LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
The Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated.
Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Minister of Health, that Bill 51, The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (2); Loi n° 2 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 am pleased to introduce Bill 51, which will convert the manufacturing and investment tax credit on qualifying manufacturing and processing equipment into a sales tax exemption. This will enable manufacturers to receive an immediate tax reduction to help them invest and grow their business.
Honourable Speaker, this is the first bill to implement our economic development strategy, which is our government's long‑term vision to build an economy that's focused on growth and increasing productivity.
Thank you, Honourable Speaker.
The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Committee reports? Tabling of reports?
Hon. Glen Simard (Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations): I rise today to address a deeply troubling incident in the town of Souris last weekend.
On Friday night, Souris's Pride crosswalk–a vibrant symbol of love, diversity and acceptance–was deliberately covered in white paint.
I want to call this incident what it is: it's just not an act of vandalism but a targeted attack on Manitoba's 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
This crosswalk was first painted in 2021 in response to the theft of a Pride flag from the home of a member of the Souris Pride Committee. It has been lovingly cared for by community members of all backgrounds and ages.
And while the outpouring of support over the past few days is proof there is more support than hate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Souris and beyond, this should have never happened in the first place.
This is not the first time a rainbow crosswalk has been defaced in Manitoba, after a crosswalk in Lundar was repeatedly vandalized in 2023. This is not even the first time the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has been targeted this year. In September, Steinbach Pride organizers were forced to cancel their annual rally and march after threats left organizers concerned for the safety of participants.
I want to be clear: there is no space for this hate in Souris; there is no space for this hate in Westman; there is no space for this hate anywhere in Manitoba. It's important for every single Manitoban to say loud and clear, this kind of hate won't be tolerated–not any time, not anywhere.
Honourable Speaker, symbols matter. They tell our children, our neighbours and our fellow Manitobans who we are and what we stand for. The rainbow crosswalk in Souris stands for love, inclusion and the unwavering belief that everyone deserves to be safe and seen in Manitoba.
The crosswalk will be repainted in the spring, brighter and bolder than before. This commitment is not just about bringing colour back to the corner of First Street South and Crescent Avenue West; it's about reaffirming our shared commitment to the rights and dignity of 2SLGBTQIA+ Manitobans.
I want to say a special thanks to the members of the Souris Pride Committee–Marley Dewar, Caleigh Walker, Cassie Quadrelli, Karen Kempi, Allisa Denbow and Manon Beaupre–whose work continues to make Souris a more welcoming, inclusive space for all.
Let this moment be a reminder that while hate may seek to divide us, our care for one another will continue to rise above it. Manitoba's a province where every person, regardless of who they are or who they love, deserves to know they belong.
Mrs. Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods): Honourable Speaker, over the weekend, a Pride sidewalk painted by the Souris Pride Committee as a symbol of inclusion was deliberately vandalized. Let me be clear: this act does not reflect the values of the people of Souris and it does not reflect the values of Manitobans.
Manitobans believe in respect: respect for one another, respect for our differences and respect for the right of every person to feel safe and welcome in their own community. There is no room for intimidation or hate in our province, period.
Earlier this year, when a Pride event in Steinbach was cancelled, my colleague shared a message: There should never be threats or intimidation against any group in society that is peacefully demonstrating, gathering or in an assembly. That includes Steinbach Pride, Souris Pride and all Pride events across Manitoba.
Every Manitoban, regardless of who you are or where they live, has the right to express themselves peacefully and free from fear. That is the very foundation of a democracy.
Honourable Speaker, we also recognize that what happened in Souris is not a reflection of the whole community. In fact, it is showing the very best of small‑town Manitoba. The people have–of Souris have responded not with division, but with unity. They've chosen to repaint the crosswalk in the spring, to come together and to reaffirm that everyone belongs. That is the Manitoba spirit: resilient, respectful and rooted in kindness.
As a–Progressive Conservatives, we believe in safe and welcoming communities built on shared responsibility. We know that the Legislature's role is not to inflame division, but to support communities in practical, meaningful ways through education, dialogue and partnerships that promote understanding and respect.
This is a time for leadership and empathy, not hate. It's a time to remind ourselves that freedom, respect and personal responsibility go hand in hand.
We support the people of Souris and affected Manitobans in condemning this act of hate and in reaffirming that our province is stronger when we treat one another with dignity.
Thank you, Honourable Speaker.
Hon. Malaya Marcelino (Minister of Labour and Immigration): Honourable Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize National Francophone Immigration Week.
French spoken
Le thème cette année est « Merci d'enrichir notre francophonie ».
Cette semaine de célébration et de sensibilisation vise à promouvoir l'immigration et la diversité à travers le Canada. Il y a des activités dans toutes les régions du pays pour célébrer les contributions des nouveaux arrivants. C'est aussi l'occasion de mettre en valeur tout ce que font ces communautés pour recruter, accueillir et intégrer les immigrants francophones.
C'est aussi l'occasion de créer et de resserrer les liens entre les nouveaux arrivants francophones et leurs communautés d'accueil. L'immigration francophone joue un rôle clé dans notre stratégie pour la vitalité de notre francophonie manitobaine.
L'Honorable Président, nous avons parmi nous plusieurs organisations francophones locales qui sont présentes ici aujourd'hui.
* (13:40)
L'Accueil francophone facilite l'établissement des nouveaux arrivants francophones au Manitoba. Et nous avons aussi le CDEM qui offre divers services aux francophones et en partenariat avec le Programme des candidats du Manitoba dans la sélection des meilleurs candidats pour notre province. Enfin, le Réseau francophone d'immigration du Manitoba, ou RIF-Manitoba, est l'un des 13 réseaux francophones d'immigration au Canada. Toutes ces organisations et encore d'autres contribuent à faire du Manitoba une destination de choix pour les immigrants francophones potentiels.
Le gouvernement du Manitoba est déterminé à appuyer la vitalité de la communauté francophone du Manitoba. L'année dernière, nous avons augmenté le financement accordé au Centre culturel franco-manitobain afin de l'aider à poursuivre son rôle de longue date dans cette communauté, qui consiste à célébrer et à promouvoir la culture francophone.
Cette année, le financement accordé par le gouvernement du Manitoba et le Gouvernement du Canada permettra aux francophones de la province d'avoir accès aux services publics dans la langue de leur choix. Nous sommes aussi en train d'effectuer une grande consultation publique sur comment rendre le Manitoba une province véritablement bilingue.
Nous reconnaissons que les nouveaux arrivants francophones renforcent la francophonie manitobaine et la rendent encore plus diversifiée. Je suis heureuse de dire que le Manitoba est véritablement une province amie de l'immigration francophone. Je suis fière de rendre hommage aux immigrants francophones du Manitoba et de célébrer leurs contributions à la diversité économique et culturelle de notre province.
L'Honorable Président, je demande à tous les députés de se joindre à moi pour féliciter l'Accueil francophone, le CDEM, le RIF-Manitoba, la SFM et l'AMBM pour leur succès continu et pour célébrer la Semaine nationale de l'immigration francophone.
Translation
This year's theme is Thank You for Enriching our Francophonie.
This week of celebration and awareness aims to promote immigration and diversity across Canada. There are activities in all regions of the country to celebrate the contributions of newcomers. It is also an opportunity to highlight all that these communities do to recruit, welcome and integrate francophone immigrants.
It is also an opportunity to create and strengthen ties between francophone newcomers and their host communities. Francophone immigration plays a key role in our strategy for the vitality of Manitoba's francophonie.
Honourable Speaker, we have several local francophone organizations here with us today.
Accueil francophone helps francophone newcomers settle in Manitoba. We also have the CDEM, which offers various services to francophones and partners with the Manitoba Nominee Program in selecting the best candidates for our province. Finally, the Réseau francophone d'immigration du Manitoba, or RIF‑Manitoba, is one of 13 francophone immigration networks in Canada. All these organizations and others contribute to making Manitoba a destination of choice for potential francophone immigrants.
The government of Manitoba is committed to supporting the vitality of Manitoba's francophone community. Last year, we increased funding to the Centre culturel franco-manitobain to help it continue its long-standing role in this community of celebrating and promoting francophone culture.
This year, funding from the government of Manitoba and the Government of Canada will enable francophones in the province to access public services in the language of their choice. We are also conducting a major public consultation on how to make Manitoba a truly bilingual province.
We recognize that francophone newcomers strengthen Manitoba's francophone community and make it even more diverse. I am pleased to say that Manitoba is truly a province that welcomes francophone immigration. I am proud to pay tribute to Manitoba's francophone immigrants and celebrate their contributions to our province's economic and cultural diversity.
Honourable Speaker, I ask all members to join me in congratulating Accueil francophone, CDEM, RIF‑Manitoba, SFM and AMBM for their continued success and in celebrating National Francophone Immigration Week.
English
And also, Honourable Speaker, I'd just like to honour our guests that are here today: Bintou Sacko, Francis Hilaire Vieira, Philippe Touna, Madeleine Arbez, Nicholas Douklias, Justin Johnson and Ophélie Doireau.
Merci.
Mrs. Carrie Hiebert (Morden-Winkler): Honourable Speaker, it's an honour for me to stand today to speak on National Francophone Immigration Week.
This week, everyone is invited to take part in celebrating the francophone community, many of whom have come from abroad and chosen to call Manitoba home. Approximately 15 per cent of francophones in Manitoba were born elsewhere in Canada and 11 per cent were born abroad.
Honourable Speaker, whether newcomers are coming to further their education, to seek employment opportunities or as refugees, regardless of the reason francophone immigrants have come to Manitoba, we as Manitobans strive to make our province as welcoming as possible to newcomers alike.
I am proud to say that Franco‑Manitoban communities are rich, active and vibrant, filled with opportunities for all newcomers to feel safe, comfortable and connected.
To those francophone immigrants seeking to expand their education, the University of St. Boniface offers 30 university, technical and professional training programs, as well as distance education, entirely in French, including free French courses to newcomers.
Equitable access to health care is also important, which is why Manitoba's proud to have approximately 60 clinics, nursing homes, hospitals and other providers that offer services in French, including St. Boniface Hospital, Ste. Anne Hospital and Ste. Rose General Hospital.
L'Accueil francophone in St. Boniface offers many settlement services in French, such as a reception for newcomers, support in finding housing and language courses, as well as the refugee resettlement assistance program which includes financial, accommodation and support, helping and making sure that newcomers feel that they belong.
Young francophone immigrants can find community through the council, a youth organization that matches individuals from the host communities with newcomers.
The Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities has employment programs to help francophones obtain and maintain employment in Manitoba. This week, the CDEM is offering two different events: the first, interactive workshop to learn about the different stages of immigration process, along with tips for successful integration professionally and socially in Manitoba; and the second, an exciting opportunity to hear from francophone immigrants in Manitoba sharing their stories and lived experiences.
Diversity, inclusivity are very important in Manitoba. It is what makes us strong.
To the francophone immigrants, thank you for choosing Manitoba. We welcome you.
We wish you all happy National immigration–Francophone Immigration Week.
Thank you.
The Speaker: Prior to members' statements, I'm tabling a letter from Deanna Wilson, executive director of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The letter advises that on November 4, 2025, the Assembly received full payment from Cliff Cullen, the former MLA for Spruce Woods, of the fined amount of $12,000.
Accordingly, Mr. Cullen has fulfilled his obligations under The Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Act, related to the Ethics Commissioner's report, dated May 21, 2025.
MLA Carla Compton (Tuxedo): Honourable Speaker, I'm privileged to acknowledge an outstanding Tuxedo constituent, Tom De Nardi.
