Health Care System

Emergency Services

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, my question is to the First Minister (Mr. Filmon).

Madam Speaker, the government has received a letter from the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses documenting chaos with the decision of the Premier to close emergency wards in community hospitals, talking about one door being open in one hospital, one door being closed in another, nurses having to leave medical sections to deal with cases in the emergency ward at midnight. The nurses go on to say that in their opinion the decision of the government to close the emergency wards in our community hospitals at midnight has compromised the patient care in those health care facilities.

I would like to ask the Premier, has he taken into account the people on the front lines of these decisions, and will he now reverse the decision of his government and keep open the emergency wards in our community hospitals?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, as I reported yesterday to honourable members, the task force committee overseeing the development of an integrated emergency services system for the city of Winnipeg and monitoring the present system, as well, had another meeting on the 17th. That was Tuesday. At that time, all facilities confirmed that since the previous meeting the situation seemed satisfactory. Each facility stated that the weekend was manageable and that staff were pleased with the changes that had been agreed to at the last meeting.

The facilities also agreed to work co-operatively to ensure that patients have timely access to beds. This is done to ensure that the tertiary centres do not get backlogged with patients, particularly during the weekends.

I received the letter to which the Leader of the Opposition has referred. My office has been in contact with the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses today. We have been in touch and are in touch to ask them to provide some input to the emergency services working group.

* (1335)

Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, these people are on the front lines of the chaos created by the Premier (Mr. Filmon) in his decision, his hasty decision, to close the emergency wards and study the effect of it after.

Madam Speaker, my question to the First Minister is, in light of the fact that the people on the front lines, the nurses on the front lines dealing with patients--and we have already tabled the guidelines from the College of Physicians and Surgeons--have stated that, in their opinion, in the evening people tend to come to emergency departments with real emergency complaints and real emergency concerns, I would like to ask the Premier to reverse the decision of the Minister of Health, to start listening to the people on the front lines and start working on behalf of patients and their life and limb situations here in the province of Manitoba by reversing his government's decision on emergency wards.

Mr. McCrae: When the honourable Leader of the Opposition makes a reference to things like chaos and that kind of language, he obviously did not listen to my previous answer or the one given yesterday, which was a report of the emergency services working group.

The honourable member may also recently have read about a hospital in Montreal where 18 percent of the cases presenting at a particular emergency facility there are nonemergent.

We have a 50 percent nonemergent situation here. [interjection] In the neighbourhood of 50 percent, Madam Speaker. On average, 4 percent of the cases presenting at our emergency rooms are classified as emergency, 43 percent are classified as urgent and the remainder are either scheduled admissions or they are nonemergent. That is the point that I am getting at.

The honourable member referred to these so-called real emergencies and that is exactly what the plan that the emergency services working group is placing as the No. 1 priority group of people to be served at all hours of the day.

Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, if the minister feels that one door being locked and one door being open and nurses having to be moved from one place to another and people not knowing in our communities is not chaos, he is really getting out of touch with what is going on with the patients here in the province of Manitoba.

Madam Speaker, the front-line nurses go on to say that this provincial government has committed itself to the World Health Organization in terms of health strategy. They go on to say that this government is in violation of that strategy because that calls clearly for a commitment of government to make decisions in consultation with the people directly affected in their own communities.

I would like to ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon) again to overrule his Minister of Health and involve people in the communities that are affected by the closure of these hospitals. We do not want government committees making these decisions. We want the people who are directly affected, Madam Speaker, as the government is committed. Will the Premier now reverse the decision and involve the public directly affected in these decisions?

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, I would not want the honourable member to be under any illusion or be misled into thinking that health care professionals are not very much part of any consultation process in which we engage in the province. I do not think any minister in any NDP administration has visited and listened to as many nurses as I have in the past couple of years in every corner of this province, including the city of Winnipeg. The other day I met with nurses from the Grace Hospital; yesterday morning I met with nurses from the Health Sciences Centre, and my door will remain open for meetings with health professionals who want to make their concerns known directly to me.

* (1340)

Health Care System

Emergency Services

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, when will the Premier finally realize this was a wrong decision? It is not advocated by anyone in the health care field. The nurses today say it is a difficult situation, it is compromising patient care.

