ORAL QUESTION PERIOD

Health Sciences Centre

Capital Projects

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, my question is to the Firstl Minister.

On March 16, 1995, the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) made commitments for capital expenditure for the health care system, a pre-election promise which included $113 million for the Health Sciences Centre. On March 22, the first election promise made by the Premier of the province, the Leader of the Conservative Party, was to promise both jobs and health capital, and the Premier again promised to produce $113 million for the Health Sciences Centre.

Will the Premier now overrule his Minister of Health and proceed with his election promise to proceed with capital expenditures in our health care system as he promised in the 1995 election?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, I know that this question has been very well responded to in previous Question Periods by the Minister of Health, but the Leader of the Opposition is running out of material, so this is one of these. He believes, of course, in recycling. We wish that he would believe in reducing, rather than just recycling.

In any case, the fact of the matter is that, even although the Leader of the Opposition may not be aware, we have had a reduction of some $220 million of transfer payments from Ottawa over a two-year period. In addition to that, the Department of Health is in the process of reviewing the configuration of the resources within the urban hospital system, the seven hospitals that service greater Winnipeg and the communities and beyond, and during that period of time it would be inappropriate to proceed with major capital commitments until decisions are made as to the final distribution of resources and services and functions within that system.

Regional Health Boards

Elected Boards

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, of course, the Premier has not always been in the Chamber to answer those questions, but I guess that is out of order so I withdraw that statement. I withdraw the statement, but I did leak a document on May 13 and I thought the Premier would like to answer a question about his own promise and his own word to the people of Manitoba made some 30 days after the federal budget was produced, but this retroactive rationalization of breaking the Premier's word I guess is typical of the Premier's integrity in terms of keeping his own word to the people of this province.

I would like to ask a further question to the Premier. The government announced that when the Rural Advisory Committee reported on rural boards, the government was very positive about the report. The Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) has indicated that the legislation on rural health boards follows the report. The report recommends mandatory election of rural and northern health boards in the process and legislation. I would like to ask the Premier, will he now overrule his Minister of Health and provide rural and northern Manitobans the opportunity to elect the rural and northern health reps, as indicated to many members of rural and northern Manitoba?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, we know and understand the level of integrity that the member opposite brings to this Chamber each and every day. We do not have to comment on it because it is a level that most people would not aspire to, I can tell you.

I want to just indicate that one of the principles of any democratic process is that those who make decisions and recommendations with respect to expenditure of dollars should be responsible for raising those dollars. With respect to any group that gives advice to government about how the dollars ought to be spent, I think that they should also be in a position of taking responsibility for raising those dollars. Clearly, that responsibility rests with the government that is duly elected by the public, and those are the circumstances that we have to consider. That is a fundamental principle of democracy.

Healthy Child Strategy

Implementation

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, one of the other fundamental principles of democracy is a promise made should be a promise kept. All I was asking the Premier to do was keep his promise. I asked him a further question on rural and northern health, and obviously he has not given much thought to that either, regrettably, in this Chamber.

A further question. The Premier also promised in the election campaign under the Healthy Child program to implement a number of proposals. In the Postl report, it reports that regrettably aboriginal children make up one-half of the beds at the Children's Hospital for 10 percent of the population. The report goes on to document a number of areas of provincial and federal responsibilities in terms of health care, a fact which was noted in the Premier's promise of March 30, 1995, to implement an aboriginal health strategy for the aboriginal children.

I would like to ask the Premier, why has he broken that promise and when will he get on with the Healthy Child strategy for aboriginal children, instead of fed bashing?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): If the honourable Leader of the Opposition would take the time to learn what is going on in health in Manitoba, he would learn that his critic for Health and I discussed at length the Postl report and the government's response to it and all the many, many activities that we are undertaking in furtherance of the Postl report, because we recognize, as the honourable Leader of the Opposition does, that aboriginal health issues are health issues for the whole country in Canada and in Manitoba especially. Dr. Postl's report points that out, and we have been making numerous efforts to address aboriginal health care concerns from the time of conception on.

Mathias Colomb First Nation

Health Concerns

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, my questions are also for the Minister of Health.

