Health Care System
Emergency Services
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health.
Last evening we had another community meeting dealing with the decision of the government to close the emergency wards in community hospitals. People from all walks of life were very, very concerned, very worried and a number of them had specific instances where their loved ones, they felt, were being put in jeopardy. They were very worried about their children. They were very worried about their families. Senior citizens were very, very worried that a community hospital with an emergency ward in their area, their quadrant of the city, and utilized by a number of people, was being closed arbitrarily by the government.
They could not understand the decision, Madam Speaker, they could not understand the rationale, and they could not understand why they, many of them who had been involved in their community years ago in raising money to build that hospital and raising money for equipment in that area, would now have this emergency ward closed down.
We have asked the minister to attend these public meetings because his process does not include the public. I would further invite the minister to attend some public meetings that we have scheduled for next week.
I would ask the minister, will he listen to the voices of the people that are saying clearly to us that they do not agree with the government's decision and they want their community hospital emergency wards open in the evening, as they were intended to be?
Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I remind the honourable member that the emergency rooms were essentially closed when the emergency physicians left their posts back on Labour Day. If the honourable member reviews the circumstances over the past couple of months, he will know how that all worked out, and when the strike came to an end, we have been engaged more in an orderly reopening of emergency services.
I remind the honourable member that for 14 hours a day now these community hospitals operate with the staff they did not have during the strike; they were operating with a skeleton staff during those days. We are working closely with the emergency services task force review, as well as the steering committee that is monitoring the situation on a day-to-day basis.
I remind the honourable Leader of the Opposition that the Manitoba Society of Seniors and the Consumers' Association of Canada are represented on the emergency services task force review committee.
Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, I would like to table a letter that the minister received from the nurses at the Health Sciences Centre today, a copy of which was sent to the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and myself.
The nurses basically contradict the answer the minister just gave us in this House. The nurses talk about the fact that they cannot continue to operate the way they have been operating. The quality is less than optional in terms of services in the trauma centre. The arbitrary closing of the emergency wards in community hospitals has been ill thought-out, and the nurses at the front line of the hospital that is supposed to be integral to the plan of the government, Madam Speaker, are asking the government to reconsider their decision.
If he will not listen to the public, will he listen to the nurses and reconsider his decision and reopen the emergency wards in the evenings, Madam Speaker?
Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, I have met with nurses who work in the emergency ward of the Health Sciences Centre. They did not, however, present themselves as this letter, as the president of the Manitoba Nurses' Union. There is a difference.
Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, the minister will not listen to people on the front lines. They will not listen to members of the public.
Will the minister now listen to Dr. Henry Dirks, Madam Speaker, a doctor at the Concordia Hospital, who today stated that the emergency wards are open if somebody comes there, but the government has ordered them to put a closed sign in front of the building, so the public will be going to different centres? They are sort of open. They are sort of closed.
The minister for Rossmere (Mr. Toews) promised in the election campaign he would fight for that emergency ward hospital. The member for River East (Mrs. Mitchelson) promised that, Madam Speaker. People are absolutely confused. You have a closed-down sign in front of the hospital, but they are sort of open in the hospital. It is in absolute chaos.
Will the government just do the right thing and reopen the emergency wards in our community hospitals, Madam Speaker?
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Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, I remind the honourable Leader of the Opposition again, I have, indeed, met with emergency nurses who work not only at the Grace Hospital, at the Health Sciences Centre. I have met with nurses in other hospital emergency rooms and will continue to do so.
I think the honourable member should put a little more stock in the emergency services task force committee than he is, because there are representatives on that committee from the public, from the nursing profession, from the medical profession, from the hospitals. We are talking directors of emergency services at hospitals. We are talking the chief nurses in these various facilities.
I think the honourable member brings forward and tables in the House today a letter which, of course, I take all my correspondence and visits from people and representations seriously, even when they come from a union, Madam Speaker, but the honourable member ought not to try to lead us to believe that a letter that is on Nurses' Union stationery represents the views of all of the people with whom we consult because it does not.
