Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the public gallery where we have this afternoon twenty-three Grade 5 students from Royal School under the direction of Mr. Greg Carpenter. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable First Minister (Mr. Filmon).

Also, eighteen Grades 11 and 12 students from Teulon Collegiate under the direction of Mr. Al Reinsch. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Gimli (Mr. Helwer).

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Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, according to the government's own FRAME documents, the amount of money going directly from this provincial government to the schoolroom and schools has been reduced from $732 million in the '92-93 budget and now stands at $709 million. Over the weekend we heard from a number of parents about the pressure this was placing on them to fundraise for basics, and this is very consistent with what we are hearing back in our communities, in our schools across the province.

I would like to ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon): what has been the impact of the actual funding cuts to the schools themselves? What has been the impact on volunteers and the kinds of fundraising activities that they must go through, and how much of that fundraising activity is actually going to raise money for basics?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I am glad the honourable Leader of the Opposition has raised this question. I recently completed consultations with some 600 parents across Manitoba who have expressed their opinions about the education system, and views expressed ranged from the fact that parents are doing fundraising activity, to the fact that they are doing none at all in some school divisions. Interestingly in one of the school divisions where I did hear a complaint about fundraising activities, I looked in the statistics and in the records, and the textbook account surplus in that particular school division is at $400,000. Something is wrong if that is happening; it ought not to be happening.

The honourable member raises questions about the FRAME Report and talks about funding. I just remind the honourable member that when he and Mr. Pawley were in charge in Manitoba, funding for education reduced from 21 percent of total government spending down to 17.7 percent, which we increased to 19.3 percent.

Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, the minister stated before that he did not want anybody raising money for basics like textbooks. He made that statement: I take issue with the NDP suggesting people are fundraising to buy textbooks. It is not necessary to do that.

Can the minister explain to Mrs. Debbie Ashdown, a parental council member from the General Vanier School, why her school parents and her fellow volunteers were required to raise $6,000 for that school in 1998 to meet the basic necessities of textbooks for their kids?

Mr. McCrae: If this matter has not already been brought to the attention of my office, then I can thank the honourable Leader of the Opposition for doing that. But, as I stated, we will be happy to look into the circumstances surrounding that particular assertion made by the honourable Leader of the Opposition.

In response to a radio talk show in which allegation was made that there were people fundraising for textbooks, we issued a public request or invitation for people to let us know of any instances like the one raised by the honourable Leader of the Opposition. We found none that had any substance. There was no response of substance to that. This certainly deserves some review, and I will undertake to do that.

It would have been nice if I had had an opportunity to debate this with the honourable Leader of the Opposition on Saturday when we would have been able to discuss this and other issues in a balanced way. We also would have had an opportunity, Madam Speaker, to express our appreciation for the work that teachers do in our province, but that was denied us by the Manitoba Teachers' Society.

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Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, this whining from the minister is unbecoming. It was a Leader's debate, and you had the option of having your Leader at the debate; you had the option not to. The whining after is very unbecoming.

I would ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon) this question. The Premier might want to answer this question. The government has said that they do not want parents to be raising money for basics like textbooks. Parents are saying that if they do not raise money for the basics like textbooks, their kids do not get textbooks. Would the Premier agree today to deal with the underresourcing to the schools over the last four or five years and look at the shortfall in textbooks and technology and do something about it, so our kids can have textbooks that are relevant and important to their future?

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, my previous answer stands. I just wonder what parents were doing back in the days when the honourable Leader of the Opposition and Howard Pawley were slashing funding for schools from 19.3 percent of budget down to 17.7 percent. That question deserves to be asked too. [interjection] It dropped from 21 percent down to 17.7 percent of total spending. It has gone up to 19.3 percent since. I think the honourable Leader of the Opposition does no service when he sits in his ivory tower and suggests that a Minister of Education and Training has no place in a forum respecting education and training. Does he want a balanced discussion out there or not?

