LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Friday, November 22, 2019
Clerk (Ms. Patricia Chaychuk): It is my duty to inform the Speaker is unavoidably absent. Therefore, in accordance with the statutes, I would ask the Deputy Speaker to please take the Chair.
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Doyle Piwniuk): O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only in which is accordance with Thy will, that we seek it with wisdom, know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen.
Please be seated.
Introduction–
Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Minister of Families (Mrs. Stefanson), that Bill 2, The Retail Business Hours of Operation Act (Various Acts Amended or Repealed), be now read a first time.
Motion presented.
Mr. Fielding: I am pleased to introduce Bill 2, The Retail Business Hours of Operation Act, various acts amendment or appeal. The proposed–this proposal will repeal The Retail Businesses Holiday Closing Act and The Shops Regulation Act to eliminate province-wide restrictions on holiday and Sunday shopping hours. We are maintaining status quo on Remembrance Day closures and retail workers' provisions for Sundays.
Lastly, the bill makes consequential amendments to several other acts to ensure municipalities will have the authority to set restrictions on retail businesses in their own jurisdictions as they see fit.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Hon. Cliff Cullen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I move, seconded by the Minister of Education (Mr. Goertzen), that Bill 3, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act (Cannabis Social Responsibility Fee), be now read a first time.
Motion presented.
Mr. Cullen: Bill 3 sets the legislative foundation for the social responsibility fee and ensures that cannabis retailers who participate in those economic opportunities will also contribute directly to the cost associated with the sale and consumption of non‑medical cannabis.
We have been guided by four principles: social responsibility, education and treatment, protecting children and youth and preventing illegal sales by organized crime.
This bill will assist with meeting all those objectives and continues our commitment to protecting Manitobans.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is there the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Hon. Cliff Cullen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I move, seconded by the Minister of Health, that Bill 5, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act, be now read a first time.
Motion presented.
Mr. Cullen: Bill 5 reinforces Manitoba's commitments to protect the safety and health of Manitobans by prohibiting the public consumption of intoxicating cannabis products. The proposed approach aligns with long-standing prohibitions on the public consumption of liquor.
The introduction of Bill 5 is in keeping with our government's commitment to protect Manitobans as the framework and market of legal cannabis continues to evolve here in Manitoba.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Any further bills?
MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): I move that–seconded–sorry–seconded by the MLA for Wolseley, that Bill 202, The Vital Statistics Amendment Act, be read now a first time.
Motion presented.
MLA Asagwara: All people should have the right to identification that reflects their gender identity. Last year this government denied gender-non-binary and trans people that right.
This year I reintroduce Bill 202 on the heels of the recent Manitoba Human Rights Commission ruling that deemed such denial in contravention of those human rights. Bill 202 will move Manitoba in the direction of being on the right side of history in respect to the advancement of the rights of two-spirit, LGBTQ Manitobans by allowing for Manitobans to choose no sex designations or an X designation to reflect one's identity.
We must all recognize that trans and non-binary rights are human rights.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: I just want to caution the members of–the people in the gallery that there should be–not participating in the clapping or with the–in the Chamber here while you're in the gallery. So this is caution.
Okay, so is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Okay, we'll go on to committee reports?
Mr. Deputy Speaker: I do have a tabling of a report here. In order–it's section 14-4 and 28, The Auditor General Act. I am tabling the Auditor General's Report titled Management of Foster Homes, dated November 2019.
Okay, ministerial statements.
The honourable minister for–oh, table reports? The honourable minister for–is there leave to revert back to tabling reports? [Agreed]
Hon. Rochelle Squires (Minister of Municipal Relations): I would like to table for the House's consideration an incident report issued to the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service from the Office of the Fire Commissioner regarding a carbon monoxide incident on July 7th of 2019.
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Mr. Deputy Speaker: Okay, so we'll go on to ministers' statements? Members' statements.
Mr. Dennis Smook, Acting Speaker, in the Chair
Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Turtle Mountain): Mr. Speaker, Boissevain-Morton is a community alive in a vibrancy and spirit. Locals are proud to be–of their past and its people, and this is demonstrated by the town's outdoor art gallery, floral displays, arts park, museums and many celebrations.
There is an abundance of recreational activities offered in the area.
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is a haven of outdoor enthusiasts. Camping, swimming, biking and fishing at one of many lakes are popular recreation choices. In the winter there are snowmobile trails, cross-country ski trails, toboggan runs and outdoor–an outdoor skating rink.
On the US-Canada border as a symbol of friendship, lies a one-of-a-kind International Peace Garden: water fountains and dazzling displays of over 150,000 flowers. A few minutes to the west is Whitewater Lake, a globally significant Important Bird Area providing the habitat for 110 species of birds.
Boissevain-Morton is a quaint, compact town with unique boutique shops, restaurants and many services.
The municipality of Boissevain-Morton this year reached a new high, winning Communities in Bloom grand championship award for the first time that the municipality started competing more than 20 years ago. This year's awards were handed out on September 28th in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Boissevain-Morton beat out Castlegar, British Columbia, to win the Communities in Bloom top award.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Boissevain-Morton for their huge accomplishment and I would like to thank the many volunteers in the community that making it happen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Matt Wiebe (Concordia): On Friday, September 27th, an unprecedented 12,000 people came to the Manitoba Legislature to have their concerns about climate change heard. Children, youth, teachers, elders, parents and so many others filled every corner of the Legislative grounds and surrounding streets to send a clear message that they want climate action now.
