LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Mr. Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom, know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen.
House Business
Mrs. Mavis Taillieu (Official Opposition House Leader): I wonder if there's leave to proceed to Bill 220, The Justice for Victims of Child Pornography Act.
Mr. Speaker: Is there agreement of going directly to Bill 220? [Agreed]
Okay, I'm going to call second reading, Bill 220, The Justice for Victims of Child Pornography Act.
Bill 220–The Justice for Victims of Child Pornography Act
Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the member for Springfield (Mr. Schuler), that Bill 220, The Justice for Victims of Child Pornography Act, be now read a second time and be referred to a committee of this House.
Motion presented.
Mr. Goertzen: Mr. Speaker, I speak with somewhat of mixed emotions on this bill this morning. It's been introduced to this House in the past, a couple of years ago, I think, for the first time, and it would've been my hope that the government would have already accepted this bill and passed it into legislation.
I know the first time that it was introduced there were many supportive words put on the record by the government. My guess is we might hear sort of the same sort of remarks from the NDP supporting the principle of the legislation, saying it's something we need to look at and those sort of things, and then doing nothing.
And that's an unfortunate state to be in, particularly when it comes to this kind of a bill dealing with the welfare of children but, more generally, Mr. Speaker, we grow weary of hearing those hollow words of support and then no real action happening, and so we'll see what transpires from the comments from the members opposite as we go along.
This particular bill, as members will remember from the debate a couple of years ago, allows the government to bring a civil action against somebody who is convicted of child pornography as defined under the Criminal Code, and the reason for it, and I've had some good discussions with people at Beyond Borders, Roz Prober and others regarding this piece of legislation and other issues around child pornography.
The reason for the legislation is that many times, in fact, I would say most times, when an individual is caught with child pornography in their home, on their computer, on their hard drive, usually the children that are in the–in these horrendous pictures and in these horrendous files are unknown; they're unidentified. They've come from somewheres else in the world and they're not able to be pinpointed, to be found, and there's no way for civil action, generally, to come against the individual.
Now, Mr. Speaker, they will, in all likelihood, go through a criminal process and be charged and hopefully convicted if they're found guilty of the offence, the criminal offence of child pornography, but there's no civil action because the victims are unknown. You can't determine who the children are in the pictures, so there's no way for them to bring the action. This would allow the government to essentially sue in civil court on behalf of the unknown children, and the funds that would be awarded from that civil action would be used then to fight child pornography.
And one of the things that Beyond Borders has told me is that it's one of the greatest detriments to be able to sue civilly and have a financial judgment against somebody for child pornography, and it's unlike a lot of other crimes where the criminals who are committing and distributing child pornography often have means. They are often individuals, regrettably, who have positions within our society and have the financial wherewithal, and that would be a detriment to them. It would not only be something that–where you could gather funds and help to fight child pornography but it would actually prevent child pornography because it would be a detriment.
And so I recognize that this legislation pushes the envelope somewhat. I'm not naive to that fact that, in fact, it does take some creativity and it takes some initiative for the government to look at this. It's not being done anywheres else in Canada. We'd like to be the first. But I hearken back to a number of other pieces of legislation in this House, often in the 1990s, whether it was seizing vehicles from individuals who were convicted of drinking and driving, and there were members opposite of the NDP who said, well, you can't do that. It's impossible to do that because that relates specifically to the Criminal Code. And, of course, that legislation was passed and it was tested and found to be quite properly within the jurisdiction of the provincial government, being a property issue.
I remember with the community safety act, which the government now claims as their own, but was introduced in the 1990s by the former attorney general, Vic Toews, and members of the NDP said, well, you can't do that. You know, you can't be seizing homes from drug dealers and that sort of thing. We shouldn't support it because it pushes the boundaries. And then, in fact, Mr. Speaker, not only have we found that you can do that, but it's been so successful that the members of the NDP have tried to claim the act as their own.
And so they've been very tepid in trying to look at creative ways to crack down on crime, and I understand why they might, in a philosophical sense, have reservation, because it's not in their nature to look aggressively at ways to try to crack down on crime. But this is certainly one of those ways. And, in particular, when you're dealing with children, I wouldn't be able to understand why the NDP wouldn't want to push the envelope a bit and get out with this particular piece of legislation supported by Beyond Borders and other organizations who fight child pornography.
It would allow for funds to come into the provincial Treasury to go to organizations to fight child pornography. It would be another tool. It would be a deterrent. It would have all those positive things. And yet my guess, and I hope that I'm wrong, Mr. Speaker, I truly do hope that I'm wrong, but my guess is what we're going to hear from the government are all sorts of platitudes, and they might list off a few things that they think they've done to fight child pornography and then they'll hang up the mission accomplished sign and say, we're done.
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And the fight isn't over, Mr. Speaker. And I wouldn't be able to understand and I don't think the general public will be able to understand, and maybe we'll have a discussion about this in another context with the general public, but I don't think that they would be able to understand why this NDP government wouldn't do all that they can and wouldn't take this particular measure to try to help to protect children, to provide a deterrent for those who are committing this horrendous crime and then to use the funds to support others.
And somewhat tangentially I would mention, Mr. Speaker, you know, we have a lot of officers here in Manitoba through the ICE Unit, the Internet Child Exploitation Unit in the City of Winnipeg. And, of course, there is an RCMP component. I don't believe they're integrated any more, but there's an RCMP component that also deals with these sort of crimes.
I've talked to both sides of that law enforcement, and they do incredible work, incredibly difficult work though, Mr. Speaker. I can't imagine what it's like to have to go into work each and every day and see the things that they see and deal with the people that they deal with and be able to continue on with your day-to-day life. And most of them have families, most of them have children. And I know that that's often the motivation in terms of why they do that work.
But anything that we could do to help these individuals, these police officers do their work I think would be great. Anything we could do to help organizations like Beyond Borders to do their work would be good. And yet, for some reason, this government–they're scared to speak against the legislation because they know that it would ring hollow with the public and yet they're scared to pass the legislation. And I think that's the dilemma and I hope again that I'm mistaken, but I think that's the dilemma we're going to find ourselves in again this morning where members of the NDP are going to stand up and give hollow words of praise or hollow words of support, perhaps to be more accurate, for the legislation. But it won't actually amount to anything because they won't pass it.
And I would say to them as I conclude, Mr. Speaker, that those words will fall flat. Those words won't mean anything because they're not willing to take the action on this particular piece of legislation. I acknowledge that there have been some other things that have been done in the past in terms of pieces of legislation. They might be good and we've supported those pieces of legislation. We don't stand here and say bad things about pieces of legislation.
In fact, we had an example last night where myself, the member for Springfield (Mr. Schuler), spoke very passionately and positively about Bill 29, and we said, well, we want to see this go through and get to work. And yet my guess is that on this bill, maybe it's just for political reasons, maybe the NDP just don't want to pass a bill that's from the opposition of this nature, and so they'll just shoot it down for that reason. And if they want to do that, well, I can't stop them from doing that. But I think that the public will have some concerns about them doing that.
So I hope that they'll back up the words that they've put on the record a couple of years ago about support for this legislation and actually see it passed. If they don't, it's simply hollow words with a lack of action by this government. And I suspect that, at some point in the future, they'll be confronted by that lack of action, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.
Hon. Andrew Swan (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Well, Mr. Speaker, and you know I was hoping that I could actually thank the member for Steinbach for opening up the debate but, once again, the member for Steinbach decides, whatever the case, whatever the day, whatever the time, he has to make it into a partisan issue.
And child pornography, Mr. Speaker, is an incredibly serious issue. And with the increasing use of the Internet, the Internet which can be used for so many good purposes, so many great purposes, unfortunately, the expansion of the Internet in this province, in this country and across the world has resulted in, unfortunately, victimization and, indeed, victimization of young people.
Certainly combating this sort of thing is a very major priority for our government, just as combating human trafficking is a priority for this government, just as combating all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse is a priority for our government. And I think it is important to note the steps that this government has taken, working with our partners, working with other levels of government and–[interjection] Well, and here's the members opposite. Again they will try to pretend it's not a partisan issue yet they'll put political statements on the record. When I try to explain, it's unfortunate the members opposite simply don't want to listen.
But I will go ahead and I will talk a little bit about what our government has done. Of course, I know the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. McFadyen), just the other day, on Friday, said that it's a waste of time for provincial governments to call on federal governments to make changes. It's really unfortunate that that's the Leader of the Conservative Party's position because back as early as 2000, Manitoba took a very strong statement and urged the federal government to work on addressing Internet luring in the Criminal Code.
Manitoba can't make its own criminal law. The federal government can and I'm very proud that my predecessor, the member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh), took a very strong position to the federal government, and I'm very pleased the federal government waited–made–went ahead and made those changes to the Criminal Code.
We also asked, beginning in 2002, that the federal government change the legal age of consent from 14 to 16 because we thought that was a positive thing for young people, and it'd provide more safety. And the federal government finally moved ahead to do it, in 2008. It took six years of efforts on our part but we're pleased that happened.
