Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano came to a close just last month, and I would like to take a moment to give Manitoba Olympians the recognition that they so richly deserve.
Madam Speaker, 1998 was Canada's best Winter Olympics showing ever. I congratulate all the athletes for achieving a fourth-place finish for Canada at these games. I would like to specifically single out the Manitobans who competed in these games, hockey players Jennifer Botterill, Sami Jo Small and Theoren Fleury and speed skaters Susan Auch and Mike Ireland. On behalf of the government of Manitoba and all members of the Legislature, I would like to offer our most heartfelt congratulations to these athletes who proudly represented Manitoba.
Although some of these athletes may work and train elsewhere, I know they consider Manitoba home, and in representing Canada they were also representing Manitoba. The efforts of our athletes met with unprecedented success garnering 15 medals: six gold, five silver and four bronze. Susan Auch elicited pride from all Manitobans when she took the podium to receive her silver medal in speed skating. She is truly an inspiration to us all, Madam Speaker. All of their efforts, including the daily commitment, physical strength and mental endurance, represent the incredible sacrifice these athletes have given to being the very best they can be in their chosen field of competition. I think this level of dedication and simply the achievement of getting to the Winter Olympics is outstanding.
I wish them all the best in their future competitions and in their achievements in life beyond sport. They have done Manitoba proud, and I believe all members will join me in saying to them: thank you.
Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East): Madam Speaker, I rise to express the deep concern in the Brandon and Westman community over the cuts to the health care system in that area, and I want to read a portion of a Brandon Sun editorial from February 20. It says: Health care cash shortages clear. Brandon is not getting enough money for health care.
That statement is no secret to anyone who works in the medical profession or has needed access to treatment in this community. However, while the message has not changed, the messenger did. Just over a year ago, former Health minister Jim McCrae hand-picked Earl Backman to head up the Brandon Regional Health Authority. He was chosen for a number of reasons, but one is that he showed the ability to get blood out of a stone in his tenure as city manager of this community. Perhaps the province thought Mr. Backman could wave his magic wand and this community would be transformed into a health care nirvana. However, now that he has been on the job for enough time to get a read on things, it has become clear to him that there is not enough money in the RHA budget.
This is a quote from Mr. Backman: There has been about $6 million cut to the Brandon General Hospital over the past five years. Mr. Backman said: My gut feeling is that it has gone $2 million too far. This criticism cannot be written off as the stuff of partisan politics. This is not coming from opposition politicians or their supporters. It is not coming from citizens whose demands are often written off as unrealistic given Manitoba's past fiscal problems.
It goes on, Madam Speaker, to explain how one person came in from Dauphin who was not provided with the proper care because of the lack of pediatric care in the community. I think this editorial speaks volumes in terms of the real problems of health care cuts in the Westman region and indeed the whole province of Manitoba.
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Hon. James McCrae (Government House Leader): Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order, and it is not to direct my point of order specifically at the honourable member for Brandon East but at other honourable members as well. It has been brought to my attention that during the contribution just made by the honourable member for Brandon East, there was a reference to another member of this House and he used the member's name.
Now this is not directly at the honourable member for Brandon East, because there are other members, and I regret to say including members on this side of the House, who have been doing this of late. Your Honour brought to our attention the sort of deteriorating nature of certain things happening here.
One of the reasons I like being a member of the Legislature so much is that there are some traditions and some usages and some respect that we accord, or we talk about it at least, to the rules of the place and the customs and usages. I have noticed honourable members referring to other honourable members by their names. It is very clear in all of the rules and usages and traditions that that is not done. I do not do this to get after my honourable friend from Brandon East because he is my friend and so are a whole lot of other members around here, but I raise this because I think that I would like us to remind ourselves that we are very, very fortunate to be members of this place, that we are honoured to be able to participate in an institution's activities, an institution which has hundreds and hundreds of years of history behind it.
So, Madam Speaker, I wonder if honourable members would agree with me that this is one area of our activities where we might want to remind ourselves that members of this House are to be addressed through the Chair and by their title or their constituency but not by their names.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Brandon East, on the same point of order.
Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East): Yes, Madam Speaker, on the same point of order.
Well, I find myself in complete agreement with the honourable minister, the honourable member for Brandon West. I have no problem. As a matter of fact, I pride myself in 28, almost 29, years in this House of following the rules and not addressing any individual by his or her proper name. They should be addressed by their constituency, or indeed a member of the cabinet should be addressed by his or her ministerial title.
I only point out--maybe the minister did not follow me on this--I was simply quoting. This is a quotation from a newspaper, and I do not know, either I am going to quote it properly or it falls apart. That is the only reason I mentioned the honourable member's name; otherwise, I certainly would not have addressed him with his proper name. I would address him with his title or his constituency name. I appreciate his point of view.
Madam Speaker: Order, please. I think, with the greatest respect, I have heard the case made. I recognized that technically the government House leader did indeed have a point of order, but I was cognizant of the fact that it was a quotation from a newspaper article. That is why I did not rise.
But it never hurts to remind all honourable members in the House that periodically we all do deviate from the rules on one occasion or another, and all members are to be referred to by their constituency, honourable member for such and such a constituency. But I do believe the honourable member for Brandon East did not violate our rule, because he was quoting from the newspaper.
The honourable Leader of the official opposition, on the same point of order.
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, you had the responsibility and duty during the budget to call to order the Minister of Finance (Mr. Stefanson) in his direct reference to Premier Gary Filmon throughout the address, and you failed to do so. The budget was presented in a very nonpartisan way, of course, but the Budget Address I would suggest you review it and, I think, the 10th anniversary of Gary Filmon's leadership and Premier Filmon's outstanding leadership, et cetera.
