LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF
Friday,
October 28,
2005
The House met at 10 a.m.
PRAYERS
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Resignation
Mr. Speaker: I must inform the
House that John Loewen, the honourable Member for
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (
Mr. Speaker: The honourable Member for
Mr. Lamoureux: Mr. Speaker, as an MLA, one of our responsibilities is to identify what we believe are critically important issues to Manitobans and do what we can in terms of making sure that there is a legitimate opportunity for Manitobans to be able to express their will. That is done in many different ways. One of those ways is, in fact, through petitions.
Mr. Speaker, we all know
inside this Chamber that the Crocus file has generated a great deal of public
interest as millions, 60 million-plus dollars, have been lost
because of government neglect. I took it upon myself to write a petition and to
circulate that petition advising Manitobans that it was my intent to do what I
can, as one member of this Chamber, to ensure that this issue is getting the
type of attention that we believe it should get. We believe there should be a
public inquiry. Having said that, what I am going to do maybe is provide for
the Chamber and, in particular, the House leaders, get one of the pages to come
and circulate it to the House leaders and maybe a copy for yourself, and then
it can be tabled after they have taken a look at it.
What I have done, Mr.
Speaker, is members of this Chamber will be aware that we actually made some
changes to our rules. One of the changes that we had a great deal of discussion
on was the issue of petitions. As a consensus I had agreed that we would
increase the number of signatures required on a petition in order to present it
to this Chamber. In keeping with those changes, what I would like to be able to
do is to reflect on some petitions that in fact have been rejected.
What I am looking for is for the Government House Leader (Mr. Mackintosh) and the Opposition House Leader (Mr. Derkach) to express to this House what the intent of what I believe took place during these discussions, Mr. Speaker, because, after all, what we are really talking about is what Manitobans felt strongly enough to put their name and their signature on a very important issue, that being the Crocus file.
Mr. Speaker, our rule states, in reference to the petitions, in part: "Form of the Petition, A petition must be in the form set out in Appendix A."
You will find that the form or the format that I have used is in fact quite acceptable, and later on this morning I will be presenting one of those petitions and using that form.
It must be signed by at least 15 petitioners. That is the new component to the rule. "The names and addresses of the first 15 petitioners must be legible. "If more than one page, and it is important to recognize, one page is required for signatures of a petitioner, "the subject matter of the petition must be indicated on each page. The signature of the Member must also appear at the top of the original petition."
Mr. Speaker, what I have provided the members, the Government House Leader, the Opposition House Leader and yourself is a copy of some of the petitions that I have been told do not meet the requirements of our rules. Now, what I am suggesting is that in the discussion, what I am suggesting to you does not contradict our rule. In fact, it is the intent of the discussions that I had that the petitions that I have shared with members are in order and should have been accepted.
Let me expand, Mr. Speaker. This petition
here was rejected because on the petition where it has, for example, I will use
the name of Paul Landry,
Then, if I go on to another
petition that was rejected, Mr. Speaker, you have, again, two individuals, and
it is one address tied to both individuals. Again, it has been denied.
* (10:05)
I trust and I see that the
House leaders are looking at these petitions as I am speaking, Mr. Speaker, and
I am encouraged by that.
The next petition shows
signatures, three individuals, two from the same house, right below the
address. Again it is a check mark. Very, very clear indication, Mr. Speaker,
that this is in fact who the person claims to be.
The next petition, Mr.
Speaker, is one in which the individual signed and because they wanted to get
more signatures what they did is they continued onto the back of the page. Same
page but the signatures are on the back. Again, because it was on the back, it was
ruled out of order. Not only that, but the individuals that are on the front
are ruled out of order.
The next one and this is one,
let us think about recycling for a moment, Mr. Speaker. You know, someone took
the time to print off a petition from my Web site, and what happened is they
had printed it off on the back. It was on what I would suggest to you is
recycled letterhead. On the front it is very clear it is the petition, and
there are two signatures that are on that petition. Again, that petition has
been rejected.
What I am asking for, Mr.
Speaker, is that we have to recognize and give credit to Manitobans when they
take the initiative to sign a petition. Whether we agree with the petition or
we disagree with the petition what is important is that we recognize that these
are Manitobans that deserve the integrity of what they bring to the table by
signing a petition of this nature and where it is very clear, as each and every
one of those petitions I believe is, that those petitions should be accepted.
That would have been my understanding when we had discussions about petitions
back in May, April. There were other things that we had talked about at that
point in time. This was a compromise to have 15 signatures as opposed to the three.
I did that in good faith, and what I would ask is that the House leaders
recognize those discussions and agree with me and what it is that I am
presenting and suggest that these are in fact petitions that should be
acceptable.
Beauchesne's, Mr. Speaker, says that you have to bring it up at the first opportunity, and I have done just that. The second thing that Beauchesne's says is that you have to conclude with a motion, so I will conclude my comments with a motion.
I would move, seconded by the member from
Hon. Gord Mackintosh (Government House Leader): I am just a bit embarrassed even having to stand up on this. If this is the issue that they were excited about coming back to the session for, if this is their big hurrah, this is their big lead issue, so be it. I think this is an issue that is a matter of order and rules and, Mr. Speaker, if you can perhaps look at this and make a ruling and if you have to call the rules group together then we will do so.
Mr. Leonard Derkach (Official Opposition House Leader): It is unfortunate that a matter like this needs to be dealt with as a matter of privilege because it is clearly a procedural issue as a result of some new rules that we all agreed to. Unfortunately, our forms for petitions did not coincide perhaps with the changes of the rules and that is something that perhaps all of us have overlooked and I think that there is a way around this. I know that our member from Emerson was caught with the same situation.
Although the rules are clear that there
has to be a new page with the petition at the top of it, I think we had a
preliminary discussion about ways in which we could make this more acceptable
to members and to residents in the province, but I believe that we should
simply find a solution to this between us as House leaders and you, Mr.
Speaker, and then perhaps these could be put on hold for the time being, and
once we have clarified it then we can proceed without this having to be dealt
with as a matter of privilege.
Mr. Speaker: On the matter of
privilege raised by the honourable Member for Inkster, I would just like to
inform the House that the petitions that were deemed not to be in order were
done so on the basis of past practice and precedence that were used in the past
and these same criteria were applied to all members of the House in the past. I
know that we have new criteria, we have new guidelines for petitions, and I was
intending to set up a meeting with the House leaders and with the honourable
Member for
I will set up that meeting so I will have
to rule that the honourable member does not have a matter of privilege. I will
be setting up a meeting, and I will ensure that the honourable Member for
Inkster and the House leaders that represent their caucuses are involved, and
we will come back with guidelines for all to follow, so that should take care
of the matter.
* (10:10)
Insulin Pumps
Mr. Ralph Eichler (
These are the reasons for
this petition:
Insulin pumps costs over $6,500.00.
The cost of diabetes in the
Good blood sugar control
reduces or eliminates kidney failure by 50 percent, blindness by 76 percent,
nerve damage by 60 percent, cardiac disease by 35 percent and even amputations.
Diabetes is an epidemic in
our province and will become an unprecedented drain on our struggling health
care system if we do not take action now.
The benefit of having an
insulin pump is it allows the person living with this life-altering disease to
obtain good sugar control and become a much healthier, complication-free
individual.
We petition the Legislative
Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To request the Premier (Mr.
Doer) of
Submitted on behalf of Lori
Enstrom, Wendy Enstrom, Terry Enstrom and many, many others.
Mr. Speaker: In accordance with our Rule 132(6), when petitions
are read they are deemed to be received by the House.
Amending of The Architects Act
Mr.
Ron Schuler (
These are the reasons for
this petition:
On September 16, 2005, the
Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench revealed a significant conflict between The
Engineering and Geoscientific Professions Act and The Architects Act.
Currently architects are
exempt from The Engineering and Geoscientific Professions Act, but engineers
are not exempt from The Architects Act.
This decision will have a
negative effect on the province's building and construction industries,
increase costs to municipalities and other levels of government, lead to a
brain drain, increase red tape and delay projects.
Previous to the ruling, a
choice existed between engaging architects or engineers to perform specified
work according to their disciplines while protecting the safety of the public
as guided by the Manitoba Building Code.