Before the election, this government promised to give aboriginal health concerns a high priority. As this minister knows, there are a number of serious health issues at Pukatawagan ranging from contaminated water to outbreaks of tuberculosis and contaminated soil under both the school and the nursing station and far beyond.

What action has the minister taken since last November when the Mathias Colomb health authority wrote to the minister concerning the contamination at the nursing station?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, the honourable member knows full well that the aboriginal issues at Pukatawagan are issues between the band and the Government of Canada, but notwithstanding that, his predecessor, Mr. Jerry Storie, when he was a member of this House, raised a question respecting the water supply at Pukatawagan, and we, through Dr. Guilfoyle's office, raised the level of attention with respect to that matter. The federal government responded very quickly without really knowing what it was responding to. But it did anyway, and offered to spend millions and millions of dollars on the water supply situation there. There are other issues that come forward when they respect the public health. Our department has an involvement but the ultimate responsibility rests with the Government of Canada, and the honourable member knows that.

Mr. Jennissen: Would the minister and the Premier (Mr. Filmon) be prepared to go north with me at a mutually agreed-upon time to dialogue with members of the Mathias Colomb First Nation and examine first-hand the pollution and health issues at Pukatawagan?

Mr. McCrae: We have played an appropriate role in the past and whatever our role will be in the future will also be an appropriate one, recognizing the extent to which we have jurisdiction in these areas and the extent to which the jurisdiction rests with the federal government.

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Mathias Colomb First Nation

Health Concerns

Mr. Eric Robinson (Rupertsland): Madam Speaker, a couple of days ago we had an opportunity to meet with Chief Caribou, the elders and members of his community concerning some of the issues that were raised by my colleague the member for Flin Flon.

I would like to ask the Minister of Health what the status of the soil and air testing is at Pukatawagan and, as well, what role the province is playing in this particular investigation.

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): I told the honourable member for Flin Flon the other day that I would be getting information for him, and I will check on that this afternoon.

Mr. Robinson: Considering that the people at Mathias Colomb First Nation are also Manitobans and, as well, regarded as Canadians, I would like to ask the Minister of Health if he will consider initiating a working relationship with the national government on a formal basis to protect the health needs of these people at Pukatawagan.

Mr. McCrae: There are various ways by which we can develop working relationships, and where we can do that, we will.

Fishing Industry

Boundary Lines--Lake Winnipeg

Mr. Stan Struthers (Dauphin): My questions are for the Minister of Natural Resources.

Less than a year ago this minister promised to establish fairness in the commercial fishing rules on Lake Winnipeg. After wasting $50,000 on a study which he promptly dismissed, he now supports the maintenance of an uneven playing field.

Why has this minister completely ignored the concerns of the north basin fishermen, such as the boundary lines?

Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Natural Resources): The member is right. We commissioned a study for the Lake Winnipeg commercial fishery because of the many problems that were evident there. When the report came in, it was distributed to all the interested commercial groups. I met with them. There was no agreement between all the groups as to what should be implemented. I challenged them for two weeks to see whether there was some unity in terms of how we would resolve some of the issues. They did not reach an agreement. As a result of that, I told them that failing that they would have some understanding among themselves that I would make some pertinent decisions related to the sustainability of the fishing industry in the lake, and I did that.

Mr. Struthers: Instead of hiring more consultants, will the minister bring representatives of all Lake Winnipeg commercial fishermen together and negotiate a long-term solution to the concerns of the north base fishermen before the situation worsens?

Mr. Driedger: Exactly what the member is asking has already taken place. I had everybody in Room 230, representatives from every group were there. We discussed it. Subsequent to that, there were more meetings that have been held. I have also indicated, because of the two decisions that basically I have implemented, I would be prepared to continue working with them to resolve this over a long period of time. However, I have to say that it takes co-operation of everybody to make a good policy, and we will be working towards that.

Crown Corporations

Privatization

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Premier. One thing has become very abundantly clear this session, the government has taken a hard turn to the right. We have seen the privatization of home care services, which is going to see a deterioration of the quality of home care services--

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Inkster, to pose a question.

Mr. Lamoureux: One could make quick reference to MTS and the loss that Manitoba is going to have as a direct result of that.

