turn of the century and who grew up here, who studied law here, who went back overseas to serve this country in the First World War, and returned to build it and take it through the boom years of the '20s, the Depression of the '30s, another world war and into the '50s and '60s.

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(Mr. Speaker in the Chair)

     I remember stories within my family of Mr. Hillhouse's contribution to our community.  I remember the stories of his nomination meeting in 1950.  I know the Leader of the Liberal Party (Mrs. Carstairs) spoke of the passing of a former Liberal M.P. whose brother, John Shanski, I believe it was, had contested that nomination for the Liberal Progressives in the St. Andrews and Kildonan constituency in 1950.  That by‑election was necessitated by the death of another great Manitoban, James McLenaghen, who had been Attorney General in the coalition war cabinet, and when Mr. McLenaghen had died, a nomination had been held and Mr. Shanski had run for the nomination and my father tells me the story:

     My father and my grandfather were both delegates to that nomination meeting and they remember Mr. Hillhouse‑‑without a campaign or without the kinds of things we go through in advance of these meetings today‑‑came to the meeting and said he would throw his hat in the ring.  That is the quote that is remembered by those who were there.  He threw his hat in the ring, and he was nominated to contest that by‑election as the Liberal Progressive coalition candidate.  The Conservative Party, I think, left the coalition in Selkirk at that time, they had viewed it as their seat, and Mr. Hillhouse was successful in the by‑election.

     My family, both my grandfather and my father, campaigned very hard for Mr. Hillhouse, not only in that by‑election, but through the years as their representative in the Selkirk constituency, and it was through those campaigns, even as a very, very young child, I can remember the campaign vaguely of 1966 and my parents going to the polls.  I did not know what that was, but they went to some kind of polls to vote for Mr. Hillhouse.  Those, I guess, are my first memories of politics, and Mr. Hillhouse was a very important part of that.

     His passing, I think, also marks the passing of a generation of politicians in this province who came to this Legislative Assembly not with the partisanship that we perhaps have today in this Assembly.  They were members who came at a time, we should remember, when sessions lasted about three months of the year and they earned their living, not from what they were paid by the people of the province, but through other means, and their commitment and their contribution was really as part‑time members.  Perhaps that made a difference in the partisanship of the day, but the Tommy Hillhouses were of that generation of grand orators, of individuals who had tremendous understandings of issues and who were able to debate issues, not on the partisanship call of their Whips as we so often do today, but who debated them on the basis of the merits of the case.

     On a personal note again, Mr. Hillhouse was also the solicitor for my family, not just my mother and dad, but also for most of the Prazniks in the St. Andrews area.  One of the reasons I actually pursued a legal career is having those chats with him on the roadside, him being a lawyer, and the respect that I had for Mr. Hillhouse.

     Today as we speak about the life of a truly great Manitoban, the influence that he had not only on this province‑‑but I speak as an individual member, and I remember the influence that he had on a very young boy in his constituency in the 1960s.  As with all passings and the passing of time, there is a moment of sadness.  Although as the Leader of the Liberal Party (Mrs. Carstairs) has indicated that there are no children who survive him, no spouse who survives him, he will be long remembered by those whom he touched during his long life in the service of his constituents and the people of this province.

Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli):  Mr. Speaker, I also would like to join those expressing condolences on the passing of Thomas Hillhouse.

     He served 19 years in this Legislature, from 1950 until his retirement in 1969, as the MLA for the former constituency of St. Andrews.  He served his constituents very well.  His record of service to his community will not soon be forgotten.  Mr. Hillhouse was born in Scotland, came to Canada with his family at the turn of the century and served during the First World War. He served four years overseas.

     Mr. Hillhouse received his education in Manitoba, earned his B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1920 and graduated with a law degree in 1923.  He practised law all those years in Selkirk.

     As the Premier has stated, Mr. Hillhouse was first elected to this House in a by‑election in 1950 and was re‑elected in '53, '58, '59, '62 and 1966.  Mr. Hillhouse gained a reputation as a staunch defender of the common man, worked very hard for his constituency and was very well respected by people from all walks of life.