There is much that could be said about Tom: his–about his sharp business acumen, his deep commitment to community and the unrelenting dedication he brings to every role he takes on. But today, I rise to congratulate him on a remarkable achievement.
This past October, Tom became an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel for The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, a regiment with deep roots in Manitoba's history. Formed in 1910 through the determination of Winnipeg's Scottish community, the Camerons have stood for service, duty and tradition for more than a century.
Tom has been a member of The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders advisory board since 2014 and is a past chair. This new designation will allow him to continue to do his good work in advocating and supporting veterans and current members, good work such as the rededication ceremonies for previously unidentified World War I soldiers like Corporal Ledingham in Cambrais, France, in November 2021 and Corporal Percy Bousfield in Ypres, Belgium, in November 2022.
Tom shared with me how both ceremonies were deeply powerful. Even though over 100 years later, each ceremony felt like a funeral for a soldier recently passed.
Tom is also passionate about supporting and strengthening and advocating for the Reserves in Manitoba and across Canada.
They come from every profession and walk of life, and they stand ready in moments of disaster, conflict and peacekeeping. They are integral parts of our national security and with Remembrance Day approaching, now is an important time to acknowledge and thank their steadfast service and the quiet sacrifices they make on behalf of all Canadians.
Honourable Speaker, I ask for leave to have the names of all my guests submitted to Hansard, and I ask all members to join me in recognizing Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Tom De Nardi and the Camerons for their dedication, leadership and ongoing service to our community and our country.
Thank you.
Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Tom De Nardi, Lieutenant Phillipe Kennelley, Lieutenant Arswan Khan, Master Warrant Officer James Clark, Sergeant Chris Conrad, Master Corporal Brandon Wallace.
Former commanding officers: Honorary Colonel Cameron Buchanan, former Honorary Colonel Bob Vandewater, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Baker, former Regimental Sergeant-Major Hugh Odonell.
Family: Lesley De Nardi, Lachlan De Nardi, Mirella De Nardi.
Mr. Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): On a point of order, Honourable Speaker.
Point of Order
The Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a point of order.
Mr. Khan: Honourable Speaker, I'd like to rise on a point of order and echo the sentiments from the member made from Tuxedo. I stand today to recognize one of Manitoba's great regiments, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. I'd like to thank them for their sacrifices of the past and defending our country, and to thank the serving men and women of the regiment which keeps us safe today.
* (13:50)
Honourable Speaker, like to recognize in attendance Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Tom De Nardi, Lieutenant Phillipe Kennelley, Lieutenant Arswan Khan, Master Warrant Officer James Clark, Sergeant Chris Conrad, Master Corporal Brandon Wallace, former commanding officers Lieutenant Colonel Jon Baker and Honorary Colonel Cameron Buchanan, former regimental sergeant–
The Speaker: Order, please.
I would just point out to the honourable member that he does not have a point of order. There's any number of opportunities that he could've had to make his statement.
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): On the same point of order.
The Speaker: On the same point of order.
Mr. Kinew: It is not a point of order, but I also want to take this opportunity to thank our brave men and women in uniform.
And I do have a technical question maybe that they could answer with a nod or head shake. Is it now king's own Cameron high–[interjection] It still remains–
The Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.
I would once again point out that it was not a point of order, and I would remind the First Minister to direct his comments through the Chair.
Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli): Today I have the pleasure to stand and recognize someone I've known for many years, Dori Gingera-Beauchemin, who joins us in the gallery today.
Dori is a devoted friend to Manitoba's farming community and one of the most dedicated public servants our province has ever known. In just a few days, Dori will be inducted into the Canadian agriculture hall of fame, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this honour.
Dori's remarkable career with Manitoba Agriculture spans many, many, many decades. Over that time, she served as deputy or acting deputy minister under five different ministers of Agriculture, including myself. No matter who was in office, she brought steadiness, common sense, unwavering understanding of people that are behind the policies. She guided programs, supported farm families and ensured that decisions were always rooted in practicality and respect.
One of the many things I admire most about Dori is how she viewed Manitoba Agriculture not as just another government department but as a bridge between government and the people who feed us. That perspective kept government grounded and focused on what truly matters.
Even in retirement, Dori continues to share her knowledge and passion. She was recently approached to work on an eco‑farm project in Mongolia, helping connect modern farming technologies to local producers through youth, much like the 4‑H program.
Two minutes is nowhere near enough to capture Dori's accomplishments, so congratulations on your upcoming induction. Manitoba is proud of you.
On behalf of all of us in the Legislature, thank you, Dori. Thank you for your wisdom, your service and your heart.
Colleagues, please rise and join me in recognition for Dori Gingera-Beauchemin.
The Speaker: The honourable member for Interlake-Gimli.
Mr. Johnson: Yes, I'd like to submit names of the guests for Hansard, which include Laurie Gingera, her sister; Carole Gingera Kowalchuk, her sister, as well; and Nicholas Kowalchuk, her nephew.
Laurie Gingera, Carole Gingera Kowalchuk, Nicholas Kowalchuk, Brenna Mahoney.
Mr. Diljeet Brar (Burrows): Today I would like to recognize the Winnipeg Methodist Mission Church for its outstanding service and unwavering commitment to the people of Winnipeg. Under the leadership of Reverend Ismael Damasco, this church has become a pillar of faith, compassion and community engagement.
Every Sunday, the congregation gathers at Ralph Brown Community Centre for worship, creating a space where spiritual growth and fellowship thrive. Beyond worship, the church offers Sunday school programs, Bible studies and home visitations supporting seniors, the sick and those in need with care and dignity.
These efforts reflect their deep commitment to ensuring that everyone feels welcome, valued and supported.
The church is also a strong advocate for community outreach. Members volunteer in the Winnipeg Harvest feeding program, donate to wildfire victims and visit nursing homes to bring comfort and companionship.
They organize social and recreational activities for seniors and families, fostering connections that strengthen our neighborhoods. Through these initiatives, the church demonstrates that faith in action can transform lives.
Importantly, the church plays a vital role in welcoming newcomers and immigrants, helping them adapt to life in Manitoba and feel at home in our diverse community. By promoting multicultural integration and offering ministries of compassion, justice and advocacy, the church exemplifies the values of inclusion and service that make our province stronger.
Let us welcome and appreciate Pastor Damasco and the dedicated members of the church for their leadership in building a caring and united community. I request their names be entered in Hansard.
Salamat po [Thank you], Honourable Speaker.
Rev. Ismael Damasco, Josephine Dela Cruz, Franklin Gaburno, Wilma Gaburno, Anyden Galang, Charito Mangligot, Clarita Mangligot, Rosini Mangligot, Elizabeth Salangsang.
Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): It's my privilege to stand today and celebrate one of our own, Ryan Thevenot, a proud constituent of mine and a rising Canadian star in lacrosse. I am pleased to have Ryan and his family join us here today in the gallery.
Ryan's journey began right here in Brandon West, where he first picked up a lacrosse stick and discovered a passion that would carry him far beyond the fields of Vincent Massey High School. From the moment he joined the Vincent Massey Vikings, Ryan distinguished himself, not just through his athletic talents, but through his unwavering commitment, leadership and drive.
Whether it was early morning practices or mentoring younger teammates, Ryan gave everything to the sport. His performance in the Manitoba High School Field Lacrosse League was exceptional and his contributions helped elevate his team to new heights. Wearing jersey No. 11, he became a playmaker and a leader, someone his teammates could count on when the pressure was highest.
The dedication earned him a spot on Team Manitoba for the Lacrosse Canada national championships. He went on to achieve something truly remarkable: he became the only athlete from Brandon, and one of two from Manitoba selected to represent Team Canada on the national lacrosse team.
And now his talent is being recognized far and wide. Ryan is being actively scouted by universities across North America. It's a testament not only to his athletic ability, but to the character and work ethic he has shown throughout his journey.
Let that sink in: a young man from our community, now wearing the maple leaf and competing with the best in this country. Ryan's story is a reminder that greatness can come from raw determination.
As his MLA for Brandon West, I couldn't be more proud. Ryan's success is a reflection of our community's spirit and a beacon of inspiration for every young athlete who dream big and works hard.
I would ask the names of my guests be added to Hansard.
And on a side note, Ryan also aspires to become a police officer.
Congratulations, Ryan. We're all rooting for you.
Greg Gurba, Judy Gurba, Gracie Henderson, Tylor Johnson, Michelle Minton, Angela Thevenot, Ben Thevenot, Bradley Thevenot, Sarah Thevenot, Rob Wilson.
MLA Robert Loiselle (St. Boniface): I'm proud to share some exciting news that touches every family in my home community of St. Boniface and across Manitoba. The first phase of the brand new emergency department at St. Boniface Hospital is now open. This milestone marks a major step forward in how we care for one another in moments that matter most.
French spoken
Depuis plus d'un siècle, soit depuis 1871, l'Hôpital de Saint-Boniface sert les Manitobains avec entrain et dévouement.
Aujourd'hui, avec près de 42 000 visites par année, l'ancienne urgence ne pouvait plus simplement fournir. C'est pourquoi cet aménagement était si crucial. Après des années de planification et de construction, nous voyons les résultats et ils sont tout simplement transformateurs.
Translation
For over a century, since 1871, St. Boniface Hospital has served Manitobans with enthusiasm and dedication.
Today, with nearly 42,000 visits per year, the old emergency department could no longer keep up. That's why this development was so crucial. After years of planning and construction, we are seeing the results, and they are nothing short of transformative.
* (14:00)
English
The new emergency department was designed in close consultation with the community, keeping patients and families at its core. When you walk through the doors, you'll notice expanded waiting and triage areas, along with many other features that make the experience more comfortable and efficient. The hospital's inclusive, barrier-free design means better flow, faster care and a safer environment for patients and staff alike.
While this is only the first phase, work continues on the remaining renovations which–with full completion expected in 2026. Already, the space is transforming the patient and family experience, and that's something to celebrate.
French spoken
En tant que député de Saint-Boniface, je tiens à remercier tous les travailleurs de la santé, les constructeurs, les donateurs et les résidents qui ont contribué à la réalisation de ce projet. Ce projet est véritablement le fruit d'un effort communautaire, aussi rendu possible à la fondation de Saint-Boniface et au généreux soutien des donateurs.
Translation
As the member for St. Boniface, I would like to thank all the health‑care workers, builders, donors and residents who contributed to this project. It is truly a community effort, made possible by the St. Boniface foundation and the generous support of donors.
English
It's a new chapter for St. Boniface Hospital and it reflects the values of our community: Solidarité, innovation [Solidarity, innovation] and care for all.
Merci à tous [Thank you to everyone] for making this possible. Miigwech.
Introduction of Guests
The Speaker: Before we move on, there's some guests in the gallery.
We have seated in the public gallery, from Springs Christian Academy, 50 grade 9 to 11 students under the direction of Brad Dowler, and they are guests of the honourable member for St. Boniface.
The Speaker: I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the Speaker's Gallery where we have with us today Ms. Shipra Verma, chief executive–Chief Electoral Officer with Elections Manitoba.
Shipra has announced that she will be leaving her position this month, and I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to her career.
Before I start, I will also introduce to the House some of Shipra's colleagues from Elections Manitoba who are joining her here today: Tracy Nylen, deputy chief electoral officer; Jeanne Zweip, director of elections operations; Mike Ambrose, director of communication.
Shipra started her work with Elections Manitoba in 2004 and was appointed Chief Electoral Officer in 2013 after serving as acting CEO since 2010.
Shipra has led Elections Manitoba through a comprehensive transformation, bringing an innovative approach to election modernization focused on service, accessibility and convenience.