We also encouraged the establishment of the National Sex Offender Registry beginning in 2002, and I'm pleased to say the federal government went ahead and did that in 2004. And we've continued to propose measures to strengthen the registry.
Mr. Speaker, within our own control, back in 2002, we implemented Manitoba's strategy for sexually exploited youth, and then in 2002, with federal and industry partners, and of course, Child Find Manitoba, we established Cybertip.ca. And that Cybertip.ca, based right here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has now led to more than 70 arrests around the world and more than 3,000 websites where child pornography could be viewed before removed from the Internet. And this site now functions as a national tip line and is well known across the country.
There have been other efforts that have been made, including setting up Tracia's Trust, which is an $8-million comprehensive child sexual exploitation strategy which we continue to expand. In 2009, we provided more resources to Cybertip.ca for public education and to go along with mandatory reporting, and I think it's very important to note that in 2009, our government enacted and passed first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada that makes the reporting of child pornography mandatory. And it includes the following measures, including that an informant's identity, someone who complains, is kept confidential except as may be required in judicial proceedings. It also provides that police have to advise an employer when an employee having access to children in the workplace is charged with an offence and also provides very tough penalties for violating the provisions of the act, including a maximum fine of $50,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 24 months.
And just in November of last year at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which has–is now the organization which grew out of Child Find, again, based in Winnipeg, well, they reported on the success of the first 18 months of the law, and Lianna McDonald, the executive director of the centre said, we are very optimistic and pleased with the results.
And, we're pleased to work with the centre, as we continue to protect children.
And, as well, just a couple of weeks ago, I stood with the Minister of Family Services (Mr. Mackintosh) and we introduced the next wave of improvements to Tracia's Trust including, of course, groundbreaking legislation dealing with human trafficking and sexual exploitation. And, indeed, we are very pleased that Roz Prober of Beyond Borders was at that announcement and she was quite willing to say that Manitoba stands at the forefront of all provinces and territories in Canada at taking action.
But really, what is the key focus? Well, the key focus is to move ahead and go after those who choose to make child pornography, who choose to distribute child pornography, or to access child pornography, and I think it's really important to note that we aren't going to wait for a criminal conviction to happen. In fact, we don't even need a criminal conviction to occur to make sure that there are tough measures to dissuade individuals from engaging in that. And I point to The Criminal Property Forfeiture Act as a piece of legislation which already gives the province the ability to go after those individuals who engage in this kind of conduct.
And I know the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. McFadyen), when we introduced the changes to The Criminal Property Forfeiture Act, to set up the provincial unit to deal with it, well, the Leader of the Opposition said, well, this'll never work. This'll never have an impact, and unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has actually never backed off. He's never come out and said, you know, I guess I was wrong. This really is a good way to go and, unfortunately, the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen) and no other member has ever stepped up to acknowledge that The Criminal Property Forfeiture Act was the right way to go, the right way to go after individuals, in addition to penalties and sanctions that are available under federal criminal law.
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So we're not going to stand around and wait for a criminal process to be finished. If that unit has evidence that property's being used to commit a crime or that property is proceeds of criminal activity, we will move in with civil action and we will go after property. And, certainly, a number of times it's been used to go after gangs, organized crime in Manitoba, but as the member opposite and all members of this House should be aware, the Criminal Property Forfeiture Unit also has an ongoing case against an individual who sexually assaulted–or is alleged to have sexually assaulted a young girl. The allegation is that he used his home as a place to groom young victims. And I'm actually very proud that the Criminal Property Forfeiture Unit has gone ahead to get an order tying up that individual's property.
It was quite a controversial case and, in fact, it received national attention. There was opposition to what we're doing in Manitoba from two main groups, one from–was those on the far left who thought this was an unfair imposition on individuals, and also from the far right, from the libertarians who didn't think it was a good idea to go after people's personal property and real property. Well, I don't agree with either of those two viewpoints. We are doing whatever it takes to protect our young people in the province of Manitoba.
And, of course, when that came up, I expected the member for Steinbach, who usually isn't a shy person, to step up and say, well, you know, we support what the Manitoba's government is doing. This is a very good thing, but I didn't hear a thing from the member opposite. He and all of his members stayed out of that.
I was quite pleased and I'm very proud that our government had the courage to keep dealing with this issue, and we will continue to add resources to the Criminal Property Forfeiture Unit. Despite the fact the members opposite will vote against every additional investigator, despite the fact they'll vote against every dollar that's being used for the operation of that unit, we will continue to move ahead.
There are certainly challenges. And as the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen) acknowledges, where there are a number of unknown victims, it is a great challenge to bring on a civil claim. And some of the difficulties are that–if the civil claim can only be brought after a criminal conviction, that does create some potential problems. And, again, with the civil property forfeiture act, we don't wait for the criminal proceedings to be completed. In fact, if we have enough evidence, we don't even need the criminal proceedings to be started, as long as we can go before a judge, make out our case and make out the point that the forfeiture is in the interests of justice. If the member is suggesting that we have to wait for a criminal conviction to happen before something can take place, well, he's many, many steps behind what our government is already doing.
However, having said that, we think there are still more things that can be done to continue to protect Manitoba children and, as we do with Cybertip.ca, to continue to protect children around the world.
I think that the member should take another look at The Criminal Property Forfeiture Act. I know that he copied a number of the sections in terms of drafting his bill and, in fact, there's some portions that look quite familiar. But he should know that there are some serious concerns about whether this bill would stand a challenge. Not that I necessarily agree that that should be the case, but we have to deal with the situation we've been handed, which is that the Province of Manitoba cannot make criminal law.
So, I'm glad that we're having this debate this morning. Again, I wish the member opposite, just for once, could stand up and say something in this House without the necessity to make it a partisan issue. He apparently can't. So I've put some comments on the record to correct the points the member has made.
Mr. Speaker: Order. The honourable member's time has expired.
Mr. Ron Schuler (Springfield): I wish to thank the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen) for putting forward Bill 220. This is very important legislation, Mr. Speaker, and it brings further and further to the forefront the issue of the way some of our young children are being dealt with in what should be a modern nation like Canada.
I would like to refer this House to committee yesterday where we discussed Bill 29, a very important piece of legislation. I had the opportunity to speak to the bill and mentioned that a lot of this seems to have come to the forefront years ago by our federal colleague Joy Smith, who, upon finding out the kinds of horrendous things that are taking place with human trafficking–and often we're talking about the trafficking of children– that she raised this issue in the House.
Bill 29 is a very important piece of legislation because it sets out a legal framework whereby individuals can be charged, how they can be charged and so on, so forth. Bill 220 is very much a complementary piece of legislation in that it talks more about the individual, about the child.
At the Manitoba Prayer Breakfast this spring, Brian McConaghy, a RCMP officer who started to take issues of child trafficking on in a substantial way–he was in Asia, in Cambodia, where a lot of human trafficking takes place, and became familiar with the kinds of things that were happening there.
In fact, he was tapped into by some of the RCMP officers in Vancouver, and they had some photos of children being molested and they came to Brian McConaghy, and I believe it was five or six children, and because he knew a lot of the places in Asia–he had been doing a lot of relief work bringing in medicine, that kind of stuff–within a week they were able to find these children.
And, Mr. Speaker, it's one thing finding the children and liberating them; the next thing is is what do you do with them? Because a lot of these children have been molested since they were five and six years old. The numbers are astounding. The numbers are horrifying, and the kind of conditions and the kind of numbers that–of the molestations that these children go through. And the rehabilitation does take a lot of energy, time and, yes, money. There is a financial component to the rehabilitation. In the case of these children in Asia, they do have homes where they–they're secret homes, because if the traffickers find out where these children are, they would soon be captured. They would go in with guns and they would take their children back, because it's very big money that is produced out of the trafficking of children.
So there is a strong, financial component because they're housed, they then are fed and they then deal with these children with their emotional and psychological needs. And their needs are great. So Bill 220 addresses that side of it, that once you have caught the traffickers, once you have caught the exploiters, Mr. Speaker, and you've brought them in front of the courts, and you've convicted them, what do you do with the children? There has to be some kind of a recourse for the children to be able to be rehabilitated. It's not good enough to say to them, now you are free, now you may go, and just release them onto the streets. These children need counselling, they often need substantial medical treatment and they certainly need emotional support. So Bill 220 is very important in this respect.
I would like to point out to the House that, really, pornography is just the public face of what Bill 29 is addressing, and that's sexual exploitation and human trafficking. And what is so terribly troubling about the pornography side of it, it is that these individuals, very, very sick, very twisted individuals, who commit these acts and have been doing this for a long time now find that they want to put their acts into a public space, and that's where the Internet comes in.