     Although personally I did not know Mr. Hillhouse very well, I did have the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions. Mr. Hillhouse was a very good friend of my father, and he was a great help to my father during his term as municipal councillor in St. Clements area.  I had the pleasure to attend a memorial service for Mr. Hillhouse in Selkirk.  I was very impressed by the people who spoke so highly of Mr. Hillhouse, people of all political stripes, about the accomplishments of Mr. Hillhouse in the province of Manitoba and, of course, in the constituency of Selkirk and district.  The anecdotes that people such as D.L. Campbell, Bobby Bend, Gordon Johnson, told us about Mr. Hillhouse were both interesting and entertaining.

     In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my personal sympathies and respect to the relatives of Thomas Paterson Hillhouse.  Thank you.

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr. Speaker, those who knew Tommy Hillhouse better than I will, I am sure, agree with my comments today which will be brief.  Those who knew him better than I, know better than I about the service that he rendered to his profession, to his clients, to his community and to his province.

     I never knew Tommy Hillhouse as an MLA, but as a court reporter working in Selkirk, I did have the privilege of working with and seeing Mr. Hillhouse's performances in the provincial court in Selkirk.  I was struck in those days‑‑those would have been in the late '60s, early '70s‑‑by the way he served his clients in the court.  He struck me as a compassionate man, a tenacious man when it came to the interests of his clients, and a courteous man to everyone with whom he came in contact.  Perhaps in a small way, my life was touched by the life of Tommy Hillhouse, and I feel privileged to able to say that.

     He clearly lived a very long and diverse life.  He lived a life of service.  Tommy Hillhouse's life was a life well lived. I join with my colleagues in this House in extending condolences to those closest to him.

Mr. Enns:  Mr. Speaker, not that I can add to the eloquence of what has been said about Mr. Hillhouse, but I feel myself moved, as being the only current member of the Legislature that sat with Tommy in this Chamber, to add my voice to the condolence motions.

     It seems like not that long ago that I came into the House as a rookie member in the election of '66.  Mr. Hillhouse occupied the seat now occupied by the honourable member for Rupertsland (Mr. Harper), beside him the former Premier of the province, Mr. Campbell, beside him Mr. Guttormson from the Interlake constituency of St. George, and the then Leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. Molgat.  Mr. Hillhouse was a member of Her Majesty's Official Opposition at that time comprising of some 14 members of the Liberal Party.

     I recall well his contributions in this Chamber.  He was a feisty member.  He had short‑cropped white hair and took full advantage of his position as a veteran, when I came into the House, on the front benches of the Liberal Party to represent his constituency, the people of Selkirk, in a way that did him and the people proud.  Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker:  Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members:  Agreed.

Mr. Speaker:  Would honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion?

(A moment of silence was observed)

Mr. Filmon:  Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns), that this House convey to the family of the late Henry John Einarson, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.

Motion presented.

* (1140)

Mr. Filmon:  Mr. Speaker, again, the individual whose life and service we are honouring is well known to many members of this Chamber.  Henry Einarson was a colleague of many of us and served in this Legislature with great distinction for a period of 15 years.  As such, he is known personally and very warmly to the members of our caucus and government family.  I know that many of my colleagues in caucus attended Henry's funeral.  Regrettably, on that day, we had two funerals at exactly the same time that involved family members of our caucus.  Some of us were in Brandon at the funeral of the Attorney General's father.  There would have been even more at Henry's funeral had those circumstances not coincided.

     Henry was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the general election of June 23, 1966, as a Progressive Conservative for the Electoral Division of Rock Lake, which now has been redistributed between Turtle Mountain and Gladstone.  He was re‑elected in the general elections of June 25, 1969, June 28, 1973, and October 11, 1977.  He did not run for re‑election in November of 1981.

     Henry Einarson was born and raised in the Glenboro area, having been born at Glenboro on September 11, 1918, and took his schooling in that community.  He enlisted in the Canadian Forces and served Canada oversees from 1941 to 1946.  Returning from the war, he went into farming in the Rock Lake area, raising very good quality cattle and, in latter years, poultry to a lesser degree.

