LEGISLATIVE
ASSEMBLY OF
Monday,
May 17, 1993
The House met at 1:30
p.m.
PRAYERS
ROUTINE
PROCEEDINGS
PRESENTING
PETITIONS
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The
Pas): Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of
Christine Maniel, Don Russick, Greg Maniel and others requesting the Minister
of Health (Mr. Orchard) consider restoring the Children's Dental Program to the
level it was prior to the 1993‑94 budget.
Mr. Clif Evans
(Interlake): Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of
Diane Hofer, Isaac Hofer, Debbie Hofer and others requesting the Minister of
Health (Mr. Orchard) consider restoring the Children's Dental Program to the
level it was prior to the 1993‑94 budget.
Mr. Jim Maloway
(Elmwood): Mr. Speaker, I beg to present the petition of
Lillian Kleinsasser, Dave Waldner, Joseph Waldner and others requesting the
Minister of Health (Mr. Orchard) consider restoring the Children's Dental
Program to the level it was prior to the 1993‑94 budget.
* * *
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (
Mr. Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the
honourable member (Mr. Storie). It
complies with the privileges and the practices of the House and complies with
the rules. Is it the will of the House
to have the petition read? [agreed]
Mr. Clerk (William
Remnant): The petition of the undersigned citizens of
the
WHEREAS
WHEREAS over 55,000 children depend upon
the Children's Dental Program; and
WHEREAS several studies have pointed out
the cost savings of preventative and treatment health care programs such as the
Children's Dental Program; and
WHEREAS the Children's Dental Program has
been in effect for 17 years and has been recognized as extremely cost‑effective
and critical for many families in isolated communities; and
WHEREAS the provincial government did not
consult the users of the program or the providers before announcing plans to
eliminate 44 of the 49 dentists, nurses and assistants providing this service;
and
WHEREAS preventative health care is an
essential component of health care reform.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray
that the Legislative Assembly of
* * *
Mr. Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the
honourable member (Ms. Wowchuk). It
complies with the privileges and the practices of the House and complies with
the rules. Is it the will of the House
to have the petition read? [agreed]
Mr. Clerk: The petition of the undersigned citizens of the
WHEREAS the Canadian Wheat Board has
played a vital role in the orderly marketing of Canadian wheat, barley and
other grain products since its inception in 1935; and
WHEREAS the federal Minister of
Agriculture is considering removing barley from the jurisdiction of the Wheat
Board; and
WHEREAS this is another step towards
dismantling the board; and
WHEREAS, as in the case with the removal
of oats from the Wheat Board in 1989, there has been no consultation with the
board of directors of the Wheat Board, with the 11‑member advisory
committee to the board or the producers themselves; and
WHEREAS the federal minister has said that
there will be no plebiscite of farmers before the announcement is made.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray
that the Legislative Assembly of
* * *
Mr. Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the
honourable member (Mr. Hickes). It
complies with the privileges and the practices of the House and complies with
the rules. Is it the will of the House
to have the petition read? [agreed]
Mr. Clerk: The petition of the undersigned citizens of
the
WHEREAS the United Nations has declared
1993 the International Year of the World's Indigenous People with the theme,
"Indigenous People: a new partnership";
and
WHEREAS the provincial government has
totally discontinued funding to all friendship centres; and
WHEREAS the provincial government has
stated that these cuts mirror the federal cuts; and
WHEREAS the elimination of all funding to
friendship centres will result in the loss of many jobs as well as the services
and programs provided, such as:
assistance to the elderly, the homeless, youth programming, the socially
disadvantaged, families in crisis, education, recreation and cultural programming,
housing relocation, fine options, counselling, court assistance, advocacy;
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray
that the Legislative Assembly of
* (1335)
* * *
Mr. Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the
honourable member (Mr. Dewar). It
complies with the privileges and the practices of the House and complies with
the rules. Is it the will of the House
to have the petition read? [agreed]
Mr. Clerk: The petition of the undersigned citizens of the
WHEREAS
WHEREAS over 55,000 children depend upon
the Children's Dental Program; and
WHEREAS several studies have pointed out
the cost savings of preventative and treatment health care programs such as the
Children's Dental Program; and
WHEREAS the Children's Dental Program has
been in effect for 17 years and has been recognized as extremely cost‑effective
and critical for many families in isolated communities; and
WHEREAS the provincial government did not
consult the users of the program or the providers before announcing plans to eliminate
44 of the 49 dentists, nurses and assistants providing this service; and
WHEREAS preventative health care is an
essential component of health care reform.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray
that the Legislative Assembly of
INTRODUCTION
OF BILLS
Bill 33‑The
Provincial Railways and Consequential Amendments Act
Hon. Albert Driedger
(Minister of Highways and Transportation): Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the
Minister of Energy and Mines (Mr. Downey), that Bill 33, The Provincial
Railways and Consequential Amendments Act (Loi concernant les chemins de fer
provinciaux 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 as well.