My question to the Minister of Health: The Minister of Health has stated that he is going to consult after the wards are closed. Will the minister advise this House how it is that we are now going to have confidence in his consultation when, on page 23 of their own health care reform act three years ago, they said they would have these services in place prior to the closing?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Again the honourable member was not listening to anything that was said earlier, Madam Speaker.

The consultations in regard to emergency services and all kinds of services have been the cornerstone of what has been going on in Manitoba, unlike what you see in other provinces where they have had to take very, very significant measures in lopping off whole limbs of their health care system, including 10,000 hospital beds in the province of Ontario, including a tertiary centre in the province of British Columbia and on and on across the country.

The honourable member is critical on the one hand when we do consult, as many of his questions have indicated, with his criticism of the fact that we have committees composed of health care professionals and consumers who give us advice, and he says all you do is consult one day, and then another day he comes along and says you do not consult.

Well, Madam Speaker, there has to be some kind of consistency and I am glad the consistency is on this side of the House.

Mr. Chomiak: My supplementary to the minister, Madam Speaker: Can the minister, who finally is beginning to understand the statistics, explain to this House why they have closed the emergency rooms at night when his own statistics say that over 50 percent of visits to emergency rooms are at night, and, when his own statistics say that 15 percent of those people who go to emergency rooms are admitted to hospital, why he chose that particular time to close those emergency rooms?

Mr. McCrae: The honourable member might consult some of the people whom we asked prior to the doctors' strike--please, put off any idea about strike action until we can work together and build that integrated strategy together.

But we were not given that luxury, Madam Speaker. Forty-two doctors and 14 pathologists walked off the job on Labour Day, leaving us to put together a contingency plan to deal with emergencies during that strike, and we found during the course of that time, without the help of those doctors, that we could manage, and we did manage.

The doctors are back to work, and we are now engaged in an orderly reopening of emergency services--I stress the word "orderly"--so that we can meet the demand that exists in our city and in our province.

Mr. Chomiak: My final supplementary is to the Premier (Mr. Filmon).

Will the Premier finally do the right thing, admit the mistake, reverse the decision, open the operating rooms, Madam Speaker, reverse the decision of the Minister of Health?

I will provide page 23 from his own health care reform--I will table that for the minister to read, which shows they promised they would put in place this program prior to closings.

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, we on this side of the House are not engaged in theatre. We are engaged in the provision of quality health services for Manitobans.

* (1345)

Grace General Hospital

Emergency Services

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): My questions are to the Minister of Health.

Only two years ago this government in their planning decided to upgrade the Grace emergency room by investing over $43 million into those facilities.

Why does this government insist on locking those very doors to these emergency facilities at night and keeping away those emergency doctors whom Manitobans wish to use?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, the honourable member is falling into a dangerous trap, and that trap is to equate buildings and bricks and mortar with quality health care.

Madam Speaker, the good people at Grace Hospital provide excellent service to the community and to the province for 14 hours of the day, and they need facilities there like they are needed everywhere else to provide those services.

So the honourable member raises that, and she did that previously in another question another day on the same topic. Madam Speaker, the bottom line remains the provision of quality emergency services is what is needed. The honourable member also said for people who want them. We have to remember that people need emergency services.

For that 4 percent of people who need emergency services and that 43 percent who need urgent care, day or night, we have to have an integrated city-wide emergency system to provide for those needs.

Ms. Mihychuk: Madam Speaker, to the Minister of Health: How can this minister justify to Manitobans the closing of the Grace emergency rooms at night when ambulances are now required to travel as far as Portage la Prairie to receive these services?

Mr. McCrae: In the city of Winnipeg, there are seven acute care centres, five community hospitals and two tertiary care centres. We have been told for years--the honourable member would criticize us if we did nothing about that--but we have been told for years that we need to better structure our emergency services system in the city of Winnipeg to make appropriate use of the capacity that exists. That is exactly what is happening.

The honourable member did not raise these questions when the doctors walked off the job on Labour Day, but she raises them today, and that in itself is interesting, Madam Speaker.

Ms. Mihychuk: My final question to the Minister of Health: Can the minister explain to us, why, since senior members of the same cabinet that he works with pushed the Charleswood Bridge through by arguing that the residents of Charleswood and Tuxedo needed the Grace Hospital emergency rooms, why, when that was part of the reason for the Charleswood Bridge, have they now decided to close those facilities?