So, Mr. Speaker, it's not good enough for them that they destroy children, but they want a public record of it. And that's where the pornography side comes to it. And that's why it's so important that, No. 1, that the children, when they are liberated, have an opportunity to be rehabilitated and, more importantly, that those who have committed these heinous acts, that they have to pay in some form. And the fact that they are making substantial amount of money–it's billions and billions of dollars, the human trafficking and sexual exploitation. It is big money and those proceeds should go back to the victims and help them rehabilitate themselves.
We have heard several speakers, and I would point out to the government, to members opposite, this entire issue was brought to the forefront by a backbencher, by an individual who believed very strongly. It was a private member's bill and it was passed unanimously in the House of Commons, a very rare, rare feat by all accounts. And the fact that it was passed unanimously makes it even rarer. I would suggest to members opposite that, perhaps, in a bipartisan way, that we also pass Bill 220. It's complementary to Bill 29; they both deal with a different side of the exploitation. And I would point out to them that if the bill that Joy Smith had put up in the House of Commons tackling human trafficking, if that would have not have been supported, the issue wouldn't have gotten the kind of publicity that it has now.
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Now, Mr. Speaker, we have marches in major cities against human trafficking. Now we have conferences and we have various groups coming together. In fact, there's an organization of women that were once trafficked that now help those who are liberated from trafficking circles, help them get their lives back and get back into society.
And I think it's important that we take bills like 220 and, frankly, Bill 29, which we, as the Conservative opposition, have gone on the record as saying that we will support; we are going to back it. We call to members on the opposite side–is back Bill 220, because it shows those who are being trafficked that we all care, that we stand with them. It also shows the traffickers, it also shows them that we're coming after them, that it is not just one political party, but all politicians find what they do is revolting, it's disgusting and reprehensible, and I would recommend to this House that we stand up by the end of this hour, by 11 o'clock, and we let this go to committee and pass this piece of legislation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Ms. Sharon Blady (Kirkfield Park): Mr. Speaker, it's a privilege to stand up and put a few words on the record regarding this bill. Again, much as my former–as the previous speaker, the Attorney General (Mr. Swan), had noted that it's a real shame that when something this significant is taken into a partisan context where it's the either you're for us or against us mentality, when, again, words are one thing, actions do speak much louder, in my mind, and so the members opposite can heckle all they want, but that doesn't change the reality of things.
And the reality of things, if the member from Steinbach would like to actually listen rather than chirp, is the fact–but, again, that's, you know, obviously beyond his capacities at this point, he'd much rather just heckle–that really, Mr. Speaker, it is one of those things where, you know, for example, in 2009, we enacted the first-of-its-kind legislation that made the reporting of child pornography mandatory. We have legislation that went to committee and was passed through committee and on to third reading that, you know, creates the tort of human trafficking.
So the tangible reality is we are already doing the work, and we're doing the work because it's the right thing to do, not to get into little partisan bickering, as we've just seen here in the past few moments.
So I really think it's important. I'm glad to see that they are aware of groups like Beyond Borders. I'm glad to see that they are aware of things like the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. It's been a pleasure to work with Lianna McDonald and to work with Signy on some of the projects that are going on, especially related to the girl child.
And what so much of this really relates to is a preventative aspect, because in going through their reports and looking at that initial report on child sexual abuse images that came out in 2009, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection themselves indicate that in the cases where images go up, images go up by those who already have a long-standing habit of abusing children in this manner.
And so that the real solution to this issue comes from how we address the situation around abusers. It's about a preventative thing. It's about how we educate students, how we educate youth, how we change the environment, because the Internet is a rather tricky thing, and, again, it's one of those things–their analysis demonstrates that very clearly. I can read you some amazing statistics, Mr. Speaker, how, for example, over a 48-hour period, Cybertip.ca observed one website cycle through 212 unique IP addresses located in 16 different countries.
So what that does to a child that is abused is takes it out into a level that is just beyond belief in so many ways, and at the same time, it is what presents the challenge for Cybertip, for ICE to do their job, and so so much of this is about the preventative work. And I believe it is my colleague, the Attorney General, Mr. Speaker, I believe the line that he's used before to describe members opposite is they like to be the–you know, come in on the white horse, you know, ride in after the fact and try to be the hero that cleans up the mess and arrest the perpetrator.
We like to take a slightly different approach, which is a preventative one. I remember the old adage that my grandmother often used: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We're working on that prevention aspect of it.
So, again, I appreciate the intent of members opposite, Mr. Speaker, but I really do think that we need to look at some other issues and we need to not make this a partisan issue, because it really is about the children and the degree of exploitation that they face.
The one thing that has happened with Cybertip and with other programs that they are linked into is that when they have been able to identify situations–and, again, as I've said, some of these images are recycled through different places, so they've had images that are popping up in multiple countries. They're getting borrowed, sold, whatever. Tracking them back to their origins is difficult. It takes a lot of work, and I really admire the folks that–the analysts that work at Cybertip, the folks on the ICE team for what they have to–what they go through emotionally to filter through this material to track those folks down. But when they have been able to isolate kids and pull them out of abusive situations, that's the real goal. It's to get those kids back to some place safe, get them back to a place where they can heal and, yes, to penalize the perpetrators.
But if things are done in advance to educate children, to make children and family aware of things, the–I have the privilege of working on the Interpersonal Violence and Technology Committee, and so much of what is out there is about people learning what the tools are capable of. Because that's the thing, all of these aspects of the Internet, these are neutral tools. They are not inherently good or inherently evil; it is the intention with which someone uses them. A camera is not a bad thing. An Internet connection is not a bad thing. If you're using those things to transmit a picture of your child to their grandparents across the country, that's a wonderful thing. On the other hand, some folks are using it for rather nefarious purposes and damaging children.
And so what I see here is, again, an intention that is to be commended, but to be–but in its delivery is, again, a little bit lacking and a little bit partisan. We really do need to keep working on preventative issues.
Mr. Speaker, and when I think of the kinds of recommendations that have been put out by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, legislation like this does not enter their top 12 list. Instead, they look at things having to do with education being provided to help these young children recognize signs of abuse process and disclose to a trusted adult if they are being abused or photographed inappropriately–and it's particularly important, they say here, for preschool children because it is less likely they will recognize the behaviour that is not normal–also, the idea of collaboration between hotlines around the world; the consideration being given to gender‑related education–and, as I've mentioned, the work that I'm looking forward to doing on the issue of the girl child with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection–the idea of exploring additional opportunities to work with law enforcement, Internet service and content providers to remove illegal content from Canadian servers; also, to establish international standards for personal information a registrant is required to provide when registering a new domain name, which means collaboration with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN; also, the idea of partnering with domain name registrants to have domains hosting illegal content discarded from use and to remove them permanently from circulation.
You see, Mr. Speaker, this is all preventative. This is not about trying to be the knight in shining armour when the damage is already done and the child is already abused. This is about coming in ahead of the game. They want people to come in and step up in advance to protect these kids before they're victimized.
Doesn't mean we don't address the issue of those who have already been victimized. And I do believe, again, the legislation, the groundbreaking legislation that will be passed this session that creates the tort of human trafficking, addresses that. And, again, that very law in and of itself does a number of things that allows them the right to sue their abusers in most child pornography cases while protecting the sacred relationship between caring, loving parents and their children, and it also creates a protection order for victims of human trafficking and sexual–and child sexual exploitation, so it makes it easier for people who love and care for our children to protect them from their abusers and keep them safe. So, again, it's about a balance between the two of them, but it's about working on the preventative measure.
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Again, the idea about whether the Internet and what–how it changes the nature of the kind of abuse and violence that these children experience, we need to study that more. That's one of the recommendations from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. And, again, they want further collaboration and data sharing. They want further research to determine on how words are used in hosting devices in terms of searches and to carefully track these unique title bars on websites that host child abuse images. Establish coalitions of stakeholders. And then, again, when–the other issue is that of fast flux that I mentioned before, how it can cycle through a number of IP addresses. So we need to also address the technology. We need to address this in a preventative manner so I can–in many respects I appreciate where the member from Steinbach is coming from. But maybe he should consider getting off the white horse and trying to be the person that comes in and saves the day after the fact and consider collaborating more with folks on our side and with these organizations to work in a preventative manner.
Because it is one thing to help a child heal from this kind of abuse and find them a safe place. It is far better to work on establishing groundwork that prevents this kind of situation from happening, be it on a technological level by co-operation through the different organizations that I've mentioned or by empowering and educating our youth and empowering and educating caregivers to prevent the abuse from ever happening. So I look forward to hearing comments from other colleagues in the Chamber. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker: The honourable member for River East.
An Honourable Member: River Heights.
Mr. Speaker: River Heights; I'm sorry about that. River Heights.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have listened to the member opposite for Kirkfield Park and I'm having a little bit of trouble trying to understand her remarks in terms of this–trying to politicize this, you know. It seems to me that the member is trying to say, well, I'm not going to support this legislation because it's somehow political. I mean, surely, we are here to look at legislation and decide whether it's good or bad legislation. And if it has merit, support it. And, you know, I, for one, will stand up and say that this legislation has merit and that it's worth supporting.