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): My question is for the Minister of Education. When we surveyed parent councils this fall across Manitoba, we heard overwhelmingly about how much fundraising was now required of them under the Filmon government. Ninety percent of our time is spent fundraising, said one school council, and mostly for basic school needs. One division alone told us that they were funding early success reading programs, speech and language bags, patrol functions and for classroom books. So I would like to ask the Minister of Education if he could confirm that this fundraising is a direct result of the clear cuts in actual millions of dollars to schools that his government has made.

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Education and Training): I certainly would not accept that. I accept very much that the education of our children is a partnership between school divisions, the government, parents, educators and others. We accept our role in that partnership. Last fiscal year we put 2.2 percent more money into the education budget in addition to the year before. This past year, 2.6 percent, when you include the $2 million–this year, Madam Speaker, 2.6 percent when you include the $2 million we have added to that budget for special education. The first response to the education review, and which we have heard nothing from the opposition about special education in this province, this government has put down $2 million as its first steps in response to the special education review. In addition, so that people can plan, we have announced that there will be a minimum of 2 percent additional funding next year. Who knows what it will be today, but we know it will not be less than 2 percent.

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Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Could the minister explain why he has, so far, ignored the directions of his ministerial advisory committee on education to provide, to create, to develop a province-wide approach, province-wide guidelines to user fees and to fundraising?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, there has been leadership in the area of provision of some guidelines for the use of fundraising dollars. We do not want the basics to be covered with fundraising dollars. I am a parent, and my children over the years have been involved in various activities, which in my opinion, do not form the basic part of their education. I and my neighbours, like the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer), who claims to have eaten too many chocolate bars, have been involved in those things too, as have committed parents throughout Manitoba. The honourable member seems to suggest that there is no room whatever for any kind of activity like that, and I do not agree with that.

But I have made it very clear the way this government feels about the basics in education. When we have some school divisions that allow no fundraising whatsoever and manage to educate the children with the dollars that are available from the province and from their municipal taxpayers, I welcome an opportunity to discuss this with the honourable member and to compare notes because the honourable member is wrong if she suggests that this is a widespread thing. She is wrong because, other than the case that the honourable Leader of the Opposition has brought forward today, which I have undertaken to investigate–the jury is out on that one.

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): My final question is for the Premier, and I wondered if the Premier could explain to the House why, with five months notice, he was unable to attend the growing minds conference this weekend to speak to parents and teachers and to hear one parent, in despair, say: we are nothing but fundraisers now.

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): I think it is unfortunate that the Manitoba teachers' union chose to play politics with such an important issue as the education of our children. I recall that in the 1995 election campaign there was a Leaders' debate organized by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. The Leader of the Opposition chose not to show. He sent in his place Jerry Storie. The organization were polite, they were reasonable, and they allowed Mr. Storie to represent him.

Now that is the kind of thing that a nonpartisan organization does. If the teachers' union is interested only in partisan actions, then obviously we know where they stand on the issues. It is a very hard-line partisan position. That is not the sort of thing about which you engender good democratic debate.

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): My question is to the Minister responsible for Lotteries. To the Minister responsible for Lotteries, who was the previous Health minister and could not find enough money to build needed personal care homes and other health facilities, I would like to ask how it is he finds so much money to make these massive, expansive casinos both at Regent and McPhillips.

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Lotteries Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, I am very glad that colleagues opposite at least acknowledge the massive investment in health care that this administration is making in constructing over 600 additional personal care home beds. The member has been in this House since 1995, and I am sure in the course of those four years she would have had opportunity to at least learn, as we all have learned, about how these are funded. The Lotteries Corporation is an independent organization, finances its capital construction, not out of tax dollars, not out of public money, but out of its own revenue, and it returns to the province, in essence, a dividend on its profits.