My question to the Premier is, would he not agree that privatization based on ideological convictions alone is going to in the long term hurt Manitobans--and ask the Premier specifically, will he give a commitment that he is not going to move forward with the privatization of MPIC and the privatization of Manitoba Hydro?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, of course I could agree with that statement, because I believe that there has to be a stronger rationale behind it. It is interesting for a Liberal to raise that in the House when his colleagues in Ottawa are privatizing Canadian National Railway. Now, presumably there is no ideological bias behind that. As long as it is being done for pragmatic reasons of benefit to Manitobans, benefits economically, benefits in terms of assuring that we continue to get high standard of services and the modernization that we need from the delivery of services, we will continue to do that, and that is precisely what is motivating us, is the best interests of the people of Manitoba.

Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Inkster, with a supplementary question.

Mr. Lamoureux: Yes, Madam Speaker, given that this government's right-wing agenda to privatize first, think later, is building Manitoba for the strong, not Manitoba which will be strong, will the Premier commit to the people of Manitoba that there will be no further privatization or, alternatively, to commit to an independent and public review of all future privatization proposals?

Mr. Filmon: Madam Speaker, I do not know who is writing the material for the member for Inkster these days but the fact is there is no right-wing agenda at play. What is at play is the best interests of the people of Manitoba. That is the reason we were elected to office, was to look after the best interests of the people of Manitoba, and that is precisely what we will continue to do as long as we are in office.

The City of Winnipeg

Government Commitment

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, I would ask if the Premier could indicate to the House what impact his inability and incompetence as a government has had on the City of Winnipeg, for example, with the whole BFI landfill incident, when now we hear that they are going to have to cut back some 24 recruits for the City of Winnipeg police department.

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): One thing I can assure the member opposite is that this government is committed to enhanced police protection for the people of Winnipeg and the people of Manitoba. We made a commitment to $2 million for 40 additional police officers, and our agreement says that they must be in addition to those who are already there.

I can tell the member opposite that, if he wants to talk about competence in making decisions at City Hall, all he has to do is review the saga of stories that are coming out now about all the rationale that was given by the City of Winnipeg in terms of why it had to subsidize or provide incentives to Schneider's to go to Winnipeg, and he will know exactly who understands what is happening and who does not understand what is happening at the City of Winnipeg, and, regrettably, like in most things, he does not understand what is happening at the City of Winnipeg.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation

Competition

Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for the MPIC.

The MPIC is applying to the PUB to increase Autopac rates by $14 million and $16 million in other charges. Now this is on top of the 6 percent increase that started on March 1 of this year. More importantly, he is increasing the deductible to $500. He is applying it to cases of theft, fire and lightning, which is now a zero deductible. This change will drive more dollars to extension coverage which is open to private competition. Reducing the coverage from the basic package and charging more will allow private companies to compete for more of the premium dollars.

Is this part of the government plan towards greater privatization at MPIC?

Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, it is just that kind of rationale that explains why the remnants of the previous administration could not run MPIC when they were in government. It is exactly that kind of rationale that does not allow them to understand that the corporation, as it is presently structured and being run, is providing service at cost to the people of this province at the lowest rates, at the most stable rates in Canada.

Rate Increase

Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Elmwood, with a supplementary question.

Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): Madam Speaker, my supplementary to the same question.

Madam Speaker, through the incompetence and mismanagement of this government, the MPIC failed six of eight solvency tests with the TRAC organization when Saskatchewan Government Insurance passed eight out of eight, and in the meantime, the government wiped out the reserves of MPIC.

I would like to ask the minister, why did the minister order MPIC to state that a 9 percent rate hike was only 4 percent?

Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, again, I am disappointed at the rationale that the members opposite choose to use when referencing the solvency of the Public Insurance Corporation, which is a Crown monopoly in this province. He continues to reference standards by which for-profit companies are judged in terms of being able to return profits to their shareholders. In this case, the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation returns its profits by way of claims dollars back to those who are unfortunate enough to have an accident.

The rationale that he continues to refer to is, in fact, accompanied by a rider within the reporting group of TRAC to say that it has entirely set a different set of criteria than what might be used for this type of an enterprise.

