LEGISLATIVE
ASSEMBLY OF
Tuesday,
February 25, 1992
The House met at 1:30
p.m.
PRAYERS
Mr. Clerk (William
Remnant): I must inform the House of the unavoidable
absence of Mr. Speaker and, therefore, in accordance with the statutes, would
call upon the Deputy Speaker to take the Chair.
ROUTINE
PROCEEDINGS
PRESENTING
PETITIONS
Ms. Becky Barrett (
Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis
(St. Johns): Madam Deputy Speaker, I beg to present the
petition of Cassandra Nicolson, Tammy Reimer, Glen Craven, 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): Madam Deputy Speaker, I beg to present the
petition of Rhonda Law, Shelley Drummond, Susan Larson, and others, requesting
the government show its strong commitment to dealing with child abuse by
considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign.
Madam Deputy Speaker
(Louise Dacquay): 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
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
* (1335)
TABLING OF
REPORTS
Hon. Glen Findlay
(Minister of Agriculture): Madam Deputy
Speaker, I would like to table the 1990‑91 Annual Report of the
Department of Agriculture and the 1991 report from the Prairie Agricultural
Machinery Institute.
Hon. Rosemary Vodrey
(Minister of Education and Training): Madam
Deputy Speaker, I would like to table the Annual Report 1990‑91 of the
Department of Education and Training.
Introduction
of Guests
Madam Deputy Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw
the attention of all honourable members to the gallery, where we have with us
this afternoon forty‑six Grade 5 students, from
I would also like to draw attention to all
members of the House to the loge to my left, where we have with us this
afternoon the Honourable Larry Desjardins.
ORAL
QUESTION PERIOD
Bill C‑20
Extension
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of
the Opposition): Madam Deputy Speaker,
for the eighth year in a row, we will have a presentation of a federal budget
by the Conservative government in
Unfortunately, too, another promise from
the federal Conservative government that medicare would be a sacred trust is
also another one of those slogans from the federal Conservatives that have
proven to be without any merit at all.
Every federal budget we see, particularly in the last few years, has
seen a radical decline in support from the federal government to our EPF
programs and particularly to health and post‑secondary education.
We are now in a situation, Madam Deputy
Speaker, where the very fabric of medicare, as funded by our federal
government, is at risk, and yet last December and through the last six months,
when the federal government was extending the freeze on its cash payments to
the provinces through C‑20, the federal legislation, the government
opposite chose not to make any representation to
I would ask the Premier: Is he aware of any reversal in federal
government policy for medicare and will we see the reinstatement of transfers
in medicare in the federal budget today, and if that is the reason why his
government was silent on C‑20 when it was before Parliament?
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the Leader of
the Opposition for that lengthy dissertation.
I would say that we as a government obviously have expressed our very
serious concerns and condemn successive governments, both the former Liberal
government that began the limitations and cuts to EPF and equalization
transfers to
I know that the Leader of the Opposition
sent a representative to that parliamentary committee because that is the only
forum for opposition members. We have
direct forums. The Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness) has raised it directly
with Mr. Mazankowski, and I have raised it directly with the Prime Minister,
with the support of virtually every other province in this country. We have made that message known, Madam Deputy
Speaker. We know that, even in my
presentation to the Dobbie‑Beaudoin parliamentary committee on the
Constitution, I indicated that we wanted to see the protection of those
programs, EPF, CAP and equalization put in our Constitution as part of the
framework of social program protection that we want to see in the Constitution.
* (1340)
Mr. Doer: I have a supplementary question, Madam Deputy
Speaker. We have the Premier's (Mr.
Filmon) public comments in 1989 at the First Ministers' conference, when he
presented a brief to the Prime Minister which stated in fact that he wanted to
applaud the promising steps of action from the federal government dealing with
EPF in health and post‑secondary education. This was after a cut of $104 million; they
wanted to thank the federal government for the promising steps that they have
taken with the Conservative government in
I also have the statement of the Premier
at the most recent Finance Ministers' meeting, and I see no great condemnation
of the federal government for the freeze.
We see nothing in Bill C‑20.
We see the provincial government saying that they have their own ways of
dealing with Don Mazankowski. We work in
our own ways, Madam Deputy Speaker. We
see nothing publicly when the Premier is face to face with the Prime Minister.