Leading the way were students from our communities who are rising to the occasion, demanding action on climate change. In particular, I want to bring attention to Courtney Tosh, a young woman who should now be familiar to many members of the Legislature. She is a grade 12 student at Miles Mac and is a member of Manitoba Youth for Climate Action. She made her first appearance at the legislative committee public hearing to weigh in on Bill 16, the climate and green implementation act, last October when she was just 16 years old.
Young people like Courtney are stepping up, trying to solve a climate crisis that they did not create but will inevitably inherit. She should be in school worrying about exams and graduation, but here she is fighting for her future and for all of our futures.
What I find most encouraging about Courtney is that she understands the role that the political process can play in addressing this crisis. Rather than being cynical and simply writing off politics, she has instead chosen to become more involved and to help push action.
During the federal election she helped organize an all-candidates forum on the environment at her school and in the provincial election she spent her time knocking on doors with candidates that supported climate action. I am honoured to have had her support, as did many members on this side of the House.
I'm proud to work for the Manitoba students who are fighting to be heard by this government. For the last eight weeks they have continued to strike every Friday on the steps of this Legislature, and even this morning many of those same young people are here, gathering, once again, out in the cold because they are deeply concerned about their future.
The Acting Speaker (Dennis Smook): The member's time has expired.
Is there leave for the member to continue?
Some Honourable Members: Leave.
The Acting Speaker (Dennis Smook): The member for Concordia.
Mr. Wiebe: I want to thank them for their efforts, and encourage the members opposite to pay attention to the thousands of voices of Manitobans like Courtney who have made it their mission to bring awareness to the climate crisis.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Andrew Micklefield (Rossmere): I rise to recognize Youth for Christ Executive Director John Courtney, who after 47 years of serving Winnipeg's youth will be retiring on December 31st.
After helping youth at an addiction treatment centre in Toronto, John joined Youth for Christ Winnipeg in January 197–when I was minus five years old–and in April 1977 became its executive director, a position he has held ever since.
Under John's leadership, Youth For Christ has grown from four staff serving 400 people a year in one location to now 82 staff serving 11,000 young people in 11 Manitoba communities. This includes a 160-bed capacity–the 160-bed-capacity Camp Cedarwood, which offers year-round camp experiences that specialize in youth programming.
In 2011, and under John's leadership, the Centre for Youth Excellence opened at the corner of Higgins and Main and now offers many youth programs, including dance, musical theatre, fine arts and piano, teen-parent support, Edge indoor skate park, Rig Fitness, Rock Climbing Gym–my personal favourite–youth and family counselling, work counselling, ball hockey and soccer.
As well as receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Youth for Christ Canada, John has been honoured with the entrepreneurial leadership award and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal.
But John's most notable quality is humility. I once heard him say that if he could do his life all over again, he wouldn't change a thing. John is an ordinary guy with a huge heart for helping youth and a 47-year-long track record of doing it well.
Over the past 47 years John has impacted tens of thousands of young people, and the ripple effect of his service is simply remarkable.
John, you've served well. Thank you. As you step back–
The Acting Speaker (Dennis Smook): The member's time has expired.
Some Honourable Members: Leave.
The Acting Speaker (Dennis Smook): The member for–[interjection]
Is there leave for the member to continue his statement? [Agreed]
Mr. Micklefield: John, you've served well. Thank you. As you step back, please don't stop altogether. Your heart and experience are needed as new leaders serve young people facing previously unimagined challenges.
I invite all members to join me in thanking John Courtney for 47 years of service to Manitoba's young people.
The Acting Speaker (Dennis Smook): The member for Fort Rouge–oh, Leader of the Official Opposition.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): My colleagues and I were proud to march on the picket line with the Teamsters put on strike by CN.
Now, I was surprised to learn from them that while trains are moving, most of the cars being shipped are international containers. They showed me the list queueing up the cars and it was clear that a majority of the trains that CN is prioritizing were coming in with goods from China, or are empty cars heading back to port to be shipped overseas. Meanwhile, domestic shipments are sitting in yards, according to these workers.
Now, for these workers this strike isn't about pay; it's about rest. Many are forced to work 12-hour shifts, get a few hours sleep and then get called back for another 12. They want family time, yes. They are on call 24-7, 365.
But it's also about safety. We don't want more derailments like we saw in in St-Lazare earlier this year. Workers are responsible for trains that should be moved across the country very carefully and not by someone who is at risk of falling asleep.
Now, workers are responsible for these trains and I would note that CN made close to $4 billion in profit last quarter, so they can clearly afford to hire more workers. It seems, though, that they're choosing not to, perhaps calculating that the cost of waiting to break the strike is less than they'd have to pay to do the right thing.
So while the Premier (Mr. Pallister) and other Conservative leaders are only standing up for the billionaires when they try to pit those who work on farms against those who work on rails, we will stand up for the people walking the picket line in work boots, safety orange and with dirt under their fingernails.
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What's more, I will work hard to try and help farm families understand that the workers on strike are hard-working folks just like you, and farmers know that companies like CN can sometimes manipulate the market.
Yes, it's difficult when goods don't move, but the question should be asked: who should be feeling the pressure right now, the workers who are standing up for safety or the executives protecting $3.96 billion in profits?
The Acting Speaker (Dennis Smook): The member's time has expired.
Mr. Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): The images of soldiers from Minnedosa who fought for our country in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and Afghanistan conflict have been recognized as the heroes they are on banners that adorn light posts in the community.