Over the last seven years,
the Manitoba Association of Architects (MAA) has rejected the two negotiated
solutions. Therefore, legislative change is the only reasonable and sustainable
solution.
Given that the ruling's
implementation date is immediate, we call on the government to take appropriate
steps in changing the legislation during the current session.
We petition the Legislative
Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To request the Premier (Mr.
Doer) to consider amending The Architects Act to provide engineers an exemption
similar to that enjoyed by the architects under The Engineering and
Geoscientific Professions Act.
Signed by R. Silver, M. Silver, R. S. Merrell and many, many others.
* (10:15)
Crocus Investment Fund
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (
The background to this petition is as follows:
The Manitoba Government was made aware of serious problems involving the Crocus Fund back in 2001.
As a direct result of the government ignoring the red flags back in 2001, over 33 000 Crocus investors lost over $60 million.
The relationship between some union leaders, the Premier (Mr. Doer) and the NDP seems to be the primary reason as for why the government ignored the red flags.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To request the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to consider the need to seek clarification on why the government did not act on fixing the Crocus Fund back in 2001.
Signed by Joanne Gallant, Walter Gallant and Dan Malchuk.
Mr. Doug Martindale (Chairperson): Mr. Speaker, I present the First Report of the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations.
Madam Clerk (Patricia Chaychuk): Your Standing Committee on Crown Corporations presents–
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Mr. Speaker: Dispense.
Your
Standing Committee on Crown Corporations presents the following as its First
Report.
Meetings:
Your committee met on the
following occasions:
Friday, February 20, 2004
Friday, February 27, 2004
Thursday, September 29,
2005
All
meetings were held in Room 255 of the
Matters under Consideration:
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 28, 2002
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 28, 2003
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 29, 2004
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending February
28, 2005, (not originally referred but considered with the unanimous consent of
the committee)
Committee Membership:
Committee
membership for the September 29, 2005, meeting:
Ms. Brick
Mr. Cullen
Mr. Cummings
Mr. Dewar
Mr. Faurschou
Mr. Jha
Hon. Mr. Mackintosh
Mr. Martindale
(Chairperson)
Mr. Penner
Mr. Reid
Mr. Swan
At
the September 29, 2005, meeting your committee elected Ms. Brick as the
Vice-Chairperson.
Officials Speaking on Record:
Marilyn
McLaren, President and Chief Executive Officer
Reports Considered and Adopted:
Your committee
has considered and adopted the following reports as
presented:
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 28, 2002
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 28, 2003
Reports Considered but not Adopted:
Your committee has considered the following reports
but did not adopt them:
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 29, 2004
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation for the year ending
February 28, 2005
Mr.
Martindale: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by
the honourable Member for St. Norbert (Ms. Brick), that the report of the
committee be received.
Motion agreed
to.
Mr. Martindale: Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the Second Report of the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations.
Madam Clerk: Your Standing
Committee on Crown Corporations presents–
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Mr. Speaker: Dispense.
Your
Standing Committee on Crown Corporations presents the following as its Second
Report.
Meetings:
Your committee
met on the following occasions:
Thursday, September 16,
2004, at 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, October 6, 2005,
at 1:30 p.m.
All
meetings were held in Room 255 of the
The
Standing Committee on Economic Development also met on Monday, December 3, 2001,
(3rd Session – 37th Legislature) at 10 a.m. in Room 255
to consider these matters.
Matters under
Consideration:
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2000
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2001
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2002
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2003
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2004
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2005
(not originally referred but considered with the unanimous consent of the
committee)
Committee Membership:
Substitutions
received prior to commencement of the September 16, 2004, meeting:
Mr. Jha for Mr. Dewar
Ms. Irvin-Ross for Ms.
Korzeniowski
Mr. Eichler for Cummings
Mr. Goertzen for Faurschou
Committee
membership for the October 6, 2005, meeting:
Ms. Brick (Vice-Chairperson)
Mr. Dewar
Mr. Eichler
Mr. Faurschou
Mr. Jha
Mr. Martindale
(Chairperson)
Mr. Reid
Mr. Rocan
Mr. Schellenberg
Mr. Schuler
Hon. Mr. Smith
Officials speaking on record at the December 3, 2001, meeting:
Winston Hodgins, Acting
President and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Hak, Senior Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer
Officials speaking on record at the September 16, 2004, meeting:
Winston Hodgins, President
and Chief Executive Officer
Officials Speaking on Record at the October 6, 2005, meeting:
Winston Hodgins, President and
Chief Executive Officer
Reports Considered and Adopted:
Your committee
has considered and adopted the following reports as
presented:
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2000
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2001
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2002
Reports Considered but not Adopted:
Your committee has considered the
following reports but did not adopt them:
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2003
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2004
Annual
Report of the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation for the year ending March 31, 2005
Mr.
Martindale: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by
the honourable Member for Radisson (Mr. Jha), that the report of the committee
be received.
Motion agreed to.
Ms. Marilyn Brick (Chairperson): Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the Third Report of the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations.
Madam Clerk: Your Standing
Committee on Crown Corporations presents–
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Mr. Speaker: Dispense.
Your
Standing Committee on Crown Corporations presents the following as its Third
Report.
Meetings:
Your committee met on the following occasions:
Friday, February 13, 2004,
at 10 a.m.
Thursday, October 13, 2005,
at 9 a.m.
Both
meetings were held in Room 255 of the
The
Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs also met on Friday, February 27, 2004,
at 10 a.m. in Room 254 to consider these matters.
Matters under
Consideration:
Workers Compensation Board Annual Report – December 31, 2002
Workers
Compensation Board Annual Report – December 31, 2003
Workers
Compensation Board Annual Report – December 31, 2004
Workers
Compensation Board Appeals Commission and Medical Review Panel Annual Report –
December 31, 2003
Workers
Compensation Board Appeals Commission and Medical Review Panel Annual Report –
December 31, 2004
Workers
Compensation Board Five-Year Plan – 2001-2005
Workers
Compensation Board Five-Year Plan – 2002-2006
Workers
Compensation Board Five-Year Plan – 2003-2007
Workers
Compensation Board Five Year Plan – 2004-2008
Workers
Compensation Board Five Year Plan – 2005-2009
Committee Membership:
Committee
membership for the October 13, 2005, meeting:
Mr. Aglugub
Hon. Ms. Allan
Ms. Brick
(Vice-Chairperson)
Mr. Cullen
Mr. Cummings
Mr. Dewar
Mr. Goertzen
Ms. Irvin-Ross
Mr. Maloway
Mr. Santos
Mrs. Taillieu
At
the October 13, 2005, meeting your committee elected Ms. Brick as the
Chairperson and Ms. Irvin-Ross as the Vice-Chairperson.
Officials speaking on the record at the October 13, 2005, meeting:
Tom Farrell, Chairperson
Doug Sexsmith, President and
CEO
Harold Dueck, Vice President,
Finance and Administration
Alice Sayant, Vice
President
Reports Considered and Adopted:
Your committee
has considered and adopted the following reports as
presented:
Workers Compensation Board Annual Report – December
31, 2002
Workers Compensation Board Annual Report – December
31, 2003
Workers Compensation Board Appeals Commission and
Medical Review Panel Annual Report – December 31, 2003
Workers Compensation Board Five-Year Plan – 2001-2005
Workers Compensation Board Five-Year Plan – 2002-2006
Workers Compensation Board Five-Year Plan – 2003-2007
Reports
Considered but not Adopted:
Your committee has considered the following reports
but did not adopt them:
Workers
Compensation Board Annual Report – December 31, 2004
Workers
Compensation Board Appeals Commission and Medical Review Panel Annual Report –
December 31, 2004
Workers
Compensation Board Five Year Plan – 2004-2008
Workers
Compensation Board Five Year Plan – 2005-2009
* (10:20)
Ms. Brick: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for
Motion agreed to.
Standing Committee on Crown Corporations
Fourth Report
Ms. Brick: I wish to present the Fourth Report of the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations.
Madam Clerk: Your Standing Committee on Crown Corporations
presents the following as its Fourth Report.
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Mr. Speaker: Dispense.