     Certainly, during his almost 16 years in office, he made a great many close friends.  All of us recall with great warmth Henry's easygoing, likable style‑‑at all times a very dedicated and committed member of the Legislature, but someone who was just fun to be around.

     Henry Einarson continued to keep in touch with all of us. Henry Einarson always was a part of our friendly social gatherings in the years that I was in this Chamber with him.  In the years to follow, whenever we had occasion as members of our party to get together from time to time, if it were possible for Henry to attend, he enjoyed being there to reminisce, to recall old times spent in the Legislature:  battles fought‑‑some won, some lost‑‑but the enjoyment of the so many friendships that he had built over the years.

     I recall one humourous story that could be known as the mystery of the chickens.  It happened when I was a member of cabinet in 1981.  I had been using one of the pool cars.  Henry, a very generous person, was of the habit of from time to time bringing in freshly killed and cleaned chickens from his farm and giving them out to members of caucus.

     He called my office and asked my secretary if I would like some freshly killed chickens.  I said, of course, Janice and I would love to have them.  My secretary asked what shall she do, and I said, please just give him the keys to my car and have him put them in the trunk.  Well, unbeknownst to me, the pool car was taken away from me and my regular car was restored later that afternoon‑‑I believe it was a Friday.  I went home and announced to Janice that I had some fresh chickens in the trunk and opened the trunk, and it was empty.  She thought that I was kidding, and I thought that there must have been some grave error, but I did not pursue it.

     The following Monday, we had Government Services checking all of the pool cars for my chickens, because having checked with Henry, yes, indeed, he had brought the chickens and put them in the car; and, no, indeed, I did not have the chickens.  Nobody knew anything about it.  We thought that somebody must have had a great meal on the weekend, and we could not figure it out.  About two weeks later, Doug Gourlay, who was also a minister at the time, happened to mention to somebody that he had gotten this pool car a couple of weeks ago and had an unexpected bonus with it‑‑there were some chickens in the trunk.

     We solved the mystery in any case, and the Gourlays had a fun weekend and an excellent meal, thanks to Henry.  Henry's generosity both of spirit and with his possessions was known to all of us.

     Henry also, of course, is one of those of Icelandic heritage who served well and who took his place among many of Icelandic heritage in this Chamber.  He comes from the other pocket of Icelandic settlement in Manitoba, in that Glenboro area, not the Interlake area that produced so many members of Icelandic descent in the House, including, of course, the Honourable George Johnson, now our Lieutenant‑Governor, and prior to him, Elman Guttormson and so many other names, that history having been carried on by people such as Rick Nordman and the honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism (Mr. Stefanson) today, and so on.

     Henry was very proud of his Icelandic heritage and certainly weaves his own history into the fabric of contributions that the Icelandic‑Canadians have made to Manitoba's development and Manitoba's future strength and growth.  All of us in this Chamber who knew Henry and not only respect him, but enjoyed him so very, very much, give thanks and praise for his many years of service to his community, to his province and to his country in time of war.

     We express our very sincere condolences to his surviving family, to his daughter, Leanne, his son David, his son Craig, his son Brad, his brother and sisters and his special friend, Hazel Trimble, of Glenboro, all of those people who, I know, will not only be remembering him so fondly and so well, but people who like us have been blessed and had their lives enriched by being friends and close associates of Henry Einarson.

* (1150)

Mr. Doer:  Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with the Premier on behalf of our party in condolences to the family of Henry John Einarson.

     Certainly his contributions are well known and have been articulated by the Premier in his comments.  Four elections over a 15‑year period, Mr. Speaker, again is an indication to us of the credibility he held with his constituents and the members of his constituency prior to the elimination of the constituency in the drawing up of the boundaries prior to the '81 election.

     I was not aware of the great chicken chase story that the Premier had articulated this morning, but I had heard of the reputation of Mr. Einarson and words such as "warm" and "a great sense of humour" that I have heard from members opposite and other members opposite's political family in describing Mr. Einarson.