The project was the idea of Minnedosa Royal Canadian Legion president, Duane LaCoste, who was inspired after reading about a similar project in eastern Canada.
Mr. Doyle Piwniuk, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair
He first proposed the idea in the fall of 2018. It was well received by the Legion membership and a committee was quickly formed. The first banner, memorializing Minnedosa's own Brigadier General Hugh Dyer, commander of the 5th Battalion and the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade in the First World War, was produced and unveiled to Legion members in March.
Since that time, a total of 95 double-sided banners, bearing striking images of the soldiers in a field of poppies, their names, their service years and the conflict they served in, have been produced and installed as part of the Minnedosa Legion's 80th anniversary celebration.
The banners, which are sponsored by families or friends and maintained by the Legion, will adorn the streets in Minnedosa from September until after Remembrance Day in future years.
The Legion is also in the process of creating a memorial book with pictures of the banners and a history on each soldier. The book will be on display in the Legion and will be circulated to area schools prior to Remembrance Day to create an awareness of the contributions of Minnedosa residents to the war effort.
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Minnedosa Legion on their 80th anniversary and their decision to proceed with this unique way of recognizing and paying tribute to the community's veterans.
Thank you.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Time for oral questions.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): Mr. Speaker, our city and province are on edge.
Last night's shooting comes after weeks of robberies and violence around Manitoba. Now, I'm still hearing from many people who see these liquor store thefts and feel compelled to do something, even, sort of, a vigilante-type thing. Now, while I understand their frustration, I do hope that we can see concrete solutions before extreme measures like that are taken.
What is needed is the ability to do two things at once. Yes, we have to provide security in the immediate moment when things like that are going down, but we also need to be able to address the root causes so that the next generation does not follow down the same path. This government fails on both counts.
Will the Premier stand in the House today and announce which specific security measures he will implement as long–as well as his plan to address the root causes of crime?
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Well, I appreciate the member raising an important topic. It's vitally important that we ensure that Manitobans are safe in their own homes, neighbourhoods, places of work.
The root causes is a concept that we could discuss in terms of the member's concept of what he feels should be included. I would say that most people would include child poverty, and after 17 years of NDP government inaction, we were tenth of 10 in terms of child poverty.
And, Madam Speaker–Mr. Speaker–Mr. Deputy Speaker, I'm sorry–as a consequence of the actions we've taken thus far early in our time in government compared to the previous NDP rule, we have moved from tenth to fourth in terms of child poverty.
We are making headway. More needs to be done, I think all members should agree, but certainly the focus has been on improvements, and we have been achieving improvements in that important root-cause category.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Kinew: The Liquor Marts are run by the same corporation that runs our casinos, and now it perhaps seems as though you can go into a liquor store and leave with as much liquor as you want without being stopped. I highly doubt that you could go into a casino and leave without money without security stopping you at the door.
Now, I've been trying to figure out what is the difference between those two settings being run by the same corporation, and the only conclusion that I can arrive at is that it comes down to money, an unwillingness to spend money to secure Liquor Marts. So the corporation under the direction of this Premier is apparently not willing to invest enough to secure the liquor stores the same way that they would to secure a casino.
When will this Premier invest in proper security at Liquor Marts for both staff and customers?
Mr. Pallister: Well, again, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the member's convoluted preamble shows a lack of understanding of actual–the actual importance of investing in the root causes of crime; and, again, I would say to the member, the NDP was in power for 17 years. One of the, I think, agreed root causes of crime is a lack of housing and inadequate housing and inappropriate housing. The NDP left after 17 years with over $1 billion of neglected, deferred maintenance on housing stock–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –according to the Auditor General of our province.
I know it a sore point, as the members react opposite, but they should understand that simply talking about root causes while having a record which–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –demonstrates their failure to invest in them is not appropriate.
We have now offered support to over 3,000 more Manitoba families in terms of housing supplementary support to them, and so I would say that addressing the root causes is what we are doing while the NDP failed to in 17 years.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Kinew: Well, the Premier's had days to respond and pick up an answer and he's still got nothing, nothing more than talking points.
Now, we know that people around the city are saying something along the following lines: I really hope that somebody doesn't die in one of these situations. I've heard that time and time again from people, not just in my constituency, but the constituencies of many of the members in this place, and, if God is willing, that won't happen. But if a government is willing, we could actually prevent such a situation from taking place.
Now, my heart is with the victims of these recent events, and at this time I'm also thinking about the young people who perhaps are not caught up in this way of–lifestyle, but are on the edge. What are we doing today to prevent that next generation from going down the same path?
Will this government convene a summit immediately involving business, law enforcement, labour and the Province to address both the security needs and the root causes of crime?
Mr. Pallister: Crocodile tears and a trail of victims in his wake, the member and his party have no claim to standing up for the security of anyone, let alone Manitoba's vulnerable children.
After 17 years the NDP did not advance a change in our drug education program. Anyone who speaks about root causes should understand the importance of educating children on the dangers of drug use, yet the NDP made zero changes to our drug curriculum in–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –17 years. This is simply retro rap from a member who leads a party that has a record of failure, in every respect, on addressing the root cause of crime, of poverty and the root causes that have led to a serious increase recently in the actions of irresponsible young people.