Your
Standing Committee on Crown Corporations presents the following as its Fourth
Report.
Meetings:
Your committee
met on the following occasions:
Thursday, September 9, 2004,
at 9:30 a.m.
Monday, October 17, 2005,
at 1:30 p.m.
All
meetings were held in Room 255 of the
Matters under Consideration:
Annual
Report of the
Annual
Report of the
Annual
Report of the
Committee
Membership:
Committee
membership for the October 17, 2005, meeting:
Mr. Aglugub
Ms. Brick (Chairperson)
Mr. Cullen
Mr. Dewar
Mr. Faurschou
Ms. Irvin-Ross
(Vice-Chairperson)
Mr. Maguire
Mr. Maloway
Mr. Schellenberg
Mr. Schuler
Hon. Mr. Smith
Officials speaking on record:
Don
Lussier, President and CEO
Carmen
Neufeld, Chair, MLCC Board of Commissioners
Reports Considered and Adopted:
Your committee
has considered and adopted the following reports as
presented:
Annual
Report of the
Reports Considered but not Adopted:
Your committee has considered the following reports
but did not adopt them:
Annual
Report of the
Annual
Report of the
Ms. Brick: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for
Motion agreed
to.
Introduction of Guests
Mr.
Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw the attention of all
honourable members to the Speaker's Gallery where we have the six individuals
who were appointed to the Manitoba Legislative Internship Program for the year
2005-2006.
In
accordance with established practice, three interns were assigned to the
government caucus and three to the official opposition caucus. Their term of
employment is 10 months. They will be performing a variety of research and
other tasks for private members. These interns commenced their assignments in
September and will complete them in June.
They
are, working with the government caucus, Mr. Andrew Clark of the
The
interns are accompanied by Professor Friesen, who looks after the academic
portion of the internship. The administration of the program is carried out by
our Clerk, Patricia Chaychuk. The caucus representatives on the Internship
Administration Committee are the Member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski) and
the Member for
I would like to take this opportunity on
behalf of all the members to congratulate the interns on their appointment to
the program and to hope they will have a very interesting and successful year
with the Assembly.
Government
Debt
Reduction
Strategy
Mr. Stuart Murray (Leader of the
Official Opposition): Since
1999, this Premier has operated with very little accountability and very little
fiscal responsibility. In fact, his unprecedented spending has now plunged
This major crisis and this burden are being dumped on our future, on our children and on our grandchildren. It is like taking $760 million to service this debt under this Premier. It would be like a family of four, this Premier going into their house and taking $3,000 out of that family's income.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in
the Throne Speech not one word of debt from this Premier. We know he has a
spending habit. My question is what is his plan to service this historic debt
in
Hon. Gary Doer (Premier): First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would refer the member to page 53 of the summary financial budgets of this year. He will find his number is incorrect on net debt and, secondly, it is factually incorrect. It is in the Auditor General's report. Secondly, he will find the net debt going down by over $450 million in this fiscal year.
I would point out, Mr.
Speaker, that when the member opposite talks about the overall debt in Manitoba
there is no question that some of the debt that was off the books when we came
into office, Centra Gas–
* (10:25)
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr.
Doer: Centra Gas, health capital, school capital, those
off-the-books debts have been placed on the books, Mr. Speaker. You will note
that is why the credit rating in
Mr.
Murray: Mr. Speaker, under this Premier's watch, every single day
in
Yesterday, again, we heard the Throne Speech with hollow rhetoric and not one mention of a plan to deal with this debt crisis. Everybody knows that this Premier has a spending habit. I ask him in the House today what is his plan to deal with this debt crisis.
Mr. Doer: Well, Mr. Speaker, page 53 of the summary financial statements
indicate that the net debt in
An Honourable Member: Another trip? How was
your trip?
Mr. Doer: Well, our trip, actually, Mr. Speaker, in terms
of the debt reductions, our credit rating today, to the member of Steinbach,
who is just a–
Some Honourable Members:
Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr. Doer: The credit rating today is enhanced and the cost of borrowing money is lower because of our practices. Now we have balanced under the balanced budget legislation for six years and that, of course, Mr. Speaker, is tax-supported revenue and tax-supported expenditures. That number has gone down in terms of net debt. Members opposite know that.
Mr. Speaker, I would point out that, just
this last summer, we have had three rating agencies speak out on the situation
in
An Honourable Member: There is more good news.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr. Doer: The province continues to display fiscal discipline supported by, God forbid, conservative debt management policies, Mr. Speaker. Standard and Poor's also goes on to say that the level of tax-supported debt fell to 23 percent of nominal GDP at the end of last fiscal year reaching levels not seen in decades. That is why our credit rating is better today than it was when we came into office in 1999.
* (10:30)
Mr. Murray: Mr. Speaker, not only under this Premier are Manitobans the highest
taxed in Canada, and not only under this Premier is Manitoba going to have the
dubious distinction of being the last have-not province in western Canada, but
because of this Premier's spending he is basically mortgaging not only our
children's but our grandchildren's future. Basically, this Premier has a
spending habit, he has a debt crisis. He did not mention it yesterday in the
Throne Speech. I simply ask him today what is his plan to deal with the debt
crisis that he has created.
Mr. Doer: As I reported, and I
would refer the member to page 53, it is a document that probably all members
of the opposition should read on an annual basis, Mr. Speaker. It actually
provides independent advice to this Legislature, and they should not squander
the advice that is provided to them. I would point out, by the way, that the
Auditor General did report for the first time in decades this government not
only reported under the balanced budget legislation, but further went to report
under the summary financial budgets a commitment we made a year ago. He also
reported that the surplus was the highest amount in the history of
Now one of the issues is
that there are legitimate issues the member opposite raises because the
accounting practices have been changed dramatically to properly reflect the
actual off-book debt on to the on-book debt. So if we can be accused of being
transparent we are guilty. Addressing the pension liability, which was not
addressed, $705 million; housing costs that were accrued over 50 years down to
20 years, $606 million; federal accounting error, $91 million; purchase of
Centra Gas, it was not even on the books when we came into office, $606
million. I can go through every item. Off-book debt by the members opposite,
on-book accounting for the people in
Maple Leaf Distillers
Building Purchase Price
Mr. Gerald Hawranik (Lac du Bonnet): According to the Free Press, in December 2001 this Doer
government sold a building valued at $6.4 million to Maple Leaf Distillers for
only $2.5 million, and, therefore, Manitobans were hit with a loss of nearly $4
million. I ask the Minister of Finance (Mr. Selinger) why would he give such a
sweet deal to Maple Leaf Distillers, and why would he not have allowed other
Hon. Jim Rondeau (Minister of
Industry, Economic Development and Mines): Mr.
Speaker, I am pleased to answer the question. To
correct the member opposite, it was not the Minister of Finance or any
government member who sold it. Actually it was a private firm called Colliers who sold the building. It was a private broker
who sold the building at market value, and it was a respected real estate
company that did it. If you look at it what it was was a private transaction
not controlled by government, but was an open and transparent transaction done
by a reputable company.
Maple Leaf Distillers Loan
Mr. Gerald Hawranik (Lac
du Bonnet): Mr.
Speaker, the Doer government's math simply does not add up. Selling your
building to Maple Leaf Distillers for $4 million less than market value, and
then they turned around and gave a $1.5-million low-interest loan to Maple
Leaf, according to the Free Press,
this company has never turned a profit and, of course, if it does not turn a
profit it will have no hope of repaying that loan.
I
ask the Minister of Finance (Mr. Selinger) what due diligence, if any, was
conducted by him, his department or the Premier (Mr. Doer) prior to granting
that loan?
Hon.
Jim Rondeau (Minister of Industry, Economic Development and Mines): Mr. Speaker, all MIOP loans are subject to due
diligence. This was subject to the regular due diligence that was set for any
company or any condition that was set by government under the former government
or under our government.
I
would like to inform the House and you, Mr. Speaker, that there are three
private commercial lenders who have also done their appropriate due diligence
and chosen to invest with this company and to loan money for this company.
