LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Thursday, April 24, 2025


The House met at 1:30 p.m.

The Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated.

Speaker's Statement

The Speaker: Prior to routine proceedings, I have a short statement for the House.

      I noticed in debate this morning that members on both sides were using language indirectly referencing members' honesty. I let it go at the time, but I see it's becoming a persistent problem. So I'd ask all members to please think about what you're saying and make sure we're not venturing into unparliamentary lan­guage.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Introduction of Bills

Bill 214–The Board Parity and Diversity Act

Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): I move, seconded by the member from Tyndall Park, that Bill 214, The Board Parity and Diversity Act, be now read a first time.

Motion presented.

Mr. Wasyliw: I am pleased to intro­duce The Board Parity and Diversity Act, legis­lation that calls for more equitable and inclusive cor­por­ate leadership in  Manitoba. Too often, cor­por­ate boards lack the diversity needed to reflect com­mu­nities they serve. This bill sets clear achievable standards from gender parity to the inclusion of Black, Indigenous, racialized persons and people with disabilities and making sure that workers have a seat at the table.

      This legis­lation is about shifting power, breaking down barriers and entering–ensuring decisions in the  board room reflect the realities of everyday Manitobans.

The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

      Further intro­duction of bills?

Bill 46–The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2025

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Premier (Mr. Kinew), that Bill 46, The Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2025; Loi d'exécution du budget de 2025 et modifiant diverses dispositions législatives en matière de fiscalité, be now read a first time.

Motion presented.

MLA Sala: I'm very proud to intro­duce Bill 46, The Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2025. The bill includes tax statute amend­ments and additional priority legis­lation to implement initia­tives included in Budget 2025. This bill will deliver on key budget priorities to lower costs for Manitoban families, provide safer and healthier com­mu­nities, grow our economy and build one Manitoba.

      Thank you very much, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

      Seeing no further intro­duction of bills, com­mit­tee reports?

Tabling of Reports

Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I am pleased to table the annual report of the automatic repeal of act or provisions not in force.

Ministerial Statements

Yom HaShoah

Hon. Mike Moroz (Minister of Innovation and New Technology): I rise today to solemnly mark Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.

       Yom HaShoah, which began last night at sun­down, honours the lives and heroism of the more than 6 million Jewish children, women and men, who between 1933 and 1945, were victims of the Holocaust.

      As Manitobans, we come together to remember the lives taken, their brave resistance and to honour the countless families worldwide who were forever altered by the Shoah: both the 6 million Jews and the approximately 5 million more murdered because of their ideology, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation or mental and physical dis­abil­ities; all representing many tragic lost generations of dreams, loves and promise.

      The first commemoration of Yom HaShoah took place in 1951, a mere six years after the end of World War II, the date itself marking the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Thousands of survivors of the Shoah sought refuge here in Canada, with many making their home in Manitoba.

      Many of these survivors arrived in Winnipeg. The former B'nay Abraham Synagogue was one of the first to create a space for survivors to gather and one of the first synagogues in Canada to house a permanent memorial to survivors. As demographics have shifted, many of these community members and their families have moved to the south end of Winnipeg. They and their families have tirelessly worked with Manitobans of all backgrounds to build stronger, more inclusive, more welcoming communities. We pause to honour that today as well.

      In 2000, the provincial government established an annual day of commemoration for Yom HaShoah and unveiled Manitoba's Holocaust memorial on the grounds of the Legislature, the first of its kind in Canada. I encourage all Manitobans to visit the monu­ment and to reflect on our shared responsibility to ensure that that dark period of history does not repeat itself.

      Unfortunately, as the years pass, fewer and fewer survivors remain to stand witness to the horrors of this time and to share their stories of survival. So it becomes even more important for us to share their  stories for them to ensure that their lives are remembered and the lessons from that brutal time not forgotten.

      Our government is stepping up in that regard. We have enshrined Holocaust education in the provincial curriculum. Only by learning from the past can we hope not to repeat it. And our government has listened to not only the Jewish communities but other com­munities of faith who have also faced discrimination, with a dedicated criminal prosecutor for hate crimes in Manitoba.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, we must ensure that we are all working together to combat the rising tide of anti‑Semitism and Holocaust denialism.

      I've been humbled to take part in a variety of Yom HaShoah services, including the reading of the Megillat HaShoah during an interfaith service at Congregation Shaarey Zedek last night and on the grand staircase of the Legislature a short time ago.

      But Honourable Speaker, the most moving of these events occurred this morning here in the Legislature, during which the names of the victims of the Holocaust were read aloud. I am deeply privileged to have been one of those readers and to have shared that honour with so many of the honourable members of this Assembly.

      When considered together, the reality of 6 million Holocaust victims is incomprehensible. To truly understand the scope of that tragedy, we must con­sider them one individual name at a time; unto every person there is a name. I request that the names of the victims from my list be added to Hansard so they might be part of our Chamber's permanent record.

      At a time in history when so many forces are seeking to pull us apart, when we see a rise in anti‑Semitism, we need to now hold each other a little closer. Understanding the suffering of others enables us to move forward as a community. Today is one of those days on which we must commit ourselves to doing so and to solemnly pledge: never again.

      I ask leave for a moment of silence to honour the victims of the Shoah.

Adler: Hersh, Isaac, Sara, Zelik–Berezovka-Auschwitz; Alexander: Abraham, Manya–Treblinka;
Altman: Golda,
Hershel–Warsaw;
Averbach: Herman, Mendle, Sara, Wilhelm–Zambrow, Zawichost

The Speaker: Is there leave for a moment of silence after all other members have spoken to the minister's statement? [Agreed]

* (13:40)

Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): On this solemn day, we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered by the brutal Nazi regime through the Shoah, as well as many millions of others.

      The Holocaust was a calculated assault on human dignity. We must ensure this history is neither denied nor distorted. Yom HaShoah is an im­por­tant day for all Manitobans to stand together and vow to never allow such horrors to take place or go un­chal­lenged.

      Many people today still face persecution for their ethnicity or religion. Less than two years ago, Israel ex­per­ienced the worst attack on Jews since the  Holocaust. This weekend, we saw a string of anti‑Semitic vandalism plastered around the Jewish hub in the province.

      Today is a call to action to not let such hate continue. We must foster a world where freedom, tolerance and security for all are not just ideals, but realities. We must take inspiration from the families of the Shoah, who whispered songs of hope, and the brave who resisted against impossible odds. Their legacy is not just sorrow, it is strength. It is the unbreakable will to live, to love and to be remem­bered.

      With each passing year, the op­por­tun­ity to hear survivors' first‑hand stories become rarer. And so, as time passes, com­memo­ra­tions like today become all more sig­ni­fi­cant so that these stories live on through gen­era­tions, next after next.

      This is a respon­si­bility that belongs to us all. It lives in our con­ver­sa­tions and our courage to speak out. We are the keepers of this memory, so let's carry that meaning forward from this day. Let us be the light that refuses to be dimmed, the voices that refuse to be silenced. Let us carry the memory of the victims and survivors, not as a burden, but as a beacon, a light that guides us forward. And above all, let us conclude today with the promise: We remember. And never again.

      Shalom and thank you.

MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): I ask for leave to respond to the minister's statement.

The Speaker: Does the hon­our­able member for Tyndall Park have leave? [Agreed]

MLA Lamoureux: Hon­our­able Speaker, today we recog­nize Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day.

      We solemnly remember the over‑6‑million Jews who were systematically and senselessly murdered during the Holocaust. We do so by reading aloud the names of those who died so that we may never forget them. It is very im­por­tant that we memorialize each and every person who was killed or slaughtered in the Holocaust because it serves as a reminder of a very sorrowful chapter in the history of humankind.

      As the number of Holocaust survivors decreases every year that passes, it becomes more and more im­por­tant than ever that we ensure that the truths and stories are heard, that future gen­era­tions learn about the horrors of the past and that we ensure that all of us continue to fight against anti‑Semitism and to build better tools and systems to address and prevent racism and discrimination.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, it is devastating that daily, there are terrorist attacks in this world and overt anti‑Semitism both here at home and elsewhere in the world. The remembrance of unimaginable loss and inhumanity faced during one of the darkest chapters in human history must never fade. The words never again must be top of mind as we consider how to work together for peace and under­standing in our troubled world.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, each time we step up and speak out against anti‑Semitism, we honour the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. And I con­tinue to stand with my colleagues and the many voices in the world praying for peace and an end to violence.

      Thank you.

The Speaker: As previously requested, if all could rise for a moment of silence.

A moment of silence was observed.

The Speaker: Thank you.

Week of the Early Child­hood Educator

Hon. Tracy Schmidt (Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning): I am honoured to rise today to recognize the week of the early childhood educator, which takes place next week from April 27 to May 3. This is a time for us all to celebrate and acknowledge the dedication and commitment of early childhood educators and the vital services that they provide to children, families and communities across our great province.

      Established in 1992 by the Manitoba Child Care Association, the week of the early childhood educator has long been a tradition in our province, honouring the invaluable contributions of early child­hood professionals who contribute in such meaningful ways to Manitoba's social and economic develop­ment. It's indeed true that Manitoba works because child care works.

      As minister responsible and as a parent, I recog­nize how early childhood educators lay the found­ation for childhood development and lifelong learning, preparing Manitoba's youngest citizens to reach their full potential in environments that foster hope, belonging, purpose and play.

      To all ECEs across Manitoba, our government thanks you immensely for your invaluable contri­butions in your day-to-day work and lifts you up for your unwavering commitment to the betterment of our children's lives.

      With extensive education and experience in child development and pedagogy, early childhood edu­cators know how to build meaningful relationships with chil­dren and their families. ECEs across Manitoba thoughtfully design engaging indoor and outdoor learning environments that nurture growth, curiosity and well‑being.

      Through this work, Manitoba's early childhood educators help bring life to our government's vision: that across Manitoba, children and youth from every background matter, have the right to belong, to be respected, to be successful and to be safe.

      Within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning, we are very proud to have many certified early childhood educators working directly in Early Learning and Child Care Division. These professionals contribute their expertise across a wide range of areas, including licensing, workforce development, capital development, curriculum design and the child-care subsidy program.

      Our government is so grateful for your expertise in the department that helps strengthen and build our child‑care sector across Manitoba for years to come. Your contributions will undoubtedly help us deliver on our shared goals to deliver high-quality, accessible and affordable child care here in Manitoba.

      To complement the invaluable work of ECEs each day, our government continues to invest in supporting ECEs in their work and investing in our child‑care sector here in Manitoba.

      As part of that work, we've recently secured a $1.9‑billion extension to our bilateral agreement with the federal government so we can continue investing in strengthening our child‑care sector across our province. We are increasing the number of qualified staff, investing in more training op­por­tun­ities and building more centres to meet the needs of families and communities across our great province.

      Our government is also proud to have finally implemented true $10‑a‑day child care that includes non‑school and in-service days and holidays to truly meet the needs of families in our province and deliver on affordability.

      Our government is eager and committed to working in partnership with all ECEs, CCAs, directors, non‑profit child‑care providers, municipalities, First Nations, Métis and Indigenous governments to support the ongoing development and to create new child‑care facilities across our province.

      So, to all the ECEs across Manitoba, I want to thank you for the work that you do each and every day for Manitoba children and families. Your expertise and passion for early childhood education continues to make a meaningful and lasting impact, and on behalf of our entire team, I extend my sincere ap­pre­cia­tion, not only during this week of celebration, but  every single day. Our government is proud to invest in your ongoing professional development and training opportunities, so you are supported to have fruitful and long careers in the child‑care sector.

      Finally, Hon­our­able Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to spend next week, our con­stit­uency week, visiting their child‑care centres, visiting ECEs to celebrate, honour and recog­nize their in­cred­ible work.

      Thank you very much. Merci. Miigwech.

* (13:50)

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): Hon­our­able Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the week of early childhood educators, which was established in 1992 by the MCCA.

      This week can reflect–this week, we can reflect and recognize work done by our valuable early child­hood educators who bring support to families and their children.

      Our children are the future, and early childhood educators support our youth through different avenues: social, emotional and physically. With such an important job placed on their shoulders, we must also show these professionals our support and our gratitude for the profound impact they bring to society. Once again, Manitoba works because child care works.

      Our former PC government was one of the first provinces to sign onto the Canada‑Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agree­ment, which will benefit early childhood educators, children and com­mu­nities for years to come.

      As part of the extended agreement, the former PC government introduced two new initiatives to support the ELCC sector, including a renovation expansion grant to provide funding for non‑profit facilities to expand their existing spaces to meet their growing community needs. This increased oppor­tunities for child‑care assistant certification training by improving access to the required 40‑hour course and expanded programming.

      We were also the first to intro­duce the $10‑a‑day daycare right here in Manitoba.

      Early childhood educators are on the front line of our education system, helping develop the minds of our youngest learners.

      We thank you, again, to the child-care pro­fes­sionals, student volunteers and all early childhood educators. We value and thank you all for your dedi­cation and we continue to urge the government to support you as well.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Introduction of Guests

The Speaker: The hon­our­able–before we get into member's statements, I have some guests in the gallery that'll leave before we're finished, so I want to take this op­por­tun­ity to intro­duce.

      We have, seated in the public gallery, from St. John Brebeuf 30 grade 6 students under the direction of Dexter Suban, and this group is located in the con­stit­uency of the hon­our­able member for Tuxedo (MLA Compton).

      We welcome you all here today.

Members' Statements

U of W Wesmen Men's Volleyball Champions

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): I rise today to cele­brate a historic achievement for Manitoba sports. The Uni­ver­sity of Winnipeg Wesmen Men's Volleyball Team claimed the Canada West Cham­pion­ship on their home court, marking a momentous victory for the program and for our province.

      Under the direction of Canada West coach of the year Chris Voth and rookie of the year Easton Dick, this cham­pion­ship win is a testament to their relentless hard work, dedi­cation and perseverance of all of the players, coaches and staff who have poured their hearts into this season.

      Competing in absolutely one of the most chal­lenging conferences in the country, the Wesmen showed in­cred­ible skill, teamwork and resilience, proving they belong amongst the nation's best; defeating Alberta Golden Bears at the Duckworth Centre 3‑0 in the final, a very, very exciting final to that cham­pion­ship.

      This victory, Hon­our­able Speaker, is not just about sport. It's about com­mu­nity, pride and inspiring the next gen­era­tion of Manitoba athletes. The Wesmen success reminds us all that we can achieve what we dream to through passion and commitment.

      As a former Wesmen athlete myself–basketball, of course–I know how hard these athletes have worked to make those memories on the court. And I  know that those memories on the court are only surpassed by the moments, memories and friendship that are made off the court.

      These athletes are leaders in our com­mu­nities, in and outside of their sport. They set an example for excellence and academic focus that is to be admired.

      I request the names of all the team members, staff and coaches be submitted to Hansard, and I ask that all members of this House join me in not only welcoming the Wesmen, the champions who are here with us today, but in congratulating them and their program on their well‑earned Canada West Cham­pion­ship.

      You folks have made your Union Station com­mu­nity, your city and your province so very proud. Con­gratu­la­tions.

Coaches: Cam Johnson, Liam Allen; Canada West coach of the year: Chris Voth; Canada West Rookie of the year: Easton Dick; Players: Tristan Arnold, Carson Brennan, Thomas Bridle, Easton Dick, Morgan Eby, Jack Gard, Aidan Hruska, Thomas Kiesman, Paxton Koop, Alex Krykewich, Luke Lodewyks, Liam Markesteyn, Isaiah Olfert, Conor Rewniak, Jaxon Rose, Adam Thompson, Ben Traa, Levi Unger, Maxime Vermette.

