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Votes and Proceedings

 Wednesday, April 28

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS No. 29

PRAYERS                                                                                         1:30 O'CLOCK P.M.

The following petitions were presented:

Mr. Lamoureux – Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to request the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to consider recognizing the need to sit for a minimum of 80 days in any given calendar year. (R.I. Suban, R.M. Suban, W. Summers)

Mr. Eichler – Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to request that the Minister of Transportation and Government Services to consider having Highway 227 paved from the junction of Highway 248 and 227 all the way to Highway 16 the Yellow Head route and to request the Premier of Manitoba to consider supporting said initiatives to ensure for the safety of our Manitobans and all Canadians who travel along Manitoba Highways. (G. Boonstra, K. Boonstra, A. Boonstra and others)

Mr. Murray – Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to request the Premier of Manitoba to consider ending his government's forced unionization plan of companies involved with the Red River Floodway expansion and to consider entering into discussions with business, construction and labour groups to ensure any qualified company and worker, regardless of their union status, is afforded the opportunity to bid and work on the floodway expansion project. (D. Young, D. Inglis, R. Patterson and others)

Mr. Goertzen – Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to request the Premier of Manitoba to consider ending his government's forced unionization plan of companies involved with the Red River Floodway expansion and to consider entering into discussions with business, construction and labour groups to ensure any qualified company and worker, regardless of their union status, is afforded the opportunity to bid and work on the floodway expansion project. (M. Loewen, P. Loewen, J. Loewen and others)

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Hon. Mr. Chomiak presented:

Supplementary Information for Legislative Review 2004-2005 – Departmental Expenditure Estimates – Manitoba Health

(Sessional Paper No. 39)

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Mr. Speaker presented:

Annual Report of the Ombudsman – Access and Privacy for the year ending December 31, 2002

(Sessional Paper No. 40)

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Hon. Ms. Wowchuk presented:

Supplementary Information for Legislative Review 2004-2005 – Departmental Expenditure Estimates – Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.

(Sessional Paper No. 41)

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Hon. Ms. Allan, the Minister of Labour and Immigration made a statement recognizing April 28^th as the National Day of Mourning for those who have died in the workplace,

Mr. Schuler and, by leave, Hon. Mr. Gerrard commented on the statement.

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The following Bills were respectively read a First Time and had their purposes outlined:

(No. 25) – The Amusements Amendment Act/Loi modifiant la Loi sur les divertissements

(Hon. Mr. Robinson)

(No. 46) – The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act/Loi modifiant la Loi sur la pension de retraite des enseignants

(Hon. Mr. Bjornson)

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During Oral Questions, Mr. Derkach rose on a point of order regarding the use of a camera in the gallery,

And Hon. Mr. Mackintosh and Mr. Lamoureux having spoken to the point of order,

WHEREUPON Mr. Speaker informed the House he would take the matter under advisement.

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Subsequently during Oral Questions, Mr. Derkach rose on a point of order regarding that the camera and film be confiscated until such time that the ruling is made.

WHEREUPON Mr. Speaker informed the House he would take the matter under advisement.

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Pursuant to Rule 26(1), Messrs. Eichler, Jennissen, Rocan and Schellenberg and Hon. Mr. Gerrard made Members' Statements.

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By unanimous consent, the sequence for consideration of estimates, as outlined in Sessional Paper No. 38 tabled on April 27, 2004, was amended in order that the estimates of Finance be considered in the Chamber for Friday, April 30, 2004, only.

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The House resumed the Interrupted Debate on the Proposed Motion of Hon. Mr. Selinger:

THAT this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government.

And on the Proposed Amendment of Mr. Murray,

THAT the motion be amended by deleting all the words after "House" and substituting the following:

therefore regrets this Budget ignores the present and future needs of Manitobans by:

(a) failing to offer any vision or hope or to reflect the priorities of Manitobans;

(b) failing to provide a long-term economic plan to grow the economy and create real and lasting jobs;

(c) failing to provide a long-term tax reduction strategy that addresses the fact that middle-income Manitobans are now, under the Doer government, the highest taxed west of New Brunswick and our business taxes are not competitive;

(d) failing to provide a sustainable provincial spending plan by introducing a budget with a spending/tax cut ratio of  7 to 1;

(e) failing to commit to assume provincial constitutional responsibility to fund public education;

(f) failing to address the challenges in health care, including: providing a cardiac care system that meets the needs of Manitobans in a timely fashion, ending hallway medicine as promised, reducing waiting lists for diagnostic services including CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds; and recruiting and retaining health care professionals;

(g) failing to address the need to have bold, innovative and meaningful reform in health care that would reduce waiting lists and would increase access to quality care;

(h) failing to protect seniors and low-income Manitobans by increasing the Pharmacare deductible by 5% for the third year in a row, and introducing 2 new deductible levels; and

(i) failing to provide adequate supports to Manitoba's agricultural sector, especially those farm families struggling through the BSE crisis.

As a consequence, the Government has thereby lost the confidence of this House and the people of Manitoba.

And on the Proposed Amendment of Hon. Mr. Gerrard,

THAT the amendment be amended by adding thereto the following words:

And further regrets that this Budget also ignores present and future needs of Manitobans by:

(j) failing to set priorities well and to manage fiscal resources well;

(k) failing to reduce Ministers' salaries by 20% in recognition of the deficit incurred in the last fiscal year and the resultant increase in the general purpose debt of Manitoba;

(l) failing to support improvements in water stewardship and instead increasing administration and bureaucracy while failing to provide adequate support to surface and groundwater management and fisheries and water quality; and

(m) failing to provide adequate attention to healthy living by failing to provide adequate attention to sports funding in Manitoba.

And the debate continuing on the sub-amendment,

And Hon. Mr. Bjornson, Mr. Rocan, Hon. Ms. Melnick, Mr. Eichler and Hon. Mr. Doer having spoken,

Mr. Speaker advised the House that notice had been received by the Leader of the Official Opposition that he had designated his unlimited speaking time to speak on this amendment to the Honourable Member for Fort Whyte.

And Mr. Loewen and Hon. Mr. Selinger having spoken,

And the Question being put on the sub-amendment.  It was negatived, on division:

And the Question being put on the amendment.  It was negatived, on the following division:

YEA

NAY

Pairs:  Mr. Dyck stated that he was paired with Hon. Ms. Mihychuk; had he voted, he would have voted in the affirmative.

And the Question being put on the main motion.  It was agreed to, on the following division:

YEA

NAY

Pairs:  Mr. Dyck stated that he was paired with Hon. Ms. Mihychuk; had he voted, he would have voted in the negative.

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The House then adjourned at 5:15 p.m. until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, April 29, 2004.

Hon. George Hickes,

Speaker.