It
is very important that each lender conducts its own due diligence. Each lender
makes their own financial decisions and sets their own conditions with the
company. We, in the government, set the policy where MIOP is a good, solid
investment in growing the economy. It provides capital for companies and will
continue a program that was established under your former government.
Mr.
Hawranik: Mr. Speaker, that
$1.5-million low-interest loan given to Maple Leaf Distillers is secured by a
mortgage on the very same building that the Doer government undersold to Maple
Leaf. As it turns out it is a third mortgage with no personal guarantees. If
Maple Leaf defaults on this loan, the first two mortgages will take priority
and Manitobans may never see a cent.
Obviously the minister is a very poor negotiator. Now I know why the total debt of the province is over $20 billion and growing. What was this Finance Minister, what was this minister thinking to do a deal like this, or was he simply being directed by a higher authority as he was in the Crocus scandal?
Hon. Greg Selinger (Minister of
Finance): Mr.
Speaker, the member opposite is fundamentally wrong on his understanding of the
debt of the
The member opposite has been quoting a figure of $20 billion. He is fundamentally wrong as he has been on all of his information before.
Policing Services
Funding for Additional Officers
Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): Mr. Speaker, today's NDP commitments are tomorrow's broken promises. Six months after last year's promise to improve policing on rural highways it was put on the ash heap of broken promises. RCMP were forced to reorganize and now they police larger areas with fewer police officers. Now, today, we wait for the balloons and the confetti to fall on another Justice announcement, but Manitobans are saying, "You did not tell us the truth last year, why should we believe you today?"
Hon. Gord Mackintosh (Minister of
Justice and Attorney General): I am
disappointed, Mr. Speaker, it is their third priority in terms of questions
today because it is a top priority. I understand, numbers from the other side,
I recall a few months ago, members opposite said we should have 40 new officers
in
Mr.
Goertzen: Mr. Speaker, added to the smouldering pile of broken Justice
promises is the commitment for more officers for the city of
Mr. Mackintosh: Mr. Speaker, this from a group that was going to gut the justice
system. They promised that in the 2003 election, but the questions the member
raises may well be legitimate. On the floor of City Hall, perhaps he would want
to raise those, and they will be passed on to the mayor and chief of police.
But I hear from members opposite, I am so sorry to hear, the suggestion that we
should get rid of the RCMP in
* (10:40)
Justice System
Conditional Sentences
Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): There is only one law enforcement official we want to get rid of and that is this Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, another brick in the wall of
broken promises is conditional sentences. Yesterday it was announced in
Hon. Gord Mackintosh (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr. Speaker, that sounds like the member opposite has not read the proposals going to the House of Commons. Thank goodness members opposite were not anywhere at the table to scuttle any movement on this issue because there is movement. They seek headlines; we seek change. That is what is going into the House of Commons.
Election Financing
Donations from Unions
Mr. Glen Cummings (Ste. Rose): Mr. Speaker, contributions to political parties in this province must be clearly identified. I believe the NDP has broken The Elections Act by accepting money collected by unions. Will the Minister of Justice be prepared to have this matter investigated?
Hon. Gord Mackintosh (Minister of Justice and
Attorney General): I cannot
believe that question, Mr. Speaker. The members opposite–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mr. Mackintosh: If they would simply read the laws that they passed, Mr. Speaker, the government is not empowered to do investigations on election breaches. That has rightly been given to the independent agency called Elections Manitoba and, indeed, they have the obligation to have an independent prosecutor. That is not a role for government.
Mr. Cummings: Well, Mr. Speaker, when the party breaks the law that is a serious matter. It is possible that the NDP are repeat offenders. They have been doing this for six years. Will they co-operate with an investigation into the legality and the origin of these donations?
Hon. Gary Doer (Premier): Mr. Speaker, the independent Elections Manitoba Chief Electoral Officer has reviewed the issues at committee last year, and some of the members stayed around for the rest of the whole committee. At the committee last year I said that any issues of ambiguity flowing from the election changes we made we will change.
There are a couple of issues. The issue of bundling, we are bringing in legislation this session. We are bringing issues dealing with loans that are over $3,000. I believe there was a loan in the last election campaign of $100,000, Mr. Speaker, that the Chief Electoral Officer ruled in an equal way.
We will let the Chief Electoral Officer referee these issues. We have never been charged, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Cummings: Well, Mr. Speaker, when grandmothers who bring pies to fundraisers have to be held accountable, major parties in this province should also be held accountable. The public wants to know the truth. The public demands to know the truth.
I ask the Minister of Finance: Is he satisfied with the authenticity, first of all, and the accuracy of tax credits that may have been issued?
Hon. Greg Selinger (Minister of Finance): Mr. Speaker, I am satisfied that the best way to investigate any concerns about the way public financing or donations and elections are handled is through Elections Manitoba. At Elections Manitoba, the chief elections officer has said the following: There is nothing in the law that identifies who may or who may not receive your individual contribution if they are only acting as a way to move it to the political entity.
Our Premier (Mr. Doer) has said he will clarify that in law.
Health Care Services
Rural Emergency Room Closures
Mrs. Heather Stefanson (Tuxedo): Ashern, Arborg, Erickson, Boissevain, Deloraine,
Why is the Minister of Health forcing rural Manitobans to pay for his inability to manage health care in our province?
Hon. Tim Sale (Minister of
Health): Mr.
Speaker, I was delighted that last Friday the Ashern
emergency room reopened with a full complement of five doctors. I am delighted
that we have Rivers about to reopen as an acute rehab hospital in co-operation
with the Brandon Regional Health Authority. I am delighted that we have over
200 new doctors in
I am delighted that the Manitoba Medical
Association president, Dr. Tony Herd, spoke about how in this government there is a respectful
relationship, that doctors are coming to
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Mrs. Stefanson:
Highway medicine is alive and
well in
Mr. Sale: Mr. Speaker, last week in the Brandon Sun it was noted that the new VP
Medical Services and an outstanding internist, Dr. Penner, had joined the
regional health authority. Three pathologists, a neurologist, an internal
medicine specialist, a nuclear medicine specialist, an obstetrician, a locum
radiologist and 16 additional physicians staff the ER in
Some
Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order. The honourable
Member for Tuxedo has the floor.
Mrs. Stefanson: Mr. Speaker, clearly this is a government that is extremely tired and has no vision for our province. At a time of unprecedented revenues for our province, for health care in specific as well, this NDP government has failed to address the health care needs of rural Manitobans. Forcing our citizens to travel the highways to access health care and then sending them the bill for it is not my idea of fixing health care in this province.
Will this government commit today to pay for inter-facility ambulance transfers so Manitobans do not have to continue to pay for this government's inability to manage our health care in this province?
Hon.
Gary Doer (Premier): The member opposite, "This is not my idea of health care."
Their idea of health care was to have less doctors, less nurses, less
diagnostic equipment and less services over
You know, speaking of vision, the members
opposite mothballed every hydro-electric opportunity. We are building
* (10:50)
Agriculture Industry
Government Support
Mr. Ralph Eichler
(Lakeside): Mr. Speaker, this government is full of empty
promises about helping our
Why has this NDP government abandoned our agriculture industry, Mr. Speaker?
Hon.
Rosann Wowchuk (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives): Mr. Speaker, again the member is out of touch with the actual
farmers in rural
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member to read the press release that has been put out by Keystone Agricultural Producers. The Keystone Agricultural Producers have been encouraged by the steps that this government has taken to further reduce education tax on farmland and to put additional resources into the CAIS program. They are also pleased with the steps that we have taken to improve environmental victim services.
So I can tell the member
opposite that he is the one who should get in touch with rural Manitobans.
There is no doubt, Mr. Speaker, it is a very difficult time.
Mr. Eichler: Mr. Speaker, just more lip service from this minister. Read it in the paper, that is not action, that is what we need, more action.
The Speech from the Throne provides cold or soggy comfort to farmers who saw their crops drown due to overland flooding this year. Over the past few years farmers have struggled through the drought, frost, flooding and the BSE crisis. New programs are needed to help producers keep their heads above water. Our farmers need sustainable, long-term financial programs that will put real dollars into their pockets. Mr. Speaker, where is this program?
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite talks about excess moisture. Well, I can remind the member that it was this government that put in place excess moisture insurance. Members opposite had the opportunity and they refused to do it.