Dennis Nykoliation

Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli): Today I rise  to recognize Dennis Nykoliation, a legendary Ukrainian musician from the Interlake, being raised in Fisher Branch. He joins us in the gallery today.

      Throughout his life, Dennis has made his mark on the music world. Dennis began his musical journey at just the age of 13, where he mastered an energetic and diverse repertoire.

      He first played with the Regent Ramblers, blending old‑time fiddle tunes, country and Ukrainian music, which is perfect for the legendary two‑day Ukrainian weddings.

      By the 1960s, Dennis joined the Interlake Polka Kings, recording seven albums while touring the prairies.

      His next move was to co‑found the Polka Drifters band, where he recorded four more albums and hosted the band's weekly radio show on CKDM Dauphin.

      Despite his work commit­ments, music remains close to his heart.

      He reunited the Interlake Polka Kings in 2002 and later formed The Dennis Nykoliation Band in 2008, bringing together some of Manitoba's finest musicians, producing four more albums.

      In 2015, Dennis was honoured by the Ukrainian Musicians Association with the Lifetime Prestigious Award for his contribution to Ukrainian music and culture in Western Canada.

      In 2017, he was inducted into the Manitoba fiddlers' association Wall of Fame.

      Now residing in Barrie, Ontario, Dennis enjoys life with his wife Bette, their four children and nine grandchildren.

      He will now officially retire from performing, playing his band's final show in Fraserwood, the heart of the Interlake, on Sunday, June 8.

      His lifelong commitment to music and com­munity is truly inspiring.

      I ask all members to join me in celebrating this outstanding Manitoban. His legacy is one of talent, perseverance and passion.

Belle Jarniewski

MLA Carla Compton (Tuxedo): I'm proud to share with you today an outstanding Tuxedo constituent, Belle Jarniewski.

      Both of Belle's parents were Holocaust survivors. Her life shaped by her family's history of trauma and loss, as well as her parents' courage and proud identity as Jews.

      Her upbringing initially instilled in her a desire to be a teacher, and Belle received her education degree from the University of Manitoba.

      However, her passion for Tikkun Olam–mending the world–spurred her onto further studies obtaining her masters of arts in theology at the University of Winnipeg, which also led Belle to follow her call to teach people of all ages about the Holocaust and other genocides.

      Through her work as the executive director at the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, Belle brings education on the Holocaust and anti‑Semitism to thousands of students, educators, administrators and professional groups each year. And she has also partnered with Manitoba Education and Training numerous times.

      Belle is also a writer and has been published in  Canadian, Israeli and European newspapers. Her 2010 book, Voices of Winnipeg Holocaust Survivors, documents the history of 73 local survivors before, during and after the Shoah Holocaust, and can be found in libraries in every secondary school in Manitoba and in university and national libraries in several countries.

      Belle is an impressive person with many accom­plish­ments, and I was honoured to present her with the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

      In a time when anti‑Semitism is on the rise, we must do what we can to combat it. Belle is doing this great work every day.

      Today, on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I cannot think of a better person to celebrate and honour. Belle is a leader in Winnipeg and the globe.

      Please join me in celebrating Belle.

* (14:00)

Jim Stinson

Mr. Jeff Wharton (Red River North): Hon­our­able Speaker, I rise in the House today to honour a great friend and Manitoban, Jim Stinson.

      After three long and challenging years of fighting multiple melanoma, Jim passed away peacefully in the hospital in the early morning of Sunday, March 2 with his wife and soulmate, Darlene, lying next to him and his sister, Barbie, by his side. Jim had been admitted to the Health Sciences Centre to have a new treatment. He expected that he–in a few days he would be home and out ice fishing again. However, it was not to be.

      Jim left southern Ontario to join the RCMP and was stationed in Manitoba. He fell in love with our province and hunting–the hunting and fishing it had to offer.

      Jim was very proud of his 30‑year career with the RCMP, his accomplishments too numerous to mention, but most of all he loved to help people. After retirement, he was asked to take on a role of  emergency co‑ordinator for the municipality of St. Clements, and shortly thereafter, received the emergency co‑ordinator of the year award. Jim was a founding member of MAMEC, an association that provides emergency training to municipalities across the province.

      Jim's incredible accomplishments did not go unnoticed. He was awarded the Queen's jubilee–Diamond Jubilee, the Platinum Jubilee and his latest recognition, the King's Jubilee Medal, which I was honoured to present this afternoon to Darlene, post­humously.

      Jim had so many interests, including horses, for a while working with equine Canada, but his passions were hunting and fishing, especially hunting in the Carberry hills with his friend Henry.

      Jim was an avid angler, fishing with his many buddies for channel cat in the summer or beautiful greenback walleyes in the winter. One of his greatest joys was taking kids fishing and helping them catch those large channel cats.

      Jim had so much to live for. He touched so many lives. He–and he leaves behind a wealth of family and very good friends who have also loved him dearly.

      Honourable Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Jim's loving wife Darlene, who's joining us here in the gallery today, for sharing him with all of us, and now he has earned his angel wings and golden fishing rod.

      I ask for a moment of silence.

      Thank you.

The Speaker: Is there leave for a moment of silence? [Agreed]

A moment of silence was observed.

The Speaker: Thank you.

Ted Wyman

Hon. Mike Moroz (Minister of Innovation and New Technology): Hon­our­able Speaker, it's my sincere pleasure to rise in this House today to celebrate the life of former River Heights constituent, Ted Wyman, who tragically passed away last year after a battle with cancer. In addition to being an unforgettable father, Ted made a name for himself in the world of journalism, which is how, I suspect, most members of this Chamber will know him.

      He is leaving behind his wife Kim, son Christopher, and daughter Emily after truly living life to its fullest. We're joined in the gallery today by Ted's widow, Kim Fedick, and her son Christopher, and I know his many friends and colleagues in the world of journalism are following online.

      He made a mark on everyone he met, and proudly called everyone he met his friend. He was passionate about writing, publishing a book and writing exten­sively about the Bombers and Jets. In his spare time, he was the commissioner for the River Heights sponge hockey league.

      Ted was born in Brandon, but grew up in River Heights where he attended Kelvin High School. He   cut his journalistic teeth in Westman and Saskatchewan, but returned home in 2003 to cover curling, the Olympics, Grey Cups, the return of the Jets and many other great sporting moments in Manitoba and across Canada for the Winnipeg Sun. Ted also made his mark on his colleagues, with many of them sharing stories of his love of life.

      Want to read one tribute from a colleague who shared: Teddy Wyman just enjoyed living; burned the candle at both ends like no other. Regaling with stories and laughs, he genuinely cared for people.

      In honour of Ted's legacy, an award has been established at Red River College in his name for outstanding journalism students in the Creative Com­muni­cations program, of which Ted was a passionate alumni.

      On behalf of his friends and family and col­leagues who have joined us in the gallery and online, I ask leave for a moment of silence in his honour.

The Speaker: Is there leave for a moment of silence? [Agreed]

A moment of silence was observed.

The Speaker: Thank you.

Introduction of Guests

The Speaker: Prior to moving on to oral questions, there are guests in the gallery that I hope they're all still here. Draw attention of all hon­our­able members to the public gallery where we have with us today Tali Millo, Jeff Lieberman, Paula Parks, Gustavo Zentner, Kelly Hiebert, James Christie, Daniel Stone, Myron Love, who are guests of the hon­our­able member for Tuxedo (MLA Compton).

      And we welcome you all here today.

      Further, in the public gallery, we had with us today Darlene Stinson, Craig Basaraba, Colleen Sailor, Susan Cheadle, Charlie Cheadle, Larry Strauman, Gail Strauman, Ted Catchpole, Trevor Catchpole, Dennis Loupin, Jackey LaBossiere, Don Emes, James Bezan, Kelly Bezan, who are the guests of the hon­our­able member for Red River North (Mr. Wharton), and we did welcome them all here today.

Oral Questions

Free Trade and Mobility Within Canada Act
Request for Support for Bill 227

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): Hon­our­able Speaker, almost 19 months in this–into this NDP's mandate, the Premier has made many promises, claims and an­nounce­ments for many years now, but what we've seen over and over again is the failure to actually deliver on some­thing.

      We've got a Health Minister failing patients, nurses and health‑care workers. We have a Finance Minister raising school taxes, property taxes and hydro rates, higher food prices and a rising cost of living, and a Premier failing to bring forward a plan to conquer any of it.

      And the Premier has been silent on whether he will intro­duce a Canada free trade bill like the premiers of Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia and they're–they are all showing leadership, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      Will the Premier stop stalling and commit today to a team Manitoba approach and support the member for Midland's (Mrs. Stone) Free Trade and Mobility Within Canada Act?

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Our gov­ern­ment is one that keeps our word to you, the people of Manitoba. We said that we would cut the gas tax; we did. We said that we would reopen emergency rooms; we are. We said–because the PCs decided to wage an election campaign on this–that we would search the Prairie Green landfill; we have. And now we have recovered the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

      What was the response of the interim Leader of the Op­posi­tion? Well, he had the Riding Mountain MLA, ostensibly a good man under most circum­stances, bring forward a very shameful question. It was the subject of the Brandon Sun editorial today, and I quote: The Riding Mountain MLA was way off the mark with his question. It was revealed shortly afterward that the counselling services were paid for in order to help those who had partici­pated in the  search for human remains at the Prairie Green landfill site work through the trauma caused by the involvement under that effort. End quote.

* (14:10)

The Speaker: Member's time is expired.

      The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.

Cost of Living in Manitoba
Tax Increases and Inflation Concerns

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): Hon­our­able Speaker, un­em­ploy­ment has risen by 50 per cent in the past year and the Premier has failed to bring back these jobs.

      Manitobans expecting help with the cost of living instead they've received higher property taxes, a record‑high fuel tax hike, a fake‑out on hydro rates after his Cabinet approved four per cent increases and a 12 per cent in rate hike applications, record‑high school tax increases, higher income taxes, and a–higher grocery prices, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      After the Premier broke his promise to reduce–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –grocery prices last year, Manitobans instead got some of the highest foodflation in this country. And now, Manitobans are going to face even more inflation with the 25 per cent Trump tariffs.

      Will you reveal–will this Premier reveal any–the next steps he plans to deal with the tariffs, or is he going to just follow Jagmeet Singh's downward spiral, Hon­our­able Speaker?

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): I want to thank the member opposite for reminding me of another promise kept: We said we'd freeze your hydro rates, and we did.

      In response to the words that my colleague from St. Johns said, I also want to quote more from the Brandon Sun. Brandon, by the way, is a city in western Manitoba that they never ask questions about.

      Quote: We agree with the Gov­ern­ment House Leader (MLA Fontaine). It was both inappropriate and offensive for the MLA for Riding Mountain to attempt to play gotcha politics via an un­founded allegation that the Finance Minister was receiving counselling. Even if the Finance Minister was receiving counselling, which he wasn't, it was nobody's busi­ness. And even if the gov­ern­ment had been paying for the Finance Minister's counselling, which it wasn't, the reality is that counselling is covered under the health plan that is available to all MLAs, including the member for Riding Mountain. End quote.

      They throw shade at the counselling for people who found human remains–human bodies–the same bodies that they staked their political fortunes on in the last campaign.

      Why is the member for Brandon West (Mr. Balcaen) smiling?

The Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Crime, Health Care and the Economy
Gov­ern­ment Record

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): Hon­our­able Speaker, once again, the Premier stands up, puts misinformation on the record. He is not even close to–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –talking about anything truthful, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      So, how do we sum up the NDP's first 19 months? Failure and broken promises. Failing our students on their edu­ca­tion standards and prov­incial exams, failing patients waiting for surgeries or hospital beds. NDP failure is affecting our health‑care workers that are waiting for relief and support.

      This Premier is failing families that are trying to make ends meet, put food on their table and pay their bills at the end of the month. He's failing to end violent crime. Un­em­ploy­ment's out of control. Recession is around the corner under this Premier.

      He smiles at the camera, acts like he's going to throw down from his gangster rapping days, Hon­our­able Speaker, and then fails to answer any questions on behalf of Manitobans that we're asking.

      So I ask the Premier: On behalf of Manitobans, will he stop failing them on all these promises–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –and start delivering for Manitobans, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Just want to point out that the title for this editorial is: A cruel question, aimed at scoring political points.

      Further from this one, again, the Riding Mountain–direct quote–MLA was wrong on both counts and he should imme­diately apologize to the Finance Minister.

      That should not be the end of the matter, however. The Riding Mountain MLA's questions, which were defended as legitimate by the interim PC leader following question period, send a terrible message to all Manitobans.

      His questions suggest that mental illness, and taking steps to address it, are things to be ashamed of, that they can be validly used as questions to embarrass and diminish others. That's not merely wrong; that's cruel.

      It requires strength and self‑awareness to ac­knowledge your mental health is suffering, and it takes immense courage to ask for help. If you are struggling, speak to your doctor or health pro­fes­sional. In the alter­na­tive, call Prairie Mountain at 1‑855‑222-6011. End quote.

      How do you respond?

The Speaker: Member's time is expired.

      The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a new question.

Violent Crime Rate
Bail Reform

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): Hon­our­able Speaker, it's simple: it's the disclosure of public contracts and it's our job in the op­posi­tion to ask questions on–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –any type of contracts–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko:–that are being funded by gov­ern­ment dollars on behalf of Manitobans, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      The Premier's just covering up today for his incompetency of not only him but also his front bench, Hon­our­able Speaker, for not being able to answer a simple question the other day. As he continues to stand up today–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –once again not answering any questions.

      So this Premier, violent crime–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

      I admonished everyone rather severely the other day about maintaining order and decorum in this Chamber. I would hope that you all took that to heart, so I would ask for order, parti­cularly from the gov­ern­ment bench at this point in time.

Mr. Ewasko: Hon­our­able Speaker, a 15-year-old male of Winnipeg was arrested and faces the following charges: possession of a weapon, causing disturbance. Violent crime has risen under this Premier, and we are seeing evidence of this behaviour today.

      When is the Premier going to, and I quote, direct the Min­is­try of Justice to implement stronger con­di­tions on bail to keep you safe in the com­mu­nity, end quote, as he promised 19 months ago, Hon­our­able Speaker?

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): I want to thank the member opposite for reminding us of another promise kept: bail reform, under this Minister of Justice (Mr. Wiebe). We promised it, we're delivering.

      Just going to go ahead and repeat the words of the Brandon Sun editorial for the benefit of the members opposite, who avert eye contact at all times when called to account, I'll point out for the House. Again, that should not be the end of the matter. This is a direct quote. The Riding Mountain MLA's questions, which were defended as legitimate by the interim PC leader following question period, send a terrible message to all Manitobans. His questions suggest that mental illness and taking steps to address it are things to be ashamed of, and that they can be validly used as weapons to embarrass and diminish others. That's not merely wrong; it's cruel. End quote.

      So what, then, are we to take of the fact that the member opposite defends these questions again? Well, according to the Brandon Sun editorial board, it's not merely wrong; it's cruel.

      Will the next PC leader do better?

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Gov­ern­ment Ministers
Possi­bility of Cabinet Shuffle

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): So, Hon­our­able Speaker, two days after these–the said questions were actually asked, the Premier decides to stand up in his place and tries to change the dial. He tries to deflect. He tries to dodge the questions. He tries to deflect and dodge the fact that he is not very accountable to you, Manitobans.

      That's simply the job of the op­posi­tion–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –to ask questions to the gov­ern­ment and trying to get some answers on Manitobans' behalf.

      But we know that under the last 19 months, Honour­able Speaker, violent crime has risen. He continues to pat his failed Justice Minister on the back, but he's not doing the job.

      We're asking the Premier, will he call for a Cabinet shuffle after con­stit­uency week?