I would like to point out two important results or consequences of this legislation. One is that by focusing on the victims, this will provide us a much better understanding of the damage to victims of child pornography and bring the damage to the victims out into the open because this is an area which has been too much hidden and because it's too much hidden, there is not an understanding of how much damage the child pornography can do and what impact it can have on the mental health and the well-being of the children and their lifelong impact, and the–you know, I have–consequences, maybe changes in mental health, personality disorders, what have you. But we need to understand these impacts because by understanding them we can motivate others to prevent them, and we can also look at how we can address the results of child pornography and mitigate the damages once we understand them.
Second, as I see this bill, it is very much about prevention. The payments from the fund will be going to efforts to prevent child pornography. The payments from the fund can go to programs operated by a law enforcement agency that's intended to prevent or reduce child pornography. So I fail to understand the argument of the members opposite that this is not about prevention. Clearly, this bill is foremost about prevention and that's one of the reasons that I support this legislation. And, Mr. Speaker, I hope there will be agreement of all members to support this legislation and get it on to committee stage. Thank you.
Hon. Peter Bjornson (Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade): Mr. Speaker, it's a privilege to rise in the House to speak to this issue today, and one that is certainly quite disconcerting as an educator and the fact that these things have found their way in a civil society and continue to rear its ugly head and continue to victimize the most vulnerable with child pornography.
And I do recall, Mr. Speaker, very early in my education career, when the Internet was first being introduced as a tool for research and all the wonderful opportunities that that presented to teachers and to students. And I do recall at the professional development session, one of the teachers was playing devil's advocate and suggested what happens if you type in the word sex, and they demonstrated that it, I think, at the time was just over 5,000 websites came up with that prompt.
Mr. Speaker, I also understand from a friend of mine who–in–who works in–as a forensic psychologist and has done work with various police organizations that–today, that number had grown so exponentially that he wouldn't wish to hazard a guess to how many of these sites continue to pop up online. And that's regrettable that that's a part of our society today, and it's something that we, as legislators, have to address and do our utmost to ensure that people aren't victimized by this legislation.
I've always marvelled, as a legislator, as well, that technology never comes with rules, that we have to catch up with technology, that we've had to make measures or take steps to legislate the use of technologies in schools for cyberbullying and things of that nature. Because I know when people create these wonderful marvels of this century, in terms of the communication assets that we have and the technology that we have, that the intent is not for nefarious means, which, unfortunately, there is an element in society that will take these wonders of technology, these marvels of technology, and apply them for that purpose.
So it's regrettable that we find ourselves in situations where we, as legislators, have to come up with the rules that deal with those that use it for a purpose other than its intent to make society a better place and those who use it to make society to be a–pardon me, to appeal to the underbelly and the nefarious uses that it unfortunately has come to deliver.
As a teacher, I know that in many ways I've had to deal with a number of issues with our students and put myself in harm's way to break up fights and put myself in harm's way dealing with family issues with some of our students. And it's a very eye-opening part of what we do every day when we, as teachers, are responsible for the well-being and safety of our children. And there are many vulnerable children out there.
And when you talk about child pornography, as many of my colleagues have stated, there are two ways that we can work to address it. And prevention, I believe, is the most suitable way and the best way to address it, to prevent these things from happening rather than reacting. And we've cited a number of things that have been done by this government to address this, and case in point, the first-of-its-kind legislation that makes reporting of child pornography mandatory, first of its kind in 2009.
And, Mr. Speaker, an informant's identity is kept confidential except as required in judicial proceedings or by consent. Police have to advise an employer when an employee having access to children in the workplace is charged with a related offence. And penalties for violating the provisions of the act include a maximum fine of $50,000 and/or imprisonment up to 24 months. The first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada.
And, in my previous role as Minister of Education, I know that I worked very closely with Child Find and some of the initiatives that they would bring forward on prevention, on informing, on educating our students in the province of Manitoba with some assets that we developed together and distributed and provided information for our students about cyberbullying, about luring, about all the insidious things that were happening on the Internet.
And I was very pleased to work with Lianna McDonald, whose team has done a wonderful job in helping educate students with a collaborative effort with the Department of Education. And, certainly, some of the products that have been developed here have been mimicked and used right across the country because of that vision and that commitment to prevention.
And, of course, now the–Child Find is the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. And it's an organization founded in Winnipeg, and I do know that the member from Charleswood was also a volunteer with Child Find prior to politics. This is not a partisan issue. It's about what's doing right for kids. It's about what's doing best for kids. It's about protecting the most vulnerable in our society. And there are organizations such as the child–Canadian Centre for Child Protection and other such organizations that work with government and work with a number of different agencies to try and address this very serious issue. And we continue to work on legislation that will have an impact on a number of these situations that we find children are vulnerable and find–that make children vulnerable.
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And, of course, just this session, the groundbreaking legislation that creates of tort of human trafficking. And last night, I understand, at committee that the legislation passed second reading, and this law enables a victim of human trafficking to sue the trafficker for monetary compensation. Our existing laws already give victims the right to sue their abusers in most child pornography cases while protecting their sacred relationship between caring, loving parents and their children. And the law will also create a protection order for victims of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation, and those orders will make it easier for people who love and care for our children to protect them from abusers and to help keep them safe.
And keeping kids safe is an important part of what we do in our civil society, and we've made significant investments in protecting children, working with the federal government to toughen up laws. And, as the Attorney General (Mr. Swan) mentioned in his comments earlier this morning that Manitoba cannot write the laws that need to be written, is a jurisdictional matter with respect to some of these issues and we need to continue to work with our federal counterparts to address these issues through statute.
But we are developing innovative laws here in Manitoba that are taking important steps to protect children, and we are investing in those programs to assist as well: in March we announced $2 million for 18 transition beds to help trafficked or exploited youth, and in total there'll be 71 specialized beds in Manitoba; and February 8th we marked Safer Internet Day by highlighting a site where teens can learn more about the consequences of sexting; last year we established the StreetReach Winnipeg and StreetReach North to co-ordinate the efforts of community agencies who work with police services to rescue at-risk children; and in '09 we provided $190,000 for Cybertip.ca for public education and mandatory reporting; my colleagues have also already referenced Tracia's Trust, our $8-million child sexual exploitation strategy, that was in '08; and in '03, working with partners, established Canada's second AMBER Alert protocol; '02 we implemented the Manitoba strategy for sexually exploited youth; and in '02, with federal and industry partners and Child Find Manitoba, we established Cybertip.ca, which has led to 70 arrests and 3,000 websites removed from the Internet. The site now functions as a national tip line.
So, indeed, Mr. Speaker, there have been a number of initiatives that we have undertaken as government and a number of initiatives that we will continue to undertake as government. As mentioned, in civil society it is our duty to protect the most vulnerable.
And we will continue to work with other governments, and I believe that's one of the key issues is working with other governments because the Internet does not know any boundaries as far as the vehicle for the distribution of pornographic materials. It knows no boundaries, and we have to work with other governments in other jurisdictions on how to best address this particular vehicle for that distribution of those materials.
And the federal government, of course, has full control of the Criminal Code, which is what my colleague, the Attorney General (Mr. Swan), had spoken of earlier this morning, and we need to continue to lobby the federal government for meaningful reform in the Criminal Code to go after the people who hurt our children, and we have to support the federal government in these endeavours, and I can assure you that we support them in so doing.
And we have a history of doing that, Mr. Speaker. In 2000, we urged the federal government to address Internet luring in the Criminal Code. They did so in 2002. And we anticipate in the coming weeks that they'll be introducing a law to create mandatory minimum sentence for breaking this law, a move that we have encouraged and we continue to support.
So, Mr. Speaker, I believe there are a lot of things that we are doing focusing on prevention and intervention, and I believe that is the key to protecting our most vulnerable, and that is our commitment to the most vulnerable. And not only do we bring forward legislation and lobby our federal counterparts, we also support our programs and initiatives through funding and working with other agencies who have the same goal and objective in mind. Thank you.
Mrs. Bonnie Mitchelson (River East): And I just rise to put a few comments on the record in support of my colleague's bill, Bill 220, that's been introduced. And, Mr. Speaker, just to say to members of the government that this is not an either‑or. I mean, this is just one more tool that can be used in the fight against child pornography. You know, and Beyond Borders, I know my colleague has had significant discussion with them, and they are extremely supportive of this step of this legislation, and I would have hoped that before this bill was debated, that members of the government's side would have talked to Beyond Borders and found out that, in fact, they were extremely supportive.
Mr. Speaker, in order to do prevention, there are financial resources that are needed and need to be available. By passing this legislation today, that just provides an opportunity for us to go after those that are convicted of child pornography. And many of the children that are victims of child pornography are unknown. There are families and there are children that can't go after the predators. If civil action can be taken and a fund can be set up, those dollars can be used and go towards the prevention activity that needs to be undertaken.