Perhaps the government House leader would want to stand on his feet when the Minister of Finance was presenting his budget last Friday afternoon. I think it would be a career-ending--[interjection] No, I am just saying that when you have a formal document like this as opposed to statements, it gets to be something we expect a Speaker to deal with.
Madam Speaker: The honourable government House leader, on the same point of order.
Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, two very quick points. The Leader of the Opposition might have noted I waited for the honourable member for Brandon East to finish his comments before I raised the point of order, out of a matter of courtesy, and I am not really pleased that the Leader of the Opposition would speak the way he has about me.
I also take note of the fact that the printed budget demonstrates the Minister of Finance actually did that thing that I was talking about, complaining about, and I have spoken to the Minister of Finance about it. I am not trying to be partisan about this. I was trying to make this a direction you might give to all of the honourable members of this House, because it is a tradition I think I respect and I think others do, too.
Madam Speaker: I thank all honourable members. I believe we have dealt with this thoroughly. I am sure we all have the same understanding of the rule.
Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Madam Speaker, the Misericordia Hospital has been an important part of my community for 75 years. It has also played a significant role in the Catholic community across Winnipeg, and through its Villa Rosa home for single mothers and its obstetrical services in northern communities, it has also served countless thousands of Manitobans. Since 1990 it has been under severe pressure from this government, and this has led to intense and I believe unconscionable pressure on the staff of this institution. For eight years the government has called into doubt the future of this hospital. It was widely speculated that Don Orchard and his successor, the present Minister of Environment (Mr. McCrae), would close the hospital down and they certainly tried. Emergency services and psychiatry were cut. Both were badly needed services in neighbourhoods where many people are in assisted-living communities or on their own in extremely difficult economic and social circumstances.
But, Madam Speaker, the community fought back, and although we lost psychiatry, we saved emergency for a time, until last year when the government again forced the hospital to close its 24-hour emergency service and that in the third busiest emergency room in the province where patients were more seriously ill and far more needed to be admitted to hospital.
Now the government at one stroke has taken away most of the hospital functions that were left to the Misericordia. There will be no surgery except ophthalmology. There will be no intensive care unit, taking out of the whole medical system an efficient and necessary unit. Removal of the ICU also leaves in question the long-term prospects for ophthalmology itself. What was a hospital will become a long-term care facility, and though those beds are certainly needed in our system, the government itself must bear responsibility for the crisis they have created in personal care homes by their refusal to make good on their election promises of 1995. Those who need those personal care beds need them today, Madam Speaker, not two years from now when the Misericordia beds may become available.
At no point during these last eight years has the government provided us with the health or demographic profile of the community the Misericordia serves. At no point have the government planners met with our community. At no point have there been health assessments of any of the neighbourhoods on both sides of the river which are served by the hospital. What we have seen from this government is a concerted undermining of the Misericordia Hospital and an apparent disdain for its community.
Last weekend about 100 players from eight CFL clubs from all across Canada were in Manitoba last weekend for this two-day hockey tournament. As well, those players attended a Friday evening banquet here in Winnipeg and a Saturday evening social in Portage la Prairie. It is estimated that these two Manitoba charities will share in approximately $10,000 in proceeds. I would like to applaud all the players who took part in this fun and festive event.
Along with raising money for both these charities, Brendan Rogers's goal for this event was to get players together and bring them closer to their fans. In my mind, this goal has been surpassed. It was certainly an inspiration to observe the CFL players with delighted young children as they signed autographs and spoke with them. In this era of extravagance and sometimes outrageous behaviour on the stage of North-American sport I would like to commend the hundred-plus Canadian Football League players for their commitment shown to our communities. This weekend these players demonstrated to those that keep the league going, their fans, a very high degree of professionalism. The Canadian Football League did us proud this weekend and in return gave something to the fans as well who have been supporting the league for years.
Madam Speaker, once again, on behalf of the members of this Assembly and myself, I would like to congratulate the CFL players. Thank you.
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Mr. Daryl Reid (Transcona): Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to our Canadian Olympic Athletes who participated at the Nagano, Japan, Winter Games. These games produced Canada's best overall showing of any Winter Olympics, resulting in six gold, five silver and four bronze medals for our athletes for a total of 15 Olympic medals. We are particularly proud of the accomplishment of our athletes, which include our very own Susan Auch, silver medalist in the women's 500 metre speed skating. Susan, once again, rose to the challenge, proving to the world that she is a true Olympian. Susan also challenged in the women's 1,000 metre speed skating, placing in the top half of all competing speed skating athletes.
While we are extremely proud of Susan's accomplishments, we are also proud of the women's speed skating gold medalist, Canadian Catriona Le May Doan. These two athletes rank one, two in the world 500 metre race and were a mere three-tenths of a second apart in their recorded times.
Susan Auch was raised and attended school in Transcona. From an early age she was encouraged by her proud family to practise speed skating at the Winnipeg Speed Skating Club. Susan is coached by her brother Derrick Auch who is also the national coach. Having spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Auch, I know that they are very, very proud of their children.
At a 1994 Transcona community event, my wife, Sheila, and I had the opportunity to join with our community in honouring Susan's accomplishments at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games. Susan won the silver medal in the women's 500 metre speed skating race at that time. We still have a picture of Susan and another Transcona Olympic bobsled athlete, Mr. Langford, proudly displayed in our home.
To the Auch family and to Susan in particular, we say: well done. May your spirit and determination inspire other local athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.