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Let me make this very plain: what do the PCs do all the time? Just like they did with the landfill ads, what they do again this week: they throw the stone and then they hide their hand. They knew in­ten­tionally, the Riding Mountain MLA in­ten­tionally knew that he was trying to peddle in what the Brandon Sun is calling cruel questions to score political points, to under­mine questions about mental health for one of their colleagues here in this Chamber.

      And then, when they were con­fronted by the vile nature of these questions, they tried to come in here with a little soliloquy about how they, in fact, were the victims. Every single time, throw the stone and then hide the hand. And they don't have the good sense to abandon this.

      I invite them and whoever their next leader is–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Kinew: –to continue down this path. We'll con­tinue to defeat them and stand with you, the good people of Manitoba to bring people together and build a brighter tomorrow.

      So will the members opposite do what the Brandon Sun asked? Will they apologize?

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Interim Leader of the Official Opposition
Acknowledgement to Colleagues

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): Once again, all this Premier is doing is he's covering up for the incompetence of his front bench, Hon­our­able Speaker, who could have simply stood up and answered the question, but once again they're losing their mind–[interjection]

* (14:20)

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: –they're talking way too loud. They can't even hear them­selves talk over there, Hon­our­able Speaker, and if they just would have listened to the question two days ago, they would've been able to  answer it, which I knew that they couldn't. They needed time out after session and then finally come out with the answer when the staff provided the answer to them.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, I want to thank everyone in this Chamber, my colleagues on my side of the Chamber, for allowing me and giving me the privilege and the honour to represent them as the interim leader–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Ewasko: I want to thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker, for your guidance during my tenure, and I look forward to my new role in the next few weeks.

      Thank you.

The Speaker: The hon­our­able first–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

The Speaker: Order.

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): I've never seen an oppo­si­tion waste so much time in question period. The member opposite raises a matter of privilege claiming that he needs time in question period–for what? So they can sit around here and try to justify their salaries, for which they put in zero work. Consider the fact that the esta­blish­ment candidate in the leadership can't even show up for work on most days.

      But, on a more serious level, I do want to thank my colleague. I do want to thank my colleague. It's an im­por­tant role–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Kinew: I do want to thank him for serving an im­por­tant role. This is our demo­cracy. The op­posi­tion does have the right to ask questions.

      As he goes out in his final day in the role, I want to table one article from the start of his time in which he threw shade at trans children, and I want to table this most recent editorial from the Brandon Sun, titled, A cruel question, aimed at scoring political points, and just remind young people in this province: even when you support an im­por­tant role, it's im­por­tant to hold yourself to a high standard as you conduct that duty.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

The Speaker: Order. Order.

Foster Parent's Comment at Town Hall
Minister's Response to Language Used

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): At a public town hall in Point Douglas last week, the Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness (Ms. Smith) scolded a concerned foster parent who shared that he and his wife had taken in two children rescued from a dangerous situation. I will table the transcript, a full interaction, for the House.

      He spoke with pride about helping his two vul­ner­able children in a neighbourhood overwhelmed by addiction, giving them safety, love and a better life.

      But the minister responded by saying, quote: You did not rescue two kids from a drug den. You were not rescuing them, so you need to change that language.

      Why did the minister publicly shame a foster parent for loving and protecting children in his care?

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Minister of Families): I want to take just a short moment to actually say miigwech to our colleague, the Minister for Housing, Addictions and Homelessness and for all of the work that she's doing in her de­part­ment.

      And, again, I'll remind Manitobans that the work that she's doing is actually fixing up the mess that members opposite left after seven and a half disastrous years in a failed gov­ern­ment. She's on the front lines, meeting with folks, listening to Manitobans, hearing the concerns that Manitobans are raising and actually working together collectively to address the issues that squarely fall on the shoulders of members oppo­site when they continued to have their heads in the sand–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      The hon­our­able member for Agassiz, on a sup­ple­mentary question.

Ms. Byram: So let's be clear with our language: the Oxford Dictionary defines rescue as, and I quote: to save someone from a dangerous or distressing situ­ation.

      Taking in a child in need out of a dangerous situa­tion and giving them love and support sounds exactly like rescuing them. Is there anyone in this Chamber who actually disagrees–or, disagrees–that this is exactly what many foster parents do–rescue children from potential danger, give them safety, stability and a chance to thrive. Or are we at a point where even that truth is up for debate?

MLA Fontaine: Children in child welfare are not dogs or cats needing rescuing. The language that the member just put on the official record is so in­cred­ibly offensive and disrespectful to Manitoba children. [interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Fontaine: Children don't need to be rescued. Children need to be cared for. They need to be shown compassion. They need to be shown–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Fontaine: –love. I'm so grateful to Manitobans who step up in a good, kind way to work with families and to ensure that they're caring for children. And I know that the member for Red River is moaning and doesn't care about children–

The Speaker: Order.

      The member's time has expired.

Ms. Byram: Last May, during the review of The Advocate for Children and Youth Act, the Minister of Families heard from dozens of foster parents in written and verbal submissions. They pleaded with the NDP gov­ern­ment for more support, more respect and stop dismissing their concerns.

      Many felt unheard and still do, to this day. Now the NDP are questioning if these kids–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Ms. Byram: –if these parents are rescuing their kids. In February, the president of Manitoba Foster Parent Association told media, and I quote, we are all almost drowning.

      If the minister truly does respect foster parents, as she claims, will she continue to ignore their urgent call for help, Hon­our­able Speaker?

MLA Fontaine: Either the member's not paying atten­­tion to what's going on here on this side of the gov­­ern­ment, but we raise foster care basic 'maintenant' rates by 10 per cent, some­thing that hadn't been done in 12 years.

      The other thing that we've done is that we are–we proclaimed kinship and customary care agree­ments. Kinship and customary care agree­ments in the pro­vince are transformative in the lives of Manitoba families and children, some­thing that members oppo­site never did in seven and a half years. You didn't raise rates; you didn't proclaim kinship and customary care. You've done nothing on juris­dic­tion. So, the audacity of the member opposite and anyone on that side to get up and–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      Order.

Death of Family on Manitoba Highway
Arrest Warrant for Out-of-Province Driver

Mr. Josh Guenter (Borderland): On November 15, Sara Unger and her eight‑year-old daughter, Alexa, lost their lives in a tragic and preventable accident.

      The next week, a Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued for the driver, a man from Brampton, Ontario, for his failure to appear. Since the driver was released from the hospital, there's been no sign of him.

      What is this minister doing to ensure the driver is located?

Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I thank the member for the question. This is a tragic case and one which I know law en­force­ment, here in the province of Manitoba, is working very hard to solve; one that they are co‑ordinating with other juris­dic­tions and one that a number of resources, spe­cific­ally provided by the Province of Manitoba, are going to support.

      Of course, we have, within the province of Manitoba, several units that are dedi­cated spe­cific­ally for search­ing for those who are being sought by police. We're giving more resources in order for law en­force­ment to have those additional resources, and we're going to continue to support law en­force­ment to make arrests in this case.

The Speaker: The honourable member for Borderland, on a supplementary question.

Mr. Guenter: A mother and her young child were coming home from a trip to the grocery store when their lives were cut short by an out-of-province driver who, police say, drove his semi-truck through a stop sign.

      Manitobans need to know that every resource has been made available to bring him to justice.

      Can the minister give Manitobans that assurance?

Mr. Wiebe: As I said, Hon­our­able Speaker, we have been partnering with law en­force­ment every step of the way to ensure that they have the proper resources in order to conduct exactly this kind of work. Spe­cific­ally, in this case, I know, as the member opposite has said, this is a nationwide warrant, and so this is where co-ordination between law en­force­ment, not only within the province of Manitoba, but of course, across the country, is so key.

      We've given additional resources to ensure that the intelligence-gathering capabilities of law en­force­ment has been enhanced. That will go a long way to helping to solve this case, and we're going to support law en­force­ment every step of the way.

* (14:30)

Out-of-Province Semi Drivers
Certification Concerns

Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Hon­our­able Speaker, there's a con­cern­ing trend regarding out-of-province semi drivers.

      In January, my colleague asked the CEO of Manitoba Public Insurance about a CBC Marketplace in­vesti­gation into alleged unqualified drivers being certified in other juris­dic­tions and then driving through other provinces, including Manitoba.

      It is deeply con­cern­ing that the highest level of leadership at MPI was unaware of this in­vesti­gation.

      Has the minister followed up with the CEO of MPI about this alarming revelation?

Hon. Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure): I ap­pre­ciate this question from the member opposite. It gives me an op­por­tun­ity to high­light some of the im­por­tant work that our gov­ern­ment has been doing since we came into gov­ern­ment, addressing issues with chameleon carriers and other challenges with licensing and how semis are operated across the country.

      I brought this issue to the attention of other ministers at federal-prov­incial-territorial meetings. I also, in a sign–in a MOU meeting with Saskatchewan and Alberta, enhanced the MOU between our pro­vinces, to focus on road safety, and included this as an im­por­tant part of the work that we're doing–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Mr. Narth: Manitobans need to know they are sharing the road with safe operators, whether this gov­ern­ment is aware of the fraudulent activity or not.

      What has been done since January to ensure that those operating class 1 vehicles in Manitoba are safe and also that they are qualified?

      Thank you.

MLA Naylor: Our motor carrier en­force­ment officers, I think, are some of the best in the country. We have given them new tools as well as new abilities, with the law that we're looking at tonight on com­mit­tee allow­ing them to make arrests, so I'm looking forward to that being fully supported by the members opposite. We're continuing to do that work.

      The challenge is when we shut down an operator in Manitoba, they can go open up shop in another province. So we are doing the work to com­muni­cate with other provinces and try and shut down that pro­cess that's damaging for all of us.

The Speaker: The hon­our­able member for La Vérendrye, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Mr. Narth: Unfor­tunately, Manitoba has become that safe haven.

      To quote from the whistle-blower who spoke to CBC, I quote: these people who took the bribes and gave licences for a murder weapon–in any incident for a transport truck versus a car, more than likely the person in the car is not going to walk away. End quote. And I table that article in case the minister still has not looked into it.

      When the RCMP recover the driver who fled justice in November, does this minister intend to pursue how he was granted a class 1 licence and whether individuals are knowingly negligent?

MLA Naylor: The driver that we're referring to was not licensed in Manitoba. So again, this is part of a broader Canadian con­ver­sa­tion that is happening across the country.

      I know that members opposite had a different approach. I know that the member for Borderland (Mr. Guenter) thought the way to address the issues with that driver was to take to Facebook and write abhorrent racist comments.

      That is not how we work with people in Canada who have come here to work, and we will continue–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Naylor: –to use the justice–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Naylor: –system to pursue those challenges.

RCMP Investigation in Northern Manitoba Park
Inquiry into Break and Enter and Caribou Hunting

Mr. Rick Wowchuk (Swan River): Yes. Hon­our­able Speaker, media is reporting on an RCMP in­vesti­gation in a prov­incial park in northern Manitoba in relation to break and enter and the hunting of caribou. This is very con­cern­ing not just for the nature of the allegations, but because the season for caribou closed months ago.

      What is the minister doing to get to the bottom of these very serious allegations in the–in a prov­incial park?

Hon. Ian Bushie (Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures): I ap­pre­ciate the question from the member opposite on the topic of the day.

      And knowing full well they're getting their ques­tion in the newspaper: we are aware of the situation. Con­ser­va­tion officers and RCMP officers are working also with the lodge owner, and people in northern Manitoba as it comes to wildlife manage­ment, and they are on this issue and they are all–have details to follow.

The Speaker: The honourable member for Swan River, on a supplementary question.

Mr. Wowchuk: The RCMP report that, quote, the suspects appear to have camped out over the winter months in the property while hunting caribou. I table the police press release. This creates fear that not only was this not a one-off incident, but there is sub­stan­tial risks of long-term ecological damage from the mass harvesting from a caribou herd.

       Have Manitoba con­ser­va­tion experts been dis­patched to assess the extent of the damage?

Mr. Bushie: Again, I ap­pre­ciate the follow-up question from the member opposite when it comes time to con­ser­va­tion officers and the work that they do.

      The great dedi­cation–even though members oppo­site decimated that service, cut that service and now they want to stand up and talk about the support for that con­ser­va­tion officers. We do that each and every day. We're staffing up the Conservation Officer Service so they can have that ability to get out all across Manitoba–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Bushie: I know members opposite are chirping while we talk about support for con­ser­va­tion officers, yet he stands there, tries to throw shade at the organi­zation that they, in fact, cut. Rest assured, Hon­our­able Speaker, con­ser­va­tion is on this situation and they are dealing with it each and every day.

Mr. Wowchuk: They–this gov­ern­ment needs to match their actions to their words. They talk about supporting tourism, but an outfitter's lodge was broken into and occupied.

      What resources are being allocated to ensure the guilty parties are brought to justice?

Mr. Bushie: Absolutely, our actions are being matched by our words. When we come time to being able to say we're investing in Manitobans, we're investing in the con­ser­va­tion officers, we are doing it each and every day.

      The hole that they left, we're not only filling that hole but we're helping to grow the con­ser­va­tion of­ficers service in a way that was un­pre­cedented on members opposite. They sit there and they talk about being able to say exactly what con­ser­va­tion officers do across Manitoba. They sit there and they throw shade. I want to thank–I'll take this op­por­tun­ity to thank con­ser­va­tion officers for all the work that they do, including the work they've done at the border when members opposite do nothing but criticize, criticize, criticize.

      Here we are being able to build, build, build up the con­ser­va­tion officers service.

New Personal-Care-Home Beds
Needs-Based Location and Staffing

MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Across our province, families are doing every­thing they can to support their aging loved ones. While we are en­couraged by the gov­ern­ment's recent an­nounce­ment of new personal-care-home beds, it is essential that we take a close look at where these invest­ments are being made.

      Many rural and northern com­mu­nities continue to ex­per­ience long wait times for personal-care-home placements. These are Manitobans who have con­tri­bu­ted to their com­mu­nities and deserve to age close to home and near loved ones.

      Can the Minister of Health provide a detailed regional breakdown of where these new personal-care-home beds will be located?

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): I really ap­pre­ciate that question from the member for Tyndall Park because it allows me to high­light that the–one of the first places we're starting in rural Manitoba is in the home of the member for Lac du Bonnet (Mr. Ewasko).

      Brand new personal-care home, right there in his own backyard. And while the member for Lac du Bonnet, had seven and a half years to deliver on that promise that they made when they had gov­ern­ment, he failed to do it. On this side of the House, we were happy to work with the com­mu­nity–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Asagwara: –to deliver that personal-care home. I cannot wait to go back to Lac du Bonnet and not only do some more construction work–I put up the sign–but to be alongside members of the com­mu­nity with the pompoms as we see the work really come together.

The Speaker: The honourable member for Tyndall Park, on a supplementary question.

MLA Lamoureux: Hon­our­able Speaker, we can't talk about expanding long-term care without talking about the people who make the care possible. From support workers to nurses and maintenance staff, our long-term-care system relies on a workforce that is currently stretched thin and under tre­men­dous pressure.

      We continue to hear from families who are grate­ful for the compassion that workers are provi­ding; however, there is a strong concern about short-staffing and inconsistent quality of care. If we're going to invest in more beds, we need to ensure we are also investing in the workforce that supports them.

* (14:40)

      Can the minister share what concrete steps the gov­ern­ment is taking to recruit, retain and support long-term-care workers?

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Asagwara: Really ap­pre­ciate that question from the member for Tyndall Park.