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, streets and roads and bridges are things that you need in an urban environment to allow people to access all kinds of services, including health services, including the opportunity to get to a hospital during whatever hours of the day, whichever hospital happens to be on the other side of the bridge.

* (1350)

University of Manitoba

Labour Dispute

Mr. Daryl Reid (Transcona): Madam Speaker, I am addressing my questions to the Minister of Labour since the Premier (Mr. Filmon) has abandoned any impartiality in the U of M dispute by clearly taking sides with his politically appointed board of governors.

The Department of Labour provides many useful support services to assist negotiating parties resolve issues in dispute. Since conciliation, mediation and arbitration form a legitimate part of the free collective bargaining process to assist negotiating parties in a resolution of matters in dispute, and since conciliation has not worked in the U of M dispute, will the Minister of Labour now appoint either a mediator or an arbitrator in the U of M dispute?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Labour): Madam Speaker, the member opposite realizes that if both parties wish binding arbitration, they are entitled to have it. The Minister of Labour has no authority to impose binding arbitration upon these parties, even if, in fact, it was appropriate to do so.

To this end, I have advised the University of Manitoba Faculty Association by letter, which I would like to table, that I, in fact, have no basis in legislation to impose that kind of binding arbitration, and I do also express my disappointment that the University of Manitoba Faculty Association has chosen to withdraw their services to the students of the university.

I think it is clear that the members have the option of bringing this strike to a close, either if they choose to go through binding arbitration or if, in fact, the Faculty Association members return to work and provide their services and continue to discuss this matter with the university. I think that is the reasonable way to approach in this case.

Mr. Reid: Madam Speaker, since it now appears that the Minister of Labour is taking sides in this dispute, will the Minister of Education (Mrs. McIntosh), since the students of the University of Manitoba--

Point of Order

Hon. Jim Ernst (Government House Leader): Madam Speaker, the member for Transcona clearly imputed a motive to the Minister of Labour, indicating that he was taking sides in the dispute, which he is not. Ask him to withdraw.

Mr. Steve Ashton (Opposition House Leader): On the same point of order, I would suggest, Madam Speaker, not only did the minister not have a point of order, I think he should recognize that all the member did was state a very obvious fact, that the government is taking a position in this dispute in favour of the Tory-appointed board, and I would suggest that the government House leader ask his minister to deal with the question raised, and that is, what is this government going to do to resolve the strike on behalf of the students of this province who are the ones suffering right now?

Madam Speaker: I thank both honourable members for their advice, and I will peruse Hansard. I will take this under advisement.

* * *

Mr. Reid: My question is for the Minister of Education (Mrs. McIntosh).

Will the Minister of Education, since the Minister of Labour (Mr. Toews) refuses to deal with this matter and since the students at the University of Manitoba have said that binding arbitration is an option, that the Faculty Association has said that binding arbitration is an option, voluntary on both parties, will the Minister of Education press her Premier (Mr. Filmon) and her Minister of Labour to take the steps necessary to have binding arbitration take place and have the parties go back to the negotiating table, so that the students can return to the classroom?

Mr. Toews: The primary concern of the government in this situation is that the students receive their education. My department and I are prepared to meet with both parties at any time, whether they require a mediator or a conciliator, and if both parties choose to have binding arbitration, that is their right to have binding arbitration, but I will not impose myself upon these negotiations at this time.

* (1355)

Mr. Reid: My question is for the Minister of Education.

Since the Minister of Education has a role to play in this process and since the government appoints 12 out of the 23 board of governors to the University of Manitoba, will the Minister of Education ask the negotiators on the part of the University of Manitoba to return to the negotiating table, Madam Speaker, perhaps with the services of an arbitrator, such as one Pat Ferg, a retired justice from the province of Manitoba acting as an arbitrator in these matters?

Hon. Linda McIntosh (Minister of Education and Training): I am pleased to hear the member finally indicate that the government only appoints half the board of governors--[interjection] By one, which is the chair, and he knows that includes the chair. He also knows that we do not tell the board of governors what to do. He wants us to tell the board of governors what to do. We do not tell the board of governors what to do.