Mr. Speaker, this program that we put in
place is a long-term program and it is in place. This year we paid out $58
million in excess moisture insurance. We anticipate very high payments out of
crop insurance. We announced in the Throne Speech yesterday that we will be
putting additional money into the CAIS program in recognition that this has
been a very difficult year for our producers.
Mr. Eichler: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Harry Enns for introducing the excess moisture program back in 1999 while he was still here. The minister is great at taking press releases and other people's ideas and trying to make them her own.
The government has trotted out a new
slogan regarding agriculture: "Farm it in
Hon. Gary Doer (Premier): Mr. Speaker, I would challenge the member opposite to produce the
facts on when the crop insurance program was amended in
Some Honourable Members:
Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order. The honourable Member for
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Speaker: Order. If members wish to have a conversation we have a free loge or
have your conversation in the hallway. Right now the honourable Member for
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Diagnosis and Treatment
Hon. Jon Gerrard (
I ask the Minister of Justice this. What is his policy with respect to individuals with FASD who come into contact with the law and who commit crimes?
Hon. Gord Mackintosh (Minister of
Justice and Attorney General): If the
member is truly concerned about youth crime in this country and in this
province in particular, Mr. Speaker, I would urge him to speak to his
colleagues in his party. I would urge him to try and make some difference,
because when it comes to auto theft our prosecutors have come to us.
Mr. Gerrard: Mr.
Speaker, it has been a few years since we were in office provincially and I am
not really sure what he is referring back to.
Since the Minister of Justice
does not seem to have any policy at all with respect to those who have FASD and
other mental illnesses who commit crimes, and since the Premier did not even
mention FASD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, in his Throne Speech yesterday,
because apparently it is not a priority, why is the Premier operating a
revolving door policy for those with FASD and other mental illness instead of
promptly diagnosing and treating such individuals so that they do not have to
get into situations such as this where they are committing crimes?
Hon. Tim Sale (Minister of
Health): Mr.
Speaker, this is a very important question and that is why, over the last six
years, we have worked with our colleagues in western
The other large clinic in
western
Mr. Gerrard: Mr. Speaker, there is a problem, and I ask the Premier (Mr. Doer) because he has been very quiet on this issue. You know, many individuals who come into conflict with the law are not even checked to see if they have mental illnesses or FASD. We have programs for mental illnesses like the PACT and first-episode psychosis which have long waiting lists. In fact, the PACT program has such a long waiting list that the NDP made it vanish. There is a fundamental problem here with this government in not recognizing the relationship between mental illness and crime if you do not treat and diagnose and make sure you prevent the mental illness in the first place.
What is the government doing in this regard? Why has it failed and been so derelict in its duty in addressing this issue?
Hon. Gary Doer (Premier): You will note, Mr. Speaker, that the federal Liberal commitment on waiting lists which we supported had five waiting lists to be accountable for. You will note yesterday from the Speech from the Throne, if the member has not read it I would refer it to him, where there is a section dealing with adding priorities for Manitoba and that very definitely includes the mental health lists.
* (11:00)
Mr. Bidhu Jha (Radisson): Manitoba Hydro has just announced a significant sale of hydro power
to our neighbouring province
Hon.
Dave Chomiak (Minister of Energy, Science and Technology): Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that the Ontario Minister of Energy
was here yesterday in the Legislative Building to sign the first phase of the
CETI agreement, a building, an export of Manitoba power that will help
establish the east-west grid, not a mothballing but a building of a resource
that will share the resources with First Nations in the North with all of
Manitobans. We will see revenues provided to Manitobans today, tomorrow and
into the future, and the potential for Manitoba is significant in terms of
hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue, thousands of jobs and–
Mr. Speaker: Order.
Teachers' Pensions
Cost of Living Allowance
Mrs. Myrna Driedger (Charleswood): Mr. Speaker, yesterday over 500 retired teachers rallied at the Legislature. Some were in wheelchairs, some walked with canes and all of them were asking this government to help keep a commitment made to them. I would like to ask the Minister of Education (Mr. Bjornson) if he is prepared to strike a COLA advisory committee to review the COLA issue and to make recommendations on reaching a sustainable solution. All the teachers are asking for is fair treatment. Is this government prepared to do that?
Hon. Gary Doer (Premier): Well, Mr. Speaker, there is no question that the retired teachers appeared before the committee. I noted that the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Murray) stated that he would have an actuarial review about this but would not commit himself to any money. There have been actuarial reviews, and we did work with the teachers' representatives to produce funding to deal with the unfunded liability on a go-forward basis, funding that was jointly contributed by the government, the employer and the workers, the teachers. A similar unfunded liability challenge that we inherited again from the past on health care workers we have dealt with. We will continue to work on unfunded liability issues.
Mrs.
Driedger: Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago teachers gave
up their disability benefits and agreed to pay more towards their pension
benefits in return for reasonable COLA. Since 1999, the Doer government has not
followed through in providing reasonable COLA. I would ask this government if
they are prepared to ensure that a thorough and full actuarial modelling is
done to fix the whole teachers' pension plan including the COLA component of
it.
Mr. Doer: First of all, I wonder if it is the position of the Conservative government that the public, through taxpayers, would be funding unilaterally unfunded liabilities of pensions that were decisions made a number of years ago. If that is the position of members opposite it is totally inconsistent with the first two or three questions the member opposite asked.
Mr. Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has expired.
Introduction of Guests
Mr. Speaker: Before we move on to Members' Statements, I would just like to draw the attention of members to the loge to my left where we have with us Mr. Binx Remnant, who is the former Clerk of this Legislative Assembly.
On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you here today.
Rural Health Care Services
Mr. Cliff Cullen (
This is a tired government. This is a
government with no vision for the province. This is a government that has
failed
Yesterday's Throne Speech was the NDP government's seventh opportunity to provide Manitobans with their plan for addressing health care. Unfortunately, this government once again ignored the crisis in health care and offered no real relief for patients waiting in pain and no hope for rural Manitobans. At a time of unprecedented revenue, Manitobans are unable to access health care in their own communities and are being crippled by enormous ambulance bills.
Manitobans expect and deserve more from this government. It is time for this government to stop offloading their inability to manage the health care crisis in our province onto the backs of rural Manitobans. We ask that the government start covering the cost of inter-facility ambulance transfers today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Balanced Budgets
Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the recent release of an important federal government study. Conducted by the federal department of finance, this study concludes that the governments run by the NDP are more likely than any other party to produce a balanced budget. In a study that covers the last 22 years, the NDP is shown to be clearly the most fiscally responsible party over the long and short terms.
I need not remind the House about the importance that this government places on fiscal responsibility. It is a cornerstone of this NDP government that the province in which we live and the communities that we build be sustainable. Sustainability requires the prudence and foresight that accompany any balanced budget. In this manner the value of the province is increased greatly by managing in a responsible and disciplined manner the services that matter most to Manitobans.
With this principle of sustainability in mind, we can easily see just how effectively this government has put this into practice. Since its first election in 1999 and re-election in 2003, this province has known six consecutive years of balanced budgets.
Following the balanced budget legislation the Conservatives themselves put in place, the government's most recent budget passed in 2005 was not only balanced, it also included a $314-million contribution to the Fiscal Stabilization Fund and a $110-million contribution to paying down the debt, all the while guaranteeing the quality of and access to those essential services that Manitobans rely on each and every day. It is this combination of fiscal discipline and social commitment that is characteristic of today's NDP.
Mr. Speaker, I believe it
is fitting that we congratulate this government for its ongoing commitment to
fiscal responsibility and the building of a sustainable province. The release
of this federal report only testifies even more to the discipline this
government has shown in building the beautiful and diverse
Agriculture Support
Programs
Mr. Ralph Eichler (Lakeside): I rise today to express my frustration with this NDP government and
their lack of ability to recognize the seriousness of the situation facing
rural
In recent years the agriculture industry
has been devastated by the lasting effects of the BSE crisis, the downturn in
grain and cereal crop prices, drought and now flooding. For two long years, we
have had nothing but lip service from this government about creating more
processing plants in
This NDP government still has not grasped
the thought that it is the agriculture industry that is the engine that drives
The future of this economic foundation is in real danger under this NDP government. The Premier (Mr. Doer) has stated that the NDP party is for the farmers, but over the past six years, we have had little more than hollow words and empty promises from them.