So I would say to you, Sir, that the member has no claim, no record–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –and his party has no record on standing up for Manitobans. This government has; it does; and it will continue to. [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a new question.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): I understand that the Premier is mad that this is happening under his watch; however, I would tell him that his anger is not going to help solve the violence. What is needed is a smart approach, compassion for the victims and a progressive attitude towards the community. That same approach is also lacking with his recent plans to change Crown land leases here in the province of Manitoba.
Our critic for Agriculture, the member for Notre Dame (Ms. Marcelino), and myself have spoken–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –to many beef producers in Manitoba who are very, very upset at the changes that this government is making that will make it difficult for farm families to hand down their operations to the next generation. [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
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Mr. Kinew: When will the Premier start listening to Manitoba producers and cancel–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –his changes to the leasing of Crown lands in Manitoba?
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Funny if it wasn't so sad, Mr. Speaker, the fact that the member would stand up with and take sides in the labour dispute against farm families one day and the next day claim he's defending producers. It's absolutely shameful. There is no excuse for it.
Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that we are partnering–we are partnering with other levels of government: the Illicit Drug Task Force and its work, tremendous work by the way, and its recommendations of what we are acting on. We're acting on the result of genuine consultation with experts. We're consulting and working to implement strategies that are the result of that hard work, that honest work, of bringing people together to find solutions–community groups as well.
I know the minister has had many, many meetings and will continue to, as have other members of the team on this side of the House. But the fact remains that where the NDP record was one of neglect in terms of treatment, education and security, ours is one of taking action to address the concerns.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Kinew: You know, if the members opposite would listen rather than heckle they would learn that in fact we are standing on the side of both farm families and the working families in constituencies like Radisson–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –Southdale and Rossmere who have to go to work at CN every day and simply want more safety–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –measures in place.
We also are standing up with the constituents in communities like Dauphin who are apoplectic at the changes that this government is making to make it more difficult for them to hand down farm operations to the next generation in their families. We know that the rents are going to get more expensive. We know that the rules will get more restrictive. And in the end, many of these producers will be priced out of their own operations the neck time–the next time the leases come up for renewal.
When will the Premier tell producers what his changes really mean for family farms in Manitoba?
Mr. Pallister: Mr. Deputy Speaker, 17-year member of the NDP caucus spoke from the heart when he said that the NDP will never gain support in rural Manitoba because they have strayed too far from their traditions and no longer appeal to ordinary Manitobans. You know, he went further and said–and this is Tom Nevashonoff [phonetic], of course–the NDP will never form government until they have a good agricultural and rural strategy, but the current leader appears to be focused on identity politics.
Here we go: dead on; accurate; yesterday proved it.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. I just want to remind everyone that, I know it's a Friday, but we need to have civility in this Chamber.
The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Kinew: You know, the identity politics that I stand up for is for our identity as Manitobans, Mr. Speaker, and whether you are an indigenous person, whether you are an ag producer, whether you live here in the city of Winnipeg, almost all of us raise our kids learning–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –how to live off the land. This is crucial to our identity.
And yet for many of the cattle producers, particularly those in the Interlake and in the Parkland region, the changes to Crown lands are going to price them out of their own operations and are going to force them to eat tremendous losses when they give up improvements that they've invested to on their own operations.
Now, we know that the Premier and his minister are deeply uncomfortable talking about these changes because they are simply dead wrong when it comes to pushing them forward shortly after an election in which they did not campaign on these changes.
The question is simple: Will they simply commit to backing off and starting a new process that involves listening to beef producers in Manitoba?
Mr. Pallister: The NDP record is to characterize agriculture as an environmental threat to shut down the hog and cattle industry. The NDP record is to shut down rural municipalities and force them to amalgamate. The NDP record is to raise taxes, increase red tape and to shut down small businesses generally. That is the NDP record.
But the member speaks as if he wants to reach out to rural Manitobans, and the first thing he does is trot down to Brandon–which is not a rural community, by the way–and speak to CUPE and tell them that he's in favour of bigger government and higher taxes.
Now, that's not how, I would suggest to the member, he needs to reach out to rural Manitobans. He better come up with some real policies, not just pretend and mouth the words of supporting rural Manitoba families, actually come up with some ideas.
We have, we will, we always will.
MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): Mr. Deputy Speaker, all people should have the right to identification that reflects their gender identity. The Manitoba Human Rights Commission's recent decision deemed the denial of that right a contravention of Manitobans' human rights.
T.A., a trans pangender person who could not change their sex designation, was brave enough to come forward and fight for all Manitobans in the 2SLGBTQ communities' rights, some of whom are joining us here today.
Does the Premier support the ruling of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission?
Hon. Scott Fielding (Acting Minister of Families): We have received the Human Rights adjudicator's decision. We'll carefully review the next steps to be determined.
Manitoba, of course, is a proud partner in participating in vital statistics council Canada for interjurisdictional advisory group; that's a part of that. We continue to do that. They are currently reviewing options to ensure consistency across jurisdictions, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Union Station, on a supplementary question.
MLA Asagwara: Mr. Deputy Speaker, other jurisdictions–Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories–already have no-sex designation option on their birth certificates.
The Premier and his minister had two previous opportunities to support this amendment to provide no-sex designations in Manitoba to allow all Manitobans to self-identify, but both times this government denied gender-non-binary and trans people that right.
I'm asking the Premier: Will this Premier ensure the implementation of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission ruling by supporting our bill?
Mr. Fielding: Birth certificates are a foundational document that establishes a person's identity, impacting many other forms of ID. We have 180 days to make a decision and we need to take time to get this right, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Union Station, on a final supplementary question.