What assurances can the Premier have to
Manitobans that the federal government is listening? When we listen, we do not see any of these
eyeball‑to‑eyeball condemnations of the federal Conservative
government cutbacks in medicare, which we will see again, unfortunately,
extended in the budget this afternoon in
Mr. Filmon: I just want, because the member opposite is
wont to misrepresent things, to say that I did not ever support or compliment
federal government EPF cuts. He knows
that, and he ought not to misrepresent it.
Secondly, he alleges that I attended a
Finance Ministers' meeting, and I did not attend any such thing. I do not know where he is coming from on the
issue. The issue is very clear. This
government is opposed to any and all reductions in transfers from
Mr. Doer: A supplementary question, Madam Deputy
Speaker. In his statement to the Prime
Minister, he says, your government has taken such promising steps and we want
to work with you to make them as effective as possible, that is a cutback on
health care and post‑secondary education, health services and health care
finances. That is after a cutback of
$104 million. No wonder the Premier,
after budgets are presented, is in such disarray. He applauds the government
before the budget is presented and then complains about it after we are cut
back.
Madam Deputy Speaker, a very simple
question: Why did the Premier not
condemn the federal government in extending C‑20 for another two years
and freezing medicare, one of the finest programs in the world, for another two
years? Why did he not condemn the Prime
Minister at the First Ministers' meeting‑‑
Madam Deputy Speaker: The question has been put.
Mr. Filmon: Unlike the Leader of the Opposition who only
engages in criticism and never in any positive side, when the federal
government rebased the calculations for equalization, listened to our arguments
and increased the payments on equalization that resulted in some $75 million
additional dollars over two years to this province, obviously we would say that
we complimented them on finally listening to us and doing it.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I will compliment
the federal government when it does the right thing such as it did in
equalization, and I will continue to condemn them when it does the wrong thing
as they have done on EPF, CAP and other equalization changes that they have
made in the past.
ERDA
Agreements
Status
Report
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The
Pas): My question is for the Minister of Industry,
Trade and Tourism.
Since the previous government was able to
negotiate 10 major ERDA agreements for the
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Madam Deputy Speaker, we have been in the
process of negotiating some four different western economic partnership
agreements with the federal government.
We recently signed a tourism agreement with the federal government. We are finalizing a communications
agreement. Our previous Minister of
Energy and Mines signed a minerals agreement.
Certainly each and every one of those agreements benefit not only
northern
Also, as part of that, was the agreement
with HBM&S. Clearly that is very
much focused on northern
* (1345)
ACCESS
Programs
Federal
Funding
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The
Pas): My second question is for the same minister.
Has this minister obtained any federal
funding commitment for the ACCESS programs that were cut, programs which are
vital for northern development?
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): That is not an area that falls directly
under my portfolio. I will certainly
discuss it with our Minister of Education (Mrs. Vodrey) in terms of
negotiations on the ACCESS program, but as I have indicated, we have already
entered agreements on minerals, entered agreements on tourism and are in the
process of finalizing one on communication, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Government
Commitment
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The
Pas): My final question is again directed to the
same minister.
Will this government make a commitment to
the ACCESS programs? Will they increase
funding for this year, or will this government follow the lead of their federal
counterparts and continue cutting education and training programs in northern
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): I
will take that question as notice and discuss it with my colleague the Minister
of Education (Mrs. Vodrey), but one other agreement that I failed to mention
when I responded to the first two questions was probably the most significant
in terms of the monetary contribution, our forestry agreement which our
Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns) was able to enter. Clearly we have entered agreements on
forestry, we have entered tourism, we have entered minerals, and communications
are imminent, which all benefit not only northern
Provincial
Deficit
Clarification
Mr. Reg Alcock
(Osborne): I realize that the attention today is going
to be focused on the federal budget, but I would like to see if we cannot
clarify some of the confusion around our own budget.
Some three weeks ago, when the Minister of
Finance (Mr. Manness) announced a special warrant for some $72 million, he had
indicated that would not cause the deficit to rise because we were receiving
some $75 million from
I am asking him today, could he clarify
exactly what is the situation, and why there is such apparent confusion in his
department?