She has guided diverse teams in successful delivery of five general elections and numerous by‑elections. She has shown her dedication to fostering democratic engagement by living the values of innovation, fairness, integrity, excellence and accountability.
Shipra has led Elections Manitoba in the development of education and outreach programs tailored to communities that often face barriers to voting.
In 2018, Shipra was recognized by the Legislative Assembly as a Trailblazer of the First 100 Years, this distinction recognizing the fact that she was the first woman to hold the role of Chief Electoral Officer and how her contributions have forged a pathway for future generations.
Shipra will soon be moving to British Columbia where she will be continuing her work with election management.
Shipra Verma's steadfast dedication to the promotion and preservation of democracy in Manitoba is unmatched. Manitobans have been extremely well served by her diligence and her devotion to the essential work of Elections Manitoba, and I would ask all members to join me in thanking Shipra Verma for her service to our province.
* * *
Next, I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the public gallery, where we have with us today Ben Thevenot, Angela Thevenot, Bradley Thevenot, Sarah Thevenot, Judy Gurba, Greg Gurba, Michelle Minton, Taylor [phonetic] Johnson, Rob Wilson, Gracie Henderson, who are the guests of the honourable member for Brandon West (Mr. Balcaen), and we welcome you all here today.
Also seated in the public gallery, we have with us today Honorary Lieutenant‑Colonel Tom De Nardi, Lieutenant Phillipe Kennelley, Lieutenant Ashwan [phonetic] Khan, Master Warrant Officer James Clark, Sergeant Chris Conrad, Master Corporal Brandon Wallace, former commanding officers, Lieutenant Colonel Jon Baker and Honorary Colonel Cameron Buchanan, former R-M-S Hugh Odonell, former Honorary Colonel Bob Vandewater and the family of Tom, Lesley De Nardi, Mirella De Nardi, Lachlan De Nardi, who are the guests of the honourable member for Tuxedo (MLA Compton), and we welcome you here today.
And also seated in the public gallery, we have with us today Reverend Ismael Damasco, Wilam [phonetic] Gaburno, Franklin Gaburno, Elizabeth Salangsang, Charito Mangilot [phonetic], Clarita Mangilot [phonetic], Rosalie Mangilot [phonetic], Anyden Galang, Josephine Dela Cruz, who are guests of the honourable member for Burrows (Mr. Brar), and we welcome you here today.
Mr. Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): I want to recognize everyone. It's nice to see a packed Chamber today.
Honourable Speaker, yesterday I stood in this House and called on the Premier to stop playing political games and for the Premier to support the member for Tyndall Park's (MLA Lamoureux) bill and pass a bill that would help children with disabilities–fighting–learning disabilities.
Now I'm calling on the Premier to do the same thing with Bill 203, The Earlier Screening for Breast Cancer Act. Just like yesterday's bill, the NDP supported this bill at second reading. Experts support it. Other provinces are doing it, and the Minister of Health supports it.
So will the NDP support the PCs, once again, and call Bill 203, The Earlier Screening For Breast Cancer Act, today so Manitoban women will have access to early breast cancer screening, yes or no?
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Honourable Speaker, when we look at the information that gets released about the terrible affliction that is cancer, we know that breast cancer is among the most deadly for people here in Manitoba. And we all have stories about how we've been impacted.
That's why our Minister of Health has taken a leadership role to lower the age at which people will be screened in Manitoba. By the end of this year, I'm happy to share with the House, it'll be 45, and it'll be 40 by next year.
For the members opposite, however, they're trying to take credit from a Liberal member's bill. It was actually the Liberal member for Tyndall Park (MLA Lamoureux) who brought forward Bill 225, our Education minister happy to work together.
The one folk who are not happy to work together? It's the PC opposition. Bill 48 is going to take people struggling from meth off of the streets, where they're harming themselves and others, and put them into a sobering centre.
The members opposite are trying to grandstand and they're playing political games, and it could make streets less safe in Manitoba–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Khan: The Premier just said that he supports this, so why won't he bring it forward? If his Health minister is already going to lower the age to 40 by the end of this year, then why not support Bill 203? It's political games.
The Premier cannot put his own ego aside and do what's best for Manitobans. There's a bill before this House, Bill 203, that would lower the age for breast screening in this province to 40. The Premier says he supports it, the Health minister says they support it, and yet they won't bring this bill forward.
Why is the Premier letting his ego get in the way of helping Manitobans? Will he bring Bill 203 forward today, yes or no?
* (14:10)
Mr. Kinew: The member opposite can keep attacking me because it's not about me; it's about you, the people of Manitoba. And it's about getting things done, which is what our Minister of Health is doing, this year lowering it to 45, next year lowering it to 40. They're the ones who are playing games. They're the ones who are worried about the credit.
What they should be worried about, though, is the blame because who is going to be blamed if somebody's wilding out on meth on a street corner because they delayed Bill 48? It'll be the members opposite.
I'll table for the House a letter that our Government House Leader (MLA Fontaine) wrote to their House leader, sharing that we intend to keep sitting, starting on Monday, November 10, to continue the work of this Legislative session. Public safety is too important for playing games. Manitobans elected us to get things done. Let us pass Bill 48. Stop playing games.
The Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Khan: I will continue to attack this Premier and every failed policy he's brought forward, and that's everything in the last two years. I'm talking about lowering the age for breast cancer screening to 40.
We're not talking about meth heads here; we're talking about breast cancer, one of the most deadliest cancers in the world, and this Premier pivots to his talking points. Breast cancer–the Premier says he's going to support it. The Health Minister says–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order.
Mr. Khan: –they're going to support it.
Why won't the Premier stand up today and say that he's going to bring Bill 203 forward? [interjection]
The Minister of Families (MLA Fontaine) wants to talk non-stop. [interjection]
The Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.
The honourable Minister of Families will come to order. I can't hear what's being said.
Mr. Khan: It's a shame that the Minister of Families wants to just continue to yell when I'm talking about breast cancer screening in this province.
Will the Premier commit today to bringing Bill 203 forward and lowering the age for breast cancer screening to 40, yes or no?
Mr. Kinew: Yes, we are lowering breast cancer screening ages, and, yes, we are building the CancerCare headquarters, which is one of the first things that the PCs cut when they formed government in 2016.
I do, however, want to draw your attention, Honourable Speaker, to a really shameful thing that the member opposite just said, and it's not the comment about meth heads. It's actually that he's delaying Bill 48 because of me.
Bill 48 is about the chief of police. It's about the mayor. It's about you who want your kid to be able to walk home safely from school, who want our grandparents to be able to go the grocery store without having to encounter somebody who's wilding out because they're in the grips of meth psychosis.
If this is really about me, hey, I'll leave. I'll wait in the hallway while we vote on this bill. But the reality is this: The people of Manitoba have asked for real, concrete steps to stamp out meth addiction. Bill 48 is here. We're building the facilities to back it up. Police are asking for it. Mayors are asking for it. If they're delaying it because of me, hey, I'll–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a new question.
Mr. Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): Manitobans saw for their own eyes everything this Premier does is to make you think one thing, but he says and does something very different. I'm asking about breast cancer screening. He's talking about Bill 48. The Premier will not answer a question when he's asked point-blank.
The Premier now advocates for prison violence and thug street justice. This is not leadership. This is not a serious premier. No one will argue that sexual predators, those that take advantage of children, need to be dealt with with the harshest penalties. Bury them under the prison, like the Premier says, release to the general population or invoke some sort of thug street code justice.
But this Premier is being asked today for real solutions. He's being asked to show real leadership.
Will the Premier stop with the theatrics and call on the Prime Minister to invoke the notwithstanding clause to keep these vile predators in jail, yes or no?
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Honourable Speaker, the member opposite's soft on crime. I came in here and I spoke clearly yesterday; he goes out in the hallway and says, oh, take it easy; we got to take it easy.
I will never take it easy when it comes to our kids. This is keeping Manitoba children safe. And that's why we have to pass Bill 48 because Bill 48 will give law enforcement the tools to be able to take somebody in the grips of meth psychosis off of the streets and put them in a sobering centre. It will take somebody who's wilding out on methamphetamines out of the emergency room at Health Sciences Centre and put them in a sobering centre. That will allow police officers to get back to work in the community instead of babysitting people in the waiting room. This is something that is absolutely essential. This is a–very kind of public safety thing people have asked us here to do.
So we're not going to take a break at the end of the week like the members opposite want. We're not going to prorogue the House. We're going to keep coming back here, and keep coming back until every single one of the PCs speaks to this bill–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Khan: If the Premier thinks he's such a tough guy, why won't he call the Prime Minister and say, hey, use the notwithstanding clause to protect children? He won't do that. He'll go out of the Chamber and he'll say everything that he thinks Manitobans and Canadians want to hear, but he won't use the words notwithstanding.
Every other Conservative leader in the country, we've said it on this side of the House–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order.
Mr. Khan: –Premier Doug Ford said it, Premier Danielle Smith has said it and federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has said it. But this Premier won't say it. Won't he say it? Because maybe he knows he made a big mistake with Bill 50. With one side of his mouth, he's saying use the notwithstanding clause; on the other one, he's not.
So will the Premier come clean today and say, will he call the Prime Minister and ask him to invoke the notwithstanding clause to protect children?
Mr. Kinew: Honourable Speaker, I'd like to table for your consideration the 1999 Throne Speech. This was Gary Doer's first Throne Speech in government, and I quote: "Additionally, the Manitoba government will continue to urge the federal government to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that federal laws prohibiting the possession of child pornography remain enforceable–including, if there is absolutely no other alternative, resorting to the 'notwithstanding clause' in our Constitution. While Manitobans recognize that resorting to this provision should only be made in the most extreme circumstances"–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –"we believe that the protection of our most vulnerable population, our children, is one such circumstance." End quote.
There you go. That's been our position for more than a quarter of a century. We're not new to this; we're true to this. They'll say whatever they want when it comes to public safety and then come here and gum up the works.
Stand down now, pass Bill 48, make the streets safer and let's get a handle on meth addiction.
The Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Khan: Great. So now we know where Gary Doer stands, but we don't know where this Premier stands. For some reason, the words notwithstanding are allergic to–for him to say when it comes to protecting children, Honourable Speaker.
With one phrase, this Premier says, and I quote, I'll table it for the Premier: We have the ability to use the notwithstanding clause. End quote. But then in this very same Chamber on October 29, he says, and I quote: That's why we've committed that we will never use the notwithstanding clause during our time in government. End quote.
Who said that, Honourable Speaker? This Premier said that. He says he's going to use it; he says he's going to not use it.
So let's clear the record; let's clear the air today: Will the Premier call Prime Minister Mark Carney and ask him to invoke the notwithstanding clause so that we can protect children in this province, yes or no?
Mr. Kinew: The PCs are soft on crime, and it's a shame. If anyone is involved in images of sexual abuse of children, they deserve to be buried under the jail, under the prison. If somebody is out on the streets causing chaos for grandma or for your kids because they're high on meth, they need to be taken off the streets.
That's what Bill 48 is about. They come in here and they want to give a round of applause for one another and say law and order this, law and order that. Put your money where your mouth is and pass Bill 48 now.
This is about keeping people safe. You want to clip something on social media? Clip the footage of you folks blocking Bill 48 which will make communities safer. It will make Brandon safer. It will make Souris safer. It will make Winnipeg safer. It will make the Interlake safer. It will make Pembina Valley safer. It will make Headingley safer. It will make Carman safer.
Everybody watching: none of them make eye contact–
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The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli): Honourable Speaker, it's been more than seven and a half months since the tragic death of Dean Switzer. His family and neighbours called 911 more than 20 times and could not get connected. The system failed, and his family and friends remain devastated.