      You know, while the member for Roblin (Mrs. Cook) and members on that side of the House were busy advising Heather Stefanson and telling her  to cut health care, close emergency rooms, fire hundreds of nurses and close personal-care-home beds, our gov­ern­ment is fixing the damage that they did to the health-care system. We have hired a net-new 1,509 health-care workers to front lines of our health-care system.

      And I want to be very, very clear: we have a long way to go. We have much more work to do. I know things are still very challenging in health care. Seven and a half years of disrespecting health-care workers and trying to destroy the public health-care system takes years to repair. But our team is com­mitted–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Asagwara: –to doing that work, listening to the front lines and working with–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      The hon­our­able member for Tyndall Park, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

MLA Lamoureux: Hon­our­able Speaker, public trust in health-care planning comes from trans­par­ency. People want to know that decisions are being made fairly and based on need. If this gov­ern­ment is serious about equitable health care, then it must be trans­par­ent in how it's allocating resources and which regions remain underserved.

      Will the minister commit to publicly releasing the  data used to make these decisions as to where personal-care homes are being built and how staff are being attained?

MLA Asagwara: Hon­our­able Speaker, because the former PC administration, under the ad­vise­ment of the member for Roblin and members on that side of the House, cut health-care workers and fired them all across the province, cut and closed beds all across Manitoba, we are working tirelessly to make sure we're hiring front-line staff absolutely everywhere, trying to fill every single vacancy that is in existent in our health-care system.

      We are listening to experts, working directly with clinicians to deter­mine the best places to build more personal-care homes. We started with Lac du Bonnet. We're moving forward with Park Manor in Transcona, and we're making sure that rural Manitoba has more beds, not less, by reopening the hundreds of beds that were closed by members on that side of the House for years.

      We're doing this work. It's what Manitobans deserve–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Asagwara: –after seven and a half years of a failed and shameful and callous PC gov­ern­ment.

2023 Election–PC Party Campaign Director
Inquiry into Child-Care Contracts

MLA Robert Loiselle (St. Boniface): Hon­our­able Speaker, Manitobans expect that taxpayer dollars go to gov­ern­ment services in the proper way. There are serious concerns that the former gov­ern­ment, under Heather Stefanson, and MLA for Lac du Bonnet, directed millions of dollars in contracts to the PC Party 2023 campaign director that did not follow the proper process.

      Can the Minister of Edu­ca­tion and Early Child­hood Learning tell this House what she has done to protect the interests of Manitobans and ensure contracting is done properly?

Hon. Tracy Schmidt (Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning): Hon­our­able Speaker, Heather Stefanson and her Edu­ca­tion minister, the member for Lac du Bonnet (Mr. Ewasko) awarded child-care project deals to Boom Done Next, an event company whose owner and director is the PC Party 2023 campaign director Marni Larkin. These con­tracts, they were awarded while she was running the  PC's election campaign. All told, Mrs. Larkin received $2.8 million in taxpayer dollars.

      When we became aware of the irregularities of these contracts we cannot in good faith ignore the political overlap. That's why we have written to the Auditor General asking him to in­vesti­gate and provide reassurance to Manitobans. I table that letter now.

      I wonder, Hon­our­able Speaker, will the member for Lac du Bonnet, the former minister of Edu­ca­tion explain these irregularities and his role in awarding these contracts.

Funding Supports for Agri­cul­tural Producers


Concern for Busi­ness Risk Manage­ment Programs

MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Hon­our­able Speaker–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

The Speaker: Order. Order.

MLA Bereza: Hon­our­able Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister about a $6-million cut to the Busi­ness Risk Manage­ment program. He was not able to answer. I table the Estimates of Expenditures for his benefit.

      I'll ask the question again: Hon­our­able Speaker, can the minister explain how they justify cutting $6 million from pro­gram­ming designed to support farmers during this very difficult time?

Hon. Ron Kostyshyn (Minister of Agriculture): Yes, I will educate the critic across from Portage la Prairie. By all means, I think that's part of the learning curve of being the critic of Agri­cul­ture.

      The busi­ness risk program is–depends on factors as far as commodity prices go and as far as costs of  production. That is part of the equation of the reduction, which is in part­ner­ship with the federal gov­ern­ment.

      And so that is why the $6 million. It is actually an accounting figure–not, as the member was trying to  criticize–the fact that we as a de­part­ment are short­changing. Not like that gov­ern­ment, when they were in power, chose to put a 300 per cent tariff on our Crown land repre­sen­tatives.

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

The Speaker: Order. Order. Order.

MLA Bereza: Hon­our­able Speaker, AgriStability is a good program; that's why it's been around for 20  years. A program that was cut by $16.4 million–or is that just a clerical error–in this year's budget.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, can the minister explain how–how–a $16.4‑million cut to AgriInsurance will benefit producers in this day and age?

Mr. Kostyshyn: Definitely a subject of con­ver­sa­tion. All of a sudden, the member opposite of agri­cul­ture takes an interest of agri­cul­ture, where they set pre­cedents to the op­por­tun­ity of a 300 per cent tariff–first ever in Canada, let me tell you before.

      And I'm begin­ning to wonder whether they've got the same mentality of President Trump does based on two of their individuals that sit in the backbench, supporting tariffs and making things challenges for the people in the province of Manitoba, including the agri­cul­ture producers that bring value, bring food and a chance or prosperity to our province in the province of Manitoba.

      And I want to assure the member opposite: You can be guaranteed this side of the House will–

The Speaker: Member's time is expired.

MLA Bereza: Hon­our­able Speaker, I want to let the minister know that there is more than cattle farmers when it comes to farmers out there.

      AgriInvest is another tool that farmers can use to protect against declines in income–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Bereza: –manage risk and increase market income.

      To summarize: Busi­ness risk manage­ment pro­grams received a net cut, an increase that this gov­ern­ment would have you believe. It's a cut. Hon­our­able Speaker, Manitoba farmers have been left out in the cold and are worse off under this gov­ern­ment.

      What are you going to do to fix this, Hon­our­able Speaker?

Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): You know, as we head out for con­stit­uency week, I just want to take this oppor­tun­ity to thank our Ag Minister for the amazing job that he's doing, standing up for farmers. Standing up for farmers, that's what you get when you got more farmers on the NDP side of the House than on the PC side of the House.

      But on a more serious level, Canadians are about to go exercise that sacred respon­si­bility of choosing our next federal gov­ern­ment. And so I hope that everybody is safe this weekend as they go out next Monday to cast their ballots and choose our next prime minister. This is an amazing respon­si­bility and a great op­por­tun­ity, and I encourage everyone to vote.

      With that in mind, I want to share some words from Pierre Poilievre. Quote: He's a very impressive person, Poilievre said of Manitoba's Premier. Quote: He's very knowledgeable and he has a very ambitious set of goals, and I share a lot of them, end quote. I just thought they'd like to know what Mr. Poilievre thinks before they all go out and vote for him, what he thinks about their Premier.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

The Speaker: Order, please. Order, please. Order.

* (14:50)

      I just–the time for oral questions has expired.

      But I just noticed, towards the end, a couple of members–one on each side–were addressing their questions and answers directly to each other, rather than through the Chair. I just have to remind every­body again to make sure questions and answers come through the Chair.

      Orders of the day–

Some Honourable Members: Petitions.

The Speaker: Petitions. I don't want to do petitions, apparently.

Petitions

New Neepawa Health Centre

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): I wish to present the following petition.

      To the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Thanks to the investment made under the previous PC provincial government as part of the clinical and preventative services plan, construction for the new Neepawa Health Centre is well under way. The facility and surrounding community would greatly benefit from added diagnostic machinery and equipment, but specifically the addition of a CT scanner.

      (2) The new hospital is being built east of Neepawa, on the north side of the Yellowhead Highway, PTH 16. It will be nearly double the size of the existing hospital and will better serve patients from this broader, western Manitoba geographic region.

      (3) CT scanners are standard equipment that combine X‑ray images from several angles to create detailed, three-dimensional models of structures inside the body. They perform critical diagnostic pro­cedures that support the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of injuries and diseases, and the new equipment will be able to complete these important scans faster and with sharper and clearer images.

      (4) The average wait times for Manitobans to receive a CT scan is currently seven weeks, and there are over 14,000 patients on the wait‑list to receive the diagnostic imaging procedure.

      (5) The new CT scanner will reduce these wait times as it would decrease the need for patients to travel long distances, sometimes involving overnight stays, to access the care they need.

      (6) The new scanner will reduce pressure on emergency response services, who would no longer have to transport these patients, opening up appoint­ments in other communities and allowing more people to get the care they need sooner.

      (7) A CT scanner in the Neepawa Health Centre will enable further treatment and diagnosis to take place in community, reducing wait times for patients in surrounding areas and reducing the burden of travel to other facilities.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the provincial government to support the investment and placement of a CT scanner machine in the Neepawa Health Centre in Neepawa, Manitoba.

      This petition has been signed by Allan Onyschak, Brian Pederson, Isobel Carruthers and many, many more Manitobans.

Supports for Manitobans with Learning Disabilities

MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly.

      The back­ground to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Neurodivergent persons who struggle, struggled to learn literacy skills in public schools deserve to be taught these skills.

      (2) Marin, an autistic adult with learning dis­abil­ities, face sig­ni­fi­cant challenges in learning literacy skills in Manitoba's public schools. Marin's teachers were trained in and expected to teach balanced literacy.

      (3) Successive prov­incial gov­ern­ments, via the min­is­try of Edu­ca­tion, failed to provide proper literacy instruction that has been known for a century to learning-disabled students. Marin also re­peat­edly incorrectly–was incorrectly diagnosed until a private diagnosis in 2024. Many students have been lost to suicide due to similar trauma that Marin ex­per­ienced from public edu­ca­tion and public health in this province. Marin did not get an IEP, as she is intelligent and non-violent.

      (4) Marin's rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were violated. The Manitoba public school system denied her the right to proper diagnosis and literacy instruction due to the policies and curriculums of various ministers of Edu­ca­tion. The prov­incial gov­ern­ment and the appointed bodies have defied Supreme Court of Canada rulings.

      (5) Marin's principle, embodied in the request below, was created by her and her family because of perpetual and systemic harm caused by the Province's public edu­ca­tion and public health systems.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment, including associated service providers, to adopt Marin's principle and to comply with Supreme Court of Canada judg­ments, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and The Human Rights Code.

      (2) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to ensure prov­incial public classroom teachers are fully trained in knowledge and approaches explicitly created for students with learning dis­abil­ities, with no restriction to a single program or product.

      (3) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to commit to funding for private literacy services for all who are currently learning‑disabled, with no penalty of discontinued instruction in public school, so they can become functionally literate and gain knowledge and skills like their peers.

      (4) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to commit funding for private counselling so each learning‑disabled adult–diagnosed/suspected–has their choice of therapist to help overcome edu­ca­tion trauma due to adverse prov­incial curriculum and policies, for private literacy instruction, at their discretion, to become functionally literate, for access to evidence‑aligned senior year classes that were missed so they can graduate with the edu­ca­tion they have always had the right to receive, and

      (5) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to provide compensation for harm and loss of income for Manitobans with learning dis­abil­ities who remain functionally illiterate–level 2–after the age of 18.

      This petition has been signed by many Manitobans.

Removal of Federal Carbon Tax

Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): Hon­our­able Speaker, I wish to present the following petition.

      The back­ground to this petition is as follows:

      The federal gov­ern­ment has mandated a con­sump­tion‑based carbon tax, with the stated goal of finan­cially pressuring Canadians to make decisions to reduce their carbon emissions.

      (2) Manitoba Hydro estimates that, even with a high‑efficiency furnace, the carbon tax is costing the average family over $200 annually, even more for those with older furnaces.

      (3) Home heating in Manitoba is not a choice or a decision for Manitobans to make; it is a necessity of life, with an average of almost 200 days below 0°C annually.

      (4) The federal gov­ern­ment has selectively removed the carbon tax off of home heating oil in the Atlantic provinces of Canada, but has indicated they have no in­ten­tion to provide the same relief to Manitobans heating their homes.

      (5) Manitoba Hydro indicates that natural gas heating is one of the most affordable options available to Manitobans, and it can be cost prohibitive for house­holds to replace their heating source.

      (6) Premiers across Canada, including in the Atlantic provinces that benefit from this decision, have collectively sent a letter to the federal gov­ern­ment, calling on it to extend the carbon tax exemption to all forms of home heating, with the exception of Manitoba.

      (7) Manitoba is one of the only prov­incial juris­dic­tions to have not agreed with the stance that all Canadians' home heating bills should be exempt from the carbon tax.

* (15:00)

      (8)  Prov­incial leadership in other juris­dic­tions have already committed to removing the federal carbon tax from home heating bills.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to remove the federal carbon tax on home heating bills for all Manitobans to provide them much‑needed relief.

      This is signed by Lisa Malcolm, Arthur Malcolm, Adam Malcolm and many, many more Manitobans.

Op­posi­tion to Releasing Repeat Offenders

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): I wish to present the following petition to the Legis­lative Assembly.

      And the back­ground to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Kellie Verwey, a beloved young woman from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, was tragically killed in a car crash caused by a repeat violent offender with a long criminal history.

      (2) Despite repeated violations of his bail conditions, the offender was free to roam the streets and to ultimately claim Kellie's life. This tragedy was entirely preventable.

      (3) While the Criminal Code falls under federal jurisdiction, provinces have been given the respon­sibility for the administration of justice, allowing for meaningful provincial action on bail reform to ensure public safety.

      (4) Other provinces have taken proactive steps to strengthen bail enforcement, but Manitoba has not used all the available tools to address this issue effectively.

      (5) The provincial government has the ability and the responsibility to advocate for and implement measures that protect its citizens by ensuring that repeat violent offenders are not released into our communities without proper safeguards.

      (6) Immediate action is required to close gaps in the justice system that allow dangerous criminals to remain free, which puts innocent Manitobans at risk.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the provincial government to take immediate and decisive action on bail reform to address serious deficits in enforcement by utilizing all available provincial mechanisms to strengthen warrant enforcement, increasing bail supervision, and op­posing release of offenders, thus ensuring that repeat violent offenders are held accountable and that public safety is prioritized over leniency; and

      (2) To urge the provincial government to lobby the federal government to immediately repeal pro­visions of the Criminal Code that allow for the continued victimization of law‑abiding Manitobans while granting repeat offenders additional rights.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, this petition is signed by Alana Morton‑Brownlee, Darius Murray, Marlene Murray and many, many more fine Manitobans.

Death of Jordyn Reimer–Judicial Review Request

Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): I wish to present the following petition to the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The back­ground to this petition is as follows:

      (1) On May 1, 2022, Jordyn Reimer, 24 years of age, was killed by an impaired driver while she was acting as a designated driver.

      (2) There are two people legally culpable for her death: the impaired driver and the accomplice. The driver was charged, but the second criminal, the accomplice, has not been held accountable.

Mr. Tyler Blashko, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair

      (3) A concerned citizen took the keys from the impaired driver earlier in the evening to ensure he could not drive impaired. The accomplice retrieved the keys from this citizen under false pretenses and knowingly provided the impaired driver with access to the vehicle.

      (4) The Winnipeg Police Service, WPS, in­vesti­gation provided adequate evidence to meet the charging standards and recom­mended charges be laid against the accomplice. The Crown prosecutors declined to prosecute the accomplice.

      (5) The family of Jordyn Reimer has called for the prosecution of the accomplice and that the decision to not prosecute be reviewed in­de­pen­dently.

      (6) As recently as 2022, there is precedent to refer criminal files of decisions to not proceed with pro­secutions to extra‑prov­incial de­part­ments of justice for review. This was done with the Peter Nygård file, which ultimately led to a reversal in the decision to not prosecute, and charges were laid.

      (7) An out‑of‑province review is supported by MADD Canada, MADD Manitoba and by Manitobans.