So, Mr. Speaker, we have Beyond Borders that is saying pass this legislation, move forward with this legislation. It's only one more tool. And there have been lots of good things that have happened and we're all very concerned about human trafficking and child pornography. Let's not let partisanship get in the way of passing a piece of legislation that's been introduced by my colleague, the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen), that will provide one additional tool in the fight against child pornography. I'd encourage members of the government side of the House to stand up today and to support this, along with this side of the House and Beyond Borders. Thank you.
Hon. Jennifer Howard (Minister of Labour and Immigration): Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to speak on this bill. I think it's a very interesting bill. I think it is worthy of discussion and debate. I want to thank the member for Steinbach for bringing it forward.
And I think, you know, frankly, Mr. Speaker, hearing some of the heckling in this House, people accusing people on this side of the House of not taking child pornography seriously, I think it's way, way beneath the dignity with which that member generally conducts himself in this House. So, I think because people want to talk about an issue and talk about a bill doesn't mean that they don't take it seriously; it means they take it very, very seriously, in fact.
And I wanted to talk about some of things that we've been working on, with regards to exploitation of children, sexual exploitation of children, especially. And one of the things that I'm familiar with in my department is The Worker Recruitment and Protection Act, which has gotten a lot of attention for its impact and effect on temporary foreign workers, trying to protect the rights of those workers who come to work in Manitoba. But what is perhaps less known is that that legislation is also–was also put in place to help protect child workers, children who particularly work in the entertainment industry, in modelling agencies, and those agencies, at their worst, and I'm sure it's a small minority, can be vehicles for trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
So, we brought in that legislation which was groundbreaking, remains groundbreaking in the country, to take action in a jurisdiction that, you know, was pushing the envelope a little bit. But we worked very much with the federal government to be able to take that action, and that bill now serves as a model around the country and is frequently spoken of at international conferences when it comes to protecting the rights of those who are most vulnerable.
I'm also reminded of a piece of legislation, I believe, we brought forward, or policy change we brought forward some time ago, that put on people the duty to report child pornography in the same way that people have the duty to report child abuse. And I remember at that time, that move was somewhat controversial. There were lots of questions from people in various industries. What did this mean for them? If I'm in someone's house fixing their computer, and I find this, does that mean I have to report? And does that–what does that mean for me? I remember, in fact, at the time, meeting with representatives of one of the major Internet providers who had some concerns about that, and we talked about it.
And although there were some reservations, that law was brought in. That policy change was brought in because we believe that child pornography is child abuse, that it is the same thing and that one has the duty to report harm to children.
We've heard other members in this House talk about some of the programming that's–
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Mr. Speaker: Order. When this matter's again before the House, the honourable minister will have seven minutes remaining.
The hour now being 11 a.m., we'll move on to resolutions and we'll deal with Resolution No. 16, Cadet Day (Army, Sea and Air).
Res. 16–Cadet Day (Army, Sea and Air)
Ms. Bonnie Korzeniowski (St. James): I move, seconded by the member for Portage la Prairie (Mr. Faurschou), that:
WHEREAS the Province of Manitoba recognizes the many citizens of this province who are and have been participants of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets which make a significant, continuing contribution to the cultural, social and economic fabric of the province; and
WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Army Cadets organization began 1879 as an Association for Drill in education institute–Educational Institutions under the auspices of the Canadian Militia. The first army air–Army Cadet Corps in western Canada was formed in Portage la Prairie as No. 19 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps on December 24, 1909. The Army Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1971 in order to give the program a civilian partner; and
WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets organization began in 1902 as Boys Naval Brigade under the auspices of the Navy League of Canada. The first Sea Cadet Corps in Canada was formed in Winnipeg as No. 859 Winnipeg Boys Naval Brigade Cadet Corps on November 19, 1920. The Royal Canadian Navy became a partner in 1941; and
WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Air Cadets organization began in 1940 when the federal Minister of Defence for Air requested a group prominent citizens to form the Air Cadet League of Canada to initiate a partnership to found the Air Cadet Program. The first Air Cadet Squadron in Canada was formed in Winnipeg as No. 6 Winnipeg Lions Air Cadet Squadron in 1938 pre-dating the national organization; and
WHEREAS the three cadet programs are now administered by the Canadian Forces under a single commander while its partners the Army Cadet League of Canada, the Navy League of Canada and the Air Cadet League of Canada remain independent organizations; and
WHEREAS the Province of Manitoba appreciates the reservist members of the Cadet Instructor Cadre of the Canadian Forces and the volunteer civilian members of the Army Cadet League of Canada, the Navy League of Canada, the Air Cadet League of Canada which collectively provide immeasurable opportunity to the youth of Manitoba through the army cadet, sea cadet and air cadet programs.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the provincial government to consider recognizing the first Saturday of each September as Cadet Day in Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker: It's been moved by the honourable member for St. James, seconded by the honourable member for Portage la Prairie:
WHEREAS the Province of Manitoba–dispense?
An Honourable Member: Dispense.
Mr. Speaker: Dispense.
Ms. Korzeniowski: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to bring attention to the gallery where we have representatives of the army, sea and air cadets they work with. Of special note, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Szczerski is the Acting Commanding Officer of Regional Cadets Support Unit (Prairie).
I am so pleased to speak to this resolution today. It's a complete honour to recognize the Cadet Program, as I know just how special this program is and how important it is to all Canadians and all Manitobans. Whether people realize it or not, the cadets are a source of new ideas, energy and goodwill. Today's cadets are tomorrow's leaders.
To quote Senator Art Eggleton, former ministerial defence, on why cadets are important: Many people think of cadets as preparation for a career in military, but it is really about preparing for life, about developing skills, the qualities and the confidence that will allow these young people to prosper and contribute to the Canada of tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, there are many great things associated with joining cadets. The program fosters self-confidence, self-discipline and self-esteem. Cadets become involved in their community, raising money for worthy causes, raising awareness and acting–becoming role models for their peers and younger siblings. They honour our veterans through events and ceremonies throughout the year. The program helps youth to realize their potential and provides an opportunity for them to flourish. There are many scholarships and travel opportunities, making it a great way to get life and professional experience. But, beyond that, it gives youth the opportunity to take part in one-in-a-lifetime experiences and make lifelong friends. These are skills they learn to apply to the rest of their lives.
Joining the cadets is a great opportunity for any young Manitoban, whether it is in The Pas, Beausejour, Dauphin or Morden. I know that these young people are doing great service in their communities all around Manitoba, and for this we will all benefit.
Mr. Speaker, the Cadet Program is the largest federally sponsored youth program in Canada. Activities for youth participate–to participate in fun, friendly and safe environment. Participants do better in school, make friends, and learn how to work independently and also as part of a team. This national program is designed for young Canadians aged 12 to 18. Currently, there are 56,000 cadets throughout Canada.
Cadets participate in fun, challenging and certainly rewarding activities while learning about the sea, army and air activities of the Canadian Forces. Although cadets are not in the Canadian Forces, they learn skills that stimulate interest in the sea, land and air activities of the Forces. They learn the history of the Canadian Forces as well as skills such as self-discipline, teamwork, leadership and good citizenship.
Mr. Speaker, cadets are encouraged and have demonstrated over the years to become more engaged in their communities. The contributions that they make to Canadian society are many. They participate in and spearhead many important environmental, citizenship and community activities.
Although they are under the umbrella of the federal association of cadets, there are three different streams of programming and they all operate individually and uniquely. Cadets choose to join the sea, army or air cadets.
Now, army cadets focus on adventure training activities such as outdoor activities and international expeditions. The army cadets is the oldest of the cadet programs, with around 35 per cent of cadets belonging to it. The 19 royal Canadian corps of army cadets in Portage la Prairie just celebrated their 100th anniversary last December. I was pleased to help them commemorate the occasion. Other memories of mine were reviewing departed Minister Lathlin's pride and joy, Cross Lake army cadets, last year as the military envoy. I have also joined them in their winter exercise with 17 Field Ambulance, Hydro at Jenpeg and volunteers from Cross Lake. Mr. Bob Smith received the Order of Manitoba for his work with these cadets, who I understand are almost doubling. Other outdoor activities include trekking, canoeing, rock climbing and survival training. Army cadets also learn about army traditions and participate in a variety of national and international expeditions that focus on adventure training like whitewater rafting, horseback riding and canoeing.
Sea cadets learn seamanship skills and how to sail. The Navy League of Canada was founded in 1895 and it was formed primarily of schoolteachers. Sea cadets represents 20 per cent of cadets. They learn about sailing, seamanship, shipboard life, boat repair, marine engineering and ship deployments. I recently visited the sea cadets in Chippawa who were mentoring a Navy League group who are aged 10 to 12. That was a really special group of young people. I was honoured to be their reviewing officer.