After all this time, can the minister now stand in this House and say that Manitoba's 911 system is truly reliable?
Hon. Mike Moroz (Minister of Innovation and New Technology): As I've stated before in this House and will again, we extend our deepest condolences to the Switzer family. We have been, since the beginning of this conversation, been committed to working with our partners at all levels of government. We've continued to be concerned that the member continues to politicize this very tragic issue.
We've acted. We wrote the CRTC. We've gotten action on our advocacy. The report outlining that advocacy is available online. I encourage the member to read it.
The Speaker: The honourable member for Interlake-Gimli, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Johnson: I will have the minister take note that I'm not politicizing this. The Switzer family is watching today and they're looking for answers.
It's seven and a half months that has passed since Dean Switzer's family did everything right. They called for help again and again. But the call never reached dispatch.
Manitobans deserve to know that when they call 911 that someone will answer.
Can the minister tell Manitobans today how many 911 calls are still failing to connect and how many families remain at risk of the same failure.
MLA Moroz: Again, it's deeply concerning that the member, in spite of his protestations, continues to politicize this issue.
We've written the CRTC. We've been working with them since the beginning, since first hearing about the tragic situation. Members opposite used that opportunity to politicize the issue rather than dealing with it. They did have seven and a half years in which they were in charge of the file, made no progress on the issue, yet continued to complain about the fact that the answers that they want aren't available yet.
The member opposite didn't get the job done. He's not getting it done now in opposition, either.
Call for Public Inquiry
Mr. Johnson: The Switzer family is still waiting for answers. They have asked for accountability, not blame, for assurance that no one else has to go through what they did.
If the minister does not have answers, maybe after seven of–a half months of reflection, has the minister changed his mind and will he now commit to a full, independent inquiry into the technical aspects of Manitoba's 911 system? If he doesn't have the answers, surely the minister could do that.
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Honourable Speaker, if the Switzer family is watching, I feel compelled to offer my sincere condolences on behalf of the Province of Manitoba. I'm very sorry for your loss and I think everybody with a beating heart in Manitoba who's heard the details of this situation know that it's not right and they want better; they want better when it comes to connectivity and they want better when it comes to response times.
Here at the provincial level we've been working very hard to hire up more paramedics and to ensure that the first responders have the support that they need to succeed. I can tell you that I have personally raised this issue with the federal minister, Mélanie Joly. She is relatively new to the post after the last federal election, but she committed to me that there would be follow-up on this issue, and this question in question period today is a timely reminder that we need to continue to push for better standards from the CRTC when it comes to coverage for rural Manitobans.
Impact of Centralization on Clients and
Staff
Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): Earlier this year, the NDP government made a big mistake, and Manitobans are still paying the price. They decided to centralize home-care scheduling services that had been located in community offices into an office in downtown Winnipeg. They did this despite front-line home-care staff warning them that this would cause chaos.
In fact, when we brought these front-line workers' concerns to the floor of the Legislature, the Minister of Health told us we were wrong and said that we were fear mongering.
Will the minister confirm for the House what I've heard from front-line staff just today, that, in fact, scheduling services have not been returned to the community offices and are still centralized downtown?
Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): Home-care services are fundamentally important across our province.
You know, Manitoba actually used to set the gold standard for home care in the country, and that was before seven and a half years of the PCs cutting and essentially dismantling home-care services and refusing to staff up that service. Our government has worked very hard in recent months to understand home care and how we can support them in strengthening that service for Manitobans.
I'm happy to report that after having two of our ADMs on the front lines for well over a month–about a month and a half–working with a table of those front-line providers, we've brought forward a number of recommendations that we're implementing as we speak.
The Speaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a supplementary question.
Mrs. Cook: No answer from the minister on whether they've kept their promise and actually returned those scheduling staff to community offices.
And over the last several months, I've spoken personally with dozens and dozens of home-care clients and home-care workers, all who have said the same thing: the NDP's decision to forge ahead with this change resulted in missed visits, cancellations, situations where clients were left in absolutely inhumane conditions for hours or days at a time and staff leaving in droves because it was so demoralizing to not be able to provide the kind of care they know their clients need.
In recent weeks, I've continued to talk with those front-line workers, and the news isn't good. They've told me that this government hasn't yet been able to undo all the damage they caused earlier this year, and that scheduling remains a disaster.
Can the minister tell the House–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
MLA Asagwara: What I can tell that member is that we've been working directly with the direct service workers. We've been working with the nurses, the unions. They sat at the table with us to actually address the concerns of the rollout of an initiative that was actually the result of a report commissioned under the previous government because of their failure to make sure that they were strengthening home care.
So we've been working with these direct support workers, with these nurses, with the unions and with folks on the ground, to implement changes, to modernize the home-care sector, including digitally. So there's a lot of work that we've done to improve the scheduling.
Happy to say that all the staff who signed up for those changes were in full support. It's been rolled out successfully. But there's a ton more work that needs to happen. There's much–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable member for Roblin, on a final supplementary question.
Mrs. Cook: I've spoken this week with multiple front-line home-care staff who told me they have multiple clients who have been assessed for home-care services, and those clients have been waiting upwards of 100 to 200 days to be seen by a home-care worker. They've been assessed, their files have been sent to scheduling and they are still waiting for care.
So I'll ask the Minister of Health, because they should have this information at their fingertips: How many home-care clients are waiting to be seen by a home-care worker, and how long have they been waiting?
MLA Asagwara: You know, the changes that we've implemented in conjunction with working with the people who deliver this home-care service–many of which have actually been home-care workers for decades, and I want to thank them for sitting down at the table and working with our government to bring solutions forward–resulted in cancellations being cut in half. We know there's more work to do; the response times on calls being reduced to as low as under two minutes–we know there's more work to do; and making sure that staff are working in geographical areas that they are familiar with.
Again, we know that this program needs a lot of investment, a lot of support; didn't have it for seven and a half years under the PCs. We're going to work with the front lines to continue to improve this service for Winnipeggers and rural Manitobans.
Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Honourable Speaker, we're seeing day in and day out how this NDP government is failing the economy, and today is no different. Recent numbers from the government's own Public Accounts report show several troubling trends.
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In the last year, Manitoba's economy grew slower than every other province in our country, while at the same time, this government posted one of the largest deficits in our history. Part of our decline, according to a study by Deloitte, was a significant drop in private sector investments. The reason? This minister's failure on tariffs and his government's endless red tape.
Can the minister explain why, under his leadership, companies no longer want to invest in Manitoba?
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
Hon. Jamie Moses (Minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation): Well, I'm happy to be a–get a chance to respond to this, Honourable Speaker, because we know that the business community has been left behind because of the poor decision making of the former, failed PC government which, over the last seven and a half years, did nothing to spark any economic growth and had us falling behind when it came to our GDP.
Now, in the last two years, we've reversed that trend. In 18 months, we got–we stood up and were–I was there in Lynn Lake where we did the groundbreaking for a brand new gold mine here in Manitoba: a billion‑dollar investment in our economy.
When tariffs were attacking our economy, what did members opposite do? They thanked Donald Trump. Instead, us, we supported manufacturing; in fact, are happy to announce we're taking the PST off of equipment for–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable member for La Vérendrye, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Narth: Honourable Speaker, this minister's wanting to take credit for what he didn't do, but the facts are right here in plain sight. The real GDP growth in '24-25 was just 1.1 per cent, well below the national average. Our exports fell by 4.3 per cent in 2024, and exports to the US dropped by double that.
The only sector growing under this Premier (Mr. Kinew) is the government. Government spending has grown at an average annual rate of 5.3 per cent under this failed NDP government. GDP growth, 1.1; government, 5.3.
How does this government expect us to magically become a have province when they're not investing–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
Mr. Moses: Honourable Speaker, we know the threats of tariffs from the United States and from China are having real impacts on our economy. That's why it's so concerning.
We hear members opposite 'thingal'–do things like thank Donald Trump for his tariffs and kowtow to his policies. That's such a mistake when it comes to supporting our economy.
On this side of the House, instead, Honourable Speaker, we support manufacturers, we support our exporters by doubling our export support program, making sure more companies have the resources to reach markets around the world.
On top of that, Honourable Speaker, we're proud to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and that means we're supporting more Manitobans to get good jobs right here, locally. That's how we grow our economy, that's how we make sure Manitoba's going to be right on top of the map in the entire country.
The Speaker: The honourable member for La Vérendrye, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Narth: Honourable Speaker, with no investment coming into our province, Manitobans are asking the question: Where's the money going to be coming from? Well, I have the answer, Honourable Speaker. It's coming from Ottawa.
Honourable Speaker, 33.3 per cent–that's a full one third of the money that comes into this province–comes from transfer payments from the federal government. Here's what the Free Press had to say: That makes the Premier's (Mr. Kinew) rhetoric about one day transforming Manitoba into a have province not just fanciful, but completely detached from reality.
When will this government come back to reality and actually do something to grow our economy?
Mr. Moses: Honourable Speaker, we are growing the economy here with one of the most affordable pro vinces, one of the fastest job growth provinces and making sure we have one of the best unemployment rates in the entire country.
Members opposite don't know how to grow the economy; they don't even know how to manage the books by the fact that they ran up the tab before they left office and left us with a $2-billion deficit. The one thing the business community is united around is making sure that we have safe communities.
And so I would urge members opposite to take the opportunity today to support Bill 48 that actually provides a safe community for Manitobans and for the business community, to make sure we protect our people here in Manitoba and support our growing and vibrant community for businesses and all Manitobans.
Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): Honourable Speaker, Manitoba's economy is in shambles, and Manitoba families are struggling to make ends meet. Half of Manitobans are within $200 of bankruptcy. We have the worst GDP growth within the country, and youth unemployment is up, all under this NDP government.
Yet the NDP have broken their promise to lower grocery prices, inflation and cost of living. Yet they're still planning on ramming through hundreds of millions of dollars in additional taxation on education property taxes and income taxes.
Will this minister stop his sneaky tax hikes so Manitobans can finally afford their groceries again?
Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): Honourable Speaker, we're making life more affordable for Manitobans. We're doing that work every single day. We started out, of course, by curbing out-of-control inflation that the members–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order.
MLA Sala: –opposite left for Manitobans before they ran away from the controls of government. We ended up bringing in a hydro rate freeze, of course, that's making life more affordable; a Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit; a broad middle-class tax cut.
We are doing the work, making life more affordable. We brought in 25 ways to save with the last budget. Members opposite made life harder year over year. We're going to keep doing the work of lowering costs.
The Speaker: The honourable member for Midland, on a supplementary question.
Mrs. Stone: Perhaps the minister has forgotten, but Manitoba has the highest inflation last month within the entire country. We also are talking about grocery inflation, which has been trending upwards since April of 2024.
This means the NDP has been failing and broken their promise to lower grocery prices. Prices are up. Orange juice is up 10 and a half per cent, coffee is up almost 30 per cent, ground beef is up almost 20 per cent and cucumbers up over 8 per cent.
While grocery prices go up, the NDP are raising taxes on Manitoba families by hundreds of millions of dollars by stopping indexation on income taxes and jacking up education property taxes. They are taking more money out of Manitoba's pockets when Manitobans are struggling.
Why should Manitobans ever trust this–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
MLA Sala: Honourable Speaker, we brought in a broad middle-class tax cut that is putting thousands of dollars back into the pockets of Manitobans. We're making life better and we're working to make life safer, like with Bill 48.