      (8) The family has exhausted every avenue within the existing system, and, in the absence of a prescribed process when a disagreement exists on charging standards, the only option is to request an in­de­pen­dent out‑of‑province review.

      In–(9) In December 2024, the WPS reported an alarming number of impaired drivers in the holiday Check Stop program. Extending criminal culpability beyond the driver to those who engage in overt actions to facilitate impaired driving will save lives.

      (10) Manitobans deserve to have con­fi­dence in the prov­incial gov­ern­ment and justice systems to make decisions that achieve true justice for victims and their families.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to order an out‑of‑province review of the prosecutor's decision to not prosecute the accomplice in the death of Jordyn Reimer.

      This petition has been signed by Carol Lee, Ada McBride, Gloria Hill and many, many other fine Manitobans.

* (15:10)

MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility

MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Hon­our­able Speaker, I wish to present the following petition.

      The background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Thanks to the investment made under the previous PC provincial government as part of the clinical and preventative services plan, construction for the new–[interjection] bless you–Portage regional health facility is well under way. The facility and surrounding community would greatly benefit from added diagnostic machinery and equipment, but specifically the addition of an MRI machine.

      (2) An MRI machine is a non‑invasive medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and a computer‑generated radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues in the human body. It is used for disease detection, diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

      (3) Portage la Prairie is centrally located in Manitoba and is on the No. 1 Highway in the Southern Health/Santé Sud Health Authority. Currently, there is only one MRI machine in the RHA.

      (4) An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will reduce transportation costs for patients as well as reduce the burden on stretcher service and ambulance use. It will bring care closer to home, reduce wait times for MRI scans across the province.

      (5) Located around Portage la Prairie are the Dakota Tipi, Dakota Plains, Sandy Bay and Long Plain First Nations reserves. Indigenous peoples in Canada disproportionately face barriers in access to services and medical care. An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will bring care closer to their home communities and provide greater access to diagnostic testing.

      (6) Located in the close proximity to the new Portage regional health facility is the Southport airport. The aerodrome has a runway length that is more than adequate to support medical air ambulance services. This would provide the opportunity to transport patients by air from more remote communities to access MRI imaging services.

      (7) The average wait times for Manitobans to receive an MRI scan is currently six to eight months. Having an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility will help reduce these wait times for patients and provide better care sooner.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the provincial government to support the investment and placement of an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

      This has been signed by Colleen Clemieux [phonetic], Luanne Chimney, Catherine Moffit and many, many more Manitobans.

      Thank you.

Death of Jordyn Reimer–Judicial Review Request

Mr. Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): Hon­our­able Deputy Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) On May 1, 2022, Jordyn Reimer, 24 years of age, was killed by an impaired driver while she was acting as a designated driver.

      (2) There are two people legally culpable for her death: the impaired driver and the accomplice. The driver was charged, but the second criminal, the accomplice, has not been held accountable.

      (3) A concerned citizen took the keys from the impaired driver earlier in the evening to ensure he could not drive impaired. The accomplice retrieved the keys from this citizen under false pretenses and knowingly provided the impaired driver with access to the vehicle.

      (4) The Winnipeg Police Service's, WPS, in­vesti­gation provided adequate evidence to meet the charging standard and recom­mended charges be laid against the accomplice. The Crown prosecutors declined to prosecute the accomplice.

      (5) The family of Jordyn Reimer has called for the prosecution of the accomplice and that the decision to not prosecute be reviewed in­de­pen­dently.

      (6) As recently as 2022, there is precedent to refer criminal files of decisions to not proceed with pro­secution to extra‑prov­incial de­part­ments of justice for review. This was done with the Peter Nygård file, which ultimately led to a reversal in the decision to not prosecute, and charges were laid.

      (7) An out‑of‑province review is supported by MADD Canada, MADD Manitoba and by Manitobans.

      (8) The family has exhausted every avenue within the existing system, and, in the absence of a prescribed process when a disagreement exists on charging standards, the only option is to request an in­de­pen­dent out‑of‑province review.

      (9) In December 2024, the WPS reported an alarming number of impaired drivers in the holiday Check Stop program. Extending criminal culpability beyond the driver to those who engage in overt actions to facilitate impaired driving will save lives.

      (10) Manitobans deserve to have con­fi­dence in the prov­incial gov­ern­ment and justice systems to make decisions that achieve true justice for victims and their families.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to order an out-of-province review of the prosecutor's decision to not prosecute the accomplice in the death of Jordyn Reimer.

      This petition has been signed by many Manitobans.

The Deputy Speaker: No further petitions?

Phoenix School

Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): I do wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      And the background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Phoenix School, a kindergarten to grade 5 school located in Headingley, has experienced con­sistent enrolment growth over the last several years. Enrolment is expected to reach 275 students in the next two years.

      (2) Because the school is now over capacity, the school division has had to install portable classrooms on site as of fall 2024.

      (3) For several consecutive years, the top capital priority of the St. James‑Assiniboia School Division has been the renovation and expansion of Phoenix School.

* (15:20)

      (4) In 2022, the Phoenix School expansion and renovation project was approved to proceed to the design phase. The project included, among other amenities, a new gymnasium, two new classrooms, a multi‑purpose room and room for 74 child‑care spaces.

      (5) In June 2024, the school division received notice from the provincial government that the project has been deferred. There is no guarantee if, or when, the project will move forward.

      (6) There are currently hundreds of children on a wait‑list for child care in Headingley. The daycare operator in Phoenix School has been told that they will continue to have space within the school for the 2024‑2025 school year only, that further expansion of child‑care space within the school is not possible and that space may be reduced moving forward due to the shortage of classrooms. If new space is not constructed as planned, many families may be left without child care.

      (7) It is critical that the expansion and renovation of Phoenix School proceed as planned in order to support the needs of students, teachers and families in the growing community of Headingley.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the provincial government to proceed with the planned renovation and expansion of Phoenix School without further delay.

      And this petition is signed by Shannon Bridgeford, Eric Kulszycki, Shuli Cohen and many, many other Manitobans.

Medical Assist­ance in Dying

Mr. Josh Guenter (Borderland): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      These are the reasons for this petition:

      (1) Persons struggling with mental health as their sole con­di­tion may access medical assistance in dying unless Parliament intervenes.

      (2) Suicidality is often a symptom of mental illness, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for Canadians between the age of 10 and 19.

      (3) There have been reports of the unsolicited intro­duction of medical assist­ance in dying to non‑seeking persons, including Canadian veterans, as a solution for their medical and mental health issues.

      (4) Legal and medical experts are deeply con­cerned that permitting Canadians suffering from depres­sion and other mental illnesses to access euthanasia would under­mine suicide pre­ven­tion efforts and risk normalizing suicide as a solution for those suffering from mental illness.

      (5) The federal gov­ern­ment is bound by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to advance and protect the life, liberty and security of its citizens.

      (6) Manitobans consider it a priority to ensure that adequate supports are in place for the mental health of all Canadians.

      (7) Vul­ner­able Manitobans must be given suicide pre­ven­tion counselling instead of suicide assist­ance.

      (8) The federal gov­ern­ment should focus on in­creasing mental health supports to provinces and improve access to these supports, instead of offering medical assist­ance in dying for those with mental illness.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to lobby the federal gov­ern­ment to stop the expansion of medical assist­ance in dying to those for whom mental illness is the sole con­di­tion.

      (2) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to lobby the federal gov­ern­ment to protect Canadians struggling with mental illness by facilitating treat­ment, recovery and medical assist­ance in living, not death.

      This petition has been signed by Mary Reimer, Ann Wolfe, Lisa Penner and many, many Manitobans.

Morden Waste Water Project

Mrs. Carrie Hiebert (Morden-Winkler): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba:

      Between 2021 and–2011 and 2021, Morden's population grew by an impressive 27 per cent, outpacing the national average by 16 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

      (2) While growth is welcome and encouraged, Morden has long faced a critical need for infra­structure upgrades to meet current demands and support future development.

      (3) Morden's waste watch–waste water system has operated beyond capacity for years, prompting the Province in 2019 to halt property subdivisions due to insufficient winter waste water storage.

      (4) As of 2024, after exploring all options, the City announced in July that the estimated cost for critical infrastructure upgrades has risen from $70 million to 88 to now 108 million.

      (5) These revised estimates leave Morden with a sig­ni­fi­cant funding shortfall of $13 million to $33 million.

      (6) Efforts to address the gap, including plans to raise utility fees for residents and busi­nesses, such increases that have been delayed since 2017 due to the lack of approved capital project; taxation is not enough.

      (7) The lack of waste water capacity has severely impacted economic activity and growth in Morden and surrounding communities. Without much‑needed waste water infrastructure investments, growth and economic development will be hindered in all of southern Manitoba.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the provincial government to take immediate action and recognize the critical need of this waste water project for economic growth and environmental sustainability by committing to ad­vocating and working with the federal government to close the gap with additional funding for Morden's waste water treatment system.

      (2) To urge the provincial government to ensure all levels of government and regulatory bodies will expedite necessary funding and approvals necessary to advance the Morden waste water project with no further delays and ensure no hindrance of growth and economic development for Morden and southern Manitoba.

      This petition has been signed by Monica Friesen, Robert Friesen and Leane Funk and many, many other Manitobans.

MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility

Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli): Slowly move off the mic so I don't hurt Hansard ears.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Thanks to the investment made under the previous PC provincial government as part of the clinical and preventative services plan, construction for the new Portage regional health facility is well under way. The facility and its surrounding com­munity would greatly benefit from added diagnostic machinery and equipment, but specifically the addition of an MRI machine.

      (2) An MRI machine is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues in the human body. It is used for disease detection, diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

* (15:30)

      (3) Portage la Prairie is centrally located in Manitoba and is on the No. 1 Highway in Southern Health/Santé Sud Health Authority. Currently there is only one MRI machine in the regional health authority.

      An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will reduce transportation costs for patients as well as reduce the burden on stretcher service and ambulance use. It will bring care closer to home and reduce wait times for MRI scans across the province.

      (5) Located around Portage la Prairie are the Dakota Tipi, Dakota Plains, Sandy Bay and Long Plain First Nations reserves. Indigenous peoples in Canada disproportionately face barriers in access to services and medical care. An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will bring care closer to their home communities and provide greater access to diagnostic testing.

      (6) Located in close proximity to the new Portage regional health facility is the Southport airport. This aerodrome has a runway length that is more than adequate to support medical air ambulance services. This would provide the opportunity to transport patients by air from remote communities to access MRI imaging services.

      (7) The average wait times for Manitobans to receive an MRI scan is currently six to eight months. Having an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility will help reduce these wait times for patients and provide better care sooner.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the provincial government to support the investment and placement of an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

      This petition has been signed by Floyd Hannah, Cassie Hannah, Cole Hannah and many, many, many fine Manitobans.

Green Valley School Expansion

Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Hon­our­able Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) The residents of La Vérendrye and other areas around Manitoba are extremely frustrated and con­cerned by the provincial government's decision to cancel the school expansion project for Green Valley School in Grunthal.

      (2) In 2021, the PC provincial government com­mitted funding to expand Green Valley School for a new gymnasium and classrooms.

      (3) The school is so crowded that three mobile classrooms were added to alleviate overcrowding in classrooms.

      (4) In order for construction to begin, the school removed all three portable classrooms, leaving Green Valley in a further critical state of overcrowding.

      (5) As a result of overcrowding, parents are choosing to home-school their children due to safety concerns and the challenges associated with over­crowding.

      (6) The current Premier of Manitoba and the Minister of Edu­ca­tion and Early Child­hood Learning have said that they are committed to investing in edu­ca­tion.

      (7) The concerns of residents of La Vérendrye and the surrounding area are being ignored by the prov­incial gov­ern­ment.

      (8) The lack of space in the school is affecting the quality of edu­ca­tion and extracurricular activities for students.

      (9) The minister and Premier have a duty to respond to the edu­ca­tional needs of children and youth identified by rural com­mu­nities.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the Minister of Edu­ca­tion and Early Child­hood Learning to imme­diately bring back the three portable classrooms to help alleviate the stress and overcrowding classrooms; and

      (2) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to reinstate the expansion project for Green Valley School.

      This petition has been signed by Candice Narth, Kitana McDougal, Lori Wiens and many, many other Manitobans.

Provincial Road 352

Mr. Rick Wowchuk (Swan River): Hon­our­able Deputy Speaker, I wish to present the following petition.

      To the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Provincial Road 352 is an 87.5 kilometres, which is 54.4 miles–route where it begins at Provincial Trunk Highway 5, PTH 5, near Birnie, Manitoba, and terminates at PTH 34 near Arizona, Manitoba, inter­secting with the Trans‑Canada Highway.

* (15:40)

      (2) The route is gravel for most of its length, with two paved sections: one from PTH 5 in Birnie; and the other from PTH 16 to Arden.

      (3) PR 352 has had considerable amount of deterioration over the years with little to no regular road maintenance and less–and has seen ruts and damage to the gravel sections, those are which featured online at CAA's worst roads.

      (4) The promotion of PR 352 weight restriction to an R-C-A-T classification of 140,000-lbs weight restriction has caused further damage, as the route was only built to accommodate the original 80,000 lbs and has not seen upgrades to accommodate the increase. The 1.5 mile stretch on PR 352 from the community of Birnie is the main access of PTH 5 to the community.

      (5) Residents in the area were advised these weight increases to PR 352 were due to commerce movement, although there is no commerce in Birnie.

      (6) Within this stretch, there is a bridge that is damaged structurally and rests only five feet above the creek, causing it to sit in the water and deteriorate. With increased agricultural traffic, such as heavier trucks hauling grain and livestock, the bridge may not have the capacity to sustain further neglect.

      (7) Community members have reached out and have spoken to civil servants. The issue must be resolved before it becomes a bigger problem, someone gets injured or an accident happens.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the provincial government to meet RTAC road designation by providing upgrades and regular road maintenance to Provincial Road 352 in Manitoba, specifically the 1.5 mile stretch from Birnie to Provincial Trunk Highway 5, and ensure the road remains paved with asphalt and not reduced to gravel.

      (2) To urge the provincial government to reduce load weights on PR 352 until the upgrades can be completed.

      (3) To urge the provincial government to replace or repair the bridge located on the 1.5 mile stretch from Birnie to PTH 5 and to provide an integrity assessment.

      This petition has been signed by many, many, many Manitobans.

Teaching Certification

Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): Hon­our­able Deputy Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The back­ground to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Ensuring that teachers have a robust back­ground in the subjects that they teach is essential for maintaining high-quality edu­ca­tion and fostering well-rounded learning experiences for all Manitoba students.

      (2) The recent amend­ments by the Province of Manitoba to the Teaching Certificates and Quali­fi­ca­tions Regula­tion under The Edu­ca­tion Administration Act have significantly lowered the standards for subject-area expertise required for teacher certification.

      (3) These amend­ments eliminated all subject-area require­ments for teacher certification, including major and minor teachable subjects and subject-specific require­ments for early- to middle-years streams.

      (4) Spe­cific­ally, the amend­ments removed: senior credit–senior years credit require­ments in an approved teachable major and minor; early-middle-years credit require­ments in an approved teachable major and minor; and early-middle-years credit requirements for specific subjects, including math; physical or biological science; English or French; and history and/or geography.

      (5) Key stake­holders, such as parents, post-secondary educators outside the faculties of edu­ca­tion and business partners were not consulted about the changes.