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Minister of Finance): There is no
confusion whatsoever in the department.
Madam Deputy Speaker, what we have, and members in the NDP particularly
know this because they have been in government, they would know that
particularly during the months of late January, all of February and leading
into March there is a significant revision of numbers that come forward from,
particularly, federal transfer. They would
also know that there are requests by departments with respect to not only
supplementary funding, but there are also areas that at times lapse within
government appropriation.
This is a big operation. This is a $5‑billion operation, and
from week to week, those numbers do change.
Obviously they have impact on the bottom line. That is what I will be reporting in a
consolidated, unaudited fashion to the people of this province next week. At that time, the standing of the province's
finances, basis December 31 numbers with an estimate to year‑end numbers,
March 31, will be made available to all.
Increase
Mr. Reg Alcock
(Osborne): Can the Minister of Finance then tell us when
he became aware that the deficit was going to rise?
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Minister of Finance): Madam Deputy Speaker,
I am not going to suggest with certainty that the deficit is going to
rise. I am saying that the certainty
that I expressed around the deficit decreasing is no longer there in a
"certainty" fashion. That is
because of new information, so I am sorry I have to be vague on this, but I
would ask the members opposite, listen and wait until next week, at which time,
it will be all clear.
* (1350)
Mr. Alcock: The question to the minister then is: Is the new information he is referencing,
information he has coming from the federal Finance minister as a result of
today's budget that leads him to predict that our deficit is going to increase
in this province?
Mr. Manness: No, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would love to have insight to the federal
budget. I will be provided with the same
at the same time as the member opposite, when it is read by Mr. Mazankowski in
The information that came to light two
weeks ago was yet another revision.
There are seven or eight of them during the course of a year, and the
information that was provided to us as a government two weeks ago was one of
those revisions.
Rural
Infrastructures
Responsibility
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (
I ask the Premier, if he says that our
rural infrastructures are important, and I believe they are, how can he justify
the cutbacks and offloading of roads onto municipalities when he knows that the
municipalities cannot afford to upkeep these roads and all of those
infrastructures are going to break down?
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): Madam Deputy Speaker, we can really now gauge
the depths of the confusion in the NDP ranks when the member cannot tell the
difference between maintenance of gravel roads and investment in infrastructure
of building new highways, new sewer and water construction in capital
works. When she does not know the
difference, there is obviously a serious problem on the NDP side.
Having said that, I will inform the member
for
We see right across this country what the
New Democrats are doing. They are
preserving and increasing the numbers of their civil servants, their
bureaucrats, and they are starving capital budgets. This government is investing in long‑term
capital infrastructure in highway construction, the largest highway
construction budgets ever seen in this province under this administration, in
the sewer and water infrastructure, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Ms. Wowchuk: Madam Deputy Speaker, I know what offloading is
and so do the municipalities.
Madam Deputy Speaker: Does the honourable member have a question?
Ms. Wowchuk: I would like to ask the Premier if he will
now listen to the over 50 municipalities who have sent him petitions and
letters asking him to reverse his decision.
Will they take back these roads that they have offloaded onto the
municipalities?
Mr. Filmon: Madam Deputy Speaker, not only did we transfer
funding to the municipalities for the‑‑
An Honourable Member: Six million dollars over two years.
Mr. Filmon: ‑‑$6 million of additional funding
over two years so that they could take over and do more efficiently, as I
believe all taxpayers in this province want.
Madam Deputy Speaker: Order, please.
Mr. Filmon: Madam Deputy Speaker, I know that the New
Democrats are hurting when they cannot even ask a proper question in this House
and they have to heckle my response, but I wish that the member for
Point of
Order
Mr. Steve Ashton
(Opposition House Leader): I believe there was some
exchange across the way, as there was from both sides, probably due to the
length of the question or the answer to the question from the Premier.
I would like to ask, Madam Deputy Speaker,
if perhaps you could ask the Premier to come to order and respond as to our
rules, in terms of Beauchesne, to the question that was asked by the member for
Madam Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Thompson did not
have a point of order, but I do recognize the caution he has served, and I
would ask all honourable members in this House to respect the rules.