The members opposite stand in here every day and they block progress on making Manitoba safer. We know that we have individuals on the streets of this province right now that need help, that need support. We know that we need to make Manitoba safer by ensuring that individuals struggling with meth addiction can get the help that they need.
Who's standing before Manitobans getting to move that ball forward and making sure that Manitobans are safer? The members opposite. Will they get on board and finally support Bill 48?
The Speaker: The honourable member for Midland, on a final supplementary question.
Mrs. Stone: The NDP promised two years ago that they would lower grocery prices. Perhaps the minister hasn't walked into a grocery store lately, where you have $11 for a pack of lettuce and $6 for a jug of milk. Does that sound affordable to this minister?
They said that by 2025 there would be consequences, but now, here we are. Grocery prices are up by 4 per cent, cost of living is skyrocketing and half of Manitobans are $200 away from bankruptcy.
Will the minister today stand up and admit to struggling families that they have broken just yet another promise?
MLA Sala: We're supporting families, Honourable Speaker. Again, right out of the gate, we brought in our gas tax cut, we brought in a hydro rate freeze. We're doing the work of making life more affordable and improving this province.
Members opposite continue to stand in the way of our government doing that important work of making Manitoba a better place, namely with their refusal to move forward with Bill 48.
We know that the members opposite have absolutely no grounds, no grounds of any kind, to be stopping this bill from moving forward. They have no basis for that.
Will the members opposite finally decide today to get on the side of Manitobans, start making this province a safer place and support Bill 48?
MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Honourable Speaker, everyone in the House knows how important the arts are, and we know that art doesn't just happen. It is an effort filled with incredibly hard work and emotion.
According to Probe Research, 85 per cent of Manitobans say that a vibrant arts scene in our province is critical to supporting a healthy community. Economically, the arts generate over 20,000 jobs and $1.75 billion in revenue for our province.
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Today is the annual arts and culture day here at the Legislature, and members want to know if the government has further plans or timeline to increase the annual arts, culture and heritage operating funding budget.
Hon. Nellie Kennedy (Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism): I'd like to thank the member for the question.
Everyone knows that arts plays a vital role in the well‑being of Manitobans. The arts, including culture, really speaks to the well‑being of who we are as a province and how we spend our time and how we really see ourselves as Manitobans. We have beautiful arts within this beautiful province that we have.
I mean, earlier this year, I went to Nuit Blanche, which is just an incredible festival and opportunity for people to get out in Winnipeg and enjoy the arts, and I'm looking so forward to meeting with the arts organizations, where I do that often, and–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable member for Tyndall Park, on a supplementary question.
MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Honourable Speaker, the arts make a difference. They lead essential conversations and create wonder through creativity and connection. The arts celebrate our identities as Manitobans and they can improve the quality of our lives.
We see how evident this is every day in both the mental and physical health of people. Honourable Speaker, as the government is aware, art therapy helps people of all ages dealing with issues like anxiety, depression and trauma.
Is the government willing to invest in better mental health outcomes for Manitobans and how do they plan to do this through the arts?
Hon. Nellie Kennedy (Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism): I thank the member again for that question.
It's true that the arts has a really beautiful way of improving our well‑being including our mental health. Spending time doing things that we love, feeling as though we belong and have an outlet to enjoy music and culture is something that really does benefit Manitobans.
And we know that culture is also a really powerful economic driver, and that means we are able to have employment opportunities and wealth throughout our province. And this really makes Manitoba one of the places that I think that people across Canada really want to live and be a part of. And–
The Speaker: Member's time has expired.
The honourable member for Tyndall Park, on a final supplementary question.
MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Honourable Speaker, the arts and culture sector creates jobs and tax revenue. But more than that, it connects us to others whether it be through music, plays, photography, movies, painting, festivals and other cultural events. For every $1 that is invested into the arts, $10 is generated. That benefits our province in terms of economic returns, jobs and tourism.
A gradual increase of 5 per cent per year over 10 years would go a long way in supporting healthy communities, artists, workers, tourism and our province at large.
Is this government considering this specific request being made by Manitobans for the Arts?
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Meaning and beauty, that's what art brings to this world. And that's what art allows us to reflect on. We are blessed in this province with amazingly talented, artistic geniuses and we're happy to work with Manitobans for the Arts, the arts council, the performing arts organizations, the grassroots creators out there, to make Manitoba a better place.
We're very proud to increase operating grants for the first time in forever, basically. And we'll be there to continue working with artists across Manitoba. Just like we were there to work with the member for Tyndall Park earlier today, and pass her bill into law.
And just like we're asking the members opposite to do the right thing and pass Bill 48 now. Let's make Manitoba safer. Beautiful art everywhere, people getting treatment who need it and a province that everyone is proud of.
MLA JD Devgan (McPhillips): Honourable Speaker, our government introduced Bill 48 to get people who are a danger to themselves and the community off the streets and into medical care. We've been working closely with doctors, police, fire, paramedics and the mayor, who all agree that we need this legislation right now. Even the leader of the PCs said he was in favour of it, but now he refuses to pass it.
The PCs are playing political games with people's lives and with public safety. It's almost as if they want to see more meth-fueled violence on our streets.
Can the minister tell the House how our government is going to ensure Bill 48 passes this session?
Hon. Bernadette Smith (Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness): Manitobans want safer streets. They want people to get the medical support that they need. And they want us to stamp out meth addiction in our province.
Our government will not allow PC political games to get in the way of public safety. That's why yesterday we made it clear: we will sit until Bill 48 passes.
When we asked the PCs to sit late so that they can debate their amendments, the member for Portage la Prairie (MLA Bereza) said, and I quote, absolutely, end quote. But when the time came to live up to that promise, the PCs cut debate short.
So we're not asking anymore. We'll pass this bill because it's in the greater interest of Manitobans. We want it to keep our communities safer and get the people the medical support that they need.
Will the PCs pass Bill 48–
The Speaker: Member's time is expired.
Mr. Josh Guenter (Borderland): Honourable Speaker, this NDP government is taking us backwards, not forwards.
In the last year, Manitoba's economy grew slower than every other province in Canada, while at the same time, this Premier hosted one of the largest deficits in Manitoba history.
Our construction industry is 3,000 workers short, and this NDP government is bottlenecking growth for those who want to join the trades with their one-to-one apprenticeship ratio.
How does the NDP government expect the economy to grow when they are actively working to shrink the labour market?
Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): You know, we'll never suck up to the Trump administration like the member opposite and his team.
It was a day one year ago, after Trump was elected in fact, where he said: Ronald Reagan said it best. Morning is here in America. Which is why I had Donald–or, Doug Ford's back when it came to those Reagan ads.
But while they're cozying up to the Trump administration, we're here working for you. Happy to report there were 97 more construction electrician apprentices last year, 89 more plumber apprentices, 56 more power electrician apprentices and the list goes on and on and on.
I will quote the great Nikola Tesla who once said: We are all one. Only egos, beliefs and fears separate us.
On this side of the House, we know that we are all one. On that side of the House, it's only egos, beliefs and fears.
The Speaker: The time for oral questions has expired.
Introduction of Guests
The Speaker: And I have some more guests in the gallery that I would like to introduce.
Seated in the public gallery, from France, we have Jacques Millet, who's a guest of the honourable member for St. Boniface (MLA Loiselle).
And we welcome you here today.
Mr. Obby Khan (Leader of the Official Opposition): I wish to present the following petition.
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 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.
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Other provinces have taken steps to strengthen bail enforcement, but has not used all the available tools to address the 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.
(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 was signed by Bernice Simpson, Tom Turnbull, Elizabeth McCormish and many, many, many other Manitobans.
Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake-Gimli): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Highway 8 traverses Hecla Island for approximately 30 kilometres from the south where it crosses the causeway to the northern tip at Lindsay tower.
(2) Hecla Village Road should be a 10-kilometre lakeside journey–connects people to the history of the island, including its Icelandic heritage.
(3) Drivers are instead faced with a patchwork of broken pavement, collapsing shoulders, dust clouds that impede motorcycle traffic and gravel potholes that damage vehicles, all of which impact the quality of life of residents, businesses, visitors and tourists alike.
(4) Highway 8 and Hecla Village Road are vital to the economic and social well-being of Hecla Island. With the 150th anniversary of New Iceland occurring this year, the Province should be showcasing its heritage and history, not its infrastructure failings.
(5) Hecla Village Road is unique in that its location makes its repair and maintenance the responsibility of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change while Highway 8 is the responsibility of the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
(6) On May 18, 2023, the PC provincial government minister of natural resources and resource development, along with then minister of transportation and infant structure announced historic funding for the infrastructure repairs and upgrades to provincial parks.
(7) Provincial park infrastructure spending was significantly cut, with a reduction of 47 per cent in the '24-25 budget, and the '25-26 budget under the current provincial government also failed to return infrastructure to the previously announced 2023 spending levels.
(8) Highway 8 and Hecla Village Road have become extremely dangerous, unsafe and have deteriorated to a state that disrespects residents, businesses, visitors, tourists and truly embarrasses the province as a whole.
We petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:
To urge the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure to immediately allocate funding to rebuild Highway 8 at Hecla Village Road to ensure that they are safe, dependable, well maintained and restored to a condition that will not deter tourists.
This petition is signed by Liz Young, Jill Young, Iris Griffin and many, many other Manitobans.
Mr. Rick Wowchuk (Swan River): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
These are the reasons for this petition:
(1) Upgrading Provincial Trunk Highway 45 will accelerate economic development, as it will enhance connectivity, facilitate efficient transportation and 'pronote'–promote economic growth in the region.
(2) Economic development will be further enhanced as improved road infrastructure attracts businesses, encourages investment and creates job opportunities.
(3) Roads meeting the Roads and Transportation Association of Canada, RTAC, standards improve both safety and efficiency, as they can handle heavier loads, reducing the number of trips required for goods transportation.
(4) Safer roads further benefit both communities and commercial vehicles, minimizing accidents and damage.
(5) Upgrading to RTAC standards ensures resilience to challenges caused by climate change, such as thawing and flooding, which negatively impact road conditions.
(6) Efficient transportation networks contribute for Manitoba's economic competitiveness, as upgraded roads support interprovincial and international goods movement, benefiting both trade and commerce.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure to take the necessary steps to upgrade Provincial Trunk Highway 45 from Russell to Provincial Trunk Highway 10 to meet RTAC standards.
This petition has been signed by Kurtis Nychuk, Neil Carson, Michael Pryzner and many, many, many other Manitobans.
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Mr. Jeff Wharton (Red River North): 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 of 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.
(5) 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 from air–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 is signed by Dianne Harper, Doreen Dorhan [phonetic], Darline Martin, and many, many more Manitobans.
Thank you.
Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): Honourable Speaker, I wish to present the following petition.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) La Salle is the largest urban centre in the RM of Macdonald with a population of over 2,600. The community members are active in establishing facilities and infrastructure that will meet the needs of a rapidly growing urban centre.
(2) La Salle is one of Manitoba's fastest growing communities, having grown over 60 per cent since 2016, as an–and is an attractive place for commuters who work within the Winnipeg city limits.
(3) Provincial Road 247 is frequently used by buses, parents and new drivers, at is–as it is the fastest and most direct route for Sanford Collegiate students from La Salle to get to and from school.
(4) La Salle and PR 247 can be dangerous to travel, as it is located in a well‑developed agricultural area, leading semi-trucks, large farm equipment and machinery to use the narrow roadway.
(5) Most recently, in 2020, 17‑year‑old Chloe Boyle lost her life travelling down the road to school, tragically losing control on the loose gravel. Previously, there were several collisions that occurred on PR 247, causing damages and non‑fatal injuries.
