LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF
Friday, April 10, 1992
The House met at 10 a.m.
PRAYERS
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
PRESENTING PETITIONS
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (
Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of
Robert Santos, Jason Howell, Tara Provo and others requesting the government
show its strong commitment to dealing with child abuse by considering restoring
the Fight Back Against Child Abuse Campaign.
Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of
Christine Mazur, Shirley Brewer, Melvin Rempel and others requesting the
government consider restoring the former full funding of $700,000 to fight
Dutch elm disease.
Mr. Speaker: I have
reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Broadway (Mr. Santos), and
it complies 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 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
*
* *
I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for
The petition of the undersigned citizens of the
THAT the bail review provisions in the Criminal Code of
The problem of conjugal and family violence is a matter of grave
concern for all Canadians and requires a multifaceted approach to ensure that
those at risk, particularly women and children, be protected from further harm.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of
the
TABLING OF REPORTS
Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to table the
Annual Report of the Universities Grants Commission, 1990‑91.
* (1005)
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
Bill 75‑The Health
Services Insurance Amendment
and Consequential
Amendments Act
Hon. Donald Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I would move, seconded by the
Minister of Highways and Transportation (Mr. Driedger), that Bill 75, The
Health Services Insurance Amendment and Consequential Amendments Act; Loi
modifiant la Loi sur l'assurance‑maladie et apportant des modifications correlatives
a d'autres lois, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a
first time.
His Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised
of the contents of this bill, recommends it to the House, and I would like to
table the message, Sir.
Motion agreed to.
Bill 73‑The Health
Care Directives and Consequential Amendments Act
Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Justice and Attorney
General): Mr.
Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness),
that Bill 73, The Health Care Directives and Consequential Amendments Act (Loi
sur les directives en matiere de soins de sante et apportant des modifications correlatives
a d'autres lois), be introduced and that the same be now received and read a
first time.
Motion agreed to.
Bill 74‑The Law
Society Amendment Act
Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Justice and Attorney
General): Mr.
Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness),
that Bill 74, The Law Society Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur la
Societe du Barreau), be introduced and that the same be now received and read a
first time.
Motion agreed to.
Introduction of Guests
Mr. Speaker: Prior to
Oral Questions, may I direct the attention of honourable members to the
gallery, where we have with us this morning from the
On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you here this morning.
ORAL QUESTION PERIOD
Economic Growth
Employment Creation
Strategy
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, the last couple of days, we have
had some bad news in terms of the forecasts declining for
Today, we have a situation where we have the highest number of
unemployed people in the history of this province since the Great Depression of
the 1930s; 59,000 people, Mr. Speaker, are out of work, unfortunately.
When you combine that with the 6,000 people who have literally
given up and dropped out of our labour force from a year ago, we have some
very, very serious challenges in terms of our economy.
My question is to the Premier.
What corrective action is his government going to take and what
adjustments is his government going to make to deal with the 59,000 people who
are unemployed, to deal with the thousands now who have given up looking for
work and to deal with the thousands more who are going on social assistance?
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker, the prince of darkness is at it
again. He has great glee in trying to
paint everything as black as he possibly can.
It does not help of course to make comparisons, to say that the
unemployment rate in
An Honourable Member: It is
11.2 now.
Mr. Filmon: No, we
are talking
Mr. Speaker: Order,
please.
Mr. Filmon: On a
seasonally adjusted basis, it was 10.8 percent versus 9.9 percent today.
The fact of the matter is, that does not help those who are unemployed. The only thing that will help people who are unemployed
is for us to have in place economic policies that will correct and improve the
situation.
Mr. Speaker, all you have to do is look at the forecasts of the
Royal Bank and see that they are projecting for us, in 1993, to have the second
highest growth rate in the country, and to see for us, in 1992, to have the
fourth highest growth rate in the country.
Now, the reality is, Mr. Speaker, that none of us want to see the
economic circumstances that we face, but the entire country is facing exactly
those same circumstances.