* * *
Mr. Filmon: Madam Deputy Speaker, we all noticed the
Freudian slip about the length of questions from the New Democrats, and we
accept that. We expect that from them.
The fact of the matter is that, in
addition to transferring $6 million to the rural municipalities to enable them
to do a better job on the rural road maintenance, we have not only brought in
the $90‑million Partnership Agreement on Municipal Water Infrastructure,
but we have put in place rural Grow Bonds to develop the rural communities and
their investment in themselves. We put
in place the REDI program, the rural economic development initiative with VLT revenues
going into rural communities. We have
brought in more programs to rural
Ms. Wowchuk: The municipalities were short‑‑
Madam Deputy Speaker: Order, please.
Does the honourable member for
Ms. Wowchuk: What assurances can the Premier (Mr. Filmon)
give municipalities that they are not going to get any surprises in the very
near future as they are preparing for their budgets as they did last year? They had their budgets prepared, and then
they got this offloading. Can he assure
us that there is not going to be any more offloading or cutbacks in funding to
municipalities?
Madam Deputy Speaker: The question has been put.
Mr. Filmon: Unlike NDP Ontario that has offloaded
millions and millions of dollars onto the rural municipalities, and I know that
the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) knows about that because he has argued
the case for passing on some of these things to the rural municipalities very
eloquently in the past when he was the Urban Affairs minister. He was the point man on this issue as he
offloaded millions of dollars. Bob Rae
is taking his advice and following along in that wrong path. We do not want to do that.
We will deal in an up‑front manner
with the rural municipalities. We will
continue to consult with them. We will
continue to have an open dialogue and will continue to be cognizant of their
problems and concerns as well as the problems and concerns that we face in
preserving health care, education and vital family services to all the people
of this province.
* (1400)
Stony
Mountain,
Environmental
Concerns
Mr. Paul Edwards (St.
James): For the Minister of Environment, on January
31 of this year, the M.P. for
In part, that letter stated: I am prepared to direct the actions from the
federal government point of view. I ask
you to designate a provincial partner, and I know I can count on the R.M. of
Rockwood. Collectively, we can solve the
problem.
I want to table that letter, Madam Deputy
Speaker, and I want to ask the minister, I know that efforts have been made at
the provincial level. Has there been a
specific response to Mr. Holtmann on this issue? Have we designated a provincial
representative to work with him to come up with funding to solve this problem?
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): Yes, we have
contacted Mr. Holtmann, and we are quite prepared to work with him and put him
to work.
Federal
Funding
Mr. Paul Edwards (St.
James): Perhaps the minister could indicate who that
representative is.
Madam Deputy Speaker: Does the honourable member have a question?
Mr. Edwards: Yes.
Has the minister studied the suggestion that the Southern Development
Initiative be looked to, to fund this program which Mr. Holtmann suggests, and
can he indicate who the representative is from the provincial government to
work with Mr. Holtmann?
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): Madam Deputy Speaker,
my last offhand remark was not meant to reflect on the M.P. for that area. I am quite prepared to accept his work on
behalf of dealing with this problem.
In response to the question regarding
setting a framework in place to deal with this issue: yes, we have put together an
interdepartmental working group; yes, we have met with representatives of Mr.
Holtmann's office; yes, we have had direct contact with the R.M. and indicated
to them the steps that they should be taking if they wish, indeed, to deal with
an alternative water supply; yes, in the interim, we are going to make sure the
people of that district have clean potable water that we will be able to remove
the concerns they have about the consumption of water no matter whether it
meets with the Canadian drinking water standards or not.
Provincial
Funding
Mr. Paul Edwards (St.
James): Madam Deputy Speaker,
finally for the same minister, the Member of Parliament Mr. Holtmann indicated
sources of funds, put it on the table and said he was willing to come up with
some funds. Can the minister indicate
what provincial programs he is going to be looking to, what provincial sources
of funding to immediately deal with the problem, the pure water problem in this
area, given that tying it to Bristol Aerospace or others in the area, if there
are others, may be a lengthy process and people need the clean water now? What
provincial sources of funding is he going to be looking at to meet the
challenge which has been set down by Mr. Holtmann?