Motion agreed to.
Bill 35‑The
Fisheries Amendment Act
Hon. Harry Enns
(Minister of Natural Resources): Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Health (Mr. Orchard), that Bill 35, The Fisheries
Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur la peche), 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 will be tabling the message as well.
Motion agreed to.
Introduction
of Guests
Mr. Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, may I direct the
attention of all members to the gallery, where we have with us this afternoon
from the
Also this afternoon, from the
On behalf of all honourable members, I
would like to welcome you here this afternoon.
ORAL
QUESTION PERIOD
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of
the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier
(Mr. Filmon).
On May 5, cabinet replaced a former Tory
fundraiser on the Board of Directors of Manitoba Hydro, one Mr. Terry Stratton,
who had received the ultimate, I guess, in terms of Tory fundraising rewards
and been appointed to the Senate.
They replaced one Tory fundraiser on that
Manitoba Hydro Board with another Conservative fundraiser, one Arni
Thorsteinson, who of course was appointed to the Board of Manitoba Hydro on May
5 to replace Terry Stratton. By
correspondence that we have received, we know he is the chairman of the PC
Manitoba fund, the fund that was sending out letters on April 28 to numerous
businesses and organizations across
Mr. Speaker, it appears to us that this
board spot is reserved for a Conservative fundraising person, and I would like
to ask the Premier what the qualifications of Mr. Thorsteinson were to appoint
him to that board of directors.
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): Mr. Speaker, Mr. Thorsteinson is probably on
more boards of directors of more national corporations than all but a handful
of Manitobans. I know that he is on the
board of, for instance, one of the banks in
* (1340)
Mr. Doer: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Thorsteinson has also been
appointed by Brian Mulroney to the Petro‑Canada Board of Directors. Here we see fundraisers sending out letters
to businesses all across
Does the Premier not think, given the fact
that Jules Benson had to quit under The Civil Service Act his position as a
fundraiser for the Conservative Party when the Premier appointed him to
Treasury Board, there is a problem here with a person who is involved in
raising money for the Conservative Party in the morning, making decisions on
procurement policies worth tens of millions of dollars in the afternoon?
Mr. Filmon: Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe the hypocrisy of
this member opposite. The member who is
sitting behind him, one David Chomiak, when he was a member of the equivalent
of the Crown Corporations Council, was sending out fundraising letters to the
corporate community in this province on behalf of New Democrats. One Marty
Dolin, who was at that time the husband of a minister of government in the New
Democratic government, later became himself a member of the New Democratic
government, was a bagman‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Point of
Order
Mr. Steve Ashton
(Opposition House Leader): On a point of order,
Mr. Speaker, I realize that our rules in terms of what is parliamentary and
what is not usually covers sitting members, but I would perhaps like to remind
the First Minister this is the 1990s and people are no longer referred to as
being spouses or appendages. People are
referred to as being their own individuals with their own views. Perhaps the First Minister might wish to
consider that.
Mr. Speaker: The honourable member does not have a point
of order. It is clearly a dispute over
the facts.
* * *
Mr. Doer: Mr. Speaker, a final question to the Premier
on the qualifications of the individual whom he has so vigorously defended.
On April 27, a judgment was made on behalf
of the Province of
Mr. Speaker, has the member whom the Premier
has defended, did he pay back the money to the
Mr. Filmon: Mr. Speaker, speaking of paying back the
government, the member could tell us whether or not he and his member for
Selkirk (Mr. Dewar) repaid student loans.