I will indicate to the member that I have met with the students at the university. I am working with the students of the university. I will listen to the students of the university, listen to what they have to say before I will take the member's word for what he says the students want. Our first concern in this is the students' well-being. As Minister of Education, I will continue to meet with the students on a regular basis.

I have written to the UMFA group reminding them of their firm commitment to me in July that students were their first priority and would take precedence over all of the concerns. I have reminded them of that commitment to me and asked to make that assurance credible by servicing the students.

I have also, Madam Speaker, contacted this morning the administration of the university and have been assured that they are doing all they can to alleviate the impacts of the professors' actions upon the students. I will answer more in the next question since you have indicated my time is up here.

* (1400)

Health Care System

Emergency Services

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and it is regarding emergency services.

There has been, since the emergency services have closed down, a considerable amount of concern expressed from all aspects, both in politics, from the member for St. Norbert (Mr. Laurendeau), for example, from both sides of this Chamber. We have had nurses, in particular the nurses from today--a substantial piece of information being provided to the minister. We have had doctors. We have had, most importantly, patients, through petitions, who have indicated their concern about what the government has done with emergency services.

My question to the Minister of Health today is, is the Minister of Health prepared to acknowledge the possibility of establishing a special task force committee made up of representatives from all three political parties that would be able to come up with alternatives or suggestions in terms of how we can deal with this particular issue in a nonpolitical way?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, if that were possible, I would do it.

Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, I would ask then that the Minister of Health approach both opposition parties. I can assure him that the support would be there from our political party to ensure that the best thing is done for the patients--and I would trust that the New Democrats would do likewise--and would like to see this group of individuals meet in a very short period of time.

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, I said if it were possible, I would do it. Knowing that it is not possible, I cannot agree. I am sorry about that. We just do not have in this Chamber the good faith amongst the parties to work together without politics on a quality emergency services plan for the city of Winnipeg or for any part of Manitoba.

Now, I am not blaming the honourable member for Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux) when I say that.

Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, then I would ask the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) to acknowledge that there is more than just the emergency needs of the 4 percent that the minister quite often refers to, there is more than a need for that for a community-based emergency service, and will he not consider reopening it based on the other 96 percent which are legitimate concerns that are coming from the different communities?

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, of course the honourable member is right. There is much more than the 4 percent that are classified as emergency cases.

As I have pointed out many times for the honourable member and others, according to the recommendation by mediator Jack Chapman and by agreement with the Manitoba Medical Association and ourselves, we have to have an integrated emergency services system by the end of the year. That is the process that we are in right now with our emergency services working group. We are building towards that conclusion.

Madam Speaker, in the meantime we are providing quality and safe emergency services in the city of Winnipeg because of the contingency plan that we have in place and because of the good work of all of the people on the working group and the good work of the people in the emergency rooms in Winnipeg.

Misericordia General Hospital

Emergency Services

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae).

In the last term of office this government tried to close the emergency ward at the Misericordia. The community fought back and the government eventually agreed that that emergency room would remain open.

I want to let the Minister of Health know today that the community's needs have not changed. Today at 2:30 the nurses, the patients' families and the community will be meeting to express again their serious concern about the loss of those emergency services.

I want to ask the Minister of Health to come to that meeting with me and to listen to those citizens.

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, for the information of the honourable member, there are few hospitals in Manitoba that I have visited more often than Misericordia Hospital in the past two years as Minister of Health for this province.

My door remains open. I met with nurses from two of the hospitals already and will continue to meet with nurses. As long as I am in this job, it is appropriate and necessary to do that and I will continue to do so.

Bed Closures

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Could the minister tell us whether he plans to close more beds at the Misericordia than the 54 he has already announced for this year? Will he tell us what his plans are for that community hospital?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, the honourable member might contact the board or administration at Misericordia Hospital to ascertain from them what plans they might be looking at. Any plans that come forward, however, by way of a proposal, are looked at by Manitoba Health.

Sometimes the plans put forward by hospitals to Manitoba Health are accepted, sometimes they are rejected, sometimes they get changed, and the reason those last two things happen is because patient care is the No. 1 priority.