The Manitoba Nurses' Union is there to protect the rights of workers, and that is what they should do and I respect that. I respect that very much in our system, Madam Speaker, and so does the Minister of Labour (Mr. Toews) and all of my colleagues.
The point is I have met and heard concerns, acted on concerns, and when concerns are legitimate, I will continue to act on those concerns.
Health Care System
KPMG Consulting
Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, the Minister of Health has not tabled one study, one letter, one comment from any person in the health care field that justifies his decision made arbitrarily to close the emergency wards, and we see further example today.
Madam Speaker, I would like to table another document that indicates whom the minister is listening to. It is a document of the study group that the minister says is studying emergency services, and it says, who is studying the alternative models that are being put in place? Who is making the recommendations? It is not the nurses. It is not the doctors. It is not even the Department of Health. It is KPMG, a consulting firm, and that is what is illustrated in the minister's own document.
Can the minister then at least confirm that it is he and his consulting firm that have made these decisions?
Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I remind the honourable member that the Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons is represented on the emergency services task force committee.
The KPMG consulting firm is a firm that does have experience in health care, and they are playing a role in terms of making sure data is available to the participants on the emergency services task force committee. When we talk about emergency services protocols, Madam Speaker, we are, indeed, using the standardized types of protocols that are appropriate for emergency services.
The honourable member is saying to the people who are working on the emergency services task force committee that he has no confidence in them, and, you know, I think he should reconsider that because you cannot on the one hand say, listen, and on the other hand say, do not listen.
Madam Speaker, we are listening; he is not.
Mr. Chomiak: Madam Speaker, can the minister explain on this document--it is the minister's document that talks about activities carried out. It says, transportation issues dealt with by Winnipeg Ambulance, strike and poststrike activity, Manitoba Health, urgency of patients, Manitoba Health, but when we get to alternative models, such things as alternative services for emergency department structures and organizational maps, there is only one name beside that. It is KPMG.
Can the minister explain that?
Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, what I am going to do is arrange for the honourable member to have a meeting with me. I will invite him again to my office. I have done this perhaps more than half a dozen times as we have approached health reform and health care issues.
The honourable member has never taken me up on that invitation, Madam Speaker. I would invite him to join me in my office, and I will have people come to that meeting who can talk about the input that is going on at the emergency services task force review committee, including the input of KPMG. I challenge the honourable member to accept an invitation that I have made over half a dozen times quite publicly.
Mr. Chomiak: Madam Speaker, I will indicate to the minister, and I will ask the minister, if he will agree to come to just one public meeting that we are sponsoring to listen to the public, then I will come to his office any time to discuss any issue.
Mr. McCrae: I will compare calendars with the honourable member any day of the week as to public meetings.
Treaty Land Entitlements
Status Report
Mr. Oscar Lathlin (The Pas): My questions are directed to the Minister responsible for Native Affairs. While there has been some progress made on settling treaty land entitlement over the past few years, all sides agree that currently there is a serious impasse.
Given this impasse, will the minister tell the House why his government is not prepared to live up to its obligations in terms of treaty land entitlement or settlement in this province and perhaps advise the House just exactly what the holdup is? Is it the federal government, is it the provincial government, or is it the First Nations?
Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister responsible for Native Affairs): I thank the member for The Pas for this, I believe, very timely question. First of all, let me just reconfirm to him and to this House that the Province of Manitoba, the government of Manitoba, is fully prepared to live up to our obligations, which is, we believe, to provide unoccupied Crown land to the federal government to satisfy its obligations under treaty.
The member is quite correct in indicating to the House that there is somewhat of an impasse at this current time. I in no way would place that blame in any way or point in any way to the First Nations as the cause. The problem is in fact that the federal government, in negotiating with the First Nations, there is obviously a cash component to that for those First Nations where there is not sufficient unoccupied Crown land available. The federal government is trying to offload, quite frankly, some of their financial responsibility onto the province for meeting that obligation.