Mr. Speaker, we deal with every single
person, regardless of their political stripe, on a businesslike basis, and that
is why we do not give special favours to any individual regardless of their
political persuasion.
* (1345)
Radon Gas
Report
Release
Ms. Marianne Cerilli
(Radisson): Mr. Speaker, the problem of radon gas in
I would ask the Minister of
Environment: Why was the report on the
levels of radon outside the city of
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): I am not sure what
the member means by being released independently. The fact is that meetings were held in the
communities outside of
That is what concerns me about the
attention that this particular item is receiving today. Some three years ago, three and a half years
ago, this province released all the information that we had available at that
point regarding radon. We put together
what is considered one of the most comprehensive and useful radon guides for
homeowners. I am looking at this one;
this was the second printing already in October of 1989.
So, Mr. Speaker, this government has taken
a lot of time and effort to make sure that Manitobans are aware of the issue.
Building
Code Regulations
Ms. Marianne Cerilli
(Radisson): Mr. Speaker, what we are talking about is a
more proactive approach that is going to let people know that our homes in
I would ask the Minister of
Environment: Why have the building codes
of
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): Those regulatory
changes, which have been worked on and put together in conjunction with the
industry‑‑that is one of the things that disturbs me, however, is
that we should perhaps be very careful on how we deal with this issue, because
at the same time as we want to make sure that Manitobans have all of the
information available to them, I would like to point out that an information
bulletin went out of our department earlier this year, as well.
In that bulletin, it has been indicated
that we have some preliminary results from a decade‑long study that has
been done by Canada Health and Welfare, a study which they will be releasing
later this year. They presented us with
information of their preliminary results, and the indications are that they
have been unable to establish any relationship between the health effects and
high radon levels or household levels of radon as we have in this province.
Ms. Cerilli: Mr. Speaker, it concerns me that this minister
would get into a battle over research studies when there is something as
serious as this that has been shown to be related to cancer and is in the
government's own‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Radisson, with your
question.
Home
Repair Assistance Program
Ms. Marianne Cerilli
(Radisson): My question for the Minister of Environment
is: What consideration has this
government given to a loan and cost assistance program to help homeowners cover
the cost of $1,500 to radon‑proof their homes?
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): Mr. Speaker, as I
indicated, we have taken the position we took back in 1989 and it has been
reconfirmed, as a matter of fact, by the information that has been recently
released, in fact, reconfirms the information we had in 1989 that the concerns
are such that a person, if they wish, can acquire the expertise to have the
test done of any particular levels of radon or find if there are particular
levels in their dwelling, and we provide as much information as we can as to
how it can be mitigated.
Frankly, the implication that this could
cost up to $1,500‑‑it can be considerably less as well.
Radon Gas
Home
Repair Assistance Program
Mr. Paul Edwards (St.
James): My question also is for the Minister of
Environment.
I have listened to his answers to my
colleague's questions, Mr. Speaker, and I am reminded of the October 5, 1989,
press release in which this minister said that he would be forthwith putting in
radon protection provisions into the
He also produced a facts sheet at that
time which said that radon‑related safeguards would be included in
amendments to the
It has been three and a half years, Mr.
Speaker. When is this minister intending
on actually following through on commitments made three and a half years ago
about a problem that he said at the time, correctly, was extremely serious?
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): Mr. Speaker, this is
not just a result of an action by this department, but the co‑ordination
of the other departments and the
* (1350)
Mr. Edwards: I asked about these press releases that are
about the
My further question, Mr. Speaker, is for
the minister: Given that this minister
has agreed this is an extremely serious problem and it is relatively
inexpensive in most cases to deal with, is this minister prepared to speak to
his colleague the minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro (Mr. Downey) to
canvass the possibility of giving loans to be paid back over time through Hydro
payments, as has been done in the past, for this type of home improvement
activity which can only help the health of Manitobans throughout this province?
Mr. Cummings: Mr. Speaker, the member implies that this is a
matter that should be dealt with on an emergency basis or dealt with through a
government program that would fund the correction of the problem.
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, while we
are concerned about what any of these elevated readings may mean, they are
naturally occurring, and the studies that we have from the Department of Health
and Welfare do not indicate that there is a demonstrable relationship in terms
of cause and effect.