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): I am pleased that the
member is advocating on behalf of Mr. Holtmann's position. I am not sure if he wants me to respond
directly to the suggestions that Mr. Holtmann made about using orphan sites
fund or suggestions of that nature.
I can assure you, Madam Deputy Speaker,
that the Manitoba Water Services Board, which is the vehicle that we would use
to deal with any request for municipal water supply, is very much involved with
the process. If the member is suggesting
that we are leaving some stone unturned regarding federal funds, I can assure
him that I am all ears.
Rail Line
Protection
Mr. Daryl Reid
(Transcona): Madam Deputy Speaker, last Friday while
representing the member for Rupertsland (Mr. Harper), we joined with a group of
concerned
Will the Premier instruct the Minister of
Highways and Transportation (Mr. Driedger) to initiate meetings between
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): Madam Deputy Speaker, the member is well aware
from the many statements that the Minister of Highways and Transportation has
made in this House about his commitment to Churchill and about all the efforts
that he has undertaken, including having gone to
I will take that suggestion under
advisement and discuss the matter with the Minister of Highways and
Transportation at my earliest opportunity.
Mr. Reid: Given the past success of ERDA agreements,
will the Premier commit his government to play a financial role in the
continuation of the bayline and Churchill's future instead of the stalemate we
currently find ourselves in?
Mr. Filmon: I am sure that the member knows full well the
great challenges that face any government in this country. I know that from having spoken with my
colleagues, the other First Ministers, that many of them will be billions of
dollars over their budget projections for the estimated deficit.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I know that the
member opposite would probably be the first one on his feet if he felt that we
were not spending money on issues such as health care, such as education, such
as family services, such as environment, so many of the demands that are upon
us a government. It is very, very
difficult for us to talk in terms of tens of millions of dollars investment in
issues of this nature without looking at the tremendous burden of costs that we
face in vital services that the people of
Grain
Shipment Commitment
Mr. Daryl Reid (Transcona):
Given that the federal Minister of Transport
has expressed his support and in view of the fact that Mr. Epp and Mr. Mayer
did not attend these meetings, will the Premier instruct his Minister of
Agriculture (Mr. Findlay) to arrange a meeting between
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): Madam Deputy Speaker, the Minister of
Transport has convened and participated in such meetings for several years now
and made those demands.
CFB Shilo
Continuation
Mr. Leonard Evans
(Brandon East): I have a question for the Minister of
Industry. In view of the fact that the
federal government has indicated that major cuts will be made in defense
spending in today's budget, can the Minister of Industry advise the Legislature
whether the
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): There have been no indications one way or
the other to my department, as of today, relative to Shilo. I think the honourable member knows that
there has been a series of meetings taking place over the last several months. The position of our government, a position
certainly that the opposition parties support relative to Shilo, has been put
on the record on many occasions, has been put on the record in terms of
delegations going to
Mr. Leonard Evans: I wonder, in view of the minister's answer, if
the minister could take some time out now and seek an assurance from the
federal government on the continuation of Shilo. I ask that, recognizing there is an all‑party
committee who are preparing to go to
Madam Deputy Speaker: The question has been put. Order, please.
Mr. Stefanson: We have certainly done that to date, as I
have indicated. Our government has done
that on several occasions. The all‑party task force has travelled to
Simplot ‑
Brandon Plant Modernization
Mr. Leonard Evans
(Brandon East): I would like to ask the Minister of Industry,
who I know is interested in jobs in the
Madam Deputy Speaker: Order, please.
The question has been put.
* (1410)
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Madam Deputy Speaker, once again, I
think, as the honourable member knows, this is an issue that we are working
very closely with Simplot as an organization, with executive of Simplot, with
the community, with the mayor and the local town council, in terms of a
financial commitment towards the upgrading and development of the Simplot
facility.
We continue to work with that organization
toward retaining their presence in the community, the jobs that they
create. We certainly welcome any
additional suggestions from members of the opposition. Our position is perfectly clear on that
issue, Madam Deputy Speaker, that we will continue to work with Simplot to retain
their presence here in our province.
Consumer
Warning
Odometer
Tampering
Mr. Jim Maloway
(Elmwood): Madam Deputy Speaker, my question is to the
Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.