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Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. I recognize this is the last Question Period for a short period of time, but time is of the essence.

Home Care Program

Privatization--Nursing Services

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, we have now been informed that the government is still intending to privatize 100 percent of the nursing home care services. This service is currently offered by VON in Winnipeg, and notices will be going out shortly for layoffs October 1 or September 1.

Why would this government, who heard repeatedly over this session that the public does not want profit in health care--and the minister ought to listen to the Minister of Environment (Mr. Cummings) about what the dangers of profit are--why would this government, who have heard continually the dangers of having profit in health care, continue this plan to privatize and put profit into the nursing service of home care when the minister himself has talked about the wonderful job done by VON in the city of Winnipeg?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, after a long and difficult labour dispute, there is agreement that some 20 percent of home care services in the city of Winnipeg ought to be the subject of competition. The honourable member knows that and he knows the issue very well. This has been discussed a lot in this House, so I can I think quite correctly state that the question has been asked and answered many, many times.

Mr. Chomiak: Madam Speaker, why has the minister, in an agreement with the MGEU, said that they are going to go down from 100 percent privatization to 20 percent privatization of home care under homemaker and home support, but the minister outside of the MGEU agreement is still going to privatize 100 percent of the nursing service in the city of Winnipeg? Why is the minister doing that knowing the public does not want profit in home care?

Mr. McCrae: Because--and maybe the honourable member does not agree, Madam Speaker, and wants to keep asking the question over and over again--we believe that competition is an opportunity to bring out the best in the services for our clients. The VON has been providing services for many years on a contracted basis but without the benefit of competition. All of us can benefit from competition, especially our clients in the home care system.

Fleet Vehicles Agency

Suppliers--Keystone Ford

Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Government Services.

For the year ending March 31, 1995, Mr. Bob Kozminski, the owner of Keystone Ford, received a whopping $800,000-plus worth of business from the Fleet Vehicles Agency, while the remaining $586,000 worth of Fleet Vehicles business in Winnipeg was split among 10 dealers, giving them an average of only $58,000 each per dealer. In fact, Keystone gets eight times the business of its next biggest competitor.

Can the minister explain why this particular dealership is so popular with the Fleet Vehicles Agency?

Hon. Brian Pallister (Minister of Government Services): Madam Speaker, the Fleet Vehicles Agency is saving the taxpayers of Manitoba now literally millions of dollars. It is operating at 20 percent fewer vehicles than it did just three years ago since its inception as a special operating agency, doing this without infringing on the taxpayers of this province excessively, as the members appear to be advising us to do.

When we do business with suppliers in this department, whichever supplier offers the best quality service at the lowest price to the people of this province is the one that gets the job, and if Bob Kozminski can do it for less than a friend of Jim Maloway, that is fine; we will go with Bob Kozminski. If Bob Kozminski can do the job, we will buy the vehicles from Bob Kozminski. If Bob Kozminski cannot do the job, I do not care what his politics are, our department will not buy vehicles from Bob Kozminski.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Information Tabling Request

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Elmwood, with a supplementary question.

Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): Madam Speaker, my final supplementary to the same minister is this. The minister promised a week ago to provide within two working days copies of the study done recommending privatization of the government fleet, and he promised the letters that were sent out to the car dealers and to the customers. I would like to know why the minister broke his word and continues to withhold this valuable information.

Hon. Brian Pallister (Minister of Government Services): Madam Speaker, yesterday in this House the member opposite portrayed a single sheet of paper as evidence that he was somehow in possession of an annual report of the Fleet Vehicles Agency that would make Manitobans believe that private sector business owners--

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. I would remind the honourable Minister of Government Services that he rose on that issue on a point of privilege, and I took the matter under advisement. I would request that the honourable Minister of Government Services not speak to that issue until such time as a ruling has been brought forward but to respond to the question asked.

Mr Pallister: Very well, Madam Speaker, and I would encourage the member to make the information that he claims to have in his possession available to this House at the earliest opportunity, and I will make the information that I have assured the member I will provide him with available to him at the earliest possible opportunity as well.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Point of Order

Mr. Steve Ashton (Opposition House Leader): On a point of order, Madam Speaker, you just admonished the minister not to refer to the matter. The minister was asked a question. He is again not answering the question. Would you please, once again, bring the minister to order and remind him that he is not above the rules of this Legislature.