Ms. Friesen: Could the minister explain how he as minister has ordered the emergency rooms to be closed and then simply disclaims any responsibility for the cutting of beds in hospitals?

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, I would have preferred that this matter happen in a different way in the sense that we pleaded with the doctors, the 42 of them, emergency doctors, and 14 pathologists not to leave their patients without any plan, without anything.

We had a plan, Madam Speaker. We put one together and that plan worked. We will continue with that plan and it will be flexible, as we are in an interim period between now and the end of the year.

The honourable member's question is identical to many others, and I think my answer is probably quite identical, as well.

Linnet Graphics

Contract Cancellation Request

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): Over the past three years, this side of the House has asked many questions concerning the monopoly held by Linnet Graphics for GIS mapping development in Manitoba, Madam Speaker.

The company's promises remind us of the government's broken promises on many issues--600 jobs promised, 45 or 50 delivered; a vibrant industry promised, a few mom and pop shops and some bankruptcies; strong-arm tactics to force cities to use the services of Linnet Graphics.

In the light of their failure to achieve even close to the target set by Linnet, will the government now end the monopoly with its company and its cronies and let the industry begin to develop in a normal and rational way with the market?

Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Natural Resources): The responsibility for Linnet falls under my jurisdiction. I have had the privilege of being responsible for that area in the last year and a half approximately, and I want to tell you it has been a very challenging area.

Madam Speaker, the evolution of this whole Linnet area and the geographic information service has been, I think, slow starting, but there is a lot of potential in it.

It is not that easy to address and give proper information here in this House during Question Period. But because I feel so confident that we are on the right track with it, I am prepared to offer to all members of the House here, if they want we will set up a briefing information meeting where they can talk and find out the full implications of it. I am that confident that we are on the right track with what we are doing.

Mr. Sale: I thank the minister for his answer, Madam Speaker.

Contract Tabling Request

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): Will the government table a complete list of all government contracts and grants to Linnet Graphics over the last three years from departments, special operating agencies, Crowns and other government entities before this House, so that we may then judge what has been given and what has been achieved, Madam Speaker?

Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Natural Resources): Madam Speaker, I think it would be counterproductive to do this piecemeal. Again, I offer to the members of the House that at their--I will talk with their caucus chairpersons somewhere along the line or whomever wants to take responsibility. We will set up a briefing meeting, because it is much more complex than we can just respond to at the time allowed in Question Period.

I am prepared to table any information that is required. However, I would suggest that the meeting be held first where there can be an exchange, where questions can be asked of the impact, the evolution, of Linnet Graphics, and where it is at right now can be done.

So I, again, offer that to the members opposite and even members on our side of the House who would want to partake of that. We are prepared to set up that meeting.

* (1410)

Vulnerable Persons Commissioner

Competition

Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Madam Speaker, The Vulnerable Persons Act was passed in this House on July 27, 1993. Since then, we have been waiting for the minister to put together an educational package for the public and people affected by this legislation. We have been waiting for a Vulnerable Persons Commissioner to be hired.

I have correspondence from the minister dated April 6, 1994, saying that she was hopeful the recruitment process would begin early in the fiscal year of 1994-95.

Since that was over a year ago, I would like to ask the minister, what has been the delay? Why have they not hired a Vulnerable Persons Commissioner to date?

Hon. Bonnie Mitchelson (Minister of Family Services): I thank my honourable friend for that question. Indeed, the competitive process is underway. We are down to the final selection, and that decision should be made shortly.

Mr. Martindale: I would like to ask the Minister of Family Services why this competition was held and people were interviewed and then the competition was cancelled, and the process started all over again, particularly in view of the fact that the minister said, in Estimates on June 15 of this year, that a Vulnerable Persons Commissioner would be hired very soon. What is the delay? When can we expect an announcement and the proclamation of the act?

Mrs. Mitchelson: Madam Speaker, indeed the competition was cancelled, and we did go to another competitive process with a slightly different bulletin. As we have been progressing through doing the work that needs to be done in order to proclaim the legislation, there were some changes in requirements for the job and so we cancelled the competition.

There is another one underway, and we are down to the last short list of interviews to take place. I know that in the very near future a Vulnerable Persons Commissioner will be hired.