Air cadets learn the principles of aviation, with some learning to become glider pilots, pilots of engine-propelled aircraft, or both. The Air Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1940 in partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force to sponsor young men as future aircrew. They also learned how to fly a glider, allowing them to pursue a career in flying or simply enjoy it as a hobby. Although they are the youngest or newest stream, they make up 40 per cent of the cadet population. I enjoyed reviewing 176 Squadron, sponsored by Boeing, a few years ago, as did the Minister for Advanced Education and Literacy last year.
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I must say, whichever stream of cadets I was reviewing, there was a common thread of skill in drills, discipline, teamwork and confidence.
And I'm told, Mr. Speaker, that as we sit here, there are 16 cadets in Churchill from across Canada seeing our northern areas, and this is a new and potentially very exciting initiative.
Now, the mission of the Cadet Program is to contribute to the development and preparation of youth for the transition to adulthood, enabling them to meet the challenges of modern society through a dynamic, community-based program. The vision is a relevant, credible and proactive development organization offering the program of choice.
On a final note, as a woman, I have to mention that girls have participated unofficially in cadet training almost from the beginning. It also gives me great pleasure to note that on the 30th of July, 1975, Parliament amended the relevant legislation by changing the word boys to persons, therefore permitting girls to become members of the Royal Canadian Sea, Army and Air Cadets. At long last, girls could finally do everything the boys had been doing for so many years, and I do see quite a gender balance there each year.
I would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers, both military and civilian, who help thousands of youth each year become better citizens, lead successful lives and become future leaders. I will end on this note now, as I know several members in this Chamber wish to speak and share their experience in support of this fine program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker: Okay, and we will accept the resolution as printed.
WHEREAS the Province of Manitoba recognizes the many citizens of the province who are and have been participants of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets which make a significant, continuing contribution to the cultural, social and economic fabric of the province; and
WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Army Cadets organization began in 1879 as an "Association for Drill in Educational Institutions" under the auspices of the Canadian Militia. The first Army Cadet Corps in western Canada was formed in Portage La Prairie as "# 19 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps" on December 24, 1909. The Army Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1971 in order to give the program a civilian partner; and
WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets organization began in 1902 as "Boys Naval Brigade" under the auspices of the Navy League of Canada. The first Sea Cadet Corps in Canada was formed in Winnipeg as "# 859 Winnipeg Boys Naval Brigade Cadet Corps" on November 19, 1920. The Royal Canadian Navy became a partner in 1941; and
WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Air Cadets organization began in 1940 when the federal Minister of Defence for Air requested a group of prominent citizens to form the Air Cadet League of Canada to initiate a partnership to found the Air Cadet Program. The first Air Cadet Squadron in Canada was formed in Winnipeg as "# 6 Winnipeg Lions Air Cadet Squadron" in 1938 pre-dating the national organization; and
WHEREAS the three Cadet programs are now administered by the Canadian Forces under a single commander while its partners the Army Cadet League of Canada, the Navy League of Canada and the Air Cadet League of Canada remain independent organizations; and
WHEREAS the Province of Manitoba appreciates the reservist members of the Cadet Instructor Cadre of the Canadian Forces and the volunteer civilian members of the Army Cadet League of Canada, the Navy League of Canada, the Air Cadet League of Canada which collectively provide immeasurable opportunity to the youth of Manitoba through the Army Cadet, Seat Cadet and Air Cadet programs.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Provincial Government to consider recognizing the first Saturday of each September as "Cadet Day" in Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker: And now recognize the honourable member for Portage la Prairie.
Mr. David Faurschou (Portage la Prairie): Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to rise and also feel very honoured, might I say, to have the opportunity to second this resolution as it pertains to Cadet Day. I ask for all members of the Legislative Assembly for their support for this resolution, and hopefully, we can, indeed, recognize our young people that are participating in uniform throughout the province.
I will say that the honourable member for St. James and myself are both products of military men and grew up in a family that has made us very well aware of the armed services and their role in keeping the democracy to which we all are able to participate within the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, and to see that our men and women are proudly serving in uniform around the world and showing that Canada indeed does care, not only about what we in this country hold very dear to our hearts but that we are standing up for those that are unable to around the world.
The cadet corps is not an experience that I had personally; however, I got my drill training through the RCMP and that still stays with me today. And the experience that we have in our family with the cadets is my son, Aaron, did indeed join the 575 Terrier squadron in Portage la Prairie and did participate for quite some time with that squadron. However, it got to a point, I'm afraid, when he was judging–I said, number–was your evening a one or a ten and any number in between, one being the best night he could ever have and 10 being his worst nightmare. Apparently, there was a new drill that he just could not get, and he came home and said, Dad, I had a 10 tonight. He said, do I have to really go back? So that ended his cadet career, but I understood from that, though, he did take away a great deal from the program.
I would like to say that this Saturday at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, that would be 1500 hours, I will have the opportunity to review the No. 19 Army Cadet Corps in Portage la Prairie as their official reviewing officer. That's something that I'm very much looking forward to and feel very honoured to have that opportunity. I would like to thank Captain Terry Henry, who is in charge of the cadet corps in Portage la Prairie. And, unfortunately, last week I was also going to have that same opportunity to review with the 575 Terrier squadron. However, I was, unfortunately, cracked a couple of ribs and spent that very same hour that I was to review the cadets in ICU in the Portage General Hospital. So I was unable to be present for that review.
But Portage la Prairie has, in fact, had a very, very stellar experience with the cadet corps, and as well as the Terrier squadron. The–as the honourable member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski) mentioned, that the army cadet corps in Portage la Prairie is the oldest continuous running program in western Canada, and did indeed receive the key to the city of Portage la Prairie, upon their 100th anniversary. And the all–member for St. James and myself had the chance to be on the podium when the–his honour the–His Worship, the Mayor Ken Brennan, had presented the corps with the keys to the city.
Mr. Mohinder Saran, Acting Speaker, in the Chair
And I will say that it was a very proud moment when the cadet corps marched through the city of Portage la Prairie and was acknowledged by hundreds of persons lining the street to help them celebrate a very monumental anniversary in their history.
This day that we are asking the government to recognize, I believe is very important because there are a lot of people that participate not only within the program but within the training aspect. The new commandant of 575 Terrier squadron is Captain Philip Tompolski, who arrived from Ontario recently and is a very, very aggressive individual and is building that program up from very, very modest numbers into, now, in excess of 50 young cadets.
Mr. Acting Speaker, the person that's probably spent as much time in front of the camera through the flood–of the one-in-300-of-year event on the Assiniboine River–has been Mr. Steve Toppings, who's a director within the Water Stewardship Ministry. Mr. Toppings is also known as Lieutenant Steve Toppings. He is a instructor within the Air Force Cadet Program. And, along with him, who is–with–formerly with my office, was Judy Undike [phonetic], who assists Mr. Toppings within that same squadron. And I'm afraid I can't recall the exact number at this point in time, but it operates out of Minto armouries.
It is very important to the young people that participate, as well, as was mentioned in the opening address, that it gives young people a sense of self‑worth, self-esteem. And we have seen that many a young person, once enrolled and participating within the Cadet Program, has changed how they view themselves and view life, and their participation in life has been radically changed.
And I would like at this time to recognize the former member of this Chamber, Mr. Oscar Lathlin, who represented The Pas for many years, and was a very ardent supporter of the Army Cadet Program and, in fact, has seen through that initiative a significant change in young people coming from reserve life and seeing what military life can indeed offer. And we have many, many persons have gone on to active careers within the Armed Forces from the cadet experience.
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I would encourage all persons–if they haven't had the chance to come out and see a parade of the young people within the Cadet Program, I encourage them to do so. Indeed, in Portage la Prairie, at the armouries, this Saturday at 1500 hours, we will see the No. 19 Army Cadet Corps in Portage on parade. I hope that the band is able to carry a tune this year. It was struggling over the years but–with different personnel coming in and out of the band, but I do believe that the band is up and running again.
And if I can, at this point in time, ask members if they would like to see an opportunity to donate or to participate, the corps is always looking for persons willing to donate some of your time, donate, perhaps, some of your resources towards the program, because the program maintains a zero fee for all participants. And that is vitally important to many a young person in this very costly time in which we live, to see entertainment for our young people–and not to say that it's entertainment, but it a program which is very, very vital to some persons.
And I do appreciate the opportunity to be here this morning and to participate in this resolution and I encourage all members of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly to support this resolution. Thank you.
Hon. Bill Blaikie (Minister of Conservation): Mr. Acting Speaker, I too am very glad to be able to rise in the House today to speak in favour of this resolution. I congratulate the honourable member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski) for bringing it forward and the honourable member for Portage la Prairie for seconding it.
Mr. Acting Speaker, I was a cadet myself from 1965 to 1969 in the cadet corps of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, aging out in 1969 at age 18, as the pipe sergeant of the Cameron Cadet Pipe Band. And I spent almost my entire cadet life in the band, but it was a great experience.