Madam Speaker: On the point of order raised by the honourable member for Thompson, the minister, I believe, did indeed start to make further comment on the issue I had previously instructed him not to, but I believe I heard him specifically respond to the question asked even though there was an awful lot of noise on the record. However--

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

* (1440)

Madam Speaker: All right, fine.

Order, please. I will take the matter under advisement and I will check Hansard and I will bring a ruling back to the House.

Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation

Rate Increase

Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Inkster, I believe, was next.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for MPIC. What we have seen--[interjection] Well, I have been jumping up, asking, trying to get the floor too, you know.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Inkster was on his feet several times while the honourable member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway) was asking his question, and I had noticed that he was on his feet about to pose the question. I am certain the honourable member for Inkster was probably thinking that the honourable member for Elmwood would have three questions. That is why the honourable member for Inkster was recognized.

Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for MPIC.

There is a lot of speculation in terms of what this government's intentions actually are with respect to MPIC in terms of the rate increases and so forth. I would like to hear from the minister--to be able to say to Manitobans that in the year in which there was an election, there was no requirement to have an increase in Autopac rates.

Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, as I recall, the corporation managed to deliver a zero increase for a number of years running.

Mr. Lamoureux: Can the minister tell us why MPIC did not request an increase in the year of the election?

Mr. Cummings: Madam Speaker, I am at a loss to explain the paranoia of the member, because the rates which the corporation receives are vetted through the Public Utilities Board and in fact have been adjusted by that board from time to time. If he has some problem with the Public Utilities Board process, then let him speak up.

Mr. Lamoureux: Will the minister acknowledge the reason why they did not make application was because we were in the year of an election, when, in fact, the reserves were still necessary? Will the minister come clean and tell Manitobans it was because of an election that they did not request the increase in Autopac rates?

Mr. Cummings: Madam Speaker, I am beginning to understand the paranoia of the Liberal Party better as the second question comes along. This is the group that was opposed to no-fault insurance. In fact, during the election, I believe they were heard to say that if they were elected they would do away with no-fault insurance, is that right?

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Mr. Cummings: Yes, I believe it was. There was--

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. Cummings: --lots of agreement from the member for St. Boniface (Mr. Gaudry).

Madam Speaker, no-fault insurance has delivered savings of $35 million to $60 million annually to the drivers of this province. That is why we have not needed the rate increase.

Children and Youth Secretariat

Report Recommendations

Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): The Health of Manitoba's Children report has 116 comprehensive and clear recommendations that will deal in an integrated fashion with problems, social and economic, affecting young people, and it is the Youth Secretariat which has been charged with implementing this report.

I want to ask the Minister of Family Services, will the 21 committees, the 86 government staff and the 177 community representatives working on the Youth Secretariat committees simply meet for another year or will they be implementing this excellent report, and when will that occur?

Hon. Bonnie Mitchelson (Minister of Family Services): I thank my honourable friend for that question, because it does provide me with the opportunity to indicate that there have been a lot of people involved in the work that the secretariat is undertaking. I know that there are five committees with members of government departments, members of community organizations and volunteers within the community that have been working and dialoguing in a very aggressive manner to try to come up with some solutions. I know that their work will be finished shortly, and when we see the results of their work we will be able to make decisions on the kinds of co-ordinated approaches we can take to ensure that children and families are being served better.

Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Radisson, with a supplementary question.

Ms. Cerilli: Madam Speaker, given that the Postl report has been around for over a year, I want to ask the minister if these 21 committees and their reports and recommendations will be made public or if her secretariat will edit them and change them before the report from the Youth Secretariat is made public.

Mrs. Mitchelson: I will indicate very clearly to my honourable friend that the work of the secretariat will indeed ensure that families and children in Manitoba will see a more co-ordinated approach and that indeed if there are resources to be moved around from department to department, whether it be Justice, Education, Health, Family Services and recreation through Culture, if there are resources that can be reallocated and we can get a better bang for our buck and have children and families served better, those recommendations that come forward that will accomplish that will be given every consideration by our government.