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Madam Speaker, my second question to the Minister responsible for Lotteries: recently, approximately two months ago, Manitobans found out cost overruns at that time were $16 million. Will the Minister responsible for Lotteries indicate what the price tag is today?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Lotteries Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, it is interesting. I think this question was answered extensively several months ago when members opposite attempted to make an issue of this particular area. If I remember correctly, the issue arose, estimated price versus what tenders came out on. Yes, there was a difference between what the cost estimates were on those projects and what the tendered prices were. That is not a cost overrun. Those projects were being done on a tendered basis with contractual prices.

Madam Speaker, it is very interesting because the members today may try to make a linkage that does not exist; the members opposite may somehow imply that Manitoba Lotteries, in trying to redevelop these two casinos to ensure that we continue to have hundreds upon hundreds of tour buses come into our province–at the same time, the same members opposite have come up with ways to spend every one of those dollars 10 times over.

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Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): My question to the Minister responsible for Lotteries: will he provide a full cost statement, including the cost of renovations which we understand exceeds $20 million for the Crystal Casino and Club Regent? What is the price tag for renovations in addition to the additions?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Lotteries Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, I would be delighted in the normal course of business of this House, when these matters are discussed, to ensure that the Lotteries Corporation provides all members with a full accounting, as they do regularly on an annual basis in this Assembly. She will have the opportunity to question them, but I can tell the member, as members opposite usually are, we are not expanding or renovating the Crystal Casino. We are closing it.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, it is ironic that the overruns for the expansion of the Regent and the casino on McPhillips are relatively significant, and I suppose the minister, like me, got a copy of a letter from Building for the Future from the cancer care foundation of Manitoba who are trying to raise their $19 million so they can contribute that to the cancer centre that was promised in '95, '96, '97, has had at least three sod turnings in the last year.

My question to the Minister of Health, who announced the capital plans on Friday: are all of the capital announcements on Friday going to require the 20 percent of the public or the municipality or the individuals to have to raise the money before those projects can proceed?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, the community contribution policy, as the member opposite knows, is certainly nothing new in the province of Manitoba. There has been one in place for many, many decades. There used to be a cash contribution requirement of as much as 50 percent. More recently it was a matter where communities and organizations were contributing the land and other contributions towards change orders. The contribution policy pertains to major capital projects, so some of the projects will require a community contribution policy and some will not.

I should remind the member opposite that an adjustment made to the community contribution policy also gives the communities the opportunity to make their contribution up front, and if they do that, it then becomes 10 percent of the cost. That compares to a province like Saskatchewan that has a community contribution requirement of, I believe, 35 percent. British Columbia, I believe, is 40 percent, and other provinces have contributions.

I am certainly prepared to provide that information to the member for Kildonan as well, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Chomiak: My supplementary question to the Minister of Health: since the government introduced this policy of 20 percent a couple of years ago, I am wondering–the announcement the minister made on Friday indicated that there was going to be a major announcement about capital equipment purchase. My question to the minister: will this community or the public having to pay user fees, a 20 percent contribution, apply to the capital equipment that the minister is going to be announcing in the short period of the next little while? Are they going to extend it to the equipment that we need for cancer and for heart surgery?

Mr. Stefanson: Well, Madam Speaker, again, I do not think I need to remind the member that there has been a community contribution policy in place for many years under all types of governments in the province of Manitoba. We certainly have examples in NDP Saskatchewan, NDP British Columbia of significant community contribution policies which are much higher than the province of Manitoba. I indicated as part of the announcement that the member for Kildonan attended on Friday with the capital projects that we would be very shortly coming forward with our announcement on equipment contributions for facilities. I believe that the majority, if not all, of those do not require a community contribution.

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Mr. Chomiak: Madam Speaker, the minister, I believe, indicated that those capital purchases of the equipment would not require a contribution, and I hope that in fact holds true.

My final supplementary to the minister is: can the minister indicate, if those communities cannot raise their 20 percent that the government has imposed as of two years ago and required them to raise, will that then mean the projects will be on hold like the cancer institute, the cancer expansion where they are desperately seeking additional funds–[interjection] Well, the Premier (Mr. Filmon) says it is going ahead. They require an extra–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. Chomiak: Can the minister indicate whether those projects will go ahead if under circumstances the communities cannot raise the 20 percent the government has now imposed on them?