And I'd like to pay tribute to the leadership at that time. I think, if I remember correctly, the person in charge of the Cameron Cadets at the time was a man by the name of Captain Bird, and the instructor for the Cameron Cadet Pipe Band at that time was Pipe Major Donald Morrison of the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band. Actually, I saw Donny Morrison just a couple of weeks ago at a funeral for another piper and I just wanted to take the opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Morrison for all the leadership that he showed over the years with the Cameron Cadet Pipe Band. We did an awful lot of marching round and round and round and round in the towers at Minto armouries for all the years that I was there.
And, of course, for me, it–I went from the cadet corps into the militia band into the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and spent some time with the militia band–and I could go on. But I'm very pleased to say, and honoured to say today, that at the moment, I serve on the regimental advisory board of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and value my lifelong association with the regiment, association with the military and with cadets that goes back in my family. My father was an army cadet in Saskatchewan before he came to Manitoba as an apprentice, and I believe my grandfather Blaikie was also an army cadet in Scotland before he came to this country with the–associated with the 6th Scottish Rifles.
So I know others are anxious to speak. I just wanted to put my own appreciation of the cadet movement, the cadet corps, on the record. It is a–and hope that and anticipate that the Legislature will pass this motion and we will come to have that Cadet Day that will be designated in September.
It is all of the things that have been said about it. It is an opportunity for people to learn discipline and self esteem and other things that will become important later in life, and I just think that, you know, we sometimes say give them–I've seen this slogan: give them a team and they won't need a gang. I think that's true, but it's also true you can give them a cadet corps or give them a band or give them an opportunity to be with other people of their own age in a kind of–in that kind of military and disciplined environment, and that, too, can be an alternative to gang culture.
So let's celebrate what the cadets have done and let's celebrate what cadets can continue to do for young people in Canada.
Mrs. Leanne Rowat (Minnedosa): I would also like to put some words on the record with regard to a resolution that's been put forward by the member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski) and seconded by the member for Portage la Prairie (Mr. Faurschou), which recognizes Cadet Day in our province.
As the MLA for the Minnedosa constituency, I've had the honour of–and the responsibility, Mr. Acting Speaker, of representing the CFB Shilo within my constituency for the past eight years, and I know first-hand from interacting with that community how important it is to foster and grow leaders within our province, within our country.
Today there are over 56,000 cadets in Canada and they are divided among the three elements of cadet programs which mirror the Canadian Forces structure, and the three elements are: air, army and sea.
In Manitoba, Mr. Acting Speaker, there are 24 air cadet corps, as well as 11 army corps and seven sea corps, and these are regiments that provide hundreds of youth within our province with positive extracurricular activities, as was shared by the member opposite, and when you provide opportunities to learn and to be a part of a team and to create leadership skills with individuals, you can't go wrong.
Cadets learn drills. They learn–and they progress through a rank system similar to that of the Canadian Forces. So the participants learn leadership. They learn teamwork. They learn respect, and they learn, Mr. Acting Speaker, about citizenship.
They are challenged to try new activities and learn new skills, and they are challenged, Mr. Acting Speaker. They are challenged to do the best that they can in situations. They are taught to think quickly and they are rewarded for the skills that they learn.
Cadets learn pride. They learn self-confidence and become leaders of tomorrow, Mr. Acting Speaker.
So many of us know members of the cadets, either through family or friends, Mr. Acting Speaker, and so many of these young people have gone on to do great things. They've had opportunities through the Cadet Program to not only learn and grow and become a team within their own province, but they've also learned to be a part of a national team.
There are opportunities where they can attend summer training centres across Canada, summer training courses that last from two to six weeks, Mr. Acting Speaker, and these are significant opportunities for young people, especially knowing that these programs are programs that do not charge a fee to be a participant of. So these opportunities are available to all Manitoba families, all Manitoba children, most importantly.
From that level, cadets are also given the opportunity as they progress through the ranks to travel overseas, Mr. Acting Speaker, and I think this is significant because they will stand shoulder to shoulder with young people from throughout the world who have similar interests and have gained the leadership and the knowledge that they have, and they can share experiences and share those leadership skills together and develop further.
So this resolution is an opportunity to recognize our cadets and the Cadet Program which is a wonderful opportunity for youth to become engaged in the community, work on self development, learn valuable life skills and start lifelong friendships.
So I'm happy to support this resolution to make the first Saturday of every September Cadet Day. I commend the Cadet Program for the fine young men and women it produces. Cadets are also deserving of recognition for the contributions they make and I think this resolution speaks to that. Thank you, Mr. Acting Speaker.
Mr. Frank Whitehead (The Pas): I want to, first of all, thank the member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski) and the member from Portage la Prairie for introducing this resolution.
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Mr. Acting Speaker, it gives me great pleasure, of course, to speak to this very important resolution, because it gives opportunity for people throughout the province to know and appreciate the full, you know–what we receive from the cadet programs in our communities.
It's a well-established institution, one that goes long before my time as a young man. But already in The Pas, for example–we have, you know, 303 air cadet squadron–many of our citizens have gone through that program and many are in very, I would say, responsible positions in the town of The Pas and surrounding area as teachers, as social workers, educators in different areas, politicians, some of them. So, to me, this was a place where young people can learn to grow and develop as individuals, but at the same time know how to apply themselves in a community as leaders. Even in their, you know, teenage years, we saw them as leaders within their peers as well.
Mr. Acting Speaker, the Cadet Program gave way to other programs within the Armed Forces in Canada. For example, one of the institutions that the–some cadets go into–army cadets go into is a Bold Eagle program that takes place every year in Wainwright, Alberta, where Aboriginal young people go in and learn how to be not only soldiers, but how to work together in dealing with common issues. And one of them, of course, is the peer pressure today that young people have in the various communities with regards to drugs and gangs and so forth.
And I remember at one of those graduations, Mr. Acting Speaker, when the commanding officer declared that this–these young people, these cadet–you know, people that graduated from their Cadet Program are now the biggest and most productive group of young people to deal with issues of gangs and drugs, drug dealing in their communities. These are the soldiers for your communities. So, it's a big responsibility to be handed over to the young people, but they took it. They took that responsibility and they went forward into their communities to provide that necessary support for their young peers as well to move in a proper direction that they needed.
The other program that came from there is the Tommy Prince platoon, Mr. Acting Speaker. And from there, I know many army cadet graduates that moved on. I know, on a personal level, my son served as–in the 2nd Battalion PPCLI just recently. So I know the value on a personal level, what these cadet programs do. They go on to serve Canada in the local communities, in regions where there's help needed–as we witnessed in the recent areas there with regards to flooding–but they also go and serve Canada in different parts of the world to promote peace and harmony at whatever cost.
Mr. Acting Speaker, these are young people in the Cadet Program that learn how to be leaders and apply themselves accordingly in their communities. They learn many different skills to apply themselves accordingly in the places of work, in the places of play and recreation and in their communities generally. They learn how to work together as a team. They stay focused on projects and initiatives and in their future and in their community requirements. They think strategically. I know because I had many discussions with these young people about what we need to do in the community.
And so they serve the community later on, in different capacities, that I know personally, as Kinsmen, Rotary members and Chamber of Commerce. And whatever they learned in the Cadet Program, they apply themselves accordingly in these organizations as well. Mr. Acting Speaker, these cadets become responsible citizens and also responsible parents and caregivers. I'm very proud to speak on this, and I'm very proud that we stand together here to speak on this very important motion.
And I also want to say that I was in Cross Lake this weekend, and I was part of the new ceremony there that witnessed a graduation of the Army Cadet Program there. Twenty-five of those individuals are moving on to various camps in western Canada and Northwest Territories, to further their knowledge and their skill as army cadet officers, privates, whatever you want to call them. They are eager to learn more and eager to move on to serve their community and the public in a very responsible way.
Mr. Acting Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me this opportunity. Thank you to the members.
Mr. Larry Maguire (Arthur-Virden): It's my privilege, as well, to be able to speak to the bill today in regards to Cadet Day in the private member's resolution here in the Legislature in Manitoba. And I want to congratulate and thank the member from St. James and my colleague from Portage la Prairie who are bringing this forward so that we can speak to it, and I assume have all-party unanimity to pass this day as a day of recognition for cadets throughout Manitoba.
Mr. Acting Speaker, it's a privilege for me to have two groups in my area of southwest Manitoba, and that is the Virden 2–2528, army cadet corps, the 12th Manitoba Dragoons and, of course, I've had the privilege of–I actually had the privilege of being the inspector at their parade a few years ago, and their parade is happening in Virden this evening, and I'm unable to be in attendance. But I have worked closely with a number of the individuals that have been long-time leaders in that area. Mr. Tutthill and, as well, of course, Kel Smith, and Craig Russell, as well, has worked, and that's just to name a few that have worked over the many years with the young people that have come forward, ages 12 to 17, in that area, to become leaders in their communities, to become leaders in Manitoba, as well.
And I just wanted to name a few of them. I've had, actually, the privilege of being able to have a–to hire a few of them in my office, in the Legislature, and throughout–and one young man worked with me in my constituency office for part of one summer at least.