MLA Asagwara: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the commission's ruling has said that the government must start allowing the issuance of government ID without a sex designation or with a designation that specifies X or inapplicable within 180 days. I'm glad they're aware.
My NDP team and I are presenting a solution to the minister and their government. Bill 202 moves Manitoba in the direction of being on the right side of history in respect to the advancement of the rights of two-spirit, LGBTQ Manitobans. As a province, we must recognize that trans and non-binary rights are human rights.
Again, the third time to the Premier: Will the Premier support the rights of 2SLGBTQ Manitobans by ensuring our bill is passed?
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Well, certainly, this is an important issue, and certainly nothing was done for 17 years under the NDP, so I would hope they'd have the understanding that we need to have a few months to get it right.
Mr. Mintu Sandhu (The Maples): Mr. Speaker, we are receiving more and more complaints from Manitobans concerned that MPI is not treating them fairly. It turns out that MPI's Fair Practices Office is seeing a very large increase in accidents.
Why has this government made it harder for Manitobans to find a fair resolution with MPI?
Hon. Jeff Wharton (Minister of Crown Services): Certainly, I'm very pleased to be working with the MPI board and, of course, the CEO and management. We have a great public-owned asset in Manitoba Public Insurance, and we're certainly looking forward, Mr. Deputy Speaker, to continue a great relationship for the betterment of all Manitobans.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for The Maples, on a supplementary question.
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Mr. Sandhu: Mr. Speaker, if the minister views page 13 of the–of MPI's annual report this year, he will see an alarming spike in inquiries conducted by MPI's Fair Practices Office. It is a 50 per cent increase in activity in just one year.
Manitobans are finding it more difficult to get appropriate resolution to their claims.
What steps is the government–minister is going to take to resolve this?
Mr. Wharton: I'll advise the member that, certainly, these issues are not new. I know that Manitobans have had concerns for probably the last 20 years, and particularly under the watch of the former government–the NDP government, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
I know that we've had great dialogue and great discussions regarding this particular issue, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and I tell the member to stay tuned.
Mr. Sandhu: Mr. Speaker, MPI's annual report suggests that the corporation is operating well below its own target for the number of staff of–supporting their operation. At the same time, the number of fair practice complaints have risen by 50 per cent.
Can the minister explain what steps he's taking to staff up MPI and address a dramatic rise in their fair practice complaints?
Mr. Wharton: As I mentioned earlier on in my second answer, I'll mention it again for the member opposite, that we are having great discussion and dialogue with MPI senior staff and, of course, moving forward to a resolution.
Where the NDP failed MPI over 17 years, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we'll get it right.
Mr. Ian Bushie (Keewatinook): Mr. Deputy Speaker, it's my pleasure to bring forward issues of importance to my northern constituents. One of the most pressing concerns of my communities is permanent all-weather road access.
Changes in climate are making the winter road set-up and system less predictable. What we need are permanent roads. Unfortunately, work has not begun on a new section in my communities in several years.
I ask the minister when his government intends to continue work to connect these northern communities?
Hon. Ron Schuler (Minister of Infrastructure): Well, the root of that problem would lie back in the first full term of the NDP government when they got in, 2000-2001, where they spent a grand total of $98 million. Next full year, they spent $93 million. Next year, they spent $111 million. In those three years, they didn't even come close to spending the $350 million-plus that we have committed to every year.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Keewatinook, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Bushie: Mr. Deputy Speaker, my communities aren't looking for partisanship, they want co‑operation.
Several years have now passed, and my communities are looking for a real commitment to continue work on all-weather roads. The minister and his Premier (Mr. Pallister) promised this work would continue. Our winter roads are becoming more and more unpredictable.
When will the minister announce new work on permanent roads in the North?
Mr. Schuler: Well, Madam Speaker, I would like to address that question full on.
For instance, Shoal Lake 40, that begged and pleaded, that walked along railroad tracks to get to the highway to lobby this government–and under the leadership of this Premier and our government, within three years, not just did we get the Shoal Lake 40, the Freedom Road, built, Madam–Mr. Speaker, in three years, under budget, on time.
In 17 years, not an inch, not a foot, not a mile was ever done. Our government got it done.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Keewatinook, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Bushie: My communities had high hopes that the Pallister government was committed to starting and completing more permanent roads. A good place to start would be to renew a multi-year commitment to this. At this point we don't see real commitment, and work for these permanent roads have virtually been eliminated from the government's reporting.
Will the minister commit to a real multi-year plan for roads for northern communities?
Hon. Eileen Clarke (Minister of Indigenous and Northern Relations): I think those questions have been clearly answered, so I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge chiefs and councils in the communities that were evacuated during the October storm.
I had the opportunity to sit with the chiefs for a whole week and–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Ms. Clarke: –acknowledge the time and their commitment to their communities. They were under very difficult situation, but they addressed it on a day-to-day basis. They dealt with each and every one of their community and ensured–to the best of their abilities–their safety, to ensure that they were getting meals on a weekend when food was at a shortage because it was a long weekend.
So I want to also acknowledge the people that stayed back in the community to act as security, ensure that basements weren't flooded and that there was not–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time is up.
Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Manitobans should all feel safe going about their day-to-day activities. The answer is not just more policing and more security, but we need to be proactive in addressing the root causes of crime or activities, like supporting organizations like the Bear Clan or the Mama Bear Clan.