Mr. Stefanson: Madam Speaker, I am a little bit confused by the question because all the member for Kildonan has to do is go by the site and see that the Manitoba Cancer Research and Treatment facility is under construction. The provincial government is making a very significant contribution, as is the foundation itself making a contribution, and that is exactly a good case of the kinds of partnerships that are put in place across Manitoba to see the facility improvements that we are seeing right throughout Manitoba.

I should indicate to the member opposite certainly to date with the introduction of our community contribution policy, which can be 10 percent if the organizations can do it at the front end–and most organizations are attempting to do just that, so they are doing it on the basis of 10 percent–it is working very well. We are having examples of facilities like the Boundary Trails hospital under construction right now in Morden-Winkler.

Again, I would suggest that the formalization of that policy so everybody knows the rules is something that is very positive to communities, to organizations so they know what role they play. By having the community involved, Madam Speaker, we end up with the best possible health care facilities we can possibly have.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Premier. The government commits in excess of a half billion dollars in terms of acquiring Centra Gas, and what has become very clear is the government does not have any plan, as clearly demonstrated in the answers that we received last week, as clearly demonstrated in the lack of appearance in any fashion through the government's throne speech.

My question to the Premier is: how can the Premier assure us that the purchase of Centra Gas is not simply the first step in preparing Manitoba Hydro for the public auction block?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, rather than just simply make this a political football, I think the member opposite would be well advised to take a look at the economics of the transaction. The fact of the matter is that this kind of convergence of different types of energy is taking place not only in the United States but in Canada, where Gaz métropolitain has been bought, or an interest in it, by Hydro Quebec, where places throughout the United States have had the converged utility. Pacific Gas and Electric has been a converged utility for more than a decade, to my knowledge.

These are ways in which the utility can become stronger and more efficient. That is what we want of Manitoba Hydro. Manitoba Hydro is a monopoly provider of electrical services in Manitoba, and it will be strengthened by this transaction. That is the basis on which we authorized their proceeding firstly with the discussions and then eventually with entering into the agreement. This has absolutely nothing to do with privatization. I have already said publicly that I would commit that we would not privatize the Manitoba Hydro.

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Mr. Lamoureux: I am sure the Premier will understand why Manitobans as a whole do not necessarily trust that particular argument that they will not privatize Manitoba Telephone System.

My question very specific to the minister was: can the Premier indicate to this House if indeed Manitoba Hydro will be privatized in the same manner that MTS was privatized, given that the rationale that has been used to date has not given the justification in terms of the acquisition of Centra Gas? We want to make sure that there is no hidden agenda here in the long term to sell off Manitoba Hydro.

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

Mr. Filmon: I can assure the member there is no agenda to sell off Manitoba Hydro. I can also say to him that he, of course, is getting entrenched in the same kind of narrow-minded, ignorant thinking that is shared by the members that he sits next to, the New Democratic Party, in which they, for blind ideology, automatically assume that if it is publicly owned it is good, if it is privately owned it is bad. That, of course, absolutely totally ignores the reality of the marketplace. He would do well to investigate the economics of the transaction as opposed to joining the New Democrats and just simply proceeding based on blind ideology.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Given the comments of the Premier then, if he wants to attempt to depoliticize this particular issue, will the Premier then agree to passage of an all-party resolution in favour of Manitoba retaining public ownership of Manitoba Hydro? Why would he oppose passing a resolution of that nature? Will he stand in his place and agree to pass it?

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

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, I am already on the record as saying that we will not privatize Manitoba Hydro. It may serve the political gamesmanship of the member for Inkster to pursue those kinds of things; I am telling him the facts.

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): When we heard the announcement of capital funding on hospitals on Friday, I fully expected that this government was going to announce that there was going to be funding for a new hospital in Swan River because the hospital in Swan River has been closed because of a mould problem. However, I was shocked to learn that all the government promised was funding will be available to begin the design and replacement on renovations at the Swan River Hospital.