     Certainly his long career is worthy of note today:  his experience in the war serving his country, his long political contributions and his many contributions to the Glenboro and related community.

     On behalf of our party and members on this side, we would like to pay our deepest condolences to the family, to his close friend, Hazel Trimble, his daughter, Leanne, his sons David, Craig, Brad, and we certainly would want our comments this morning to be passed on to the family to hear.  Thank you.

Mrs. Carstairs:  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our party, I wish to also join in the condolence motion for Henry John Einarson.  No one in our caucus knew him personally; we just know him by reputation, but I was struck at a comment in the obituary.  It says here that Henry's wish was that everyone attending his funeral be classed as honourary pallbearers.  It sounds to me that he never lost the political instinct and that he is probably doing a little politicking upstairs at the present moment, in that he wanted to reach out to a great number of people, even in his funeral service.

     Here is an individual who served in this chamber for 15 years.  Not only is that a long period of time, but like the previous individual, he was never in cabinet.  I think that there is a sense often that the only place to really serve is in cabinet, and it is not true.  Every single member of this House is as important as any other member of this House, and the fact that the Premier (Mr. Filmon) remembers, along I am sure with some of his colleagues, who will be speaking later, who will indicate that they remember him with such fondness, means that they considered that his contribution at that time was also of tremendous value.  We must never forget that service to one's community in a capacity such as serving as a member of the Legislative Assembly, as Mr. Einarson did so very, very well, is one which we should all remember with respect and with appropriate value systems.

     He has a large extended family, and there must be many of them who are grieving at his loss at the present time.  Although some time has passed since his death on January 8 of 1992, we still know that there must be a daily moment, or many moments, when they recall his life so vividly.  I will say once again that we hope that they are filled each and every day with wonderful memories of him that can help in some small way to ease that pain and ease that grief so that they can go and continue to live his legacy, because he obviously left a legacy.  He left a legacy of humour, of good cheer, of thoughtfulness, of consideration, and those are qualities that all of us, quite frankly, would like to be remembered for.

     With those remarks, Mr. Speaker, I would want our condolences to go along with the condolence messages of other members of this House to his family and friends in this loss to all of them.

Mr. Enns:  Mr. Speaker, as the Premier (Mr. Filmon) indicated in first introducing the condolence resolution before us, Henry was indeed a good person to be around.  I remind myself and particularly those on this side of the House that, at the time that Henry Einarson came into the House, we were entering into that long winter of opposition, facing the Schreyer years.  It was important in our group, in our caucus, to have people like Henry Einarson to be of good cheer and to encourage us in all manner of things, whether it was providing us with good farm produce from time to time, and just his general outlook on the importance of everyday living and getting together with each other.

     Henry had, of course, a great contribution to make, the kind that is not always visible in this publicity‑conscious business that we are in.  Henry was a very hard‑working member of our group, with specific interests, to name but one:  the ongoing operation of the Port of Churchill, which to this day still occupies a considerable amount of attention, as it should, in this Chamber.  Henry was a long‑time member of the Churchill board that dealt with the matters of concern for the operation of that port.

     Henry was also in his private life an excellent cattleman. He raised first‑class Hereford beef cattle at his farm in Glenboro and in many ways epitomized, I suppose, that type of a farm operation that, quite frankly, if we had more of them today, we would be in less trouble in agriculture, a good mixed farm: cattle, grain, other livestock.  Those of us who from time to time are involved with livestock operations realize the importance of attention to detail, attention to the operations of that kind on a daily basis.  It was that kind of dedication that Henry brought to his constituents and to the concerns that he was responsible for in this Chamber, and I am privileged to on this occasion to add my name to the condolence motion currently before us.

* (1200)

Hon. Donald Orchard (Minister of Health):  Mr. Speaker, I want to add my remarks to the condolence motion for Henry Einarson, as proposed by the Premier.

     I was elected in 1977 and had the opportunity to share a common boundary with Henry Einarson as the MLA for Rock Lake. Henry was a veteran, and Henry knew how the House operated and was able to provide sound advice to new MLAs, because there were a number of us in the election of 1977 who had very little experience.  Indeed I had none in terms of elected life.  It was an absolute delight to watch the performance of Henry Einarson and some of our veteran colleagues to see how they approached issues and debate and how they were able to achieve some of the agenda items that, of course, they were elected to achieve by their constituents.