(6) Due to the active nature of this roadway, it is needing more maintenance to deal with loose gravel and large potholes caused by the daily wear and tear of drivers and equipment, leading to dangerous driving conditions, especially in wintertime.
(7) There are local online groups with over 2,000 members dedicated to inquiring about the roadway conditions of PR 247 and 330, posting 'consisilently'–consistently and asking for updates or sharing issues that are happening that may affect families and their young drivers.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
(1) To urge the provincial government to assist in paving Provincial Road 247 to La Salle from Manitoba Highway 3;
(2) To urge the provincial government to ensure the safety of local residents and young drivers who use Provincial Road 247 from La Salle so that they have a safe way to access education year round.
This is been signed by Crystal Malenko, Helen Denhard, Ten [phonetic]–Ted Denhard and many, many more Manitobans.
Mrs. Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods): Honourable Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Provincial Trunk Highway 34 is a two-lane provincial primary highway that runs from the US border where it meets with ND 20 to PTH 16 at the town of Gladstone.
(2) PTH 34 runs north-south in the south-central region of the province. It is the main highway for the towns of Crystal City, Pilot Mound and Holland, serving as a main corridor for the semi-trailers, farm equipment, daily drivers and local school bus routes.
(3) A new bridge is currently being constructed over the Assiniboine River at PTH 34, north of Holland, in the RM of Victoria. The bridge serves as an important north-south link over the Assiniboine River between the Trans-Canada Highway and PTH 2.
(4) The deterioration of PTH 34 has raised major concerns due to its narrow shoulders and numerous deep potholes that pose serious safety risks considering farmers often need to use the highway to transport heavy equipment.
(5) Construction of a new bridge in accordance current design codes and the RTAC standard, located on PTH 34 crossing the Assiniboine River, will support trade and commerce and improve public safety in the area, and also accommodate flood events on the Assiniboine River.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to address the conditions of Provincial Trunk Highway 34, making the necessary upgrades to RTAC standard and to resurface the road once the new bridge has been 'cleanet'–completed.
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This petition has been signed by Kim Klund [phonetic], Hazel Mayo, Jeanne Harris and many, many other Manitobans.
Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Turtle Mountain): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Provincial Trunk Highway 34, PTH 34, is a two-lane provincial primary highway that runs from the US border where it meets with ND 20 and PTH 16 at the town of Gladstone.
(2) PTH 34 runs north-south in the south-central region of the province. It is the main highway for the towns of Crystal City, Pilot Mound and Holland, serving as a main corridor for semi-trailers, farm equipment, daily drivers and local school bus routes.
Mr. Tyler Blashko, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair
(3) The new bridge is currently being constructed over the Assiniboine River at PTH 34, north of Holland, and is the RM of Victoria. The bridge serves as an important north-south link over the Assiniboine River between the Trans-Canada Highway and PTH 2.
(4) The deterioration of PTH 34 has raised major concerns due to its narrow shoulders and numerous deep potholes that pose serious safety risks considering farmers often need to use this highway to transport heavy equipment.
(5) The construction of a new bridge, in accordance with current design codes for the RTAC standard, located at PTH 34 crossing the Assiniboine River, will support trade and commerce and improve public safety in the area, and also accommodate flood events on the Assiniboine River.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to address the conditions of Provincial Trunk Highway 34, making the necessary upgrades to RTAC standards and to resurface the road once the new bridge has been completed.
This has been signed by Billy McIvor, Shanna Hapko, and Eric Doerksen, and many, many Manitobans.
Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): Good afternoon. 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) La Salle is the largest urban centre in the RM of Macdonald with a population of over 2,600. The community members are active in establishing facilities and infrastructure that will meet the needs of a rapidly growing urban centre.
(2) La Salle is one of Manitoba's fastest growing communities, having grown over 60 per cent since 2016, and is an attractive place for commuters who work within Winnipeg city limits.
(3) Provincial Road 247 is frequently used by buses, parents and new drivers, as it is the fastest and most direct route for Sanford Collegiate students from La Salle to get to and from school.
(4) La Salle and Provincial Road 247 can be dangerous to travel, as it is located in a well‑developed agricultural area, leading semi-trucks, large farm equipment and machinery to use the narrow roadway.
(5) Most recently, in 2020, 17‑year‑old Chloe Boyle lost her life travelling down the road to school, tragically losing control on the loose gravel. Previously, there were several collisions that occurred on Provincial Road 247, causing damages and non‑fatal injuries.
(6) Due to the active nature of this roadway, it is needing more maintenance to deal with loose gravel and large potholes caused by the daily wear and tear by drivers and equipment, leading to dangerous driving conditions, especially in wintertime.
(7) They are local online groups with over 2,000 members dedicated to inquiring about the roadway conditions of Provincial Road 247 and 330, posting consistently and asking for updates or sharing issues that are happening that may affect families and their young drivers.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, we petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
(1) To urge the provincial government to assist in paving Provincial Road 247 to La Salle from Manitoba Highway 3;
(2) To urge the provincial government to ensure the safety of local residents and young drivers who use Provincial Road 247 from La Salle so that they have a safe way to access education year round.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, this petition has been signed by Dylan Quilty, Luke Lovenjack, Dylan Bell and many other fine Manitobans.
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) Thanks to the investment made under our 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.
(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.
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(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.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, this petition has been signed by Brandwyn Kinnear, Vicki Cote, Roland Cote and many, many, many other fine Manitobans.
Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): I wish to present the following petition.
To the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Provincial Road 210, PR 210, is a 117.3 kilometre–72.8 mile–highway in the Eastman region of Manitoba that connects the towns and communities of Woodridge, Marchand, La Broquerie, Ste. Anne, Landmark, Linden, Île des Chênes and St. Adolphe.
(2) A significant portion of PR 210 also runs through the constituency of La Vérendrye.
(3) PR 210 is a significant commuting route for Eastman families and is also notably used by those in the agriculture, tourism, trade and commerce industries.
(4) The condition of PR 210 from Woodridge to Highway 12 is in an unacceptable state of disrepair.
(5) The planned pavement upgrade was promised more than 20 years ago when it was constructed with a flat surface suitable for pavement but has yet to be completed.
(6) The condition of PR 210 from Woodridge to Highway 12 is in such bad shape that firefighters, police and paramedic services are severely delayed when responding to emergencies.
(7) The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure as well as the Premier have a duty to respond to infrastructure needs identified by rural communities.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
(1) To urge the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure to prioritize the reconstruction of Provincial Road 210.
(2) To urge the provincial government to include the stretch of Provincial Road 210 from Woodridge to Highway 12 in its reconstruction plans.
This petition has been signed by Julianna Gagné [phonetic], Brent Bolin, Brenda Collins and many, many other Manitobans.
Mr. Trevor King (Lakeside): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
And the background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Due to evolving scientific evidence, the Canadian Cancer Society is now urging all provinces and territories to lower the starting age for breast screening to 40.
(2) Based off 2023 treatment standards, it is estimated that screening women annually for breast cancer starting at age 40 will save the Canadian health‑care system $460 million annually.
(3) After non-melanoma skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Canadian women. One in eight Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and one in 36 will die from it. This is 30,500 diagnoses and 5,500 deaths every year, and 84 diagnoses and 15 deaths every year–every day, sorry.
(4) Early detection of breast cancer will lead to better outcomes in patients, with better odds of survival and less severe cases. Women in their 40s who have access to mammograms have a 44 per cent lower mortality rate from breast cancer than those who don't receive screening.
(5) Every other province and territory in Canada has already lowered the breast cancer screening age, or announced their intention to do so. Other provinces in Canada have already commenced the work of expanding screening programs and hiring additional technologists into their public health-care system.
(6) Manitoba is currently behind the rest of the country and has no formal plan to increase its screening capacity or lower the breast cancer screening age.
(7) Lowering the breast cancer screening age to 40 in Manitoba will reduce long‑term costs to the health‑care system because cancers that are caught earlier are typically less complicated to treat.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to immediately put forward a plan to increase breast cancer screening capacity and lower the breast cancer screening age to 40.
This petition has been signed by Bob Straub [phonetic], Lydia Straub [phonetic] and J. Bezema [phonetic] and many, many other Manitobans.
Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker.
Mrs. Carrie Hiebert (Morden-Winkler): Honourable Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
(1) Beginning March 17, 2024, 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.
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(3) There have been reports of unsolicited introduction of medical assistance in dying to non-seeking persons, including Canadian veterans, as a sole–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 by–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 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 a–is the sole condition.
(2) To urge the provincial government to lobby the federal government to protect Canadians struggling with mental health–mental illness by facilitating treatment, recovery and medical assistance in living, not death.
This petition was signed by Deanna McCauley [phonetic]–McConnelly [phonetic], sorry, Joshua [phonetic]–Joanne Sinclair [phonetic] and Vic Funk and many other Manitobans.
Thank you.
Mr. Josh Guenter (Borderland): 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 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.
(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 petition has been signed by Marie Clearwater, Velma Sanders and Carol Cromarty–right on–and many, many, many Manitobans.
Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
And these are the reasons for this petition:
(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 imaging 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.
(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.
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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.
And honourable Deputy Speaker, this petition is signed by Maureen Bohm, Jim Bohm, Jason Marchinko and many other fine Manitobans.
Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): It's been a great pleasure to rise today and present this petition to the Legislative Assembly.
And the background to this petition is as follows:
(1) 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.
(8) Provincial leadership in other jurisdictions have already committed to removing the federal carbon tax from home heating bills.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, 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.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, this petition is signed by Jennifer Klann, Rob Klann, Don Zueff and many more fine Manitobans.
Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): I wish to present the following petition.
And the background to this petition is as follows:
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.
Because the school is now over capacity, the school division has had to install portable classrooms on site as of fall 2024.
For several consecutive years, the top capital priority of the St. James‑Assiniboia School Division has been the renovation and expansion of Phoenix School.
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.
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.
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.
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:
To urge the provincial government to proceed with the planned renovation and expansion of Phoenix School without further delay.
This petition is signed by Anabelle Lapuz, Alyanna Lapuz, Marlone Canto and many, many other Manitobans.
Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): I wish to present the following petition.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Children with disabilities often require child care beyond the age of 12. Children with disabilities aged 12 to 17 face a gap in publicly available care programs.
(2) The current adolescent care service model creates undue hardship on caregivers.
(3) While developing children may be entering into extracurricular activities, school clubs or spending time with friends independently, children with disabilities have reduced opportunities for such social and recreational opportunities due to the lack of spaces.
(4) The current self-managed adolescent care models place additional workloads onto already stressed families, requiring parents to seek all alternative options and prove their need for care.
(5) The current adolescent care system, as part of overall respite and support available to families, is failing families of children with disabilities, as identified in the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth's Bridging the Gaps report.
(6) To date, none of the nine recommendations it contains have been completed beyond 50 per cent.
(7) The recommendations in this report touch on many of the issues facing families, with adolescent care being but a small component of their overall needs.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
(1) To urge the provincial government to fully implement recommendations in the Bridging Gaps report.
(2) To urge the provincial government to immediately implement official policies and procedures that are more respectful and collaborative, which also minimize harm faced by families seeking help from Children's disABILITY Services.
(3) To urge the Minister of Families to arrange for a full review of employment supports provided by Children's disABILITY Services for children with disabilities aged 12 to 17, including direct consultation with impacted families and to explore a full spectrum of options to support families, empowering them to choose solutions that best fit their needs.
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This petition is signed by Jolene Walter, Graham Walter, Sherry Hinchliffe and many, many more Manitobans.
Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker.
MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): I wish to present the following petition.