Education System

Government Initiatives

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Madam Speaker, during the last election, members may remember the Tory lawn signs promising strong schools. Yet, over the past year, Manitobans--

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Ms. Friesen: Over the past year, Manitobans have seen continued cuts to public education funding, more teaching positions lost, programs such as home economics or nursery schools cut in various school divisions, continued indecision on boundaries, no public evidence of a special needs review, a clear policy of division and confrontation amongst all the partners in education. I want to ask the Minister of Education what plans she has to begin to repair the damage that she has inflicted on Manitoba's public education system.

Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I do not accept the member's preamble.

Prostitution

Vehicle Seizures

Mr. Gord Mackintosh (St. Johns): My question is to the Minister of Justice.

This week a City of Winnipeg council committee is seeking to have the vehicles of those who solicit sex from prostitutes seized. Now that is interesting, because over a year ago it was this government that promised this: Those soliciting sex from prostitutes will have their vehicles seized; if convicted, the owner of the vehicle used will permanently forfeit that vehicle.

My question is to the minister. Whatever happened to the government's big election promise?

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, we are certainly very concerned about prostitution, particularly where young women are drawn into prostitution and are left by those procurers to a life which virtually has ruined their life and becomes no life. So we have looked for a number of the most appropriate ways to deal with the issues of prostitution, and we have examined very carefully whether, in this narrow sense, it is possible for us to deal with this issue.

It seems the best way to deal with this is through the Criminal Code of Canada where there could be a change made. I have written to the federal Minister of Justice. I have presented to the federal Minister of Justice, and most recently wrote to the federal Minister of Justice on April 18, 1996, asking for him to consider the issue of legislation concerning the forfeiture of vehicles for those who have been charged with using prostitution.

We are particularly concerned with those who are users; we are also concerned with those who are procurers. In a comprehensive package, we have asked for changes in sentencing as well.

* (1450)

Mr. Mackintosh: I do not remember the promise being writing a letter.

Could the government--which said it and it alone, not the federal government, would seize vehicles--explain how the government can proclaim that it was so almighty on this issue for a period of one month last year and yet now, after election day 14 months later, is so pitifully helpless in this complex world? Was it just another one of their big whoppers?

Mrs. Vodrey: Again, we looked at putting that promise into effect in a very wide sense and then also looked at it in terms of the narrow sense dealing specifically with prostitution. We have determined that the best way to deal with this is through a change to the Criminal Code of Canada where the federal government has responsibility.

Our promises have been all acted upon. They have been acted upon in terms of our enactment for public safety, of the Community Notification Committee, bringing forward bills to deal with parental responsibility, bringing forward the strongest maintenance enforcement legislation in the country, advancing a position on stalking, taking a position and lobbying the federal government on disclosure of records and our money on the table for more police. The list goes on of the commitment and the action of this government in the area of public safety.

Economic Growth

Provincial Comparisons

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

The Conference Board of Canada, which the minister knows is a major national research body, has public estimates of the real economic growth over many years that can be compared with other provinces and indeed the nation as a whole. They have reported that Manitoba's overall economic growth was only 4.5 percent between 1998 and 1995, whereas Canada's growth rate was 10.1 percent.

My question to the minister is, why has Manitoba's economy performed so poorly under his government? That is, why have we achieved only one-half of the Canadian growth rate under this government?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Finance): I am pleased that the member for Brandon East refers to the Conference Board. I know his Leader does occasionally. That is the same organization that just a month or two ago referred to Manitoba's economy steamrolling ahead, and if the member for Brandon East takes the time to read that document, which I am sure he will do, it points very glowingly to the economy of Manitoba and what is happening here in our province.

I will remind him that in 1995, Manitoba had the third-best growth rate in all of Canada, and that same organization that he is pointing to, the Conference Board of Canada, is suggesting that in 1996, once again Manitoba will have the third-best growth rate in all of Canada and once again we will exceed the national average. So I am glad that he is finally accessing information from the Conference Board of Canada.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. Time for Oral Questions has expired.

Some Honourable Members: Leave.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. Is there leave to extend Question Period?

Some Honourable Members: No.

Madam Speaker: No? Leave has been denied.