Mr. Speaker, I think the best approach is
that we keep ourselves informed, that we make sure that the public has an
opportunity to be informed, and if they believe the concern is of a level that
they wish to do something about it, that the information be available.
Building
Code Regulations
Mr. Paul Edwards (St.
James): Mr. Speaker, the minister's booklet
says: Radon is a significant contributor
towards lung cancer deaths.
My question for the minister: He talks about me wanting to deal with this
on an emergency basis. When is he going
to put the provisions into the Manitoba Building Code dealing with radon
gas? Three and a half years‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member has put his question.
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): Mr. Speaker, it seems
to me that the member is unwilling to recognize a considerable amount of work
that has been done.
This province had a demonstration project
in 1988‑89 in the northern part of the city of
Mr. Speaker, the information gathered
there, combined with the information gathered by Canada Department of Health
and Welfare, indicates this is the best way of dealing with the issue.
Organic
Farming
Minister's
Position
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (
Will the minister tell the House today if
his idea about the value of organic farming has changed in any way, given the
results of the recent study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology
which links the use of herbicides with prostate cancer?
Hon. Glen Findlay
(Minister of Agriculture): Mr. Speaker, over the
course of the last number of years, there has been a lot of concern about the
use of chemicals in the operation of a farm.
We have a registration process in
I think what this sort of information does
highlight to farmers is that they should follow the safety precautions because,
to tell you the truth, when surveys are done to determine if farmers are
following the precautions, many are not following them to the letter of the
requirement to guarantee safe handling of the chemicals.
So it is important that these studies are
done. It does highlight the need to use
safety practices, and those practices do exist.
They are part of the precautions on the labels of all chemicals used in
agriculture.
Agricultural
Industry
Chemical
Health Risks
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (
Will the minister tell this House what
steps his government will be taking to monitor the health impacts on farmers in
Hon. Glen Findlay
(Minister of Agriculture): Mr. Speaker, the
department has put together an Agriculture Chemicals in the 1990s video that
was presented to the farm community in the past years. It helps to highlight safe use of chemicals.
We have a process of licensing all
pesticide retailers so they can then pass on the level of education to all
farmers. We, certainly, through the
course of the normal extension activities of the department and any time that I
speak to people involved with chemicals, always accentuate all the precautions
that should be used.
We cannot guarantee that farmers will
follow them. We continue to accentuate
that they should and all the reasons why they should. We also have done a survey to look at the degree
to which farmers are using these, and it does show that rubber gloves, which is
one of the really important ways to protect yourself, are used by 77 percent of
the participants, which is much higher than it was ten years ago‑‑much,
much higher.
* (1355)
Ms. Wowchuk: Can the minister tell the House then whether
he has read this study and whether he will direct his department staff to
undertake further research that is recommended by the author of the studies,
and undertake measures to educate farmers and protect farmers against these
potentially deadly chemicals?
Mr. Findlay: Mr. Speaker, I have already indicated to the
member that we do a number of things in terms of trying to be sure that farmers
follow the appropriate precautions to look after themselves, their families and
anybody around them.
It is an ongoing process, and we have
stepped up that process in the last few years, particularly by putting together
the video, Agriculture Chemicals in the 1990s.
Major, major progress has been made in the last 10 years to get farmers
to understand that they are at risk in the use of these chemicals. The labelling precautions are there. It is an ongoing process. We have stepped it up in the last few
years. We are well ahead of the member.
Sunday
Shopping
Consultations
Mr. Jerry Storie (Flin
Flon): Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister
of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
Earlier today, the minister was quoted on
a local radio station as suggesting that the opposition were holding up public
consultation on the Sunday shopping legislation. Talk about revisionist history, Mr. Speaker.
My question to the minister is: Can he explain to Manitobans why, when second
reading of Sunday shopping legislation was passed last December, in the
intervening months there has been no attempt by the government to consult with
rural Manitobans, to consult with the chambers of commerce in communities
throughout this province on why this government is wrongheaded and why they are
proceeding with Sunday shopping legislation?