That issue of finances is, in my opinion, strictly between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government is trying to use that issue I think to, quite frankly, stall completion of the treaty land entitlement issue with the First Nations with whom they are negotiating in what is in essence a double bilateral process.
Mr. Lathlin: My second question: I have a letter here that was written to my colleague the member for Rupertsland (Mr. Robinson) dated November 1 by the acting chief, Ronnie Evans. If I could quote from here, Madam Speaker: Canada has requested Manitoba to concur in the setting aside of 900,626 acres of land as reserve land to compromise from our current entitlement of 1.2 million acres. Manitoba has refused. Similarly, Manitoba has refused to contribute the sum of $20 million requested by Canada as an all-inclusive contribution on account of settlement, or in fact even $1 for that matter.
I would like to table this letter and ask the minister whether he would follow the lead of the Saskatchewan government where treaty land entitlement has been settled and why his government is not prepared to settle for an early settlement here in Manitoba.
Mr. Praznik: Madam Speaker, two issues in the member's question: Firstly, with respect to the quantum of land, that issue is still under negotiation at the table as to the exact quantum of land that would be provided, again in a double bilateral process, provincial and federal governments at one table, First Nations and federal government at another, and I can indicate to the member that I do not think there is a huge difference there, but that is still one outstanding issue in terms of quantum.
With respect to the finances, in the letter which he has tabled, it is very consistent with the position that we have taken, that our obligation under the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer agreement is to provide unoccupied Crown land for the settlement of that issue.
We have even gone beyond that in some cases. In the case of Island Lake, we provided an additional close to 100,000 acres of land to make that settlement which would be kept in fee simple.
So we have been going beyond that contribution, but it has been our position that any cash settlement or any cash portion of a settlement is the responsibility of the government of Canada, the taxpayers of Canada with whom the treaties are made.
I would hope that the member for The Pas would appreciate that this is truly an issue between the federal and provincial governments, and if the federal government was sincere in settling, they would settle their issues with the First Nation and leave that matter between us and them.
Manitoba Hazardous Waste Corp.
Purchase Agreement
Mr. Gregory Dewar (Selkirk): Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Environment.
Madam Speaker, over the last seven years this government has spent nearly $20 million in the failed attempt at constructing a hazardous waste facility here in this province. This morning the minister admitted that even under the most optimistic projections, it will take another 25 years before the taxpayers in this province recoup their investment from this company that is interested in buying the Manitoba Hazardous Waste Management Corporation, Miller Paving.
My question is to the minister. Why is this government accepting this offer in which the company will pay $3 million in cash in total over the next three years?
Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister of Environment): Madam Speaker, the member chooses to misrepresent the amount of investment that will occur on the site. Then he can characterize it as three--
Madam Speaker: Order, please.
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Point of Order
Mr. Steve Ashton (Opposition House Leader): Madam Speaker, the minister used the term "chooses to misrepresent." The minister should know that that is unparliamentary.
Mr. Cummings: Madam Speaker, I am quite prepared to withdraw that comment--
Madam Speaker: I thank the honourable Minister of Environment.
Mr. Cummings: --from the member, Madam Speaker, but I want to make it very clear that I have a different view than he--sorry.
* * *
Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable Minister of Environment, to quickly complete his response.
Mr. Cummmings: Madam Speaker, I want to make it very clear I have a different view of the amount of money that will be invested as a result of this potential partnership with Miller company from Ontario.
It will far exceed $3 million, and, potentially, we will see $8 million within five years, following on annual revenues that could very much equal or exceed the amount that we have invested in the corporation.
Mr. Dewar: Madam Speaker, my supplementary question is to the same minister.
Madam Speaker, why is this minister making such a fire sale offer to this firm, this firm that has absolutely no experience in the hazardous waste business--no experience. He is giving it away.
Mr. Cummings: Madam Speaker, is it not interesting that the present NDP opposition wishes to forget that it was under the previous administration that the act was struck under which all of the expenditures--in fact, the cross-province reviews, the environmental assessment and the millions of dollars that were spent in public consultation--are in fact mandated under that act. We only need to look to Ontario in the east where some $170 million has been spent and all they have is a room full of files. We are going to have a development.