The fact of the matter is, the country as a whole is in recession. The world is in recession.
Those are the kinds of things that indicate that the policies we
are pursuing and the economic framework that we have set forward are the way to
go. Obviously, that is what the economic
forecasters are saying.
* (1010)
Mr. Doer: Mr.
Speaker, not one specific adjustment from the government to deal with the
59,000 people unemployed, the highest number since we have been maintaining
statistics in this province, not one specific idea or action that the
government will take to deal with the lowering of our growth rate, not any adjustments
at all except the same old drift from the Conservative Party in terms of the
economy.
I have Hansard from 1990, 1991, from a couple of months ago talking
about happy days are here again, just wait till next year. They sound like the B.C. Lions, just wait
till next year, Mr. Speaker, everything is going to come out rosy, yet every month
we see a deteriorating situation in the economy.
I would ask the Premier, what specific action is he and his Economic
Committee of Cabinet‑‑he chairs a committee now that is funded to
some $900,000 of taxpayers' money that is going to develop an economic strategy
for
He supported the Free Trade Agreement with the
What specific action is he going to take as Premier of
Mr. Filmon: Mr.
Speaker, I can tell the Leader of the Opposition that we will not accept his
NDP recipe for renewal which is referred to in the Royal Bank report that says
that in
They talk in fact about both NDP governments in
We will not do that, Mr. Speaker. We will continue our policy of keeping taxes
down, as we have for five straight budgets, to ensure that those people who
want to invest in this province know that this investment is not going to be
eroded by way of increased taxes.
We will ensure that the elderly in this province know that their
incomes will not be eroded by higher taxes, as they are every time a New
Democratic government comes into power.
We will ensure that young people in this province who are saving
for their first home will not have their savings eroded by higher taxes, as is
the recipe by every NDP government that has ever been in this province and that
has ever been in this country.
No, Mr. Speaker, we will not raise taxes, and we will not destroy
the opportunity for economic recovery that is being pointed to by the Royal
Bank and other economic forecasters, thanks to our ability to keep the taxes
down and keep the deficit down.
Mr. Doer: Mr.
Speaker, I refer the Premier to the independent audited statements of
The Premier wants to talk about youth unemployment. If the Premier is doing such a great job of
keeping people working and keeping youth in
* (1015)
Mr. Filmon: Mr.
Speaker, I will invite the Leader of the Opposition to look at the out‑migration
statistics. They have reduced 1990
versus 1989, and they reduced again 1991 versus 1990.
Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is, the answers that are provided
by New Democrats are higher taxes time after time. The Leader of the Opposition gleefully talks
about improving the budgetary situation during his term of office‑‑yes,
by adding over $800 million of new taxes, additional taxes that they brought
in. During the six and a half years of
that NDP administration, personal income taxes increased by 139 percent‑‑in
six and a half years, personal income taxes, 139 percent. That is the answer that they have.
We will not burden the people of this province. We will not burden the businesses of this
province with increased taxes to satisfy the political agenda of the NDP. No, Mr. Speaker, we will not.
North American Free
Trade Agreement
Information Tabling
Request
Mr. Jerry Storie (Flin Flon): Mr. Speaker, the First Minister (Mr. Filmon)
last week suggested that he was prepared to co‑operate and provide
members of the opposition with information on the impact of the free trade
agreements on the Manitoba economy, and I guess my question is to the acting
Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism or to the First Minister.
Mr. Speaker, in light of the fact that 59,000 Manitobans are now
unemployed, in light of the fact that Stats Canada reports that nonresidential
investment in
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is, we
are under review, as I have said on numerous occasions, of the proposals that
are put forth by all three of the parties in the North American free trade
agreement, that we have put forward very strongly our six major concerns that
have to be dealt with, that the analysis has not been completed and given to
the minister for discussion by cabinet, and until that happens, we will not
have further discussion on the matter.