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Mr. Speaker, I guess this points out very
clearly that the member for Flin Flon and members of his party do not
understand what a trial period is. The
whole idea of the original bill was to have a four‑month trial period, to
get an opportunity for Manitobans to determine how Sunday shopping affected
their communities or individual lives, to give the government an opportunity to
assess it.
We did introduce another piece of
legislation modelled after
Public
Hearings‑Rural
Mr. Jerry Storie (Flin
Flon): Mr. Speaker, once again, the chamber of
commerce pointed thumbs down on this legislation. The chamber of commerce has said this is not
in the interest of rural
My question to the minister is: Will he now announce in the House today‑‑and
he will receive the co‑operation of the opposition in proceeding with
this legislation‑‑which rural communities will have hearings on
this Sunday shopping legislation? Will
he announce that today so that we can co‑operate?
Hon. Eric Stefanson
(Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Mr. Speaker, the member for Flin Flon
refers to a resolution passed this weekend at a Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
annual meeting. I had an opportunity to
have lunch today with the president of the Manitoba Chamber and the Winnipeg
Chamber. They indicated that it was an
interesting discussion and a close vote.
Only 15 chambers voted, the vote was eight to seven. So it shows, once again, the nature of the
issue in terms of Manitobans having different views.
We have said all along on this particular
piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker, that it will follow the same legislative
process as every other piece of legislation.
Once it receives second reading in this House, it will go to the
traditional committee hearings that are held right here in this building and
which each and every Manitoban can come in person or send in a written
submission. That opportunity is there
for all Manitobans to do so.
Mr. Storie: Mr. Speaker, talk about the arrogance of government.
The question to the minister is: Will he identify for rural Manitobans, for
the
Mr. Stefanson: Mr. Speaker, the arrogance is clearly across
the way. Here is a member who has been
in this House for many years, and he knows legislative process and he knows
what happens with legislation in this House.
This piece of legislation will follow the same process as every other
piece of legislation.
As well, on the issue for municipalities
that do decide to go to wide‑open Sunday shopping, they have a municipal
process here in
* (1400)
Interdepartmental
Crisis Committee
Target
Groups
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs
(Leader of the Second Opposition): Mr. Speaker, my question
is to the Minister of Family Services.
I asked the minister last Tuesday with
regard to some protocols that the departments are now using in co‑ordinating
information from one department to the other.
On Friday, the minister of Child and Family Services distributed four
documents, three of which, quite frankly, pre‑date the Reid inquest. The final document that was released refers
to children between the ages of five and 11, which does not mean that the Reid
family would have qualified.
Would the minister now today like to give
us protocols that would have applied to a similar incident like the Reid family
tragedy?
Hon. Harold Gilleshammer
(Minister of Family Services): Mr.
Speaker, last day, I pointed out to the member that the Reid inquest report by
Judge Norton dealt with addressing difficulties of co‑ordination between
the Child and Family Services agencies and other social agencies and police
authorities in dealing with a specific case.
As a result of that, we have brought in a
number of reforms which I indicated on the record last Friday.
Mrs. Carstairs: Mr. Speaker, the document which the minister
tabled in fact is new. It is one which
is called a Referral Process to the Interdepartmental Crisis Resource Committee
for Children Between Ages 5‑11.
Are the members of this House to assume
that if there are adolescents, who are outside the ages of between five and 11,
they would not be referred to this Interdepartmental Crisis Resource Committee?
Mr. Gilleshammer: Mr. Speaker, that was one of four reports that
I tabled for the member who was looking for information on interdepartmental co‑ordination. That specific one deals with a target group
of children between the ages of five and 11.
However, the other documents that I
tabled, Guidelines on Identifying and Reporting a Child in Need of Protection,
another document, Transition Planning Process‑‑and the third one I
would mention is the Provincial Advisory Committee on Child Abuse, which, as a
matter of fact, today is meeting in regular session with staff from the
Department of Justice, the Department of Health, the Department of Education
and the Department of Family Services.
Mrs. Carstairs: Mr. Speaker, the document the minister tabled
on Friday which is a referral process says:
"Personnel from local school divisions, Child and Family Service
agencies and regional mental health services presently collaborate to develop
community‑based education/treatment programming for children with severe
behavior adjustment disorders. However,
there are some cases where, because of the severity of the behavior, the
complexities of the case and/or local factors, such collaborative planning at
the local level reaches an impasse . . . ." and that is when this crisis
group goes into play.