Yesterday, I asked the Minister of
Consumer Affairs if she would issue a consumer warning to alert the public to
the fact that used cars with tampered odometers have been offered for sale in
Hon. Linda McIntosh
(Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs):
Madam Deputy Speaker, I discussed this issue with my staff yesterday,
and through the months that I have been minister, there have been many, many
instances where my department has been involved in police investigations, doing
work to see what is going on out there that might be of trouble to
consumers. From that, I have learned
that, until the police have issued a press release indicating their activities
on any given issue, I will not jeopardize any work that may be being done by
making comment prematurely.
I can say that, if the member is aware of
any particular instances with specific details that he thinks may be of danger
to consumers, he should immediately contact the RCMP with those allegations so
that they can be investigated.
Mr. Maloway: Madam Deputy Speaker, given that one car
dealer is being charged with six offences under the Weights and Measures Act
for rolling back odometers, will she act so that persons who have bought low‑mileage
used cars can have them checked for odometer tampering?
Mrs. McIntosh: Madam Deputy Speaker, the RCMP have released
the name of no individual at this point.
When and if they do, then I will be pleased to make further comment on
any statement that they may issue to the public.
Business
Practices Act
Restitution
Mr. Jim Maloway
(Elmwood): Madam Deputy Speaker, has the minister
examined the use of The Business Practices Act to see whether restitution can
be obtained for anyone who has been a victim of odometer rollbacks?
Hon. Linda McIntosh
(Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs): The member knows the Weights and Measures Act
comes under a federal statute, the Criminal Code applies. However, I am sure that The Business
Practices Act, if a specific complaint was lodged, if a consumer has been victimized
in any way which the act covers, then they can attempt mediation or some of the
other measures in the act to attempt restitution for those who may have been
victimized.
Decentralization
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (
This government does not understand the
concept of decentralization. There have
been four Lottery positions that have been terminated in the city of
My question specifically to the Premier
is: Can the Premier tell this House why
two jobs are being taken from
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): Madam Deputy Speaker, without accepting any of
the preamble of the question that the member for
I can tell him this, that as part of our
government decentralization initiative, we have decentralized over 100 jobs to
the city of
Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Deputy Speaker, we have now seen a
government in a change in policy. There
is a new criteria. Is he now going to
look at every decentralized job, and if it is not efficient, it is coming back
to the city of
Mr. Filmon: Madam Deputy Speaker, if the member for
I know that Liberals and NDP have no
interest in efficiency in government.
They want to just waste money, throw taxpayers' money down the
toilet. We will not accept that response
at any time.
* (1420)
Madam Deputy Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has expired.
ORDERS OF
THE DAY
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Government House Leader): Madam Deputy Speaker,
will you call debate on second readings, the order of the bills as shown on the
Order Paper.
DEBATE ON
SECOND
Bill 6‑The
Denturists Amendment Act
Madam Deputy Speaker: To resume debate on the proposed motion of
the honourable Minister of Health (Mr. Orchard), second reading of Bill 6 (The
Denturists Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les denturologistes),
standing in the name of the honourable member for
Is there leave to permit the bill to
remain standing? Agreed? Agreed and so
ordered.
Bill 9‑The
Economic Innovation and Technology Council Act
Madam Deputy Speaker: On the proposed motion of the honourable First
Minister (Mr. Filmon), to resume debate on second reading of Bill 9 (The
Economic Innovation and Technology Council Act; Loi
sur le Conseil de l'innovation economique et de la technologie), standing
in the name of the honourable member for Interlake (Mr. Clif Evans).
My apologies. There was an error on my Order Paper. The bill is standing in the name of the
honourable member for Brandon East (Mr. Leonard Evans). Is there leave to permit the bill to remain
standing?
Some Honourable Members:
Leave.
Madam Deputy Speaker: Leave.
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The
Pas): Madam Deputy Speaker, I appreciate the
opportunity to speak to Bill 9, which is The Economic Innovation and Technology
Council Act. I also have to express my
disappointment because my friend Tricky Dick will not be able to hear some of
the things that I have to say in terms of economic activity in
Let me start off by talking a little bit about the Northern Economic Development Commission that was announced by the Minister of Northern Affairs after promising to do so for about a year, a year and a half, as an election promise. That Economic Developme