Many of our producers are in desperate situations, Mr. Speaker, due to circumstances beyond their control and yesterday we were looking to this Premier and NDP government to throw them a bone. Instead, they were left out in the cold once more. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
* (11:10)
Child Care Workers
Mr. Rob Altemeyer (Wolseley): Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to inform
the House of the government's July 1 announcement of an increase of $11.5
million to improve wages and training for child care workers in
On April 29, 2005, the government of
One of the key factors in providing
quality child care in early education is to maintain a qualified work force,
and on July 11 our minister announced at the Cornish Child Care Centre that the $11.5 million increase will
go to wages and benefits for child care workers. This will bring their salaries
up to a range of $27,000 to $30,000 a year. It is worth noting that the average
salary across
Architects and Engineers
Mr. Ron Schuler (
The Minister of Labour (Ms. Allan) and
this NDP government have once again demonstrated their inability to settle the
ongoing dispute between the architects and the engineers, two very essential
professions to both
Yesterday, this Premier assured Manitobans
that they have established a co-operative agreement between both sides but,
once again, Manitobans get empty promises. Due to this NDP government's
complete lack of action to resolve this catastrophic situation,
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to table for this House over 500 signatures gathered by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists asking the Premier (Mr. Doer) to consider amending The Architects Act to provide engineers an exemption similar to that enjoyed by the architects under The Engineering and Geoscientific Professions Act. I, along with all Manitobans, look to the Minister of Labour to finally put this long-standing dispute to rest.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
(First Day of Debate)
Mr. Cris Aglugub (The Maples): I move, seconded by the Member for Minto (Mr. Swan), that the following address be presented to His Honour the Lieutenant Governor:
We, the members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, thank Your Honour for the gracious speech addressed to us at this Fourth Session of the Thirty-Eighth Legislature of Manitoba.
Motion presented.
Mr. Aglugub: Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to have moved the 2005 Throne Speech and speak in support of it. I believe it is a Throne Speech that continues to meet today's challenges and build on a long-term plan. This Throne Speech continues the vision and strategy this government has promoted since the voters turned to us to lead this great province six years ago.
Since we were elected in
1999, we have been called upon to guide
But, Mr. Speaker, before I continue with my remarks about why I think we should all vote to accept the Speech from the Throne, I would like to digress for a moment to make some introductory remarks. I would first like to welcome our new interns, Kathleen Ross, Philip Gass, Lisa Hutniak, Jessica Kelly, Andrew Clark and Mark Rosner, who are all university graduates and who have achieved honour and distinction in their academic pursuits. I would encourage all the MLAs to read their résumés which testify to their impressive talents. These interns are a welcome addition to the Legislature and will be of great assistance to all members of this House. We all look forward to working with them.
I would also like to welcome our new pages who will be assisting with our work in this Chamber. We hope your work here will be a great experience. We wish you the very best. Maybe, some day, you will take your seat or your place in this Legislature.
Also, we welcome back the Clerks and Sergeant-at-Arms, and we thank them for their work in this Legislature.
Mr. Speaker, our government has always taken a proactive approach to dealing with challenges of living in a changing world. We do this to protect the interests of Manitobans and position ourselves for a brighter future.
For example,
* (11:20)
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Energy
Efficiency Alliance recently gave
Despite living in a harsh climate,
Mr. Speaker, we will continue our commitments to address climate change and seize the opportunities of this emerging green economy. We will ramp up our biodiesel production through support for community-based biofuel production facilities, and continue to pursue alternative energy and export strategies through the Clean Energy Transfer and other similar initiatives.
Innovation defines our approach to our
energy policies and to the environment, but it also defines our approach to
health care. Our government is dedicated to delivering better health care
sooner. Mr. Speaker, 235 more doctors are registered to practise in
Just days ago, we introduced a new
state-of-the-art $3.5 million MRI at the Pan Am Clinic that will perform more
scans for Manitobans who need diagnostic tests. The Health Sciences Centre is getting state-of-the-art equipment
and facilities in a $100-million redevelopment, the largest such project in
Our Throne Speech has committed to
addressing waiting lists identified in the First Ministers' Accord, including joint replacement, cardiac
treatment, cancer treatment, sight restoration and diagnostic imaging. We will
be completing the replacement of all 160 ambulances in the province's fleet in
the coming year, a significant first step to address EMS issues in rural and
northern
Our innovative policies in health care are
also reflected in a determined focus on public health and prevention. This is
why we created the Ministry of Healthy Living. Our initiatives have included a
prostate cancer awareness campaign, a cervical cancer screening program, an
early warning system for the
Mr. Speaker, our government is concerned
with the place of
We will soon proclaim The Appropriate
Educational Programming Act, and
will introduce more experiential learning opportunities for middle year
students to increase their engagement with school and their sense of its
connection to their future. To meet the challenges of a changing world, we
intend to modernize our post-secondary institutions. Our government has long
believed that the best economic policy is a good education policy. For that
reason, we will undertake the expansion of technical-vocational initiatives to
raise awareness of technical careers and career paths further, and we will
continue our programs and capital commitments for the new
Our educational strategies are aimed at
boosting productivity and promoting economic inclusion. Mr. Speaker, our
government promotes inclusion in a variety of ways. Our province was built on
immigration and the inclusion of immigrants in our society. New immigrants
strengthen our province's economy while enriching the social and cultural
diversity of our cities, towns and rural municipalities. Since we formed
government in 1999, we have been committed to supporting and increasing
immigration to
Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did
not mention that international migration to
* (11:30)
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Speaker, newcomers contribute to our
recent economic success. Statistics
One of the biggest issues facing our
government has been the recognition of the qualifications of foreign-trained
professionals who immigrate to
In the past, the Minister of Labour and Immigration (Ms. Allan) hosted a Qualifications Recognition Summit. The summit brought together stakeholders and professionals that have been active in assisting foreign-trained professionals who are interested in seeing new Canadians work in their chosen career fields. Our government continues to co-ordinate and build partnerships with different professional organizations and bodies to deliver occupation-specific language training. This includes language training for foreign professionals in engineering, pharmacy and teaching occupations.
Our government also supports the medical
licensure program for internationally trained medical graduates. This program
assists foreign-trained medical physicians to obtain their licensure
requirements to allow them to practise in
Supporting the immigration of skilled
professionals is one of our top priorities as a government. New immigrants
committed to working and living in
Our government will do all that we can to make sure that new Canadians feel welcome in their new home. But, Mr. Speaker, to feel welcome, one must also feel safe. Although we have accomplished a lot, making our neighbourhoods safer through such innovative programs as Turnabout and Ototema, and the toughest anti-drinking and driving laws in the country, our Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act and The Fortified Buildings Act that have helped shut down over 120 fortified buildings, drug dens, prostitution and sniff houses, we realize we still need to do more.
The Throne Speech assures us that The
Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act
will be strengthened to further target gang houses.
Mr. Speaker, we will also expand the Front End Project, an award-winning project that significantly reduced the backlog of domestic violence cases to deal with all cases where offenders are awaiting trial in custody, and we will introduce first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada that will recognize protection orders granted by courts in other provinces.
Mr. Speaker, we also intend to introduce a strategy to deal with the problem of crystal meth. This strategy will include measures to restrict supply and production, promote collaboration between policing and other agencies, develop public awareness and provide additional resources for the treatment of meth and other serious drug addictions.
But, Mr. Speaker, crime cannot be combatted by just punitive measures. We must include all members of the population, so they will not be tempted to turn their backs on our society. This means taking a proactive approach to developing and empowering our communities. We plan to exceed our original commitment of establishing 40 Lighthouses, which, through evening programs at schools and gyms, offer young people a safe place to play and study. We will expand our efforts to combat bullying in our schools. We will also strive to make our neighbourhoods healthier.
Mr. Speaker, our government will continue
with safety aid programs which provide free basic security devices, home audits
and forgivable loans to low-income seniors in
In the North, we will pursue a new
partnership with the federal government designed to make a significant impact
on Aboriginal health outcomes.