Can the minister tell the House if that
Crisis Resource Committee would in fact be put into place for those over the
age of 11?
Mr. Gilleshammer: This particular document deals with children
from ages five to 11, as the information indicates. There are other procedures which are used to deal
with older children, where we have interdepartmental committees which do a case
conference on specific cases.
Health
Care System Reform
Centralization
Mr. Dave Chomiak
(Kildonan): Mr. Speaker, like so
much else in health care reform, we are waiting for the message on high from
the minister as to when services will be consolidated or centralized at various
health locations throughout the city of
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, meetings have been held in the
health services field about the consolidation and the placing of orthopedics at
What plans has the minister made for input
from the public, health care professionals and caregivers in the field, prior
to the implementation of those plans?
Hon. Donald Orchard
(Minister of Health): Well, Mr. Speaker, at
least my honourable friend, through Freudian slip, has confirmed the source of
his research‑‑rumour mills.
Mr. Speaker, I want to indicate to my
honourable friend, that in part or in whole, possibly some of the discussions
that he is referring to in terms of orthopedics, ophthalmology, urology and a
number of other areas, were subject of presentations by the physicians, in most
cases, who are heading the study committees around those programs in
surgery. They presented their interim
findings to a retreat at which we had members of all of the urban hospitals,
major urban hospital facilities, the
The purpose, Sir, of sharing those pieces
of investigation to date with that wide a group of Manitobans, was to do
exactly as my honourable friend wants, to seek input and feedback.
Mr. Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, what plans has the minister made
for seeking input from the public prior to the implementation of those
particular decisions?
Mr. Orchard: Mr. Speaker, when one attempts to make
planning changes throughout the system and when one engages the advice of
experts who are part of the
Mr. Speaker, any decision that is made by
myself and announced by government as a result of that kind of across a wide
spectrum of input, I believe, will find significant favour for the health care
system of
The
Dominion
Bond Rating
Mr. Bob Rose (
I know the question must have slipped your
mind. I appreciate the opportunity to
get it in.
Can the Minister of Finance explain to the
House, the reasons for the Dominion Bond Rating Service maintaining
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Minister of Finance): I am delighted that
this question has come forward, and I am terribly disappointed that my good
friend the member for Brandon East (Mr. Leonard Evans) was not the author of
the question.
The Dominion Bond Rating Service stated in
a ringing endorsement of the actions of this government that
It has changed. Our province has changed from being one of
the highest taxed provinces down to mid‑range. Indeed, the midterm plan which we have laid
before Manitobans and they so strongly support, is what has led of course to
this reaffirmation of our rating.
So, Mr. Speaker, we are delighted to be
able to present this information.
Indeed, it is an outside report on the fiscal standing of the province
and the way we conduct our fiscal matters.
I know the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) wants us to abandon the
path, and he wants us, of course, to put at risk our real security, to spend
more, to borrow more, and ultimately to tax more than is found wanting. That is the wrong solution.
We are on the proper course.
Mr. Rose: My supplementary question to the Minister of
Finance, I am sure if we waited till Friday morning, we might get‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please. I would remind the honourable member this is
not a time for debate.
Mr. Rose: My question to the honourable Minister of
Finance: What exactly is the difference between an A rating and an A‑minus
rating in terms of actual dollars on our provincial debt?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Speaker, when you are downgraded to the
next rank, usually you are talking as much one‑eighth of 1 percent, or
roughly 15 basis points. That tends to
be‑‑and of course when you are talking about a borrowing program,
and in our place in the
By the way, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly
what my colleague the Minister of Finance in
* (1410)
Public
Confidence
Mr. Bob Rose (
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Government House Leader): Well, Mr. Speaker,
over the weekend I had an opportunity to talk to many Manitobans with respect
to Builder Bonds, and certainly there is a growing interest.
Naturally, every investor wants to know
ultimately what the coupon value is. I
will be making that announcement next week some time, and I will price them I
think very favourably. I am sure
Manitobans, who have such a strong loyalty to this province, will respond, and
it will be a successful issue.
Garrison
Diversion Project
Government
Position