The Premier's (Mr. Pallister) new Liam Neeson, heavy-handed, blaming, punitive, law-and-order, I'm-going-to-find-you approach doesn't address the root causes of what we are–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Ms. Fontaine: –experiencing here in Manitoba.
The Premier's been asked to convene a summit immediately.
Will the Premier and his ministers responsible commit to a summit today?
Hon. Cliff Cullen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I certainly appreciate the question on public safety. Certainly, this government does stand up for public safety. We have implemented a strategy on policing and public safety in Manitoba.
We're taking full steps towards that, and certainly, I was happy last night to be at an awards banquet recognizing distinguished police officers across the province for their great work. And it was an opportunity for us as a government to thank the police officers, the front-line officers, for the great work that they do.
And certainly, we've been discussing public safety with them, and we’re certainly opening to expanding that tent, and we will be having further discussions with retail organizations as well, as we move forward–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time is up.
The honourable member for St. Johns, on a supplementary question.
Ms. Fontaine: As you know, the member for Point Douglas (Mrs. Smith) and myself convened a community meeting just a couple of weeks ago.
I do want to point out and reiterate for the House that members opposite were invited to attend. None of them chose to attend, to come and hear community express their concerns, resolutions and propose partnerships on dealing with what we are currently experiencing.
We have more planned because we understand that communities and individuals are hurting, and a punitive, blaming, Liam Neeson, I'm-going-to-find-you approach simply will not work. The members for St. James (Mr. Sala)–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Ms. Fontaine: –and Flin Flon (Mr. Lindsey) and I are very happy that next week–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Ms. Fontaine: –we will be meeting with MGEU and employees to start talking about this issue and how we can support–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member's time is up. [interjection] Order. Order.
Mr. Cullen: Certainly, we believe in public safety, and we're taking actions in regards to public safety.
I know the members opposite want to continue to meet. We are meeting, but we're also being proactive and we're taking actions. We have also developed a Safer Streets, Safer Lives Action Plan, and that involves actions. We are taking actions.
We are consulting with police forces. We're consulting with stakeholders, and just yesterday, we announced that we would be consulting further with retail organizations, involving unions as well. We will have further discussions with them, but during that consultation period, we as a government are taking actions on public safety.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a final supplementary question.
Ms. Fontaine: The question is why is this government not meeting with communities? Why is this government minister not in the areas of our city that are begging for help and wanting to meet with the government so that they can share directly their resolutions, their proposed partnerships and get change immediately, and not in some far-out time when the Premier seems to think that it's important to do so?
Why does the Premier continue to put the bottom line and money ahead of community and individual safety?
That is the question today, alongside whether or not the Premier will convene a summit with everybody immediately to address this issue.
* (10:50)
Mr. Cullen: Well, it sounds to me like the NDP is proposing a one-day summit.
We don't think a one-day discussion is going to resolve the complex issues that are facing Manitobans, and I will tell the members opposite: we are involved in communities. We have community mobilization hubs that are out there doing great work at the grassroots and the front line, and we're working with other organizations across our province–northwest hub–youth hub, for instance, we're working with. We're working with the Metis Federation in terms of some of the pilot projects they are working with. We are working with folks like the Bear Clan. We have invested–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Cullen: –$200,000 with the Bear Clan–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Cullen: –just last year. The Klinic Community Health Centre we're working with. The Laurel Centre we're working with. Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre we're working with.
We've invested millions in dollars in dealing with issues–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time is up.
Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): Last week the MLA for River Heights and I met with more than a dozen ranchers who are deeply concerned about changes to Crown land leases. We know–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Lamont: –this government has said that young farmers–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Listen.
Mr. Lamont: –are a priority, but we talked to several young farmers who say the changes are going to hurt them. The people we talked to were blunt. They are going to lose their farms or their retirement if the rules stay as they are. These rules will bankrupt Manitoba farmers. None of us want that.
Will the Premier listen to ranchers and the Manitoba Beef Producers and change the rules to ensure stability and long-term growth?
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Again, this latter-day awareness the Liberals seem to have discovered, like the NDP, of a part of the province that is actually outside of the Perimeter Highway is refreshing. It's refreshing to hear the acknowledgement from the leader of the former Liberal Party that he understands that there is a rural Manitoba, but he perhaps might also accept the responsibility for his federal colleagues attempting to bring in legislation just two years ago which would have made it virtually impossible for family farms to be left to family farm members. That could be a major undertaking on his part.
We stood up against such proposals. The provincial Liberals and NDP remained silent. They had no sympathy, they had no understanding and they had no affection or empathy for the plight that was being foisted upon rural Manitoba farm families.
We did. We acted. We'll continue to.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Boniface, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Lamont: We're not asking for a return to the old program, which had issues. We are asking for the government not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
The beef industry in Manitoba, especially the Interlake, has faced everything from BSE to flooding, and now a state of emergency due to drought. The affected communities are hoping they can get freight assistance for feed because hay is in such short supply.
These new measures for Crown land leases drives up the cost of farming while providing no added value in return. The new system offers no advantage for young farmers or local farmers. The advantage is to anyone with deep pockets, whether they live in Manitoba or not.
Will this government go back to the drawing board and ensure that local producers and farm–Manitoba farm families are given priority in Crown land leases?
Mr. Pallister: Desperation–and pretty rich for a Liberal to talk about helping farm families when the federal Liberal government is foisting a carbon tax on family farms that disproportionately hurts them.
