Wednesday, October 4, 1995
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Wednesday, October 4, 1995
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
PRAYERS
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
PRESENTING PETITIONS
Federal Immigration Policies
Ms. Becky Barrett (Wellington): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Luong Ly, Lieu Chau, Ha Ly and others requesting the Legislative Assembly to request the Government of Canada to cancel fee increases and instead institute policies that will encourage immigration to Manitoba.
Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Pablo Javier, Bernadette Javier, Mary Grace Javier and others requesting the Legislative Assembly to request the Government of Canada to cancel fee increases and instead institute policies that will encourage immigration to Manitoba.
READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS
Federal Immigration Policies
Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House (by leave). Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Madam Speaker: Dispense.
WHEREAS Manitoba has been immeasurably enriched socially, economically and culturally by immigrants and their families; and
WHEREAS it was for this reason that successive provincial and federal governments have encouraged immigration to Manitoba; and
WHEREAS since 1993, the current federal Liberal government has reversed these policies by instituting a series of changes making immigration more difficult; and
WHEREAS the 1994 changes in quotas for family reunification class of immigrants were unfair and punitive; and
WHEREAS the fee increases for immigrants instituted in the 1995 federal Liberal budget are neither fair nor justifiable and border on racism; and
WHEREAS the new $975 fee being imposed on adult immigrants is more than many immigrants make in their home country in an entire year, and will make it even more difficult for people from these countries to immigrate to Canada;
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba may be pleased to request that the Government of Canada cancel these fee increases and instead institute policies that will encourage immigration to Manitoba.
PRESENTING REPORTS BY
STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Standing Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources
Second Report
Mr. Frank Pitura (Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the Second Report of the Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources.
Mr. Clerk (William Remnant): Your Standing Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources presents the following as its Second Report.
Madam Speaker: Dispense.
Your committee met on Tuesday, October 3, 1995, at 10 a.m. in Room 255 of the Legislative Building to consider the Annual Reports of the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission for the years ended March 31, 1994, and March 31, 1995.
Mr. Grant Holmes, chairperson, and Mr. Derek Smith, president and chief executive officer, provided such information as was requested with respect to the Annual Reports and business of the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission.
Your committee has considered the Annual Reports of the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission for the years ended March 31, 1994, and March 31, 1995, and has adopted the same as presented.
Mr. Pitura: Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable member for Emerson (Mr. Penner), that the report of the committee be received.
Motion agreed to.
TABLING OF REPORTS
Hon. Jim Ernst (Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs): Madam Speaker, I would like to table the Annual Report of the Community Support Programs for 1994-95.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
J.M. Schneider Inc.--Pork Processing Facility
Hon. Harry Enns (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, I have a statement for the House.
Madam Speaker, we in this House should be very much aware of the fundamental changes that are occurring in our agricultural industry. Manitoba has always had a diversified agricultural economy. However, recent changes such as the elimination of the multimillion-dollar Crow rate and the St. Lawrence Seaway pooling benefit have accelerated the need for adaptation.
Madam Speaker, Manitoba farmers have shown that they are more than up to these challenges. Over this past year, we have seen record production levels of potatoes and other special crops. In livestock we have surpassed the record levels of the mid-'70s in beef production and set an all-time high for hog production. As well, we have seen the rise in the level of nontraditional livestock numbers.
Madam Speaker, I have been told that it is the goal of the Alberta government to see that not a bushel of feed grain is exported from that province. I believe in the same goal for Manitoba for a very simple reason. When a bushel of feed barley is exported from Manitoba at a price of somewhat less than 10 cents a pound, so, too, are many jobs to regions where that feed barley is turned into value-added product such as pork.
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When that barley remains in Manitoba, it is put into feed rations and fed on one of our many farms in Manitoba. It gains tremendous value so that the exported product can actually be worth several dollars a pound. This is why yesterday's announcement that the J.M. Schneider Corporation has chosen Manitoba in which to construct a new world-class, state-of-the-art pork processing facility is tremendous news to all Manitobans.
Not only will this plant provide for increased opportunities for Manitoba pork producers by utilizing a further 48,000 hogs per week, this $40-million plant will employ some 500 people. They will produce a value-added finished product that will leave this province bound for the supermarket shelves of Toronto, Tokyo and the international community.
On behalf of this government, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the management of Schneider's in Winnipeg and in Kitchener for the confidence they have shown in Manitoba producers, workers and this government with this very exciting announcement yesterday. Thank you.
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, in response to the statement of the Minister of Agriculture, we, too, would like to congratulate the management of Schneider's and the workers at Schneider's at the present plant for making a decision to locate a major investment in our province and a plant in our province that will employ some 500 people, and as the Minister of Agriculture indicated, will help us to our continued provincial goal of having value-added jobs here utilizing our natural resources and our agricultural resources to their fullest capacity and to the fullest capacity of our province.
It is good news. In 1988, there were some 4,900 people working in meat and poultry product processing here in Manitoba. Regrettably, we are now down to about 2,600 employees according to 1994 Stats Canada reports. I believe the last plant that had been announced as a new plant in Manitoba had been the Springhill plant. Before that, we had bad news in this province with Canada Packers not proceeding with their modernization proposal that was very important for our community and for our province, and before that Swifts. Luckily the Burns plant was modernized with support of the provincial government, I might add. It should not have been that way, but it had to be to keep the plant here, but, regrettably, we lost a plant in Brandon for finishing of cattle.
Madam Speaker, this is a good announcement but it also represents a real challenge for all of us in this Chamber. Hog production is very important for agriculture, as the minister indicated, with the changes in the Crow rate, with the changing of the pooling benefits. It also represents real challenges. I have listened to fishermen worried about the situation in their lakes with potential liquid manure. The ministers across the way have probably heard some concerns of other ministers about jobs in the tourism industry, and I sometimes find the debate is always, are you for jobs or against jobs? We are all for jobs. We are all for value-added jobs.
What I would like to suggest to the government is that we must have a way of providing leadership to make sure that this plant and the hog industry are sustainable in a way that is balanced across our province. I challenge the government ministers, those responsible for the round table on the environment and sustainable development, to meet this challenge as the challenge has been met by Schneider's to locate here, so that neighbours living beside neighbours can live in harmony with this good news today and not live in conflict. Thank you very, very much, Madam Speaker.
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Introduction of Guests
Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw all honourable members' attention to the public gallery, where we have this afternoon twelve Grades 9 to 12 students from Pierre Radisson Collegiate under the direction of Mr. Chris Loewen. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for St. Vital (Mrs. Render).
On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you this afternoon.