The background of this petition–to this petition is as follows:
Thanks to the–(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 general health facility is well under way. The facility and surrounding community would greatly benefit from an 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 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.
(5) Located around Portage la Prairie are 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. 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 time 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 Janice Kelly, Betty Seaver, Rilee Wiebe and many, many more Manitobans.
Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker.
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) 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 yet used all the available tools to address this issue efficiently.
The provincial–(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 allows 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 and–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.
And, honourable Deputy Speaker, this petition was signed by Linda MacDonald, Carol [phonetic] Dawn Smith, Tracey Hales and many, many other fine Manitobans.
Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker: Grievances?
Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Could you please call report stage amendments for Bill 48, The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act, followed by calling the start of concurrence and third reading of Bill 48, The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act.
The Deputy Speaker: We will now move on to report stage amendments for Bill 48, The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act, followed by concurrence and third reading of Bill 48.
MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): I move, seconded by the member for Morden-Winkler (Mrs. Hiebert),
THAT Bill 48 be amended by adding the following after Clause 12(2):
Consultation
12(3) A regulation must not be made or amended under this Act until the minister responsible for this Act has provided an opportunity for public consultation about the proposed regulation or amendment. The consultation must be for a period of at least 45 days and include at least one public meeting with the minister.
* (16:00)
Regulation that designates protective care centre
12(4) In addition to the public consultation requirement, under subsection (3), a regulation that designates a facility or part of a facility as a protective care centre under clause (1)(c) must not be made until the minister responsible for this act publishes a plan that
(a) identifies the impacts of the proposed protective care senator–centre on the community in which the proposed centre is to be located; and
(b) proposes how to address these impacts.
The Deputy Speaker: So there was a slight mistake in the reading out, so I'd ask for leave for the amendment to be considered as written.
Is there leave? [Agreed]
THAT Bill 48 be amended by adding the following after Clause 12(2):
Consultation
12(3) A regulation must not be made or amended under this Act until the minister responsible for this Act has provided an opportunity for public consultation about the proposed regulation or amendment. The consultation must be for a period of at least 45 days and include at least one public meeting with the minister.
Regulation that designates protective care centre
12(4) In addition to the public consultation requirement under subsection (3), a regulation that designates a facility or part of a facility as a protective care centre under clause (1)(c) must not be made until the minister responsible for this Act publishes a plan that
(a) identifies the impacts of the proposed protective care centre on the community in which the proposed centre is to be located; and
(b) proposes how to address these impacts.
The Deputy Speaker: It has been moved by the member for Portage la Prairie and seconded by the member for Morden-Winkler,
THAT Bill 48 be amended by adding the following after Clause 12(2):
Consultation
12(3) A regulation must not be made or amended under this Act until the minister responsible for this Act has provided an opportunity for public consultation–dispense?–opportunity for public consultation about the proposed regulation or amendment. The consultation must be for a period of at least 45 days and include at least one public meeting with the minister.
Regulation that designates protective care centre
12(4) In addition to the public consultation requirement under subsection (3), a regulation that designates a facility or part of a facility as a protective care centre under clause (1)(c) must not be made until the minister responsible for this Act publishes a plan that
(a) identifies the impacts of the proposed protective care centre on the community in which the proposed centre is to be located; and
(b) proposes how to address these impacts.
The honourable member for Portage la Prairie.
Apologies. The amendment is in order.
MLA Bereza: I rise today to speak to the amendment I brought forward to Bill 48, The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act. This amendment speaks to one thing above all else: public consultation. It says quite simply that the government must listen to Manitobans before acting.
I'd like to point out before I go further that neither the Premier (Mr. Kinew) or the minister have risen to address any of these amendments. Before any regulation is made under this act and before any facility is designated as a protective-care centre, the minister must open a public consultation process for at least 45 days, must hold a public meeting and must publish a community impact plan showing how the new centre will affect the neighbourhood and how those impacts will be addressed. This is not radical; this is responsible government.
One of the concerns we see, and, again, the reason for this amendment, is over the last two days, the Premier has referred to, instead of protective-care units, as being sobering sites. I had the opportunity to speak to an RCMP officer last night, and he mentioned to me that a sobering site is no more–no more–than four walls with a door and a very small window, and that is no way to protect anyone's mental health.
Honourable Speaker, the need for this amendment arises from what has already gone wrong with Bill 48. Let's be honest about what's happened here. After the bill briefing, there was very little content. Members were told almost nothing but how protective-care centres would operate. The word sobriety centres I never heard once. Who would run them or where would they be located? I've never heard anything about rural Manitoba in this bill either.
Then, when Bill 48 went to committee, Manitobans were cut off over and over. They signed up to speak. They were there for over six hours and they were cut off, and their voices were never heard and have not been heard. This is not consultation, this is the opposite of a consultation.
Honourable Speaker, Manitobans deserve more than a headline; they deserve to understand what this new model of care means for their communities, their safety and for their loved ones. If the government won't provide that clarity up front, then this amendment will make sure they have to do it before any regulations are passed on any facility is–or any facility is designated.
This amendment adds two new subsections to section 12 of the bill. First subsection, 12(3), says that no regulations under this act can be made or amended until the public has had at least 45 days to provide feedback, including at least one public meeting with the minister present. That's what accountability is. The minister shouldn't be hiding behind closed doors; they should be in front of Manitobans answering their questions.
Second subsection, 12(4), says that before the government can designate a facility as a protective-care centre–not a sobriety centre–the minister must publish a plan identifying the community impacts: things like safety, accessibility, proximity to schools or residences, and explain how these will–these impacts will be addressed. It's a simple principle. You don't drop a new kind of detention and care facility into a neighbourhood without doing homework and talking to the people that live and work there.
Honourable Speaker, protective-care centres are not just ordinary facilities. They are places where people who are intoxicated will be detained, sometimes against their will, for their own safety. That is serious power. it must be exercised with care, transparency and oversight. And I must state again: are these sobriety centres or are these protective-care units? The question has never been answered.
This is a–communities have a right to know where these centres will be located, what kind of people will be brought there, how safety will be maintained, what services will be available and how government will mitigate any impacts on the surrounding area. Right now none of that information is available. This bill gives the minister unilateral powers to make those decisions not in front of us all here but behind closed doors.
This amendment changes that. It forces the government to face public before acting. If the government truly believes these centres will help people, then they should have no issue standing before Manitobans to explain how and why.
Honourable Speaker, this government's handling of Bill 48 has absolutely eroded public trust. The lack of detail at briefing, the decisions to limit presentations at committees: these are not small procedural errors. They send a message that the public input doesn't matter. But it does matter, because when you're talking about detaining people, even for care, even for safety, you must take extra care to bring all the people along.
Our amendment restores that trust. It ensures the next time the government moves forward with regulations or a facility designation, Manitobans are part of the process from day one. Honourable Speaker, public consultation isn't just about democracy; it's about practical outcomes.
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When communities are engaged early, they raise legitimate concerns about traffic, about safety, about access to social services, about partnerships with local agencies. Those are details that make or break a program like this. By requiring consultation and a community act–impact plan, we prevent avoidable conflicts. Consultation is not a delay; it's the foundation for success.
Honourable Speaker, our Progressive Conservative team supports the goal of helping intoxicated Manitobans find care instead of ending up in jail or an emergency room. But we cannot support a process that leaves the public in the dark, silences voices and hands unchecked power to the minister. This amendment brings back Bill 48 back to where it should've been from the start: rooted in transparency, accountability and respect for all Manitobans.
Before regulation is passed, talk to the people. Before a facility is designated, assess the impact and share it publicly. That's how you build trust. That is how you protect communities, and that is how you make sure this legislation actually works in practice, not just a paper exercise.
Honourable Speaker, I urge every member in this House to support this amendment, not for political reasons but because Manitobans deserve to be heard. They deserve to have a voice and they deserve to know the truth about how this law will affect their lives. If the government truly wants to move Bill 48 forward, this is the way to do it: with openness, with consultation, with respect and to be thinking about others.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, a sobering sight when we talk about methamphetamine poisoning, it can take between three and 10 days to be removed from the system. We're talking about 72 hours. There has been no talk of any mental health work being done over that time. Again, there is so many unanswered questions here. We must get this right.
Please, please, let's go after these amendments–
The Deputy Speaker: Member's time has expired.
Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Minister of Families): I'm pleased to put a couple of words on the record in respect of the member opposite's amendment to Bill 48, the final of three amendments.
When he started his 10 minutes just now, he said that, you know, we must listen to Manitobans. And I want to assure the member opposite, the member for Portage la Prairie (MLA Bereza), and every single member opposite in opposition, that we do listen to Manitobans, and that's why we brought forward Bill 48. Bill 48 is in–a direct result of what we've heard time and time again while we were in opposition and certainly while, obviously, we are in government.
And members opposite are actively blocking what Manitobans want. Manitobans want to ensure that individuals that are vulnerable and that are at risk have safe space, the supports and the services that they need to keep themselves safe, to keep the public safe, to keep Manitoba families safe. That's what Bill 48 is.
And so when members opposite, or when the member for Portage la Prairie gets up and says we need to listen to Manitobans, the only ones in this Chamber that need to listen to Manitobans are every single member opposite who are actively making $106,000 a year and–to do nothing–
An Honourable Member: Don't even get your math right.
MLA Fontaine: –to do nothing. And I know the member opposite, in his typical misogyny, wants to yell out that I don't understand math. That's fine; whatever. Let him continue to speak. But it will be on the permanent record that members opposite, while they're collecting a salary of $106,000, are sitting on their hands, and, like when they were in their failed government, bury their head in the sand and as–act as if the things that are going on on the streets are not happening. I don't see anything; I don't want to know anything. But what I will do is I will block the bill.
That's what they're doing. So they're collecting a significant salary to do nothing, to do absolutely nothing.
And I want to just acknowledge the Minister for Housing, Addictions and Homelessness. I take great exception to the member for Portage la Prairie standing up in this Chamber and saying that the minister actively blocked debate in standing committee. It's completely disingenuous and erroneous to put that on the record.
There's rules–there's rules to this Chamber. There's rules to the way that standing committee operates, and they operated–[interjection]
The Deputy Speaker: Order.
MLA Fontaine: –within the rules of standing committee.
And, in fact, while the member for Portage la Prairie has the audacity to get up and to put erroneous facts in respect to the minister on the record, she took abuse that whole night of standing committee. She took abuse over abuse over abuse.
And for the member to stand up to talk about an Indigenous woman, an Indigenous minister in this Chamber, not only that–and folks opposite can moan all they want–they can moan all they want–but to talk about the minister, the minister who was first elected in July of 2017, who, while her and I have served in this Chamber together–[interjection]–in fact, it does, if the member for La Vérendrye (Mr. Narth) would just be quiet and listen.
The minister responsible for addictions has lost several family members to overdose. And I know that members opposite think that's funny, and so it's completely disingenuous and disrespectful for any single member to get up and to question the commitment and dedication of the minister responsible who has lost members of her family to addiction.
In fact, there are many of us, including myself, who lost my own mother to addiction. And so to imagine these members getting up in the Chamber and feigning, pretending like they actually care for Manitobans that are struggling with addictions and pretending that they actually care where they go.
They don't care about these Manitobans. They just don't want them in their area. They don't care about these Manitobans and what happens to them because if they did, they would finish all of this amendment business, they would finish with the political theatrics, they would finish with their political games and they would support Bill 48.
And this is nothing new for members opposite. You know, they had an opportunity, for seven and half years when they were in government, to do right by Manitobans that are struggling with addictions. They had seven and a half years. They did nothing. They did nothing; they buried their head in the sand; they had multiple ministers that couldn't even really talk about the realities of the toxic drug supply in Manitoba because they just don't know. They just don't know and they just don't care.