Mr. Storie: Well,
then, is the First Minister contradicting what the Minister of Industry, Trade
and Tourism (Mr. Stefanson) told this House earlier this week, that in fact the
report from the department had been received by the minister?
Is the minister contradicting what his own minister said, and will
we finally get to the truth of this and get some information about the impact
of not only the North American free trade agreement, but the Free Trade
Agreement, which is ruining the economy?
Mr. Filmon: Mr.
Speaker, I will repeat for the information of the member for Flin Flon, cabinet
has not yet received any report or had any discussion on this.
Manufacturing Industry
Employment Decline
Mr. Jerry Storie (Flin Flon): Mr. Speaker, if this is not a covert attempt
at keeping information‑‑
Mr. Speaker:
Question, please.
Mr. Storie: Mr.
Speaker, the manufacturing sector in the
Can the Acting Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism or the First
Minister tell this House what projections or what information the minister has
on the trend to moving plants from
* (1020)
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker, according to the information in
the labour force survey that was tabled by Statistics
I know that the member for Flin Flon is not aware of the fact that
there are many areas of the so‑called new growth areas of technology‑‑high
technology, computers and various other areas, communications, medical
products, two pharmaceutical plants being built in
Those are the areas that are being pointed to as areas of opportunity,
growth and development of new jobs and new technologies in this province. Those are the areas in which we are
concentrating our efforts by way of economic development.
Youth Unemployment
Government Strategy
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition): The unemployment statistics that came out
today were really quite shocking and have to be of concern to all of us.
When this government came to office in May of 1988, 13.4 percent
of the young people between the ages of 15 and 24 were unemployed. Today that statistic is 18.6 percent, an
increase of 5.2 percent. For young men
between the ages of 15 and 24, that statistic has increased to 22.3 percent, or
a 9.1 percent increase. Almost one in
four young men entering what should be a job market finds himself unable to
find employment.
Can the First Minister tell us what specific strategies his economic
secretariat is dealing with to deal with this excessively high unemployment
rate for our young men and women in the
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker, certainly all of us are concerned
about the employment levels for youth in this province, and as we approach the
summer months where youth are looking for jobs in greater numbers, one of the
things that was put forward in this year's budget is not only a maintenance of
the level of funding for CareerStart, but a new program called Partners with Youth
that will create hundreds and thousands of additional jobs for the youth of our
province.
That, Mr. Speaker, will be our attempt to ensure that the youth
of this province can participate in the economic recovery of this province and
can participate in the opportunity for them to be able to be employed gainfully
during the summer months and beyond.
Mrs. Carstairs::: Mr.
Speaker, the Premier knows full well that the money for Partners with Youth has
come from other funding programs which were also supporting job programs for
young people.
Can the First Minister tell this House today how many new jobs
will be available for those young people as a result of his government initiatives,
when he compares the jobs that were there with all the old programs with the
jobs that, quite frankly, are going to be there in just a newly named program?
Mr. Filmon: I just
want to correct the Leader of the Liberal Party. She has obviously not read the budget
information accurately. It comes from a
brand new program called REDI, which is the money that comes out of the video
lottery terminals, which is new money that has not been there in any other
previous government programs.
That money is intended to create, in addition to the jobs that
will be in CareerStart, will create about a thousand additional jobs, new money
that has never been there in any other program.
* (1025)
Community Colleges
Employment Training
Initiatives
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition): Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Premier to go
back and look at his own budget and look at the money they pulled out of
northern programs for young people, they pulled out of skills training programs
for young people, and I want to know what the bottom line is on the creation of
brand new jobs. I cannot find any brand
new jobs as a result of any of these initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, the alternative for young people, if they cannot find
employment, is to continue their education and training. Can the Minister of
Education and Training tell this House today, finally, how many new training
positions will be available in this province in our community colleges for the
academic year 1992‑93‑‑new, above and beyond what is there at
the present time?
Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): Mr. Speaker, I would like to answer in two
parts.
First of all, I would like to start by talking about the K‑12
system and our commitment for young people so that those young people remain in
school for their training, that we are supporting them through a foundation of
education, and we have in fact also added a student support branch.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, as I have answered in this House previously,
is over 600 new positions.
Social Assistance
Employment Creation
Strategy
Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago I was given a tour
of a City of
What is the Tory solution to this? It is to spend $40 million more this year
than last year on social assistance.
They are paying people to stay home instead of paying people to work.
I would like to ask the Premier what his government is doing to
get people back to work instead of spending tens of millions of dollars more on
additional social assistance.
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): To begin with, Mr. Speaker, rather than
operating in a very facile way, as the member for Burrows is with the
situation, we are showing our concern‑‑
Point of Order
Mr. Martindale: There is
absolutely nothing facile about my attitude toward my constituents on social
assistance‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order,
please. The honourable member does not
have a point of order. It is a dispute
over the facts.
*
* *
Mr. Filmon: Mr.
Speaker, I will not apologize for putting more money into social allowances to
ensure that those people‑‑higher increases I might say than are
being put in by NDP governments everywhere else in this country, because we
recognize that people are in difficulty, that people do not want to be on
social assistance, but while they are there, they deserve the support of a
government that cares about them. We do
indeed care about them, so we will make sure that they will get the support
they need.
Mr. Speaker, we will not do what the New Democrats want to do which
is that as soon as they are in a position to seek employment, tax it all away
from them by raising their taxes and confiscating everything that they hope to
earn to get themselves back on their feet.
We will not raise the taxes of everybody in this province to do the
short‑term, make‑work jobs that the NDP did when they were in
office, that the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer), when he was president of
MGEA, called 'planting flowers along the roadsides' just to try and keep up the
image of the NDP. We will not do that.
We will care for them when they need care, and we will build a
stronger economy by keeping the taxes down in this province and ensuring that
there is an attractive place for investment.
That is why the Royal Bank says that last year our growth rate was the third
best in the country; this year it will be the fourth best; next year it will be
the second best, because we are doing the right things, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Martindale:
Manitobans would rather work and pay taxes than sit home and collect
social assistance and not pay any taxes.
Mr. Speaker:
Question, please.
Dutch Elm Disease
Program
Funding Restoration
Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Will the Premier commit himself to restoring
the funding to the Dutch elm disease control program of $350,000 which they cut
out, so that employable people on City of
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): I have indicated to this House before that my
forestry officials are currently reviewing the issue, and I have every
intention of ensuring that the acceptable level of program is maintained.
* (1030)
Scientific Opinion
Tabling Request
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): Mr. Speaker, while I am on my feet, the other
day, the honourable member for Wolseley (Ms. Friesen), I believe, asked whether
I could table any supporting professional information in that regard. I would like to table a document from the
Chief Forester in my department, Mr. Richard Westwood, which indicates that the
present level would maintain that 2 percent that we talked about the other day.
Nonetheless, Mr. Speaker, that is not quite good enough. The truth of the matter is we are losing
trees, and it is important that we worry about replacing them. I promised that I would have a program
available for consideration within a very short time.
It is not an urgency matter with us, because we are looking at
a snowstorm right now, and we really cannot get at this until the latter part
of May or June. It may be easy for a
Free Press editorial writer to make these decisions in 10 minutes, but we regard
very carefully how an additional $100,000 or $200,000 or $300,000 can be spent
of the taxpayers' money.
Human Resources
Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier
if he will commit himself to restoring funding for the Human Resources
Opportunity Centre in Selkirk which trains social assistance recipients for
employment, instead of increasing funding for social assistance which they have
done and which they will probably have to do again halfway through the fiscal
year.
Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): See, Mr. Speaker, every question involves
increasing spending or increasing taxes.