The first individual would be Harley Shepherd, who has gone on to become a lawyer, and is now articling in Carman, Manitoba. Not articling, actually; I guess he's taken his first position there. He's finished his articling there, in that area. And the other one is Josh Walker, who is just at the University of Winnipeg here, now, and will be going into his third year here in the fall.
I know that these two have been top cadets. They have also gone through the cadet training program and on into reserves and work after cadets. They've both attended and been leaders in camps throughout different parts of Canada, in their areas. And Mr. Walker's efforts went on to become one of the two rural people in Manitoba, a few years ago, to get the Duke of Edinburgh award, as well, which I had the privilege of attending with him, Mr. Acting Speaker.
I just wanted to say, as well, that the other squadron I have is the Squadron 263 out of Melita, and I have to commend, and I see–well, I'll get to that in a moment, but I have to commend Shirley Slack for the work that she's done with that group in keeping them going over all the years in Melita. And, Mr. Acting Speaker, I noticed, as well, that she's also a director on the air Canada league of–Air Cadet, pardon me, League of Canada, in the latest Manitoba air cadet report that comes out for the summer edition here. And I know Shirley well, and she's been very involved over all the years, and I've had the opportunity of attending their events, as well, in Melita.
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And whether it's a barbecue that's being put on by the cadets or working in other areas in their communities, it's a privilege to be able to see the growth of these young people as they move through the ranks. And I guess I'm hoping that that will be the same thing that happens to my grandson Ashton, who couldn't wait to get into cadets last fall, couldn't wait to get–to turn 12 years old, and he's living in Calgary and a very enthused cadet all of a sudden since he turned 12 last October. And he's been participating in a number of events that I kind of wondered whether he'd ever do that myself a few years ago, but it's a privilege to see him taking part in it and being so enthused by the program.
And so I just want to say that I think that the idea of having a day to recognize cadets throughout Manitoba on the first Saturday of each September here in the province of Manitoba is something that we should all be on side with, and I look forward to having this resolution pass unanimously, Mr. Acting Speaker.
Hon. Peter Bjornson (Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade): I'm very thrilled to speak to this resolution today. As the MLA for Gimli, I represent the home of the G.M. Stefnafastur 182 Cadet Squadron and also the air cadet training program that takes place in Gimli every summer.
And I did have the privilege of attending a parade just last Tuesday where it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the Stefnafastur Cadet Squadron and to recognize one of their captains, Marie Pemkowski, who had been involved for 25 years, was the reviewing officer for that particular parade and was very well celebrated, and most deservedly so, by the young men and women who were part of that parade for her years of service.
And I was also very pleased, as one of my former students Captain Lennie Irvine has been very much engaged in the Cadet Program, and I see that his children are now–and nieces and nephews are now getting involved in the same.
So it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, to also recognize that there are three cadets that will be receiving the silver award for the Duke of Edinburgh program, which I believe is a fabulous tool for young people to grow, and the experiences that they have over the course of that time is just a wonderful opportunity for many young children.
So, on those two points, it was a wonderful celebration and also–I regret that I don't remember the young woman's name, but a young alumni from the cadet league was there to celebrate the parade as well, and she's now a pilot and was very thrilled to be a part of that celebration.
As a former teacher, I must also say that I really appreciate what cadets do for our youth. I really appreciate how it can literally turn lives around. And it's also an opportunity to say thank you for those in attendance today for the impact that they've had on these many fine young men and women who've gone through this program. I've often said as a teacher that some of the most important lessons I've learned in life, I've learned from the hundreds of fine, young men and women I've had the opportunity to teach, and I'm sure Marie Pemkowski, the retiring captain, feels the same way about the fine young men and women that have gone through that program in Gimli and will continue to do so.
So I do know that there are many members who would like to contribute to this debate today, and I'll keep my comments brief. I just, again, want to say to those who are in attendance today, thank you for all that you've done for our youth and never underestimate the impact that you have had on their lives and the impact that you'll continue to have on their lives, as they will, as the saying goes, pay it forward in their roles as productive citizens of our society.
So thank you so much for all that you've done for our youth in Manitoba. Thank you, Mr. Acting Speaker.
Mr. Stuart Briese (Ste. Rose): I'm pleased to speak to the resolution brought forward for the member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski). I am an air cadet graduate from, I hate to tell you how many years ago, but 51years ago I joined the No. 9 Squadron in Neepawa of which I was a member for close to five years.
The other night, Mr. Acting Speaker, I was pleased to attend their achievement evening and inspection evening. It was the 70 years since the formation of the 9 squadron in Neepawa. They're under the leadership of Mark Anderson now, and he does an admirable job with them. The inspector–I hate to upstage the member from Gimli, but we had General Ray Crabbe inspecting the troops the other night, an old classmate of mine from high school. And for those who don't know, General Ray Crabbe, I believe, rose to second in command of all the Canadian Forces a number of years ago.
I remember a lot of really interesting things that happened at air cadets, some stories I probably shouldn't tell. But I was a country boy, I lived out on a farm. The air cadets paraded at the airport in Neepawa at the time in one of the hangar buildings. Our squadron was over a hundred strong at that time.
And there was a way to get there. My dad was always too busy to get me there, so I could take the old farm truck, follow the back roads and wiggle around and get into the airport without crossing any highways. So part of the attraction was the ability to take the truck for an evening at 14 years old. And I was able to sneak my way back home and usually have to go back to work. That's just the epic of a farm boy.
I was fortunate enough at 14 years old to attend air cadet camp in Sea Island, British Columbia, which was–you take the little prairie boy who's never been anywhere, that was quite an experience. We went out there for two weeks, and it was something I've never forgotten.
I found air cadets was certainly a confidence builder, and it's a wonderful program for any young people. Our squadron in Neepawa is now about 35 members strong and growing. There's a lot of interest in it, and it's certainly something that has served me well in my life.
And I want to thank all the people that are involved in the air cadet or the cadets movements across Canada. It's certainly worthwhile work you are doing.
One other thing that we used to do when we were in air cadets, they used to load us in a bus and take us over to Rivers air base and take us flying. Those were our first experiences with flying. And I'm sure some of the military people here will remember them, what they took us up on were the old flying boxcars. They were uninsulated. They were as cold as it was outside. The noise of the engines made it impossible to even scream in your neighbour's ear and be heard, and it was quite an experience for us. And they used to let us go up into the cockpit and supposedly take the controls for a few moments. I think somebody else was hanging very strongly on the other set of controls because a lot of us didn't have a hot clue what we were doing there.
But with those few words, I certainly want to convey my thanks. It's done me well in my life, the background I had in air cadets, and what you're doing is certainly worthwhile and it's–it pays off. I hope I'm an example in dividends later on in life. Thank you very much.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): I want to join my other colleagues in supporting this resolution and in recognizing the cadet movement in Canada with a Cadet Day in early September. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the Cadet Program and the initiatives, the tremendous transformation it makes for many young people and the extraordinary impact it has had and continues to have in Manitoba and in Canada.
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Certainly, I've known many who have been cadets and seen the progression of young people as they've been in the cadet movement and the results of people who've been cadets in their youth as they grow up and become leaders and make major contributions. So I have nothing but good things to say about the Cadet Program, and it's wonderful that we have, you know, in Winnipeg, in Portage, in Cross Lake, in Neepawa, in Gimli cadet programs, whether they be army cadet or air cadet or navy cadet. I think the experience that young people get in many of these programs, as, indeed, the member for Ste. Rose (Mr. Briese) had mentioned, in travelling to other parts of Canada–we have cadets at the moment in Churchill–that this kind of experience is invaluable. It helps to build an appreciation in young people of what an incredible country we've got.
It brings people together as young people. It helps young people to learn skills, to learn ethics, discipline, teamwork and, of course, learning all about our wonderful country and how it's possible to make a big contribution.
So I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those who are involved in the Cadet Program in making it the worthwhile program it is, say thank you to those who are here, thank you to those who cannot be here, and I'm just very pleased to be able to join all the others in this Chamber in supporting this resolution and setting up a Cadet Day for Manitoba. Thank you.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Saran): Is the House ready for the question?
Some Honourable Members: Question.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Saran): Agreed.
The question before the House is the resolution brought forward by the honourable member for St. James (Ms. Korzeniowski). Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the resolution? [Agreed]
Is it the will of the House to call it 12 o'clock?
Mr. Faurschou: Mr. Acting Speaker, could the record reflect that it was unanimously supported by the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Saran): It has been requested that the resolution be recorded as being adopted unanimously. Is that agreed? [Agreed]
The resolution is adopted unanimously.
Is it the will of the–[interjection]
Mrs. Mavis Taillieu (Official Opposition House Leader): Yes, Mr. Acting Speaker, is it the will of the House to call it 12 o'clock?
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Saran): Is it the will of the House to call it 12 o'clock? [Agreed]
The hour being 12 o'clock, the House will now recess and reconvene at 1:30 p.m.