And for members opposite to, you know, moan and get all upset across the way, as if I'm saying anything that they don't know is true and that we haven't said on the record previously. But they're showing Manitobans what they think and what they believe and how they feel about vulnerable Manitobans.
* (16:20)
Case in point is that during QP, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Fort Whyte (Mr. Khan), talked about Manitobans in one of his questions–I suppose, if that's what you can call it. He said–he called Manitobans struggling with addictions a meth head.
And that–and there it is. That's what the Leader of the Opposition thinks about Manitobans who are struggling with addictions. Degrading, disrespectful language about people that are struggling, the most vulnerable among Manitobans, that we have a responsibility, all of us that are elected, minister or not, in this Chamber to do what is in the best interest to make sure that they're safe, that they get the supports and the services that they need and that Manitobans are safe.
And so I think it's important for Manitobans to know that members opposite make $106,000 to do nothing, to block bills, to block very important bills that will ultimately save lives and keep Manitobans safe. That's what they're doing.
So I encourage members opposite to start thinking for themselves and to go back to their leader who, again–and the Premier (Mr. Kinew) said it–if the Leader of the Opposition is making this about the Premier, which is utterly ridiculous and just highlights how incredibly inapt he is to do his job, the Premier will leave. He won't be in the Chamber for the vote. If that's what it's going to take for members opposite to support Bill 48, the Premier will gladly sit outside the Chamber and let them vote.
If that's what it comes down to, that this Leader of the Opposition, this man lets his ego so much influence what he does–which, by the way, the Leader of the Opposition makes an additional, I think, 50 or 60 thousand dollars, so he's making, like, $160,000 to block legislation, to block legislation–
The Deputy Speaker: I'll encourage–order. I'll encourage the member to bring it back to the amendment.
MLA Fontaine: –to block legislation that is so important in the lives of Manitobans struggling with addiction and in the lives of Manitobans to keep Manitobans safe. If that's what it takes, if his ego needs the Premier to be outside the Chamber to support Bill 48, the Premier will do it.
So I encourage members to start earning their pay, stop sitting on their hands, stop burying their heads in the sand and actually do what they're elected to do, which is put the best interests of Manitobans and our province and support Bill 48.
Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): I–as an independent, I certainly have no stake in the partisan back and forth that goes on in this building, but I am deeply disappointed in the government because they're playing games. They're not–this has stopped being about Manitobans, and this is about the Premier's ego, him making these grandiose commitments, and he wants to share this at an NDP gala. And so he creates an artificial deadline, and he's trying to bully it through the Legislature.
And listening to the government on these amendments, instead of debating in good faith, instead of saying, you know what, we have better ideas than the opposite side and tell us why these amendments are bad, they haven't done that. In fact, the second amendment, they said they supported it, and they supported it so much they voted against it.
And this amendment, which is about consultation, and they say, well, we've consulted; we've consulted so much that's why we have this bill. They didn't even speak why this amendment was bad. So if the government loves consultation, if the government believes in consultation, then support this amendment.
But it's not about that. They're not arguing in good faith. I mean, it's a pretext, and there's incredibly disingenuous games being played on the other side.
So we had to sit through 10 minutes of the absolute most shameful grievance politics that you can imagine where the MLA from St. Johns refused to even engage in an intellectual debate and just rattled off, you know, various grievances that she has.
The Speaker in the Chair
Now, it's a shame because this amendment wouldn't have been necessary if the government had done the work and actually consulted with the community. Now, we heard at committee–every single presenter at committee, even the ones that were open to a jail in Point Douglas, was against this. And the reasons they stated was that this was too important to rush, that the work hadn't been done, the details could not be articulated by the government and still can't be articulated by the government. So the government wants to pass legislation that will create–open up new jails across Manitoba, and they do not want to have a discussion about it or be held to account.
That's a problem because the people of Point Douglas were never consulted. In fact, we know through the licensing section of the City of Winnipeg that this government has been planning this for a long time, that they had–I assume–spent millions on this facility at 190 Disraeli and nobody was told about it. Nobody was informed that this was coming. And then they come last minute with this bill and they create an artificial deadline; they create this artificial panic that somehow the world is going to end if Manitoba Legislature doesn't do its job properly, doesn't vet legislation properly and doesn't get it right.
Well, if you're confident about your ideas, if you are confident about what you're doing, you don't behave like that. You let the people of Point Douglas know for years or for months that this is coming, you go into the community, you find out what they're concerned about and you address it.
But we didn't see that. We didn't see, after the committee hearings, this government take any of the comments seriously, even the presenters who were actually warm to this idea. They had suggestions and none of it was incorporated by the government. The government didn't bring any amendments forward to address the concerns from the committee.
And then when the opposition brings forward what are actually pretty just, quite frankly, reasonable amendments that should have been the original draft of the bill–really not controversial at all; I mean, who's against accountability? Who's against, you know, consultation? But apparently this government is. Apparently, that's a step too far for this government.
But the government won't even respect Manitobans enough to state on the record why consultation is bad, why they're opposed to having Manitobans asked what they think of protective-care centres being placed in their neighbourhood.
And that's the point. It's very easy for the Premier (Mr. Kinew) to do this to other neighbourhoods, but you do not see the Premier suggesting that this protective-care centre be popped up next to his Crescentwood mansion. No.
But it is okay for this facility to be placed in the community of Point Douglas when they have spoken loudly, saying they do not want it, that they are tired of being a dumping ground for Manitoba's social problems, that they have enough to deal with, and they do not need more in that community, and the rest of the province has to share the burden and it shouldn't fall exclusively on the people of Point Douglas.
Yet this government has had no response; they've had absolutely no response to the people of Point Douglas, who said: hey, enough. They've not addressed their safety concerns. They haven't addressed the–and this is not a new situation, they have these facilities across the country, and we know that there are collateral consequences when you put these facilities into a neighbourhood, that it becomes a magnet for crime. The drug dealers are there to service a market, and they will come into a neighbourhood in order to serve where the addicts are.
We also know that if you do something as coercive as forcing somebody to abstain, that is incredibly dangerous, both on a health basis–that's what the psychiatrists and the doctors tell us–because 72 hours of forced abstention when you don't want to do it, you get released, you need to immediately find some source of drugs to deal with your drug sickness because you will need a fix right away in order to survive.
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It will become a life and death issue for you. You will be desperate, and you will do desperate things, and you will do things desperately in the most immediate surroundings, which is just outside the door of one of these jails. You will go into the neighbourhood and you will commit property crimes, or worse yet, commit violence, in order to get the resources to pay for the drug dealers to get that fix that you need because 72 hours is a long time to force an addict not to get what they would view as their medication.
And then you have the problem of you've now also brought in the criminal element into that community to service that client base, and there are further consequences to that community.
An Honourable Member: You're drifting to the right there, Mark.
Mr. Wasyliw: I–that's funny coming from the Justice Minister about who's on the right. The reality is–
The Speaker: Order, please, the honourable Minister of Justice (Mr. Wiebe).
Member for Fort Garry has the floor.
Mr. Wasyliw: The reality is, is that this government hasn't addressed the safety concerns of Point Douglas. They haven't examined them, they haven't put a plan in place, and the people of Point Douglas are concerned, and they have not been consulted.
So–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order, please.
The honourable Minister of Justice needs to come to order.
Mr. Wasyliw: Well, and I appreciate that, Honourable Speaker, and you'd see the Minister of Justice is ignoring you once again and showing his contempt for the Chair, and that's par for the course because this is the same minister who wants to ram through Bill 48, and is also showing contempt for the people of Point Douglas.
So this attitude seems to run deep with the front bench of this government, this general contempt for the people of Manitoba and for their views and their concerns and how hostile their reaction is when a simple amendment–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order.
Mr. Wasyliw: –a simple amendment requesting that the government be forced to seek out Manitobans' opinion becomes something that they are hostile to and actively going to fight and vote against.
And I think it will be very telling this afternoon when this amendment comes to a vote and all these ministers will stand up and show their true colours whether they respect the people of Point Douglas or not, whether they actually believe in consultation and whether or not they feel that they have a duty as MLAs to listen to Manitobans.
But the reality is this is a jail; this is not a health spa; this is not a treatment facility and nothing like that will take place there. We're talking about opening up another jail in the Point Douglas neighbourhood. That is extreme. Most reasonable people would say that if you were putting a jail–[interjection]
The Speaker: Order, please.
The honourable Minister of Justice, for the third time, needs to come to order.
Mr. Wasyliw: So it would be reasonable to have a say in whether a jail goes into your neighbourhood, whether it's next to your kids' child-care centre or whether it's next to your children's school.
The Speaker: The honourable member's time has expired.
Seeing no further speakers, is the House ready for the question?
An Honourable Member: Question.
The Speaker: The question before the House is the third report stage amendment to Bill 48, The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Some Honourable Members: Agreed.
Some Honourable Members: No.
The Speaker: I hear a no.
Voice Vote
The Speaker: All those in favour, please say aye.
Some Honourable Members: Aye.
The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.
Some Honourable Members: Nay.
The Speaker: I believe the Nays have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): I request a recorded vote, please.
The Speaker: A recorded vote has been requested. Please call in the members.
* (17:00)
The question before the House is the third report stage amendment to Bill 48, The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act.
Do members wish to have the amendment read?
Some Honourable Members: Agreed.
An Honourable Member: No.
The Speaker: That clause–
THAT Bill 48 be amended by adding the following after Clause 12(2):
Consultation
12(3) A regulation must not be made or amended under this Act until the minister responsible for this Act has provided an opportunity for public consultation about the proposed regulation or amendment. Consultation must be for a period of at least 45 days and include at least one public meeting with the minister.
Regulation that designates protective care centre
12(4) In addition to the public consultation requirement under subsection (3), a regulation that designates a facility or part of a facility as a protective care centre under clause (1)(c) must not be made until the minister responsible for this Act publishes a plan that
(a) identifies the impacts of the proposed protective care centre on the community in which the proposed centre is to be located; and
(b) proposes how to address these impacts.
Division
A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:
Ayes
Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Ewasko, Guenter, Hiebert, Johnson, Khan, King, Lamoureux, Narth, Nesbitt, Perchotte, Robbins, Stone, Wasyliw, Wharton, Wowchuk.
Nays
Asagwara, Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Cable, Chen, Compton, Corbett, Cross, Dela Cruz, Devgan, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kinew, Kostyshyn, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Simard, Smith, Wiebe.
Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 19, Nays 31.
The Speaker: The motion is accordingly defeated.
* * *
The Speaker: And the hour being past 5 o'clock, this House is adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 tomorrow.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
CONTENTS
Bill 51–The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (2)
Pride Crosswalk Vandalized in Souris
National Francophone Immigration Week
Winnipeg Methodist Mission Church
St. Boniface Hospital ER Expansion
Earlier Screening for Breast Cancer
Sentencing for Possession of Child Pornography
Scheduling Offices for Home Care Services
Economic Growth Concerns for Manitoba
Arts, Culture and Heritage Sector
Arts, Culture and Heritage Sector
Temporary Detention of Intoxicated Individuals
Change to Apprenticeship Ratio
Opposition to Releasing Repeat Offenders
Hecla Village Road and Highway 8 Repairs
MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility
Provincial Road 247–Request for Pave Upgrade
Provincial Road 247–Request for Pave Upgrade
MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility
MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility
Programs for Adolescents with Disabilities
MRI Machine for Portage Regional Health Facility
Opposition to Releasing Repeat Offenders
Bill 48–The Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act