     I remember one of the first very excellent lessons that I learned with Henry Einarson was the delightful art of lobbying a cabinet minister, because Henry and I shared a common boundary. That common boundary had on it the Snowflake highway, which went from La Riviere on the west side of my constituency down to Snowflake on the U.S. border.  Henry's constituency and mine were split by the centre line of the highway.

     Henry said to me that, with rail line abandonment and other issues affecting the community of Snowflake and the southern half of his constituency, we have to impress upon the Minister of Highways, the honourable member for Lakeside (Mr. Enns) at the time, that we should get the Snowflake road paved.  We achieved that through the very successful efforts of persuasion that Henry Einarson brought to the office of MLA for Rock Lake.  That was the first four years I was elected.

     The constituency of Rock Lake in the 1981 election had been broken into three different constituencies, so I inherited the southeast corner of Rock Lake that Henry Einarson had served for all 16 previous years.  I want to tell you it is then that I came to really fully appreciate his skills as an elected representative and how very, very deeply concerned and involved with the citizens he represented as constituents.  I tell you straight out there was no way as an MLA that I could ever conduct and look after constituency issues, people issues like Henry Einarson did for the citizens of Clearwater, Crystal City, Pilot Mound, and the R.M. of Louise.  It seemed like everyone knew Henry Einarson, and Henry Einarson had helped them over that 16‑year career of representation with some problem, personal, business, municipal, it did not matter.

     Henry was there to help his constituents, and he put his constituents and his people first.  I think that is a talent and an art, Mr. Speaker, that with the fast pace of elected politics today that maybe we do not have the same opportunity to undertake.  In the same degree, that was the tradition and the expectation of long‑serving MLAs of this Chamber like Henry Einarson.  I think that is a loss to the electoral process that we represent in this House.  It is part of the reality, I guess, of the complexities of modern government.

     I also remember Henry Einarson from some of the debates, and I could not quite come to grips with why Henry was known by some of his former colleagues that we got elected with, they called him Hectare.  I asked why they would call him Hectare.  Well, it was during, I guess, opposition years when the metrification of western Canada came in, and Henry Einarson was a very vocal opponent of having to put down his very good farm that he had nurtured to productivity like few others ever have been able to achieve.  He was offended at having to report hectares instead of acres, and he would often take every opportunity in private members' hour and other areas, other opportunities, to point out the lack of wisdom in metrification of the agricultural community of western Canada, and hence the name Hectare stuck with them. We probably called him Hectare more than we called him Henry when I think about it.

     I say sincerely, Mr. Speaker, that Henry Einarson was a very, very large person when it came to representing the people of Rock Lake.  Today he has friends that remember him fondly from the kind of efforts that he undertook on their behalf.  The Premier mentions the steady supply of chickens that Henry would bring in.  Well, let me tell you, he did that throughout the constituency.  Many citizens, now resident in personal care homes and senior citizens housing, have up until just recently been able to enjoy that supply of fresh farm chickens, because Henry carried on with that tradition long after he was no longer the MLA for the area.  That, I think, sort of speaks more for his dedication to the citizens who elected him than any other fact.

     I want to pass on to Henry's family, to his very special friend, and to all his friends in the Glenboro area and throughout the length and breadth of this province that mourn his passing that he was and remains a very respected MLA and one of the very, very fine individuals and fine representatives of this Chamber of government in the province of Manitoba.

     I pass my sincere condolence on to all his family, special friend and friends.

Hon. James Downey (Minister of Energy and Mines):  Mr. Speaker, I rise, too, to join in the condolence motion for Henry Einarson and to say that I was honoured and privileged to have been asked to read the eulogy at the funeral of Henry Einarson.  I will refer to parts of it as I make comment about a good friend, our good friend Henry Einarson.