In rural
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed
to revitalizing our cities and our neighbourhoods. For example, as outlined in
the Throne Speech, the Province will continue to work with the City of
We will also continue to work with citizens to revitalize and clean up our neighbourhoods to make them more desirable for all their inhabitants. For example, last July, I hosted a Maples community forum concerning the clean-up, beautification and safety of our district. If I may, Mr. Speaker, The Maples is a diversified community. It is a home to recent immigrants, as well as more established residents of 20 or more years. There is a strong sense of pride and attachment to this community; hence, the desire and willingness to clean up and beautify the neighbourhood. Participants indicated that among the benefits of such initiatives as community forums is the sense of citizens' empowerment that they help create.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to the inclusion and empowerment of all citizens. That is why, for the first time in 30 years, employment standards legislation will be modernized to reflect changes in the workforce and the new demands placed on families. It is also why the hourly minimum wage was increased to $7.25 an hour, a 21 percent since 1999, and that also is the reason why we intend to introduce changes to the provincial Elections Act which will address voter participation and encourage increased democratic participation among Aboriginal citizens, our youth and the many new Canadians who have moved to Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, The Maples epitomizes
By including these new Canadians and,
indeed, all Manitobans in our hopes and dreams for the future, we can build a
strong
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
* (11:40)
Mr. Andrew Swan (Minto): It is my honour to second the motion on the Speech from the Throne, and I am very pleased to follow my friend the Member for The Maples (Mr. Aglugub).
Mr. Speaker, I have learned much in my first year in the Legislature, not just what we can learn in this building, but, certainly, what I can learn around the province and in the constituency of Minto, which is truly a fascinating and a diverse place to live, to work and to play.
My friend from The Maples spoke
passionately about diversity, and maybe there is no constituency in the
province more diverse than Minto. One third of all the residents of Minto were
born outside of
There is not a day when I do not learn something from the people of Minto in our schools, in our homes and in our community places, and it truly is a privilege to work with the incredible diversity of people who have chosen to come to this country to join us and to build a better life.
Now, I had to put a lot of thought into how to address the Legislature. I did have the chance, Mr. Speaker, to speak on the budget debate last year, and I fear that, indeed, I offended the Member for Southdale (Mr. Reimer)–and he was so upset that he mentioned it to me again–because I know that the words of Social Democrats, the words of those of us who believe in the capacity of all citizens to build a better society can be confounding and perhaps even troubling for some of the people on the other side of the House.
I was concerned because the Member for Southdale clearly has a heart. I cannot say that about everybody on his side of the Legislature, but he certainly does, so I thought about how best to put some context into the debate. All of us come here, all the 57 members come here with their own experiences and their own ground for debate, and I am very proud–[interjection]–and, yes, the Member for Pembina (Mr. Dyck), I can state for the record, does have a heart. I can say that unequivocally.
I am certainly proud, Mr. Speaker, of the diversity within the government caucus, so I thought, "What could my own experiences bring to the debate." I mean, certainly, I could speak as a lawyer, the profession I practised for 14 years, a great profession, but speaking as a lawyer would not gain too many friends on either side of the House or inside or outside of the Legislature.
I could talk about my experiences playing
football for 10 years, but it has been a tough time for the team that makes its
home in Minto, the Canad Inns Stadium, so we will save that for another year.
As I was trying to find the right analogy, I did as I often do when I am thinking.
I decided to go out for a run because sometimes running unlocks the creative
juices and lets one go. There are some great places to run in Minto. I can run
along Omand's Creek. I can do my hill work at
I thought I had some credibility. I am certainly more of a Clydesdale than a gazelle when it comes to running, but I do participate in the Timex running series. I am a member of the marathon board which supports Community Living Manitoba. The marathon promotes the city, promotes healthy families. Certainly, within my own family, I am very proud that my two daughters have taken up running, and, in fact, this year completed the one-mile fun run at Islendingadagurinn, one complaining more than the other.
The key point, Mr. Speaker, is that runners, just like all Manitobans, are of all different abilities and all different backgrounds and all different needs. The goal of those of us on our side of the House is to work so that as many Manitobans as possible can get to the start line and run the race and finish the race. I look at this Throne Speech as the race plan. Where are we going and how can we get there?
Now, to run a successful race, there are many components. You have to be prepared in your training, in your knowledge, being ready for the weather and other conditions, knowing about nutrition, rest and being aware of your own health. It is interesting to see how those themes match up in this year's Speech from the Throne.
For a runner, conditions in 2005 were
clearly beyond our control. Snow and ice and gale force winds greeted us at the
start of the Police Half Marathon back
in May. After a cool and rainy spring, heat and humidity arrived three days
before marathon Sunday. We ran through a monsoon at the
Manitobans will run for just about anything: through hail, through rain, through sleet, to grasshoppers, certainly difficult for many, and particularly those of us who may be less graceful out on the road. Runners complain; then they do it. If they are prepared, they can do it safely. In our province this year, there is no question that conditions beyond our control have affected and continue to affect our province. The wet and cool weather has been an annoyance for runners, but, certainly, far more serious for others across the province. The wet and cool weather has been a disaster for our farming communities, certainly, potentially disastrous for those who live along rivers and lakes which threatened to spill their banks as the rain continued.
I am very proud that we will be introducing new legislation to enhance our capacity to deal with emergencies as they arise. Mr. Speaker, $130 million has already been invested to provide permanent flood protection to communities and residences that were flooded in 1997. I am very proud that work has begun on the construction of the Winnipeg Floodway, a project that will provide 1000 jobs over five years and provide protection against a 1-in-700-year flood.
Emergency planning for a pandemic, should
it strike
Well, here in
I am very proud of the
I am very proud of a continued commitment
to address climate change and seize the opportunities of an emerging green
economy. We know the completion of
I am very proud that ethanol production will be increased 13-fold, from 10 million litres a year to 130 million litres a year through the construction of Husky Oil's new production plant in Minnedosa. Manitoba's ethanol mandate for 10 percent blends of gasoline will cut vehicle emissions by 135 000 tonnes, equivalent to taking 10 000 cars off the road, and, maybe more importantly, every litre of ethanol we produce here in Manitoba is 1 less litre of a non-renewable resource we have to import from outside our boundaries.
I am also proud of increasing biodiesel production through support for community-based biofuel production facilities. We have the power to do what we want to do in this province because of our energy developments.
Now, those who run are certainly no strangers to injuries, although, of course, runners have a much lower rate of chronic and other diseases. In a race, those who suffer injuries often need urgent medical attention, and serious injuries are dealt with immediately. Other injuries, other problems are certainly dealt with at the end of the race, or after the end of the race based on severity. We know the best way to reduce the wait for runners seeking help is to reduce injuries through education, through runners knowing their limits, reducing their weight, having better nutrition, which is no different than our health care system as a whole. We are moving to prevention and getting people back on the road, to use the running analogy again, much more quickly.
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So I am very proud of our Province's
commitment to target federal-provincial-territorial wait times for joint
replacement, for cardiac care, for cancer treatment, for diagnostic testing and
sight restoration.
I am very proud, Mr. Speaker, that there
are 235 more doctors registered to practise in Manitoba today than there were
in 1999, and, in fact, the number of doctors has increased by over 90 in just
the past 12 months. We are also proud that we now have a true province-wide
recruitment strategy to bring more physicians to this province. Certainly, we
have a commitment to bring care closer to home for rural
I know I am hearing some excitement on the opposition benches. I know they are very interested to hear about this, and I am sure that all of them will join me at the start line for the Manitoba Marathon next year. I would be glad to take them out for a training run and give them a little bit of guidance which they need in running, as well as in their political lives.
Now, the question is how do you get more people to the start line. Well, you help them to prepare for the race. You can take classes on running. You can go into any bookstore and find a shelf of books. You can go on the Web and find different ways to learn about what it is you are doing. There is no surprise that in running, as in our society, education is a key, and this Throne Speech will continue our efforts to prepare children and youth for the future.