Manitoba Public Insurance Corp.
Rate Increase
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for MPIC, just to clarify some remarks from the minister from yesterday. It is the politically appointed board of MPIC which makes application to Public Utilities for rate increases to Autopac.
Madam Speaker, my question to the minister is, why is it that prior to the election in 1995 the board did not see fit to have an increase in Autopac rates and then after the election, it was seen fit to submit a 6 percent increase?
Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, I hesitate to be combative with the member for Inkster but he, along with his colleagues, has been very critical of the implementation of no-fault insurance. Perhaps he should also then, in this question, acknowledge that it was some $50 million worth of savings as a result of that implementation of that program that allowed MPIC to contain its costs.
Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, I am wondering if the minister can indicate whether or not he agrees with what the current Premier (Mr. Filmon) said when he was Leader of the Opposition, on February 12, 1988, and I quote, "Is the minister now going to admit that there was political manipulation involved on the part of his government in the setting of Autopac rates?" Nothing has changed.
Will, in fact, this minister do exactly what the Premier did in 1988 and say that this MPIC Board is politically manipulating Autopac increases?
Mr. Cummings: Madam Speaker, the member wants to have on the record that nothing has changed. He cannot ignore the fact that this administration has placed the MPIC rates before the Public Utilities Board. The fact is that the Public Utilities Board chose to increase the rates against motorcycles, so he cannot question which direction the PUB is prepared to go. He will find that--all he needs to do is research the records--we have now separated the rate-making concerns with the ultimate decision, which is in a public forum, an independent body that has an opportunity to review in a public forum and then set the rates.
Board Membership--MLA for Emerson
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, will the Minister responsible for MPIC take immediate action and relieve his colleague the member for Emerson (Mr. Penner) of his responsibilities on the board in an attempt to try to address what is obviously a conflict of interest? The member for Emerson should not be sitting on that board.
Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, I suspect that the real motive or the real concern that the member is trying to get to is that he is now embarrassed by the fact that his party opposed no-fault insurance. It has delivered the savings, and now he wants to call it political.
Manitoba Housing Authority
Tenant Relations Officer Layoffs
Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): Madam Speaker, at the Municipal Affairs committee two nights ago, the Minister of Housing agreed with me that tenant associations would help solve problems in public housing and increase stability in neighbourhoods. He agreed tenants should have a say in the management of public housing, and that the Manitoba Housing Authority staff, particularly the tenants relations officers, are to support, and as their job description says, foster the development of tenants associations.
I would like to ask the Minister of Housing, given that he has such support for the work of tenant relations officers and tenants associations, why is his department laying off the seven tenant relations officers in Winnipeg?
Hon. Jack Reimer (Minister of Housing): Madam Speaker, I believe what the member for Radisson is referring to is the fact that there are negotiations ongoing within the department and the authority and the tenant relations officers and other people that are involved with the department.
Labour negotiations are going on. Labour negotiations--there are letters that are sent out. There have been no layoffs.
Ms. Cerilli: Madam Speaker, I am going to table in the House a copy of a letter sent October 27 from the Manitoba Housing Authority stipulating that seven tenant relations officers are to be laid off between December and March of 1996. I am also going to table the job descriptions of the tenant relations officers which say that they should be fostering and developing tenants associations and social housing advisory groups.
I want to ask the minister, given what he said in the House a few days ago, and I quote: "one of the things that is very, very important, and I will repeat again, is the fact that tenants associations will form and do form a vital point in making any type of decisions within the framework of the complex."
Given those statements, will he ensure that these tenant relations officers are going to be maintained as staff in the Manitoba Housing Authority to work to develop tenants associations and meet the needs in the communities that they work with?
Mr. Reimer: As has been stated before in this House, tenant associations within the various complexes do form a very integral and a very vital part in any type of decisions that are made.