People in rural communities don't have the option of public transit. The member needs to understand that our made-in-Manitoba plan would have really assisted rural Manitoba families, and all families, in hitting our carbon targets while recognizing the differences in the nature of the challenges that have to be faced by rural and northern residents. The federal Liberal government doesn't recognize this.
We would have exempted, for example, the carbon levy on anything involved with grain drying, and this is an important issue for family farms. The member could look it up: grain, grain drying–it's something that, if he understood, he would understand the punitive nature of the carbon tax that the federal Liberal government has put on Manitoba family farms.
We understand it. We'll stand against it. He stands for it.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for River Heights, on a final supplemental question.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Speaker, the government is ending the practice of unit transfers for Crown lands. This practice allowed ranchers to build up equity so that when they retired they would have what is equivalent to a pension.
In taking away unit transfers, the government is taking away hard-earned pensions from beef producers. In addition, the government will now impose an increase–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Gerrard: –in the lease rates for Crown lands by about 350 per cent. This lease rate is equivalent to a tax.
Why is the Premier's government increasing the tax on ranchers by 350 per cent and making the tax increases produced by the NDP look like chicken feed?
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable First Minister. [interjection]
Order.
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): That might be an appropriate way to describe the quality of that question, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
The fact is that the Liberal–federal Liberal government has been very, very pleased to jack up costs for family farms, even threaten them in terms of their ability to succeed going to the next generation. And now, as we try to protect family farms around the Lake Manitoba basin, they stand in the way. They obstruct.
As we try to protect the families who have been sacrificed for years to protect the rest of us, the federal government continues to move the yardsticks on approval processes that now have cost the people of Manitoba over $60 million just in consultations, planning and studies, let alone getting to the plan being enacted and actually protecting people.
So would the member join with us in exhorting the federal government to allow us to protect the farm families and the indigenous people around Lake Manitoba basin as soon as possible, rather than delaying the project in perpetuity? [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Brad Michaleski (Dauphin): Farm families in Manitoba are struggling right now and they need our support. This year's harvest was challenging, to say the least, and it's being made worse by the CN Rail strike that is making it difficult to get propane to grain dryers and to get grain to market.
Unlike the NDP, who stood yesterday against the Manitobans who desperately need to get their–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Michaleski: –products to market by rail, our government understands the–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Michaleski: –importance of getting these trains moving as quickly as possible.
Can the Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development tell the House what steps our government is taking to support our farm families and to get the grain moving?
Hon. Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development): I thank the member for Dauphin for bringing up this critical issue right now, that following a very difficult growing season, it's essential that grain–and, indeed, all commodities–continue to move across this country.
The Port of Thunder Bay's season is closing rapidly and the strike is going to impede movement for Manitoba grain. The town of Churchill is in jeopardy of not getting supplies because the rail line will not be able to deliver that through the CN strike. The federal government needs to act on this issue right away to stop this work stoppage. [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pedersen: Unlike the NDP, this government will stand up for farmers, for all Manitobans, not just special interest groups that the NDP continues to favour.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order.
You know, we have a few more minutes to go here because–we just have to promote diplomacy here.
So let's go with the honourable member for Fort Garry.
Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): I rise today to table the Estimates of revenue for the Province of Manitoba. This document shows the revenue the government intends to receive by tax and fee throughout the fiscal year.
I don't take this action lightly, and by doing so I become the first member of an opposition party in any province at any time in the history of our country to be tasked with this significant responsibility. Where this government fails, we will deliver, Mr. Deputy Speaker. [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Wasyliw: And I must ask the Finance Minister: Why is he leaving me to do his work? [interjection]
(11:00)
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): Our government is very proud of the financial record that we have. Our budget in the last Public Accounts showed that we were underspent and we're over delivering in terms of all aspects of not just the provincial economy, but in terms of the services.
We know the record of the NDP in terms of the tax increases, in terms of things like the failures, in terms of services that they supported to Manitobans.
We're very proud of the fact that things like new credit agencies are showing a positive trend for us in terms of economic output. That clearly shows that this government is on the right track.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Fort Garry, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Wasyliw: Mr. Deputy Speaker, in fact, the Finance Minister and the Pallister government hid the Estimates of revenue from public, refusing to table them during the budget process.
We had no chance to debate the government's continued receipt of portions of the Children's Special Allowance. [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Wasyliw: We were not allowed to ask the minister why corporate income tax dropped to its lowest level it has been in years. We've had no opportunity to ask the minister why tobacco taxes stand at their lowest level in years despite this government's commitments. It's really unfortunate. It's not how this place is supposed to work.
Why did the minister hide the Estimates of revenue? [interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Fielding: Our government is very proud of the fact that because of a strong, resilient economy our income tax numbers were up by over $193 million. That includes corporate and personal income taxes that's a part of it.
To address the issue, that has been raised in the House before, from the Auditor General's opinions in terms of how we should present the document. The document is included in our Public Accounts. I review the member to do his homework and review that document.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Fort Garry, on a final supplementary question.
Mr. Wasyliw: If the minister had given us the chance, we would have asked him why he diverted all the revenue from special operating agencies and $25 million–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Wasyliw: –from the sale of government assets. We could have asked him why the fees were rising for those who make a living fishing or hunting.
But those aren't simply our questions. The public has a right to know and debate these issues as part of consideration of the budget. I strongly believe the minister has made a mistake by not introducing them in the first place as is the tradition.
Will he correct course and commit to tabling the Estimates of revenue as part of next year's budget Estimates?