I am very pleased that, since
1999, there has been a 64 percent increase in support for child care in
As my friend from The Maples said, we are providing better learning opportunities for middle-years students, and we are improving technical-vocational initiatives to let students see the entire range of post-secondary opportunities that they have. We are targeting initiatives through the Aboriginal Education Action Plan to raise school completion rates in northern and inner-city schools.
Enrolment in our colleges
and universities has increased by more than one third since 1999. We are the
most successful province in
Now, that is not the only way you encourage people to the start line. What is interesting is that runners tend to flock together. The running store I spoke about before offers running groups, not just running groups but free running groups. You can show up and run with other people. People can form their own running clubs, and, even in races, people take the time to run together. And why is that? Because we know that people can accomplish more by working together and co-operating. [interjection]
The Member for Lac du Bonnet (Mr. Hawranik) has just announced he will be joining me at the start line of the Half Marathon of the Manitoba Marathon. I am very pleased that I will see the Member for Lac du Bonnet out there. It is terrific.
Now, we know that by
working together through community development, through neighbourhood
associations, through co-operatives and a host of other initiatives, we can
empower people and we can get them to the race. Some examples in our Throne
Speech are the expansion of efforts to combat bullying in schools over the
coming months, enacting programs recommended to us by educators and by parents.
We have a new package of initiatives to assist seniors' efforts to maintain
their health and their independence, and, for the first time in three decades,
employment standards legislation will be modernized to reflect changes in
I am very proud of our regular increases in the minimum wage since 1999, and I am very excited about changes to provincial election acts to address voter participation and to encourage youth and other excluded categories in our society to come out and be involved in the political process.
There have been developments in race timing over the years. I am not that old, but I remember some early races where all you got when you finished was a slip with your place on it. Then we moved to have tags they would rip off at the end of the race. Now, we even have computer chips. It beeps as you cross the start line; it beeps as you cross the finish line. So, too, are there developments in accounting practices. That is why we have made a commitment to work with the Auditor General to make the summary budget the principal report on provincial finances, fully incorporating generally accepted accounting principles into annual provincial budgets.
Preparation and empowerment and help are not everything that is needed. Runners certainly need safety, and it is an easier job if it is a five-kilometre run through a park. But it is a lot tougher if it is a big race in a big city. That does not mean police on every corner of the route, but it means an increased presence, and we understand that. We know that safety is not only provided through enforcement, but by prevention and by education for runners and for the general public, not only about the route, but by making them more aware of their surroundings. That fits with what we are doing in the province in general.
Certainly, on the marathon there is always the risk of somebody driving their vehicle onto the course. Anybody who walks, who runs, who bikes around the city has to be cautious of somebody not following the laws. I have had, I can tell you, some confrontations with people who may not be prepared to share the road with a runner or a cyclist, and it is strange the people who do not respect people who run or who bike are those who themselves have no interest in running, no hope of running. Just like in our society, those who choose to break our laws are those who do not feel invested in our society. We need to suppress crime, but, on this side of the House, we know we also need to deal with the root causes of crime.
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago there was a
shooting on
Our justice initiatives this year are going to continue making our communities safer. The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act will be strengthened to target gang houses, to build on the law's success in shutting down more than 120 fortified buildings, drug dens and prostitution and sniff houses.
We are certainly going to work with the
City of
Now the race community is great. It is helpful, it is friendly, whether it is somebody who is finishing a marathon in three hours or seven and a half hours as sometimes happens. The beauty about running is that somebody else running faster does not make you run slower, and it is the same way in our province. It used to be that one part of our province was pitted against another. But, since this government came to power, we appreciate all Manitobans and we work for every area of the province. We are providing assistance to rural communities as never before. Because of the wet weather, we are providing record insurance payments to producers last year. Total crop insurance payments this year are projected to be $300 million, including $58.3 million in excess moisture insurance. An additional $15 million for the CAIS program will be drawn from the Fiscal Stabilization Fund, and we will be providing an additional 10 percent reduction for farmland property owners in 2006 which will build on the 50 percent tax reduction in the last year.
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We are going to work on
new export markets for our producers faced with the challenges of BSE, trade
sanctions and evolving WTO discussions. We are going to build on a record $3.4
billion in agri-food exports shipped in 2004. Under the supervision of the
Office of the Chief Veterinarian, we will have a Farm to Fork food safety
program to assure people within and outside of
I am excited about
initiatives to expand organic farming, and, as well,
I am very pleased–I believe my opposition has put together a five-member relay team now for the Marathon, and it is going to be a pleasure to see them out there raising money for Community Living Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, I am very
pleased that we are building northern
We are excited about the introduction of a new partnership with the federal government designed to make a significant impact on Aboriginal health outcomes, and we will propose similar partnerships with the feds to boost school completion rates on reserve and to address a critical shortage of adequate housing in northern and First Nation communities. But we know that our commitment to involving the First Nations directly, it must be directly in these partnerships, and there must be a holistic approach that recognizes the root factors of cultural identity and language.
We are also revitalizing our cities. Boy,
are we revitalizing our cities. If you look at downtown
I am pleased that in
Mr. Speaker, there is not a race director in the province that does not want to make their race bigger, just as we are taking steps to making our economy in this province bigger, and we are continuing with our action plan for economic growth developed in partnership with the Premier's Economic Advisory Council with representatives from across our society, both business and labour.
Personal income taxes have been steadily reduced since 1999. Steady decreases in corporate tax rates have occurred, and the small business rate will be reduced to 4.5 percent in 2006 and to 4 percent in 2007, a 50 percent cut in the small business tax rate since 1999.
The other way to make our race bigger is
to have more people in the province, and we are doing that. We are increasing
our population through immigration. Last year, we welcomed 7427 immigrants to
our province, a 14 percent increase over last year. We have a continued
commitment to a provincial target of 10 000 immigrants per year in
So, Mr. Speaker, I want to end with a bit of history. The Manitoba Marathon was founded in 1979, and that time there was only a full marathon event. It was believed at that time that the best way to encourage people to run would be to pay to have the very, very best, the top runners, come because it was believed that ordinary Manitobans who might run a five-hour marathon would somehow be inspired by a very small group of people.
Not surprisingly, of course, that was
during the
I know, and I can hear the rumblings over there, that that is troubling to those on the opposition benches. They want to focus on the front runners. They would put all their energy and all their resources into a very small group of people. I can tell you from personal experience when the race starts, those who have the most are gone from the finish line. I may see them at the finish line as they are getting their awards and walking out to their cars as those of us in the pack stumble across the finish line.
Mr. Speaker, the great majority of runners do not get their motivation from the stockbrokers and do not get their motivation from the most wealthy in our society. They get their motivation from the strength and the successes around them. That is the case, whether they are running a five-minute mile or a fifteen-minute mile, and I encourage everyone to come and stand at the finish line of the marathon and see those personal successes which matches the personal successes that we are seeing in this province since 1999.
That is where the difference between our side and their side comes in. We know that stronger communities and a stronger province come from allowing everyone to participate and discover what they can do. See, it is the beauty of running that, although genetics may play a role in how fast you can run, getting to the start line and finishing the race and doing your best is not based on what family you are born into; it is not based on what family you marry into; it is not based on how much money you have. You can spend all you want in better shoes, in clothing, in gadgets, but it is still your training and your preparation and your courage.
I see this Throne Speech, then, about being about making sure that more Manitobans are in the race, making sure that more Manitobans finish the race safely and, by doing so, adding to the strength of their community. It is about including all Manitobans and inspiring all Manitobans to work together, and that is for the ones who do the marathon in under three hours, God bless them, and for those of us who may be a little bit slower or deciding to walk to jog a shorter course for the first time.
Mr. Speaker, I normally leave Scripture to the Member for Burrows (Mr. Martindale), but I do want every Manitoban to say, as Paul did in his second letter to Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." And it is keeping that faith in building our province, which is why I am proud to be part of this government, and I am excited about the work that we have done, we are doing and we will do to build this great province.
Mr. Stuart Murray (Leader of the Official Opposition): Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Arthur-Virden (Mr. Maguire), that debate be adjourned.
Motion agreed
to.
Mr. Speaker: Is it the will of the House to call it 12:30? [Agreed]
The hour being 12:30, this House is adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. Monday.