These associations are encouraged. We supply a per-diem amount of money to go towards the administration of these tenant associations. We do have tenant association officers who are part of the decision making on it.
The member is referring to a situation and an overlap of the situation that is before the negotiation of--with the labour negotiations. If there is an agreement, which they are in negotiation as we speak, these layoffs are just a part of the notification process. Nobody has been laid off, Madam Speaker.
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Hog Industry
Marketing System
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): Madam Speaker, earlier this week the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns) made an arbitrary decision to remove the monopoly of the marketing boards. He said this was in the interest of producers, but, unfortunately, producers today are starting to see the negative impact of this decision.
Manitoba Pork's forward-pricing contract program, a program which is the first of its kind developed by a marketing board, has been indefinitely suspended as a result of the decision of the government to move to dual marketing.
I want to ask the minister, will he recognize the negative impact of this decision, the negative impact it will have on producers, and will he reverse this decision and maintain the monopoly of single-desk selling for Manitoba Pork?
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, firstly, let me make clear to the honourable member for Swan River and to all members of the House that I provided the executive of Manitoba Pork the courtesy of indicating a decision that will be made by this government.
No decision has been made. There has been no change in the marketing of hogs in the province of Manitoba, and she is talking, as is their typical fashion for seeing nothing but doom and gloom, about negative impacts of something that has not happened.
Now, with respect to the issue that she raises, let me assure her I did not make any change to the forward-marketing opportunities for Manitoba producers. That was made by Manitoba Pork, and they acknowledge it under the signature of Mr. Sedgwick, the executive secretary.
I deeply regret having to deny the province's hog producers a forward-marketing concept. That was their decision, not my decision, not a decision of this government.
Ms. Wowchuk: Madam Speaker, will the minister agree that Manitoba Pork was forced to make this decision because the minister told them, no matter what, he was going to introduce dual marketing? He has put uncertainty into the future of hog marketing here, and it was because of his decision that this excellent program is being taken away from the hog producers of Manitoba.
Mr. Enns: Madam Speaker, I have the privilege of sitting beside my good colleague the honourable Minister of Highways and Transportation (Mr. Findlay) who, among other things, is also the Minister responsible for the Manitoba Telephone System.
For 50 or 60 years, we had a single-delivery system in telecommunication in this province under the Manitoba Telephone System. Events changed. Technology changed. Major commercial businesses could circumvent the system and were threatening to do so and we introduced competition--if you like--to the Manitoba Telephone System. What has happened? Customers are getting better service. We have among the lowest-priced service in North America and we are meeting today's modern communications needs.
Madam Speaker, I am as convinced today as I was when I indicated to Manitoba Pork that by augmenting the existing marketing system with a choice that I am offering the producers, the appropriate thing--I appreciate that my answer is getting too long-winded--but I do want to say, nobody is dismantling the current marketing system at Manitoba Pork. I expect 70, 80 or 90 percent of the hog producers to continue using it, particularly if it provides a service. If it does not provide the service, then some of them have the choice of looking elsewhere.
Ms. Wowchuk: Again I say, Madam Speaker, the minister is bringing a slow death to the marketing board.
Madam Speaker, since representatives of the meat-packing industry have all reaffirmed their commitment to single-desk selling at Manitoba Pork's semiannual meeting--and, in fact, to paraphrase one of the comments, the processors said, I do not have the means to deal with 20,000 producers--will the minister admit that this has nothing to do with jobs, this has nothing to do with the processors, it is going to hurt the producers, and will he tell the producers whose agenda he is on? Whom is he caving in to when he makes this decision to move to dual marketing?
Mr. Enns: Madam Speaker, the events will simply have to prove themselves. I am confident that the advice that I have sought in this instance--and I remind honourable members of the House, in the first instance, it is the advice of one of the most senior, well-respected agricultural economists that this province has produced who has worked for the federal Liberal government, who has worked for past New Democratic Party governments, who is recognized at the University of Manitoba, was the dean of the Faculty of Agriculture. I am referring to Dr. Clay Gilson. He chaired the report. He is responsible and that committee is responsible for some of the advice that I am receiving--some of the advice. I am satisfied, Madam Speaker.