      (6) The removal of subject-specific require­ments undermines the edu­ca­tional quality in Manitoba schools by permitting teachers to enter the classroom without sufficient training in core academic areas, thereby compromising the edu­ca­tion that Manitoba students receive.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the Minister of Edu­ca­tion and Early Child­hood Learning to reverse recent amend­ments to the Teaching Certificates and Quali­fi­ca­tions Regula­tion that weaken subject-area require­ments for teacher certification and to reinstate teachable majors and minors in early-middle years.

      (2) To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to address teacher shortages through alter­na­tive measures that uphold rigorous subject-area standards, which are critical to provi­ding quality edu­ca­tion to all Manitoba students.

      This petition has been signed by R.D. Omenchuk, [phonetic] Rick Rivers, Bill Rivers and many more Manitobans.

* (15:50)

Construct New Personal-Care Home–Stonewall

Mr. Trevor King (Lakeside): I wish to present the following petition to the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba.

      Now, the back­ground of this petition is as follows:

      (1) The Gov­ern­ment of Manitoba funded the design for a new personal-care home in Stonewall to address the critical need for additional care-home spaces in the com­mu­nity and surrounding areas.

      (2) The com­mu­nity has committed to raise $10 million in funding for this project, demon­strating strong local support and readiness to proceed with construction.

      (3) Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Author­ity is ex­per­iencing a critical shortage of personal-care-home beds.

      (4) Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Author­ity has the lowest number of personal-care-home beds per capita, with a shortfall of approximately 400 beds.

      (5) Despite these approvals, the gov­ern­ment has made no mention of the construction of the Stonewall personal-care home, leaving many seniors and their families without access to adequate personal-care ser­vices in the region.

      (6) The delay in commencing construction exacer­­bates existing challenges in provi­ding timely and appro­priate care for aging residents, forcing some to seek services far from their families and their commu­nities.

      (7) Investing in the timely construction of this personal-care home will provide essential services to a growing senior popu­la­tion, support for the local economy and demon­strate the gov­ern­ment's commit­ment to the well-being of Manitobans.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to imme­diately restore funding and com­mence construction on the personal-care home in Stonewall, ensuring that this essential project proceeds without further delay.

      This petition has been signed by Walter Motuz, Therese Dandeneau and Cheri Kozokowsky and many, many, many more Manitobans.

      Thank you.

Op­posi­tion to Releasing Repeat Offenders

Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Turtle Mountain): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The background of this petition is as follows:

      (1) Kellie Verwey, a beloved young woman from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, was tragically killed in a car crash caused by a repeat violent offender with long criminal history.

      (2) Despite repeated violations of his bail conditions, the offender was free to roam the streets and ul­timately claim Kellie's life. This tragedy was entirely preventable.

      (3) While the Criminal Code falls under the federal jurisdiction, provinces have been given the responsibility for the administration of justice, following a meaningful provincial action on bail reform to ensure public safety.

      (4) Other provinces have taken proactive steps to strengthen the bail enforcement, but Manitoba has not used all the available tools to address this issue effectively.

      (5) The provincial government has the ability and the responsibility to advocate for the implement measures that protect its citizens by ensuring that repeat violent offenders are not released in our com­munities without proper safeguards.

      (6) Immediate action is required to close gaps in the justice system that allow dangerous criminals to remain free, which puts innocent Manitobans at risk.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the provincial government to take immediate and decisive action on bail reform to address serious deficits in enforcement that utilizes all available provincial 'mechasisms' to strengthen warrant en­force­ment, increasing bail supervision, and op­posing release of offenders, thus ensuring that repeat violent offenders are held accountable and that public safety is a–prioritized over leniency; and

      (2) To urge the provincial government to lobby the federal government to immediately repeal pro­visions of the Criminal Code that allows the continued victimization of law-abiding Manitobans while granting repeat offenders additional rights.

      This has been signed by Jason Morton, Dwight Barre and Chance Horn, and many, many other Manitobans.

MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility

Mr. Ron Schuler (Springfield-Ritchot): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Thanks to the investment made under the previous PC provincial government as part of the clinical and preventative services plan, construction for the new Portage regional health facility is well under way. The facility and surrounding community would greatly benefit from added diagnostic machinery and equipment, but specifically the addition of an MRI machine.

      (2) An MRI machine is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues in the human body. It is used for disease detection, diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

      (3) Portage la Prairie is centrally located in Manitoba and is on the No. 1 Highway in the Southern Health/Santé Sud Health Authority. Currently there is only one MRI machine in the RHA.

      (4) An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will reduce transportation costs for patients as well as reduce the burden on stretcher service and ambulance use. It will bring care closer to home and reduce wait times for MRI scans across the province.

* (16:00)

      (5) Located around Portage la Prairie are the Dakota Tipi, Dakota Plains, Sandy Bay and Long Plain First Nations reserves. Indigenous peoples in Canada disproportionately face barriers in access to services and medical care. An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will bring care closer to their home communities and provide greater access to diagnostic testing.

      (6) Located in close proximity to the new Portage regional health facility is the Southport airport. This aerodrome has a runway length that is more than adequate to support medical air ambulance services. This would provide the opportunity to transport patients by air from more remote communities to access MRI imaging services.

      (7) The average wait times for Manitobans to receive an MRI scan is currently six to eight months. Having an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility will help reduce these wait times for patients and provide better care sooner.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the provincial government to support the investment and placement of an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

      This is signed by Monique Lubkiwski, Cindy Curry, Lori Carpenter and many, many, many other Manitobans.

      Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker: We've been playing it fast and loose with the manys so far today. I'll just remind members you get two manys at the end of your petition.

Mr. Jeff Wharton (Red River North): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

      The background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Thanks to the investment made under the previous PC provincial government as part of the clinical and preventative services plan, construction for the new Portage regional health facility is well under way. The facility and surrounding community would greatly benefit from added diagnostic machinery and equipment, but specifically the addition of an MRI machine.

      (2) An MRI machine is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues in the human body. It is used for disease detection, diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

      (3) Portage la Prairie is centrally located in Manitoba and is on the No. 1 Highway in the Southern Health/Santé Sud Health Authority. Currently there is only one MRI machine in the RHA.

      (4) An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will reduce transportation costs for patients as well as reduce the burden on stretcher service and ambulance use. It will bring care closer to home and reduce wait times for MRI scans across the province.

The Speaker in the Chair

      (5) Located around Portage la Prairie are the Dakota Tipi, Dakota Plains, Sandy Bay and Long Plain First Nations reserves. Indigenous peoples in Canada disproportionately face barriers in access to services and medical care. An MRI machine located in the Portage regional health facility will bring care closer to their home communities and provide greater access to diagnostic testing.

      (6) Located in close proximity to the new Portage regional health facility is the Southport airport. This aerodrome has a runway length that is more than adequate to support medical air ambulance services. This would provide the opportunity to transport patients by air from more remote communities to access MRI imaging services; and

      (7) The average wait times for Manitobans to receive an MRI scan is currently six to eight months. Having an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility will help reduce wait times for patients and provide better care sooner.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the provincial government to support the investment and placement of an MRI machine in the Portage regional health facility in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

      This petition is signed by Tyson Anderson, Robert Rintail, Connor Nichol and many, many more Manitobans.

* (16:10)

Op­posi­tion to Releasing Repeat Offenders

Mr. Obby Khan (Fort Whyte): I wish to present the following petition to the Legis­lative Assembly.

      To the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the background to this petition is as follows:

      (1) Kellie Verwey, a beloved young woman from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, was tragically killed in a car rash–car crash caused by a repeat violent offender with a long criminal history.

      (2) Despite repeated violations of his bail conditions, the offender was free to roam the streets and to ultimately claim Kellie's life. This tragedy was entirely preventable.

      (3) While the Criminal Code falls under federal jurisdiction, provinces have been given the respon­sibility for the administration of justice, allowing for meaningful provincial action on bail reform to ensure public safety.

      (4) Other provinces have taken proactive steps to strengthen bail enforcement, but Manitoba has not used all of the available tools to address this issue effectively.

      (5) The provincial government has the ability and the responsibility to advocate for and implement measures that protect its citizens by ensuring that repeat violent offenders are not released into our com­munities without proper safeguards.

      (6) Immediate action is required to close gaps in the justice system that allow dangerous criminals to remain free, which puts innocent Manitobans at risk.

      We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      (1) To urge the provincial government to take immediate and decisive action on bail reform to address serious deficits in enforcements by utilizing all avail­able provincial mechanisms to strengthen warrant enforcement, increasing bail supervision and opposing release of offenders, thus ensuring that repeat violent offenders are held accountable and that public safety is prioritized over leniency; and

      (2) To urge the provincial government to lobby the federal government to immediately repeal pro­visions of the Criminal Code that allow for the continued victimization of law-abiding Manitobans while granting repeat offenders additional rights.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, this petition has been signed by Deb McLeod, Brenda Solomon, Yanara Peters, and many, many other Manitobans.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: No further petitions?

      Grievances?

ORDERS OF THE DAY

(Continued)

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

House Business

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): I would like to announce the Standing Com­mit­tee on Justice will meet, if necessary, on Wednesday, April  30, 2025, at 9 a.m. to consider the following: Bill 9, the liquor and gaming cannabis control amend­ment act (2); Bill 13, The Minor Amend­ments and Corrections Act, 2025; Bill 32, The Residential Tenancies Amend­ment Act (Measures to Address Unlawful Activities); Bill 35, The Manitoba Public Insurance Cor­por­ation Amend­ment Act; Bill 36, The Drivers and Vehicles Amend­ment and Highway Traffic Amend­ment Act; Bill 43, The Human Rights Code Amend­ment Act.

      And, Hon­our­able Speaker, can you please call the gov­ern­ment reso­lu­tion for the Special Com­mit­tee on Local Journalism.

The Speaker: It has been announced that the Standing Com­mit­tee on Justice will meet, if necessary, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 9 a.m. to consider the following: Bill 9, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amend­ment Act (2); Bill 13, The Minor Amend­ments and Corrections Act, 2025; Bill 32, The Resi­den­tial Tenancies Amend­ment Act (Measures to Address Unlawful Activities); Bill 35, The Manitoba Public Insurance Cor­por­ation Amend­ment Act; Bill 36, The Drivers and Vehicles Amend­ment and Highway Traffic Amend­ment Act; Bill 43, The Human Rights Code Amend­ment Act.

Debate on Government Motion

Special Com­mit­tee on Local Journalism

The Speaker: And we will now go to debate on the gov­ern­ment motion, the special com­mit­tee on local journalism, standing in the name of the hon­our­able member for Steinbach, who has 27 minutes remaining.

Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): Disappointed I only have 27 minutes left. I'll try to contain my marks–remarks in that time, because it is interesting when the gov­ern­ment calls for a special com­mit­tee, and I don't remember exactly where my remarks left off when I had the op­por­tun­ity to speak because I know it was after the member for Riding Mountain (Mr. Nesbitt), who gave a really interesting recollection of his time in local journalism.

      And, you know, we served together as colleagues; many of us do on both sides of the House, and sometimes you don't get the op­por­tun­ity to fully hear from your colleagues about their history and how they came to this place and how they achieved their position in elected life.

      And so it was interesting to hear from the member for Riding Mountain about some of the changes that had happened in local journalism. And, of course, we know that just seeing, unfor­tunately, many local news­papers either completely disappear or move to an entirely online format.

      So we know that there's change because we see it as consumers of newspapers, but I was–it was really fascinating to hear from somebody who's in, you know, the busi­ness of producing local journalism, about how much it's changed over the years, both in terms of how people consume the news, but also how advertisers view local newspapers.

      But spe­cific­ally to the issue of a special committee, it's interesting when you look at our system of com­mit­tees here in the Legislature, or at least it's interesting to me. I know some will share my interest in how com­mit­tee systems work in the Legislature and in Parliament; others will not be quite as interested. But I do think it is worth talking a little bit about how our system works so members will know; though, everybody's an ex­per­ienced member here now. We're a distance away from the last election.

      Everybody's seen it in action, and we'll see it again tonight where members of the com­mu­nity will come to the Legislature to present on bills or they'll go online and do that. That's been a change since the pandemic and probably a welcome change, that mem­bers of the public have that op­por­tun­ity. And they'll speak to what appears to be an all‑party com­mit­tee, in the sense that you have members from both sides of the House who will be listening to those pre­sen­ta­tions and hearing the viewpoint of Manitobans on legis­lation, which is very, very im­por­tant and it's a good thing–a good process that we have, one of the unique processes in Canada.

      But it's not a true all‑party com­mit­tee in the sense that when you look at what happens in–for example, in Ottawa, in Parliament, when the House is in prorogue, their com­mit­tee system is different, where they are mandated, or have the op­por­tun­ity, to delve into research and to bring recom­men­dations back in an all‑party way, in a manner that doesn't really exist here in Manitoba.

      Now this reso­lu­tion–this motion by the gov­ern­ment speaks some­what to try to achieve that, but it raises the question of why we don't have that on a more permanent basis. And I would say for the House, for those who would remember it, that there was–when the rules were changed in 2016, we sort of, you know, remember that as being the large system of rule changes that involved a sessional calendar, which causes us to start at a certain time and end at a certain time. It causes bills to move by virtue of the number of days that they appear before the House. We now have things called specified bills. We have designated bills.

      But that negotiation, which took place over about a year with members of both the in­de­pen­dent Liberals and the then-NDP members–I believe it involved Dave Chomiak and Steve Ashton and Jon Gerrard, at the time, and myself and Cliff Cullen–those negotiation–I mean with the great assist­ance of the Clerk's office, I would say, Hon­our­able Speaker–those negotiations concluded basically on the House rules, and they largely remain intact with the rules that we have today.

      There are still some variations that have hap­pened, but members might not know, but we didn't have a question period before bills were–or after bills were intro­duced. That didn't exist. It allows for more en­gage­ment.

* (16:20)

      But one of the things we didn't get around to doing was to reform com­mit­tees and to look at how com­mit­tees are structured and how they operate here in the Legislature. And it was actually a commit­ment of all three parties at the time–because we were going into the 2016 election, so we were sort of up against the clock–but it was a commit­ment of all three parties at the time to look at how com­mit­tees actually run in Manitoba.

      And now, of course, we've gotten to the other side of the election and other things happen and sort of the impetus of–and the momentum of those changes fell away. But I would encourage this House to look at how we do com­mit­tees. Now I don't mean so much about the kind of com­mit­tee we're going to see tonight where–and there have been changes to that of course, in terms of time frames that the public and the MLAs can engage in. And, of course, the virtual ability that I mentioned.

      So there have been some changes to com­mit­tees. But what we didn't get around to doing was looking at the parlia­mentary system in Ottawa and having com­mit­tees that were more invested and mandated to look at issues, such as what's mentioned in the reso­lu­tion here or in the gov­ern­ment motion, Hon­our­able Speaker, to say okay, like, you know, we can have–we can set aside six months; maybe we can travel around a bit. It's not unusual to have a parlia­mentary com­mit­tee in Ottawa travel the country–different environ­ment of course. You might only, go to four, five com­munities in Manitoba.

      But to hear from the public in those locations outside of the Legislature and then to come together and bring forward your research table, your research through you, Hon­our­able Speaker, and have that then debated in the House.

      I think that in Ottawa, they find that that's a valuable ex­per­ience because it allows not only for members to feel more invested in their job–you don't have to be a Cabinet minister to be making some of those recom­men­dations, then, so it engages members. But also, you hear a lot from the public. It engages the public and then members come forward in a non‑partisan way–these are really run in a non‑partisan way–and they bring forward those recom­men­dations to the House.

      So I would say and this motion speaks to, I think, the value of that. You wouldn't have to have a gov­ern­ment motion that comes forward and says, we should have an all‑party com­mit­tee look at some­thing, if you actually had standing rules that allowed that to happen on a regular basis. And it became, sort of, some­what routine where matters were referred to these com­mit­tees and then they would go about that sort of busi­ness.