I would like to ask the minister: does this mean that he has no intention of rebuilding that facility in this year, that all he is going to do is do a design on the replacement? No plans to build a new hospital.

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Certainly we have been keeping the member for Swan River informed of what is taking place at Swan River with the hospital. We are awaiting a final report to determine whether or not the existing facility can be maintained through major renovations and/or whether a completely new facility will be required. The expectation is that at this stage it appears most likely it will be a new facility, but we are waiting for that final report. Certainly she would understand that the first steps, in terms of the development of a new facility, are the assessment of the kind of facility that can best meet the needs of Swan River and the catchment area of that facility, be exactly the type of facility that can meet those needs today and into the future and to start moving forward with the design stage for that project.

Those are the first two steps. Money is set aside for those very important aspects of the requirements of the Swan River Hospital, and if additional resources are required as the year unfolds, depending on what the timing is of the facility, either renovations or the new facility, they will be provided.

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): I would like to let the minister know that people would have been much more happy to see a commitment to funding here, and there is no commitment.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member was recognized for a supplementary question to which no preamble is required.

Ms. Wowchuk: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Given that there is no commitment out of this budget for capital funding, I would like to ask the minister if he will recognize that the people of Swan River have not requested a new facility. This renovation is going to have to take place because of neglect of the government.

Will he guarantee that they will not have to put up the 20 percent penalty because of their neglect, when this facility is built?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Well, Madam Speaker, there was no neglect on the part of this provincial government, and I think it is unfortunate to even try to point to neglect on the part of anybody, the people administering or running that hospital or whomever.

This is a situation of mould being found in the facility. We have acted immediately to deal with the well-being of the people in that health care facility to provide alternative health care arrangements to make sure that they do not incur any financial costs as a result of that. The government is picking up those costs. We have acted quickly to do the review of the kind of facility that is required in that community, and we have dedicated resources in this budget to move forward with either a complete renovation of the existing facility or ultimately a new facility.

I did indicate in response to a previous question that, while it is important that the community contribution policy apply in this case, because of the fact that this project did arise on the basis of not much advanced planning–obviously, because of the situation of mould being found–that we were prepared and are prepared to sit down with the hospital board, with the regional health authority to discuss the whole issue of the timing of their community contribution.

Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East): Madam Speaker, this government should be very concerned that, since it assumed office in 1988, the population growth of this province has not kept pace with that of the Canadian nation. In fact, our population growth has been almost nonexistent. As a result, in 1988 we were 4.1 percent of the Canadian population, but by the end of 1998 we had dropped to 3.7 percent. This is a significant decline and has an impact on federal transfer payments, among other things.

I would like to ask the Minister of Finance: why is Manitoba not growing as fast as the rest of the country, given the fact that we are supposed to have such a buoyant economy? Why are we shrinking as a percentage of the total Canadian population?

Hon. Harold Gilleshammer (Minister of Finance): Madam Speaker, again, the member for Brandon East looks on the dark side of so many things. I think what he should be focusing on is the tremendous growth in the economy of Manitoba where the real gross domestic product grew by 3.4 percent last year, where we have more full-time employment in this province than we have ever had before--in fact, there was a creation of 10,000 new full-time jobs—and where our unemployment rate has now reached 5.4 percent, the lowest unemployment rate across the country. In fact, along with that, we have the lowest youth unemployment rate across the country as well.

There are significant signs, with the growth in the economy, with the shortage of about 5,000 jobs going wanting in our province, that this trend is being reversed, that there are more people coming back to Manitoba to fill some of these jobs. With the construction season upon us and the tremendous construction you are going to see in Manitoba this year in the hospital sector and other sectors, I believe you are going to see real growth in the Manitoba population this year.

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Mr. L. Evans: Madam Speaker, will this minister acknowledge that one reason our population growth has been so insignificant is that we have lost over 67,000 people since this government assumed office in 1988? In fact, in that period of time, our average is well over 6,000 people a year, which is equivalent to losing a town the size of The Pas every year of the 11 years that this government has been in office.