     I think that there is a true testimony to Henry's constituency work in his abilities to look after his constituents that he was returned to the Legislature as many times as he was through so many elections.  His dedication to serve was to him to fight to preserve our free democratic system as he, in fact, served in the armed forces.

     Henry was a committed, dedicated, kindly man, always determined to make sure that the voice of his constituents were heard.  He was prepared to listen and acknowledge the other person's point of view.  If in debate you had done well, Henry would clearly indicate that you had made a very important point.

     Henry was always prepared to bring to the caucus and the Legislature the important role that agriculture played in the province.  He demonstrated his leadership in the farm community, whether selecting breeding stock for his excellent cattle herd, production of the roasting chickens, which has been referred to several times, and the delivery of them to his caucus colleagues, or in fact to selling of freezer beef to his urban colleagues.

     Henry was truly a friend of the land and a friend of all those who toiled to maintain our food production system.  Henry continued to show his commitment to the farm and support his family, working with them as he represented his constituents, continuing to show his strength as the Einarson family endured one of life's most tragic events, that being the loss of a loved one at a very early age.  This I am sure took its toll; however, having faith in God, Henry and the family endured and carried on.  He had determination.

     He continued to show the determination as has been referred to in his support for the Port of Churchill, participating in the Port of Churchill board, as well, vehemently expressed his opposition to the introduction of the metric system to obtain the name of Hectare, as my colleague from Pembina has indicated.

     He was always prepared to carry more than his share of committee work, sometimes into the early hours of the morning and particularly enjoyed reversing some of the policies of the previous administration which he disagreed with and putting in place programs to help our young family farms.

     Henry could always be counted upon.  With all his busy activities as a legislator, Henry still had time to enjoy the many community events, agriculture fairs, sporting events, and enjoyed the people of his community.

     I am told that he was a member in good standing in the "Regis Racing and Chowder Club" as well and could be counted on for his weekly participation.

     To Henry's family and his special friend, Hazel, I want them to know that Henry's advice and counsel was always important and respected.  He was a kind, dedicated, committed friend.  He served his community, his province and his country with distinction.  His colleagues and I were proud to serve with him.

     I want to express to the family and special friend, Hazel, from me and my family and the constituents of Arthur‑Virden our sympathy to his family, Mr. Speaker.

Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Highways and Transportation): Mr. Speaker, I also consider it a privilege to make a few comments paying tribute to Henry Einarson.

     I was elected in '77, along with a whole bunch of my colleagues at that time.  We had a change of government.  The Sterling Lyon administration came in at that time.  We had a whole bunch of rookies who came in at that time.  Henry and Wally McKenzie actually ended up being my mentors to some degree, and it was a very difficult challenge coming in innocent and naive. These gentlemen took some of us newcomers under the wing and steered us along the path to becoming politicians to some degree.

     Reference was made to the dedication of Henry and the important point issue, you know, he always had that finger there.  We had a very boisterous back bench at that time.  Dave Blake was the caucus chairman, Jim Ferguson was the Whip, and Henry was the wisdom in the group.

     They took some of us and changed our lifestyle to some degree from time to time.  We have learned a lot.

     Reference has been made to the support that Henry had for Churchill.  He was so dedicated to that.  I remember this very clearly.  I think in the second year when I was elected, I brought forward a private members' bill to raise the drinking age from 18 to 19, and Henry was a strong supporter of it.  When finally the vote took place, I lost it by one or two votes.  The reason I lost it was that Henry and Jim Ferguson had gone to Churchill to a meeting out there promoting the Port of Churchill.  It stuck in my mind that I thought my bill was more important than Churchill at that time, and I want to indicate that I wish he was here at this time in this House again.  I need all the support I can get for Churchill, and I think Henry was a very dedicated man in that respect.

     I just want to indicate that I think this province and this Legislature is a better place because of Henry Einarson having been here.  Thank you.

* (1210)

Mr. Speaker:  Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?  (Agreed)

     Will honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for this motion.

(A moment of silence was observed)

Mr. Speaker:  Is it the will of the House to call it 12:30?  It is agreed.

     The hour being 12:30 p.m., this House is now adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. Monday.