Salaries/Wages

Provincial Comparisons

Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East): Madam Speaker, the Minister of Finance likes to boast in this House about some of his economic statistics, but on close examination we see that real wages in Manitoba have declined substantially since 1990 when this government achieved a majority status. After taking inflation into account, average industrial wages in Manitoba have declined by over 4 percent since 1990.

Will the minister acknowledge that real incomes of workers in Manitoba are lower today than 1990, causing a decline in their standard of living?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Finance): No, Madam Speaker, I will not acknowledge that.

As I pointed out to the member for Brandon East, if you look at some of the other statistics like the amount of money being left in the pockets of Manitobans at the end of each year and comparing that across Canada for 1994, we had the second-best performance in all of Canada. I believe for 1995 and '96, we are expected to have the best performance in Canada, leaving more dollars in the pockets of Manitobans because of the policies of this government, because of not increasing any major taxes, not increasing personal income taxes, sales tax and so on.

If you look at that statistic, you will see that Manitobans are being left with more money in their pockets as a result of the policies of this government.

Mr. Leonard Evans: Well, getting back to real wages which is what the question is about, can the minister explain why since 1990, Canadian real average industrial wages have actually increased, modestly, but they have actually increased, whereas real wages in Manitoba have declined by 4 percent? Why have we done so poorly? Please answer the question.

Mr. Stefanson: I think, Madam Speaker, I give more credit to Manitobans, and what they are concerned with is what is left in their pockets at the end of the day, what money do they have to meet their requirements.

When you compare what is happening in Manitoba in terms of after-tax disposable income, as I said, in 1994 we had the second-best performance in all of Canada. In 1995 we have the best performance in all of Canada in terms of increases and after-tax disposable income available to Manitobans to meet all of their personal needs, to invest and to do all of the things individuals require. They are the kinds of policies that this government has in place, and I believe those are the kinds of policies that Manitobans support.

Madam Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has expired.

NONPOLITICAL STATEMENTS

Prairie Preserve

Madam Speaker: Does the honourable member for Radisson have leave for a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]

Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): Madam Speaker, at 12:30 today I was pleased to attend the grand opening of the Prairie Preserve in Transcona. I want to congratulate the number of partners that were involved in ensuring that this important habitat is protected for the city of Winnipeg.

The City of Winnipeg has agreed unanimously now to protect the site from development in its entirety in perpetuity. They have worked closely with a number of partners in the community, including the Transcona Rotary Club, the Transcona Horticultural Society, Manitoba Hydro, the national conservation group, Environment Innovations Fund, the Sustainable Development Fund, Canada Trust, and Action 21. All of these groups are I think showing foresight that Winnipeg will now have a piece of 20 acres of pristine tall grass prairie for the future citizens of Winnipeg to enjoy. It will add to our natural and cultural heritage.

I want to take the opportunity to encourage all members of the House to take the trip out to Transcona and enjoy this natural site. Thank you very much.

World Dairy Exposition

Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, I wonder if honourable colleagues would allow me to make a nonpolitical statement.

Madam Speaker: Does the honourable Minister of Agriculture have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]

Mr. Enns: Madam Speaker, recently, Manitoba Agriculture along with the Manitoba Forage Council and the Manitoba Holstein association and its affiliated regional clubs completed a very successful trade mission at the World Dairy Exposition at Madison, Wisconsin.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, this is not a small-time affair. It is a big event attended by over 70,000 people from over 70 countries. The noteworthy news, among the other accomplishments of the forage clubs and so further, was that an 11-year-old cow owned by Ray Brown of Vista, Manitoba, in the constituency of my friend and colleague the Minister of Rural Development (Mr. Derkach), named Rainy Ridge Tony Beauty EX2E captured the grand champion Holstein award and went on to be the supreme grand champion of the 1995 World Dairy Exposition by placing over all other six breed winners.

Madam Speaker, the fact that an aged cow can win over the very best from across the U.S. and Canada is a superlative achievement and will surely assist Manitoba breeders in selling dairy stock throughout the world.

* (1420)

Committee Change

Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the member for St. Vital (Mrs. Render), that the composition of the Standing Committee on Economic Development be amended as follows: the member for Gimli (Mr. Helwer) for the member for St. Norbert (Mr. Laurendeau).

Motion agreed to.