Every New Democratic suggestion is increasing taxes, which will then
drive more jobs out of this province, just as they did every time they raised
the taxes when they were in government.
That is not the answer to all of our problems. It did not work under the New Democrats, and
it will not work in the future.
Oak Hammock Marsh
Ducks Unlimited Complex
Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the
Environment minister accused the opposition of using misleading information
when we called for the Oak Hammock Marsh office complex to be referred back to
the Clean Environment Commission for a proper review.
I would like to ask the same minister if he will now concede that
we were in fact using accurate information, since today, his own Manitoba
Environment Council has condemned the project and asked that it be referred
back to the same Clean Environment Commission.
Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister of Environment): Mr. Speaker, the member still incorrectly
characterizes the figures that they are using.
They are misleading and misrepresenting what is occurring under the
conditions of the licence.
The soil that is being disturbed was sodded. The material will be returned to the surface
with the original material. It was set
up and approved under the scrutiny of the advisory committee of the Ducks
Unlimited project which, in their comments, said that this was an exemplary way
in which to proceed. I wish that the
member would take a look at those facts.
Ms. Cerilli: Mr.
Speaker, the minister knows full well that the two most important reports, the
Bovey Report and the Boothroyd Report, were mysteriously lost or not included
before the Clean Environment Commission, and it is only now that those reports
are available.
Based on that, will the minister now return this project back to
the Clean Environment Commission so that those reports can be used?
Mr. Cummings: Mr.
Speaker, I believe, if the member wants to check the records, that we made very
clear to the decision‑makers that the information provided in those
reports was available to them, and they proceeded on that basis.
Ms. Cerilli: Mr.
Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Environment if his department has
done any studies in order to determine how wildlife in this area is being
impacted, since they are also changing the licence to do heavy construction,
contrary to the original licence, during the sensitive migration period.
Mr. Cummings: Mr.
Speaker, there will not be activities taking place during sensitive migratory
periods of activity in that area, and we are very carefully controlling the
activities so that this protection is provided.
I think the member should recognize that one of the primary objectives
that we need to do as a society is make sure that we have educational
opportunities for upcoming generations to be able to view the activities and
the importance of those activities, and that is exactly what this project will
achieve.
Hazardous Waste Management
Corporation
PCB Storage Site
Mr. Paul Edwards (St. James): Mr. Speaker‑‑
An Honourable Member: Oh, he
is back.
An Honourable Member: They are
glad to see you, at least.
Mr. Speaker: Order,
please.
Mr. Edwards: I only
wish I had been able to accompany the member for Rossmere (Mr. Neufeld), Mr.
Speaker. I am sure he is having a better
time than I did.
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Environment. Early
last month, the province announced that the long awaited $30‑million
Hazardous Waste Corporation facility would be built on a site in the R.M. of
Montcalm.
Mr. Speaker, when one reviews all of the documents issued, not
only by this government but by the corporation since 1982, since this process
has been underway, it is clear that the facility is to be a comprehensive waste
treatment facility‑‑in the words of a February 27, 1991, press
release‑‑handling all products except dangerous goods, being
radioactive and explosive materials.
Everything else was to be handled in one facility.
My question for the minister is: Why is the Hazardous Waste Corporation now
saying to the people of the R.M. of Montcalm in a letter to their local
newspaper on March 23 of this year that PCB storage will not be done at the
Montcalm site and further‑‑and I quote from that letter from the
corporation: as a result it may be
necessary to duplicate a portion of our facility in another community, such as
Mr. Speaker, why has this government moved away from the one comprehensive
site which has been their theory for 10 years?
Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister of Environment): Mr. Speaker, one of the most important
aspects of the process that the Hazardous Waste Corporation has gone through is
community consultation; first of all, to make sure that there was a community
that was willing and anxious to be receptive to the location of a facility there. Part of that also led very directly to an
understanding between the corporation and any community‑‑and this
is not unusual from the type of discussions that occurred in other locations as
well‑‑that had some input into what the operation of the facility,
what form it might take.