I hope and I know that Manitoba hog producers will rise to the challenges and the opportunities that are in the hog industry and the pork industry, generally speaking, remembering always that we are now targeting an entirely different market than what was the case in 1972 when the single-selling desk was established. We are looking at the international market, not the domestic market. All of the hogs we are producing are going for the international market, and that requires different technologies.
Louisiana-Pacific
Forest Management Plan
Mr. Stan Struthers (Dauphin): My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources.
The minister has been involved in the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers and has contributed to the development of the sustainable forest management plans. I am therefore sure that the issues raised by five federal departments regarding Louisiana-Pacific's forest management plan and EIS would be of great concern to him and his department. Biologists within his own department have questioned the science used in Louisiana-Pacific's submissions.
Considering the seriousness of these concerns with regard to sustainable development, will the minister ask for a resubmission from L-P before public hearings take place?
Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Natural Resources): Madam Speaker, in the short time that we are allowed to answer questions, I will try and give a little bit of a backdrop as to what is going to be happening in the next little while, because the environmental hearings are slated; the dates have been set. They have been set for November 20, 21, 22 and, if need be, November 23 in Swan River and November 27, 28, 29 and, if need be, November 30 in Winnipeg.
The plan has been filed by Louisiana-Pacific in terms of their forest management plan, their environmental impact statement, which is now public information. It is on the public docket. Anybody can avail themselves of it; they can look at it. The process then is that the Department of Environment will conduct those hearings during those days when people can respond to it.
We, from the department, have had our chance to have our input into it. That is filed as well. Madam Speaker, I can tell you that we are comfortable with what we see at this time and our statements are on the record.
Mr. Struthers: Madam Speaker, the EIS is full of holes, and I want to table two separate documents, each of these documents indicating that officials in the Department of Natural Resources have lacked the proper resources and time frames to review the short- and long-term impacts of the Louisiana-Pacific proposal.
How will this minister ensure that a comprehensive scientific review by his department occurs before going to public hearings?
Mr. Driedger: Madam Speaker, my department receives approximately 200 applications a year that deal with environmental impact within the Department of Natural Resources. The process is always the same. There is a time limit that is set out. By and large, we try and respond within a 30-day period to any of the concerns that basically are brought forward to us.
(Mr. Marcel Laurendeau, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair)
Mr. Deputy Speaker, in the case of the Louisiana-Pacific issue, we have done the same thing. We received the specifics of their plan on September 20. We then circulated it to the regional director, who then takes it and puts it out to the people in the field--a variety of people, incidentally--it then came back. [interjection] I am just trying to clarify the process that takes place because the member is questioning the process of what we are doing.
Once that information comes back to the regional director, it then comes in to my executive, who then basically develop the scenario in terms of the response that we put on the record.
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Department of Natural Resources
Forest Management Plan
Mr. Stan Struthers (Dauphin): Can the minister inform the House when he will release Manitoba's 20-year forest management plans that his own officials and companies like L-P have specific guidelines to adhere to regarding truly sustainable forest management?
Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Natural Resources): Mr. Deputy Speaker, my department of forestry--the director of forestry, incidentally, I have a new individual there by the name of Art Hoole, whom I feel is very qualified--we have been dealing with the Louisiana-Pacific 10-year performance statement as well as with the Repap people. We have ongoing challenges with Abitibi, with Spruce Products, with their quota holders. The member for Swan River (Ms. Wowchuk) has many times within the last year raised concerns about the smaller operators, how they would fit into the puzzle with Louisiana-Pacific, how they fit into the system with Repap.
During the process of dealing with all these issues, we have an ongoing process in terms of dealing with the 20-year projections and, actually, part and parcel of the environmental process is the responsibility that my people have to put on the record that the process of harvesting is going to be done in a proper manner.
Mathias Colomb First Nation
Housing Construction Project
Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): My questions are for the Minister of Northern and Native Affairs.