So my question is: why, if our economy is supposed to be so great as the minister has just been pointing out, so buoyant, are we continuing to lose thousands of people to other provinces?

Mr. Gilleshammer: Madam Speaker, the member for Brandon East does not seem to accept that the economy is doing well. I would urge him to look at some of the economic indicators that are in existence. In fact, along with four or five colleagues, I attended the Brandon Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting a few weeks ago, and I can tell you there were 500 or 600 people there from the Brandon area celebrating the growth in the economy of Brandon, the number of jobs that are being created and the fact that the economy there is very buoyant.

Mr. L. Evans: Madam Speaker, I wonder if the minister can explain to the people of Manitoba why we continue to lose people to the province of Saskatchewan. Some years ago the tradition was people from Saskatchewan would come in droves to Manitoba. In the last few years we have lost 2,300 people in the last four years alone, and last year we lost between 900 and 1,000 people. Why, if our economy is so great and so buoyant as the minister explains, have we reversed the trend of being a net recipient from Saskatchewan to becoming a net exporter of people to our sister province of Saskatchewan?

Mr. Gilleshammer: Madam Speaker, as I have indicated to the member, with the low unemployment rate here in Manitoba and the creation of thousands and thousands of jobs, I think you are going to see a change in those trends. In fact, in the province of British Columbia at this time there are signs that many people are leaving that province to accept jobs here on the prairies.

Mr. Gregory Dewar (Selkirk): Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Environment. As Manitobans are doing their spring cleaning, they are collecting household hazardous wastes, paints, solvents, batteries and so on. As well, municipalities are anxious to provide collection depots for this waste. However, they are uncertain what they should do with these wastes as this minister has yet to make an announcement regarding this program this year. Will the minister update this House and Manitobans as to the status of the Household Hazardous Waste Program for this fiscal year?

Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister of Environment): Madam Speaker, Manitoba's record of programming in this area is outstanding in Canada, recognized as that throughout the country. As a matter of fact, the working committee on household hazardous wastes was meeting here in the building, met with them myself about 11:30 this morning. They continue to begin bringing forward recommendations for the minister.

Madam Speaker, we have–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mrs. McIntosh: When they are ready to listen, Madam Speaker, I will–

Mr. Dewar: Madam Speaker, what are Manitobans to do with the more than 200,000 kilograms that are collected each year by this program? Is there a program this year, yes or no?

Mrs. McIntosh: The short answer, Madam Speaker, is yes, and the member himself I think has–I am pleased to see that he is finally asking some questions of the Minister of Environment. I was beginning to think he might go through the session without any. Particularly when our record is so good in this area, I was quite confident there would not be any questions forthcoming.

Manitoba is one of the few provinces that does fund programs of this nature out of general revenue and it is difficult–the Leader of the Opposition would leave it to God to save the Earth, he has just indicated from his chair. God is a good one to rely upon, but human beings, I think, have an obligation to help as well. If the NDP philosophy is that they leave all of this in the hands of God, then they are indicating their lack of commitment to participate with what is happening in the world.

Mr. Gregory Dewar (Selkirk): My final question to the minister is: how many collection depots are to be held in rural and northern Manitoba this year?

Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister of Environment): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Selkirk for his question. I cannot give him the exact number of locations. I can tell him there has been a record, in terms of pesticides, in terms of used oil, in terms of a wide variety of hazardous goods, both household and industrial and farm, that is outstanding in Canada. He knows that. I will be pleased to bring him specific figures. I will do, so that he can look for himself at the percentages that we have in collectibles compared to other provinces, and the outstanding record that has begun under this administration, under my predecessor and other ministers of Environment that sadly was not in place when the NDP were in power, programs started by this government, programs started by the Filmon government in co-operation with citizens of Manitoba for a record that is outstanding. I will bring the data to him because he does not know it.

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