It is correct to say that at this juncture, PCBs are not contemplated
to be stored at that facility, but the community, through its input into the
management of the corporation, will have an ongoing opportunity to review what
occurs there. That is a condition that
the corporation is prepared to live with, has the capacity to work with
because, frankly, as PCBs are phased out, there is a lack of demand for
increasing storage capacity.
Mr. Speaker, the agreement that the corporation is working toward
is one that the community is fully in understanding and co‑operation
with, and it is prepared to continue to discuss those types of operational
matters and will not be a problem for the corporation.
Mr. Edwards: Mr.
Speaker, that is an about‑face after 10 years of an assumption of there
being one facility. My question for the
minister is: Given that the manager of
external affairs has said the site will be in
Mr. Cummings: Mr.
Speaker, I think the member perhaps is either wanting to or is attempting to
read more into that comment than what was intended. There is in fact PCB storage today managed by
This is not a deviation from the plan of the corporation, because
particularly, Mr. Speaker, this is to my knowledge the only hazardous waste
treatment facility in
* (1040)
Mr. Edwards: Mr. Speaker,
I understand the goal of community support, but can the minister tell members
of this House why after 10 years, the assumption being that there would be one site,
one total facility, which made eminent sense to everyone and was always in all
of the documents the assumption, why this government has moved from that
position and why they are now exempting PCBs, only PCBs, from that theory, and
where in the city they plan to put the PCBs?
Mr. Cummings: Mr.
Speaker, I suspect the member is leading in a direction that he does not intend
to because his remarks seem to indicate that he supports a single monopolistic
operation within the province; either that or he misunderstands the mandate of
the corporation.
This is a treatment facility.
It will not at this point contain any incineration capacity. It is a facility that will treat the majority
of the waste produced in this province, but not all. That is known because we are a small province
which simply does not have the capacity to be able to deal with every known
waste that needs to be neutralized, destroyed or otherwise.
The other thing that I think needs to be made very clear is that
this facility will not be operated in the manner of the
Chinese Cooking
Wine
Mr. George Hickes (Point Douglas): Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister
responsible for the Liquor Control Commission.
I will table the
Six months ago, the Attorney General (Mr. McCrae) promised changes
to the legislation to address the issue of abuse of Chinese cooking wine. Why is the minister only now undertaking the
tests and studies to take this step?
Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister charged with the
administration of The Liquor Control Act): Mr. Speaker, the committee upon which we sit
is a coalition committee. John Rodgers
in fact is on that committee, and his contributions are very valuable. He is very interested in the topic and
terribly concerned, as are we and as are all of those who care about substance
abuse in society.
The Liquor Commission has been asked through that committee to
test some of the brands of the cooking wines that are on the shelves, and we
are in the process of doing that. We
hope to hear back later this month as to whether or not they will be scientifically
deemed to be potable substances.
If they are potable substances, then they could come under the
control of the Liquor Commission. If
they are not, then some other means of controlling them, if that is felt to be
the solution, would have to be devised and may include a needed change in
definition to the act.
Mr. Hickes: Mr.
Speaker, this issue was raised six months ago, and now only today they are
conducting these tests. The minister was
aware of it six months ago. I would like
to ask the minister to table the results of past studies and tests before she
hires more consultants to do more tests.
My supplementary question is to the same minister. Will she now listen to calls from the
community, echoed by CJOB, which said, Mrs. McIntosh should sign the banning
order today and take action now based on the success of the
Mrs. McIntosh: Mr.
Speaker, I should indicate that the committee that is sitting is a volunteer
committee. We did not hire them as
consultants. The testing laboratories we
are using are quality control people whom we use for testing a variety of spirits
to ascertain their purity.
I should also indicate that I would love to be able to solve all
the problems of the world today, right now this minute. Would we all not? I cannot, however‑‑
Some Honourable Members:
Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order,
please.