Over two weeks ago the minister agreed to assist the Mathias Colomb First Nation develop a business plan to harvest logs for constructing log houses at Pukatawagan.
Could the minister give the House a status report on the development of this plan and the response of the federal government?
Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister responsible for Native Affairs): I thank the member for Flin Flon for the question. I know he was part of the meeting in which we offered the services of our department, and others, to work with that particular community in developing a number of options.
I know there have been discussions ongoing in the last couple of weeks of doing that, but the real problem, quite frankly, is that their issue with the federal government, which leads to all of the other options that we talked about, has not yet been resolved. I know the community is experiencing great frustration. They have made further efforts to seek meetings and discussions with the federal government.
I understand that even Grand Chief George Muswagon of MKO has been involved in this process and yet the federal government still has not yet resolved it to the satisfaction of the community.
First Nations Communities
Housing Shortages
Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): My supplementary question, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is, has the minister requested a meeting with the federal Minister of Indian Affairs to discuss the housing crisis on reserves and the need for innovative action such as the Pukatawagan log house construction project which could be a model for other remote communities?
Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister responsible for Native Affairs): Mr. Deputy Speaker, in answer to that question, I know the chief of that particular community had some discussions both with myself and the Premier (Mr. Filmon), and the Premier wrote on behalf of the government of Manitoba to the Honourable Ron Irwin on the 19th of October of this year requesting that the minister personally become involved in this process.
I must say, with respect to a meeting directly by myself and the minister, I have a host of outstanding issues in which we have made similar requests of the federal minister. We had one meeting with him some time ago prior to this time but his availability for meetings, as the member will appreciate, is extremely limited, we would gather, to be kind to that minister. But the Premier has written on behalf of that community, and I would table this letter at this time.
Quarry Rehabilitation Reserve Fund
Application Process
Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Mr. Deputy Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Energy and Mines.
Approximately three years ago the Quarry Rehab Reserve fund was created. Over the past three years, approximately $2 million has been awarded to various contractors around Manitoba to rehabilitate sand and gravel pits.
Can the minister explain why these inspectors who monitor and enforce The Mines Act are the very ones that are also handing out these contracts to these contractors?
Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister of Energy and Mines): Mr. Deputy Speaker, the member for St. James and I had some discussion about this in committee the other day about the intricacies of that program. I know at that time she expressed some specific concerns about a process. I do not think she brought a specific case, but she was concerned at that time about process.
As I indicated to her at committee at that time, under the process that was set up our quarry inspectors work with the municipalities and the pit operators, et cetera, to determine what projects meet the criteria and where it is appropriate and that they also review those processes internally and ultimately let the contracts. There was some concern that she expressed, and we said that we would have a look at that.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order, please. Time for Oral Question Period has expired.
Committee Changes
Mr. George Hickes (Point Douglas): The composition of the Standing Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources for 10 a.m. November 2, 1995, be amended as follows: Selkirk (Mr. Dewar) for Thompson (Mr. Ashton); St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh) for Transcona (Mr. Reid); Radisson (Ms. Cerilli) for Interlake (Mr. Clif Evans). These substitutions had been moved by leave in the committee and are now being moved in the House to be properly recorded in the official records. Thank you.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: It has been moved by the honourable member for Point Douglas, seconded by the honourable member for Broadway (Mr. Santos), that the composition of the Standing Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources for 10 a.m. November 2, 1995, be amended as follows: Selkirk (Mr. Dewar) for Thompson (Mr. Ashton)--Dispense?
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Motion agreed to.
Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): Mr. Deputy Speaker, I move, seconded by the member for Turtle Mountain (Mr. Tweed), that the composition of the Standing Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources be amended for the 10 a.m. sitting November 2 as follows: the member for Gladstone (Mr. Rocan) for the member for Sturgeon Creek (Mr. McAlpine).
This substitution has been moved by leave in the committee and is now being moved in the House to be properly recorded by the official record.
Motion agreed to.