      I think it would be healthy for demo­cracy in the House, healthy for members–to have members of the gov­ern­ment who aren't in Cabinet who I think would enjoy that sort of en­gage­ment. I think the op­posi­tion would enjoy it; in­de­pen­dent members should be a part of that. And then they'd have that op­por­tun­ity to sort of contribute to the House in a different way than if you're on Executive Council or you hold one of the leadership roles in the House.

      So I leave that as a point of historical interest to me, even if it has no historical interest to anybody else. But I do think it should be some­thing that should be explored and looked at by members.

      On this parti­cular issue of the motion to look for an all‑party com­mit­tee, I mean, it's interesting that the gov­ern­ment would choose the state of local media to have an all‑party committee which again is, unfor­tunately, an unusual thing in Manitoba. So because it's unusual in Manitoba, when you actually do form a com­mit­tee, it should be some­thing quite extra­ordin­ary, one would think, Hon­our­able Speaker, because it happens so rarely.

      I recall back to Gary Doer forming an all‑party com­mit­tee. I believe it–in my mind it was about auto theft, in parti­cular, but it might have been more general about youth crime. And he formed a com­mit­tee in–not long after he was elected, so it would've been the early 2000s and it was an all‑party com­mit­tee, and they went to Ottawa and they lobbied for, I think, tougher laws on youth crime in parti­cular.

      And that one, at the time, and it might be relevant again today, but that one, at the time, seemed parti­cularly germane because there was a real concern about auto theft in parti­cular but youth crime in general.

      And at that time, under Gary Doer's direction, those members of that all‑party com­mit­tee came together and they went to Ottawa and I don't–I think they reported back to the House in terms of their activities in Ottawa but they really went and it was a Manitoba effort, a collective effort to say to Ottawa at the time–it would've been I think the Chrétien or even Martin gov­ern­ment in power–that we needed to reform how youth were dealt with in the criminal justice system.

      And it made a lot of sense because it's some­thing that you could have a unified voice and it was a real pertinent issue at the time for Manitobans.

      Looking beyond that, and Hon­our­able Speaker, you might not recall. I don't think you were in the House–you wouldn't have been in the House at the time–but going back to the early 2000s, there was an all‑party com­mit­tee on smoking in public places. Now, that seems–you know, we're in a time now where it seems almost amazing that you had to have a com­mit­tee to discuss smoking in public places. But I'm sure you and others of us who are of a certain gen­era­tion remember when that was actually some­what controversial, and it wasn't necessarily an easy deci­sion for a gov­ern­ment to make.

      So at that time, this Assembly formed an all‑party com­mit­tee. I remember Denis Rocan was on it as one individual, and it's someone that I think Gary Doer often referred to as being sort of the lead on that parti­cular issue. I think–and he mostly said that in rural Manitoba when he thought he was going to get some political flak; in Winnipeg, he sort of took credit for it. But there was–the consummate politician that Mr. Doer was.

      But there was an all‑party com­mit­tee then on smoking in public places. And that also made sense because it was one–it was an emerging issue; I think there maybe was debate about the application of the law, the timing of the law, where and when it would take place. Now, of course, it seems absolutely, you know, almost amazing that they had to have an all‑party com­mit­tee on that in Manitoba, but they did. And they, I believe, toured around Manitoba, and they got input from the public on what people felt about smoking in public places.

      Now, of course, we have laws that have been in existence for a long time and I think are well received and well regarded, not just by, you know, those who are advocating for the elimination of cancer, which smoking was a prevalent part of for certain kinds of cancers, but just generally in society it's well supported.

      So that was an example of a all‑party com­mit­tee in the Manitoba Legislature that I think made a lot of sense, given the nature of the issue and given the time.

      I recall also, Hon­our­able Speaker, after the hor­rific terrorist attacks of 9/11, perpetrated on New York City and on Washington and the one plane that went down in a field in Pennsylvania, I believe, that there was an all‑party com­mit­tee formed on security. Now, I don't recall–that com­mit­tee might still exist in some form in the Legislature, but at the time there wasn't. And so coming out of the terrorist attacks and, of course, all members who were here but regardless of what you were doing in life at the time, you'll recall the sensitivity and the high alertness to security, regardless of where you were.

      And the feeling that this was sort of a–almost a new normal and that these sorts of attacks could be happening at any time and any place. And Manitoba, even though some might wonder why we felt vul­ner­ability at the time, there really was vul­ner­ability felt by members and others in society, and society was demanding that, you know, what is being done? And whatever is being done should be done in a non‑partisan, all‑party way.

      So that security com­mit­tee was formed; I know the Leader of the Opposition was a part of it; I believe in­de­pen­dent members were part of it. And they got regular briefings on security issues that existed here in Manitoba.

      Now, again, Hon­our­able Speaker, that might exist, it might continue to exist, either on paper or in reality in true form here in the Assembly, but, regardless, it came together as an all‑party com­mit­tee in response to some­thing so sig­ni­fi­cant that the public was demanding that there be a non‑partisan approach.

      So then you look at this parti­cular issue, and you wonder, well, does it rise to that level? And one of the distinctions would be, I would say, Hon­our­able Speaker, is that none of those issues, whether it was security or the lobbying on youth crime or smoking in public places, none of them dealt with expenditures of the gov­ern­ment per se. They were im­por­tant issues, to be sure, but they weren't regarding direct expenditures of the gov­ern­ment. They were regarding broad‑based policy–smoking in public places, security in the province of Manitoba and youth criminal justice–broad-based policies and some of which weren't even directly in the purview of the power of the prov­incial gov­ern­ment, im­por­tant issues but not in the purview of the prov­incial gov­ern­ment.

      And so now we have the Assembly debating a potential all‑party com­mit­tee on a direct, essentially, line expenditure. The gov­ern­ment is asking whether or not there should be funds ap­pro­priated for supporting local media. And whether you think that's a good idea or a bad idea, it is interesting that the gov­ern­ment is now sort of taking a line item in the budget and saying to the op­posi­tion and the independents, well, we want your input onto this.

* (16:30)

      Now we don't have an all‑party com­mit­tee on highways or roads, and the expenditure on highways and roads. We certainly have Estimates, and we have those sort of things. But we don't have all‑party com­mit­tees coming together to discuss a parti­cular line item expenditure in that way; although I'm sure many colleagues would be quite happy, I think, to partici­pate in an all‑party com­mit­tee to talk about why they need more funding and where funding should go if they had actual author­ity in terms of road expenditure.

      But that would be unusual, because normally you wouldn't take the expenditure power out of a gov­ern­ment de­part­ment or out of Treasury Board and try to allocate that to an all‑party com­mit­tee. That certainly isn't the history here in Manitoba.

      We don't have to look even that far back, so I worry sometimes, Hon­our­able Speaker, that you or others might consider me a–some­thing of a fossil or a relic of the Legislature when I talk about what's–or even my own colleagues–when I talk about what's hap­pening, what was happening in early 2000s with Gary Doer. But I remember the now‑Premier, the member for Fort Rouge (Mr. Kinew), recommending in op­posi­tion that there be an all‑party com­mit­tee on the price of food, on grocery prices, he recom­mended when he was in op­posi­tion.

      Now that wasn't ultimately accepted because, again, it's an odd sort of thing to sort of say, okay, we're going to come together and try to talk about some­thing where we're not even sure where the influence would be. So on the previous examples, when it came to criminal justice reform, you could–you would know where to go to influence that change. You would go to the federal gov­ern­ment, to the federal Minister of Justice, and you would try to influence that change.

      On the issue of smoking in public places in Manitoba, with that all‑party task force, it was obvious that the gov­ern­ment had the legis­lative author­ity–it wasn't a spending author­ity, but it had the legis­lative author­ity to actually make rules around that.

      When it came to security, a little bit more nebulous, depending what that security threat might actually be  at any given time, but certainly through the Department of Justice or maybe even through the Legis­lative Assembly, there was–[interjection]

      I now have colleagues who have been here even longer than me, giving me advice on–I mean, it's hard to believe that such a colleague would exist, but I do ap­pre­ciate their advice. And I'll get back to that.

      But I wanted to talk about the issue of how these are different sort of issues than what were being talked about today. But the Leader of the Opposition, or the Premier (Mr. Kinew) who, in his role as Leader of the Opposition, when he recom­mended a com­mit­tee on having food prices examined, you know, you wondered what was going to sort of come of that. Like, where would the actual pressure be to make a change or to make a difference.

      Now, of course in gov­ern­ment, when the Premier assumed that im­por­tant office, he made the promise that he would crack down on grocery stores if they didn't lower their prices as a result of fuel taxes having a temporary halt. He made that promise. He didn't talk about an all‑party com­mit­tee, as he did in op­posi­tion. He said I'm going to crack down on Safeway, Sobeys, Superstore, whomever, if the prices don't go down.

      Now, how that would have been measured, nobody knows, because they didn't actually do anything, and prices didn't go down. We've continued to see sky­rocketing inflation and consumers paying more and more in the grocery store, and there was no talk of an all‑party com­mit­tee at that time, even though he'd promised it when he was in the op­posi­tion. And he didn't fulfill the promise that he made when he was the Premier.

      So then that leads you to sort of question what is the importance, you know, of this, and what would the outcome of it be? Now, I was reminded by one of my colleagues who, again, who has been here even longer than I've been, that there was my friend from Elmwood, I'm told it was–and I do consider him actually to be a friend and a learned colleague, even though we've not always agreed on much in this House. You can agree–you can disagree without being disagreeable, I think, and we do between the two of us.

      But he talks about, and I've heard him mention, the Meech Lake Accord, an all‑party com­mit­tee, and of course–I mean, we remember the sig­ni­fi­cance and the role that Manitoba played, the very sig­ni­fi­cant role that Manitoba played, when it came to Meech Lake and it not going forward.

      But there was an all-party com­mit­tee to talk about that, because the Meech Lake Accord, because it was a con­sti­tu­tional amend­ment, had to be approved in every Assembly in Canada. And there was a timeline for it, there was sig­ni­fi­cant amount of pressure, so the premier at the time, Gary Filmon, ensured–and maybe this is where Gary Doer sort of came up with these notions of all‑party com­mit­tees–but ensured that all parties were sort of together to discuss it and to talk about it.

      But you can see why that would be parti­cularly im­por­tant. I mean, anybody who remembers the great discussions on con­sti­tu­tional reform–and Meech Lake being only one of them; Charlottetown Accord, and others–will remember how sig­ni­fi­cant that truly was and how you'd want to have an all‑party agree­ment, and you'd also probably need that to get it passed in the House.

      A very different sort of discussion than this gov­ern­ment motion brings forward. Not that com­mu­nity newspapers aren't im­por­tant. I would say, as a long‑time author in a com­mu­nity newspaper, many of us are given the op­por­tun­ity to write articles in our local newspapers. I believe that happens in the Winnipeg com­mu­nity newspapers as well, where you can author, sort of, your view from the Legislature or report from the Legislature, whatever people call them.

      I've been writing them for 23 years on a weekly basis and I would say I helped other MLAs before that write them as well. So probably close to 30 years I've been involved in writing some of those updates, and I see the value of them in those com­mu­nity newspapers, and I see the value of com­mu­nity newspapers because they speak directly to those who are within a relatively confined area who are concerned and interested in not–you know, they might be interested in what's happening in other parts of the world, but they're often really interested in what's happening two blocks over. And com­mu­nity newspapers do that. They talk about what's happening two blocks over and what com­mu­nity events are happening.

      And they often are the most positive news you get, and I sometimes remark about Golden West news who runs a number of different radio stations across western Canada, and the ripple effect that has because they primarily only produce positive news. They talk about the positive things that are happening in com­mu­nities. Not that they ignore world events, but they really are focused on, you know, who's won an award in a com­mu­nity; who's doing charitable work; who is doing certain things in a com­mu­nity, and that's a ripple effect.

      I mean, can you imagine the effect on society if everybody just read good news? Now, that's a little Pollyannic [phonetic], and I know we're not going to get there, but there is an importance of, I think, a mental health importance of telling people the good things that are happening, because we're so inundated by the bad things that are happening that we forget that there are many, many good people doing many, many good things in society. And local news really drives that content.

      And so, yes, I think all of us are concerned when we see local newspapers that are not doing well, not functioning, closing down altogether because there's a loss of that sort of com­mu­nity sense, but also a loss of that positive news.

      But it goes back to the mechanism, the mechanism of an all‑party com­mit­tee. And when you look at the history, how all‑party com­mit­tees have been used rarely in this Assembly and the kinds of things they've been used for: con­sti­tu­tional change, a major change in how public health is administered through smoking in public places, youth criminal justice, security after 9/11. They're very, very big and broad sort of issues.

      They're not line item budget expenditures. They're not questioning, should gov­ern­ment spend money in a certain way. I suspect my colleagues and my friend from Midland might be chief among them and might be in the front of the line that would say if gov­ern­ment wants advice in terms of how to spend money, I think that she would have lots of advice to the gov­ern­ment on how to spend money.

      So I'm not sure why they've decided to pick this one parti­cular item to try to decide to form an all‑party com­mit­tee on how money should be spent or invested. There are a lot of different ways to–now, I would say because I can't believe how fast time has gone by–I might ask for a leave for more time–but the issue that I really wanted to get to 24 minutes ago when I started this is why is it that the gov­ern­ment wouldn't have formed an all‑party com­mit­tee, for example, on tariffs?

      Now I know that the gov­ern­ment did bring for­ward a–sort of an economic group, or whatever, to talk about tariffs, and I'm not criticizing that. I actually think that that's good. But if there ever was an op­por­tun­ity to show non-partisan, all‑party co‑operation, it might have been around what some would describe as one of the most consequential threats that our economy and our country have faced, at least in our gen­era­tion.

      Why wouldn't the gov­ern­ment have said, okay, we have members on all sides of the House who have deep ex­per­ience. I actually look at my friend from Elmwood, but on all parties, and I look at my friend from Springfield-Ritchot. I have other friends who have lots of ex­per­ience as well, who are waving at me, but who have, you know, deep history and ex­per­ience in cross‑border relations, who have connections in other parts of North America, who've served on com­mit­tees, like the Canada‑US relations com­mit­tee, to name just one example, who've gone on trade missions to Washington dating back two or three decades ago.

* (16:40)

      Why wouldn't they say, we should try to tap into that ex­per­ience so–which is a value‑based proposition–but also symbolically show that we are going to do this in a non-partisan way? That we're going to reach across the aisles? Instead what the Premier (Mr. Kinew) has done is he's tried to take that issue, a very serious issue, and use it as a political wedge, use it as a political weapon.

      So he's actually done the opposite. In taking–instead of taking some­thing, I would say to you, Honour­able Speaker–and I'm really distressed about the lack of time that I have now–but I would say to you that if you lined up all of those different times or places where we've used all‑party com­mit­tees: Meech Lake Accord con­sti­tu­tional crisis; a public health issue on public smoking and smoking in public places; youth criminal justice and an epidemic of crime; security after 9/11.

      If you looked at it as a puzzle and you are lining them up, and you wanted to say: what's the most logical thing to come after that? And you said to the public, like, these are the different things that we've had all‑party com­mit­tees on: security, crime, con­sti­tu­tional crisis, public health. The next one should either be funding public–or funding newspapers, or the tariff threat posed by Donald Trump and the US administration.

      I suspect that 98 per cent of the public would say: we support com­mu­nity newspapers; we love our com­mu­nity newspapers; it's a very, very sort of im­por­tant part of our com­mu­nity. But given the history of all‑party com­mit­tees in the province of Manitoba, the logical thing, based on those other examples that premiers from Gary Filmon to Gary Doer had put into place, the logical thing would say: let's do some­thing on tariffs. But that's not what the Premier did.