Mrs. McIntosh: I am
sure they would like to hear the answer, Mr. Speaker, so I will wait until they
are listening.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot sign a banning order because the act, as
I have explained to the member earlier, in
Mr. Hickes: Mr.
Speaker, this was raised six months ago.
Mr. Speaker:
Question, please.
Mr. Hickes: She
could have been working on those amendments six months ago. How many more deaths are we going to see?
Solvent Abuse
Legislation
Proclamation
Mr. George Hickes (Point Douglas): My final question is to the Minister of
Health.
Will he, in light of his colleague's comments that his government
wants to fight nonbeverage alcohol substance abuse, respond to the wishes of
Manitobans and finally proclaim the antisolvent abuse legislation introduced by
the member for
Hon. Donald Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I can add no further clarity
than I did when posed the similar question yesterday.
Mr. Speaker: Time for
Oral Questions has expired.
NONPOLITICAL STATEMENTS
Hon. Bonnie Mitchelson (Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship): Mr. Speaker, might I have leave to make a nonpolitical
statement?
Mr. Speaker: Does the
honourable minister have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? Leave.
It is agreed.
Mrs. Mitchelson: The week
of April 12 to 18 is National Citizenship Week.
This week has been celebrated since 1988 to mark the signing of the
Canadian Charter of Rights. It is our opportunity
each year to reflect on Canadian citizenship and how precious it is to us.
In
I often meet people from other countries where such freedom is
unheard of, where walking down a street is an act of bravery, where speaking
for an idea would mean death. This
freedom has always been one of
As the composition of our community evolves and changes, we are
learning to respect the cultural heritage that our new citizens bring to
We seldom take the time to really consider the true richness that
our country offers. I hope that all of
us will take some time next week to do just that, consider the importance of
our citizenship, the rights that we enjoy and the privileges that make us a
truly noble country.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
*
* *
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition): Could I have leave for a nonpolitical
statement?
Mr. Speaker: Does the
honourable Leader have leave?
Leave. It is agreed.
Mrs. Carstairs::: Mr.
Speaker, tomorrow is a very momentous occasion for one member of the Manitoba
Legislature. After 43 years of managing
to escape the marital bliss that some of the rest of us have experienced,
tomorrow at 11 a.m. the member for Osborne (Mr. Alcock) will indeed be married
to Karen Taraska.
Mr. Speaker, there was a roast with respect to the honourable member
on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I was not
able to be there. I did give him several pieces of advice, one of which I think
will make sense to many of you. I did
suggest that if he did not want to offend his mother‑in‑law in
perpetuity, he should arrive on time for the ceremony, and that meant at 11
a.m. and not 11:15 or 11:30.
I also suggested that it was perhaps in his best interest not to
take his computers with him to the service, whether it was the large one,
whether it was the small PC, or whether it was in fact the calendar. We have gotten quite used to them all in our caucus
room, but we did not think, again, that his mother‑in‑law would be
particularly impressed with those at the marital service itself.[interjection!
I hope she is not, but I did make a recommendation‑‑for
the member for Pembina (Mr. Orchard)‑‑that he not take the
computers on his honeymoon. I did say to
the bride that I thought there was a limit to the control and power that this
Leader had. I did suggest that there
were certain places on the honeymoon, however, that it should not go.
* (1050)
Mr. Speaker, with all humour aside, the member for Osborne is indeed
entering a state tomorrow that, for me, has been the most important thing in my
entire life. My marriage represents the most
important thing to me, bar none, and I can only wish for the member for Osborne
the same happiness and joy, friendship, companionship and love that marriage
has brought to me. I am sure that this
is the wish of each and every member of this Assembly.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Hon. Clayton Manness (Government House
Leader): Mr. Speaker, would you call second readings,
Bills 68 and 72, and then adjourned debate, Bill 45.
SECOND