      So there's a logical disconnect about why it is that they've chose to try to put this as an all‑party com­mit­tee and other issues that have monumental, that–and let me tell you those tariffs are going to affect community newspapers, too, because if we have an economic issue, it affects, you know, advertising in com­mu­nity newspapers as well.

      So I would say to him, this isn't a hard no, but I would say to the Premier (Mr. Kinew), why doesn't he look at an issue like tariffs and the economic crisis faced by the US and come to the op­posi­tion, come to the in­de­pen­dent members and say, let's talk about that, as a potential way for an all‑party com­mit­tee. And then we can look at reforming com­mit­tees generally in this House and allow for members to be engaged in special issues and research, as was promised in 2016 and never fulfilled.

      Thank you for this short op­por­tun­ity that I've had, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Mr. Ron Schuler (Springfield-Ritchot): Well, today is an interesting day to be debating this parti­cular motion. I thought, for sure, someone from the gov­ern­ment benches might get up and want to speak to their own motion. They don't seem to be that concerned or that excited about speaking on the future of journalism in Manitoba.

      And the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen) certainly took us down history lane and mentioned a whole bunch of com­mit­tees that existed in history, and lucky for him, he had his research assist­ant present in the Chamber, the member for Elmwood (MLA Maloway), who pointed out a few of the com­mit­tees that he had forgotten.

      And again, I would like to touch on a few of them before even I was here, but the member for Elmwood was here, and that was the Meech Lake Accord commit­tee. And for those of us who were engaged in politics, that was a very trying, a very divisive time for our country; it was very divisive time for our province.

      In fact, if you want to know how that worked, so you had then‑premier Gary Filmon with then‑leader of the opposition Gary Doer in favour, and you had Sharon Carstairs, who I think at that point in time was the–

An Honourable Member: Against.

Mr. Schuler: –was against, but she was the leader of the third party; I don't think she was leader of the opposition anymore–or she might have been leader of the opposition and Gary Doer was leader of the third party.

      Anyway, she was opposed against her federal leader, Jean Chrétien, who was for the Meech Lake Accord. Now it didn't seem to have hurt her much. They ended up pointing her a senator, anyway, after she nosedived in one of the subsequent elections. But she was opposed, although her federal leader was a big proponent of the Meech Lake Accord, and it showed how there was a lot of–[interjection]

      Members from the op­posi­tion–from the NDP are heckling from their seats. If they want, we could give leave. I would defer and let them put 10 minutes on the record if they would like.

      We would love to hear them speak to their own reso­lu­tion, it's just that they don't seem to have any­thing to say. Or probably more im­por­tantly, the member for St. Johns (MLA Fontaine) has muzzled all of them; none of them are allowed to speak. And they are all sitting there with their seatbelts on and the seatbelt light on above their head and they're–the only thing they are seemingly allowed to do is to heckle. But they are not allowed to get up and speak.

      And, in fact, we're not actually speaking to the gov­ern­ment reso­lu­tion; we are speaking to the op­posi­tion amend­ment to the gov­ern­ment reso­lu­tion. So to be very clear, they could actually get up and speak to the amend­ment to the gov­ern­ment motion if they wanted to. But I know the member for St. Johns will not allow them to get up, and I see the member for River Heights (MLA Moroz), he does not want to be at cross‑purposes with the member for St. Johns. There's seems to be divisions even here today and we don't even have the com­mit­tee.

      I, however, would like to get back to that we've had com­mit­tees in the past. The Meech Lake Accord, because it was such a big issue, because it dealt with con­sti­tu­tional amend­ments, huge, huge con­se­quences. And I remember being a youth activist and being involved with the entire Meech Lake Accord and following the com­mit­tee. And there was discussion that there would be a price to pay for the Meech Lake Accord not passing. And it was a historical, monumental con­ver­sa­tion.

      It was a very im­por­tant com­mit­tee for this Legislature because it was dealing with some­thing that was so big and so intricate and so involved, because changing the con­sti­tu­tion, there's all kinds of formulas on how many provinces you need with how much popu­la­tion. So it was a very, very im­por­tant issue.

      There was a second com­mit­tee that took place before my time here. And the member for Elmwood has been sitting here saying there was another one, and I didn't want to tell him because he was going to pre‑empt me. I actually think he was going to jump up and give a speech on this, because the other com­mit­tee was the com­mit­tee on school board boundaries. It was called the Bill Norrie report.

      And now the member for Elmwood (MLA Maloway) remembers, it was the Bill Norrie report. And it was quite a big report. It dealt with school board boundaries. It was the begin­ning of that. Actually, if you go back and you look at that report that was produced by that com­mit­tee, it actually was a good report that was produced. Now, it was less of a parlia­mentary com­mit­tee; it was more of a com­mit­tee of the Legislature that went out. I don't know if elected officials were on the Norrie com­mis­sion.

      I don't know if the member for Elmwood can remember that; it's before my time here. But it was very im­por­tant. And it actually produced a very interesting docu­ment. And I was on a school board. I was chair of the River East School Division at that time, which is now River East‑Transcona, and actually it came at the latter part of the Filmon gov­ern­ment and then the Filmon gov­ern­ment wasn't returned and the Doer gov­ern­ment, the minister of Edu­ca­tion was the–was Drew Caldwell from Brandon East.

      And he actually referred to that committee report. And they did bits and pieces of it, and instead of accepting the entire report, they did parts of it and it ended up not being a positive ex­per­ience for the Doer gov­ern­ment, and they probably would have been better off taking the whole report that had–that the Norrie com­mis­sion had produced, rather than parts of it. And I think after that, the Doer gov­ern­ment soured on any more edu­ca­tion reforms until the next gov­ern­ment. And it seems to be that dealing with school board boundaries tends not to be a positive thing in Manitoba.

      The next one, and there was another one in there, and it was called the Peter George Dyck–there was another MLA, and it was also a parlia­mentary com­mit­tee with parliamentarians and I don't remember what the topic was. And they were travelling around, and again, that was before my time here as well.

* (16:50)

      And then we got to the smoking com­mit­tee, and that was–on that, I know from our side was at the former–it was smoking in public places, and on our side was–it was controversial, and it was the former Speaker of ours, Denis Rocan. He was our repre­sen­tative on that com­mit­tee, and I don't remember who all the other members were. It has been a few years.

      And so, you know, there's always a second career for Speakers. I mean, they can always get on a legis­lative com­mit­tee, and it was a good com­mit­tee. And it dealt with a very controversial, very topical. And I often go to I Love to Read Months and we talk about what we do as legis­lators, and I point out there was a time when people could actually go into a grocery store, be smoking, leaning over the meat counter with their cigarette or–on airplanes, you would sit on an airplane and if you were the last seat of the non‑smoking section, and the smoking section was behind you, they were smoking and blowing the smoke, and it was gratuitous because, like, the whole airplane was basically a smoking section, although they had not–smoking, non‑smoking sections.

      And bars–and there was a woman who came forward to that com­mit­tee, and I remember her. One of the ministers across the way, she clearly wants to speak, and I'd love for her–she probably would have good infor­ma­tion to put on the record. But the woman came forward, and she had been a waitress in a bar. And she ended up with lung cancer, and she said, it's not just the individuals who are smoking who put them­selves; it's second‑hand smoke is so bad for the employees and the workers and the individuals. And that is what came up at one of these legis­lative com­mit­tees. It was a good com­mit­tee, it was a tough, tough topic to take on.

      I would suggest in the few moments that I have available that the com­mit­tee that's being proposed here, in the 25 years that I have been a repre­sen­tative in this Chamber and the four as a school trustee, I don't ever remember an email, or somebody coming up to me and saying, you know, you got to do a committee on the future of journalism in Manitoba. Never.

      And maybe there are some here. I doubt that this is really the top of mind of Manitobans. I would suggest that, probably, if you went out and you said, hey, listen, you know, we would like to have a com­mit­tee, we're just deciding between should it be on Donald Trump and his tariffs, or journalism. Which one do you think we should do a com­mit­tee on?

      I have–my sense–my Spidey sense would say that it would probably be on tariffs. In fact, we even called on this NDP gov­ern­ment to put an all‑party com­mit­tee together, and deal with the tariffs and the threats to Manitoba and Manitoba's economy. And not just from the Americans and Donald Trump, but also the Chinese who are going after our agri­cul­ture. Very serious, and the long‑term con­se­quences and the long‑term fallout will be seismic.

      So to have picked a topic like this, where we're going to talk about journalism–we all have newspapers. We all support our newspapers. The newspapers are producing. Now, they are in a decline, and I put down a few things that have seemed to have come up since newspapers started their decline. There's this thing called Facebook, X or Twitter, Instagram. The Premier (Mr. Kinew), I think, has become one of the major shareholders of TikTok because he seems to–that seems to be his feature.

      And I would suggest that we are just seeing a natural progression, and probably what we could've done with this topic is put it on–and the gov­ern­ment actually doesn't use this. It's called Engage Manitoba, and it was probably one of the best things that could've come out on com­muni­cating with the public, and it came out of COVID.

      We went and we created the Engage Manitoba and it was a very good process to get feedback from the public. And I would suggest that this topic could've gone on to Engage Manitoba, and we could've gotten feedback from Manitobans on where they are on journalism.

      But to suggest somehow we're going to put a parlia­mentary com­mit­tee together to go around talk­ing about a topic that actually isn't top of mind. In fact, what's interesting, the latest polls coming out federally is that Canadians are focusing less on the tariffs and Trump and they're going back to the issues of afford­ability and the costs of living and inflation, those kinds of things.

      I mean, there are really big issues that are facing Canadians and Manitobans, and I don't think this would be top of mind. In fact, if we were to go out on  Engage Manitoba and say, you know, list the top 10 things that you would like a legis­lative com­mit­tee on, I have this sense that this parti­cular topic would not be one of them.

      The other thing is, is we also have a federal gov­ern­ment that did sort of deal with the journalism and what's happening there. And I would say it has not gone well for Canadians. It's not gone well for the journalistic in­de­pen­dence. And, basically, it's the Liberal Party of Canada now pays to the tune of over $850 million, pays media for good news stories. And that would be a concern of mine that when we have gov­ern­ment getting involved in journalism, it tends not to be a good outcome.

      And I could take us down a historical path and  have a con­ver­sa­tion of where governments through­out history, whether it was Pravda in the Soviet Union, whether it was–I–the name escapes you now–Mao Tse‑tung's newspaper in China, and all the dictators since then who have had control over media.

      I don't think we should–as the legis­lators, as gov­ern­ment–be involved in journalism and those issues. We–the federal subsidy, I think, is an affront. I think we should be looking at issues that are of concern to Canadians and Manitobans. I would be concerned about where the gov­ern­ment wants to go with this parti­cular topic. They–the motion is very vague. It is very nebulous. It doesn't actually talk about serious out­comes, what ex­pect­a­tions would be.

      I would suggest to the–to this NDP gov­ern­ment that they pull this reso­lu­tion and put forward things that are epic in their impact that they will have on society, on Manitoba. The tariffs both out of the United States and out of China have such dire con­se­quences for Manitoba and for our economy. That would be my sug­ges­tion where we should be looking.

      We should be looking–for instance, the Chinese tariffs–and I would suggest to China, they have so forgotten their history of starvation that now they're back to disrespecting their own food. And you know what? Just like we have, you know, the bad days and then we have good days, so too bad days can follow the good days. And I would suggest to China that they not disrespect the food. The quality of product that's produced out of here, out of Manitoba, is second to none, and it is magnificent quality, and they should not be disrespecting Manitoba agri­cul­ture or our food.

      And we should probably be having a parlia­mentary or legis­lative com­mit­tee dealing with the tariffs, with the attacks from the United States and China on our economy because where agri­cul­ture goes, there goes Manitoba. So much of our economy has depended on agri­cul­ture, on production, on trade and secondary and third level jobs. We need a strong agri­cul­ture, and we should be talking about that, not just our manufacturing.

      And we had the colleague from Selkirk talk about all the steel factories that are at threat from what's going on with tariffs. I would suggest that the member for Selkirk (Mr. Perchotte) should be one of the mem­bers on that com­mit­tee dealing with tariffs because he could come forward and talk about the kinds of damage that's going to be done to Gerdau.

      And I had a tour of Gerdau in Selkirk, an amazing factory. And the damage that could happen to them because of these tariffs. That's what we would need in a com­mit­tee. Not this parti­cular one. This is actually–they're not reading the room. I would say the gov­ern­ment's tone deaf on this parti­cular issue.

The Speaker: Order, please.

      When this matter is next before the House, the hon­our­able member will have 13 minutes remaining.

      The hour being 5 o'clock, this House is adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 5.


 

 


LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Thursday, April 24, 2025

CONTENTS


Vol. 47b

Speaker's Statement

Lindsey  1587

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Introduction of Bills

Bill 214–The Board Parity and Diversity Act

Wasyliw   1587

Bill 46–The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2025

Sala  1587

Tabling of Reports

Wiebe  1587

Ministerial Statements

Yom HaShoah

Moroz  1587

Perchotte  1588

Lamoureux  1589

Week of the Early Childhood Educator

Schmidt 1589

Ewasko  1590

Members' Statements

U of W Wesmen Men's Volleyball Champions

Asagwara  1591

Dennis Nykoliation

Johnson  1591

Belle Jarniewski

Compton  1592

Jim Stinson

Wharton  1592

Ted Wyman

Moroz  1593

Oral Questions

Free Trade and Mobility Within Canada Act

Ewasko  1593

Kinew   1594

Cost of Living in Manitoba

Ewasko  1594

Kinew   1594

Crime, Health Care and the Economy

Ewasko  1595

Kinew   1595

Violent Crime Rate

Ewasko  1595

Kinew   1596

Government Ministers

Ewasko  1596

Kinew   1596

Interim Leader of the Official Opposition

Ewasko  1596

Kinew   1597

Foster Parent's Comment at Town Hall

Byram   1597

Fontaine  1597

Death of Family on Manitoba Highway

Guenter 1598

Wiebe  1598

Out-of-Province Semi Drivers

Narth  1599

Naylor 1599

RCMP Investigation in Northern Manitoba Park

Wowchuk  1599

Bushie  1600

New Personal-Care-Home Beds

Lamoureux  1600

Asagwara  1600

2023 Election–PC Party Campaign Director

Loiselle  1601

Schmidt 1602

Funding Supports for Agricultural Producers

Bereza  1602

Kostyshyn  1602

Kinew   1602

Petitions

New Neepawa Health Centre

Byram   1603

Supports for Manitobans with Learning Disabilities

Lamoureux  1603

Removal of Federal Carbon Tax

Stone  1604

Opposition to Releasing Repeat Offenders

Ewasko  1605

Death of Jordyn Reimer–Judicial Review Request

Balcaen  1605

MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility

Bereza  1606

Death of Jordyn Reimer–Judicial Review Request

Nesbitt 1606

Phoenix School

Cook  1607

Medical Assistance in Dying

Guenter 1608

Morden Waste Water Project

Hiebert 1608

MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility

Johnson  1609

Green Valley School Expansion

Narth  1609

Provincial Road 352

Wowchuk  1610

Teaching Certification

Perchotte  1610

Construct New Personal-Care Home–Stonewall

King  1611

Opposition to Releasing Repeat Offenders

Piwniuk  1611

MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility

Schuler 1612

Wharton  1613

Opposition to Releasing Repeat Offenders

Khan  1613

ORDERS OF THE DAY

(Continued)

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

Debate on Government Motion

Special Committee on Local Journalism

Goertzen  1614

Schuler 1620