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): With the greatest of respect, I would just encourage the member who is–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –of course, relatively new here, to just consult the Public Accounts of the Province of Manitoba. He'll find all the information tabled today.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the iconic football franchise–Canada's most iconic–is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and we will be saddled with the responsibility of making sure that we offer every ounce of our strength in support of this wonderful franchise this weekend as they go to Grey Cup. They carry the hopes and the dreams of Canada's most long‑suffering football fans, quite frankly, and they will this weekend end the drought.
I want to offer, on behalf of all of us here and all Manitobans, our best wishes and encouragement to them. Our thanks to their management, their staff, their coaches and the team.
They have–like this government, they have through honest and hard work overcome tremendous challenges. They have faced them head on. They have dealt with adversity. They have dealt with serious injury and they are going, this Sunday, to make us all proud as they triumph at this year's Grey Cup.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Time for question period has expired.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a matter of privilege.
Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): On a matter of privilege. [interjection]
They may want to hold their little boos for a couple of seconds.
While the Minister for Infrastructure was attempting to, in some way, fashion–answer our member's question, like we often do in this House, he by accident referred to you as Madam Speaker. We all do that by sometimes.
Unfortunately, Deputy Speaker, at the very same time that the Minister for Infrastructure was being corrected on that, the member for McPhillips (Mr. Martin)–that's right, the member for McPhillips–yelled out twice, don't be so binary.
I think that it's incumbent on everybody in the House to ensure that every single member–and people in the gallery when we have guests–are made to feel welcome and made to feel safe. The member makes it very difficult to understand the realities of gender-non-binary and trans persons when he heckles and–stating don't be so binary.
The member for Union Station (MLA Asagwara) is made to feel intimidated, dehumani–humanized and unable to safely exist as a queer, gender-nonconforming member of our Legislative Assembly with such comments like that.
And I do want to take a moment, Deputy Speaker, to say that it is our responsibility that we ensure we are using proper language. It is not gender-nonconforming or trans peoples' responsibility to ensure that we are using equitable language. It is our responsibility.
And, certainly, comments by the member for McPhillips (Mr. Martin) are certainly not welcomed and certainly unacceptable in 2019, particularly because we are very–I think we can all take pride that we have a House that has the first-ever gender-nonconforming, Black, queer MLA sitting in this House with us.
So I ask everybody to be very cognizant and diligent about the language that they use in this House.
And, Deputy Speaker, I also ask the member–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns.
Ms. Fontaine: Deputy Speaker, I ask the member for McPhillips to apologize to everybody, to the member for Union Station (MLA Asagwara) and everybody that is in the gallery today.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Before I recognize any other members to speak, I would like to remind the House that remarks at this time at the honourable members are limited to strictly relevant comments about whether or–the alleged matter of 'prilivage' has been raised at the earliest opportunity, whether the prima facie case has been established.
Mr. Shannon Martin (McPhillips): Mr. Deputy Speaker, as an advocate for the LGBTTQ* community, I unequivocally apologize for my comment.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: A matter of privilege is a serious–since we got the–apologize–from the member from McPhillips, that should be of–that should actually help with the matter. So–that should resolve the matter.
Okay. We'll move on to petitions.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly.
The background of this petition is as follows:
Manitoba elders and seniors have built this province and should receive a high level of support, having earned the right to be treated with due respect, dignity, understanding and compassion as a fundamental human right.
Seniors who reside in personal-care homes have more diverse and complex physical and brain health issues today than those who were in similar homes even just five years ago, yet the staffing formula, or minimal personal–personnel requirement, is over 20 years old.
The issue of the changes to, and more complex nature of, care is being exacerbated by the provincial government policy of discharging people out of hospitals more quickly, leaving many residents still in need of a high level of care.
Manitoba does not have enough health-care aides and nurses specifically trained to care for seniors with high and complex levels of physical and mental issues such as those with dementia, coupled with multiple chronic conditions.
The added complexity of care with such residents is putting additional stress on doctors and family members, as it may take six to eight weeks for a doctor to see a resident in a personal-care home.
* (11:10)
Unfortunately, the lack of quality care received by many residents is not unique, causing one person to say that: It was easier to watch my dad die in the personal-care home than to watch him live in the personal-care home.
Staff are so overworked that they are forced to tell senior elders and residents in need: Go in your diaper; I can't help you; or: You will get food eventually.
Relatives are also being told that residents in care homes should not ever expect to walk again after hip or knee replacement surgery because care homes are not set up for rehabilitation.
The provincial government has allowed personal-care homes to serve food that is warmed from frozen instead of being freshly cooked, depriving seniors the taste of good food, which is one of the few real 'preasures'–pleasures that would be able–they would be able to enjoy at this time of life.
Although residents enter personal-care homes to have the best possible quality of life in their last few days, weeks, months or years, relatives repeatedly hear the words: He came here to die; and: She came here to die.
Relatives are regularly angry, frustrated, disappointed and shocked at the care their loved ones now received in Manitoba's personal-care homes.
Administrators in personal-care homes respond to complaints by stating they need more, better-trained staff.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to increase training and staffing requirements for personal-care homes in Manitoba to ensure residents receive high‑quality, nutritious food as well as compassionate care.
Signed by Dolores Minkus-Hofley, JoAnne Minkus, Donna Minkus and many others.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: In accordance with the rules 133-6, when petitions are read they must be deemed to be received by the House.
Going on to orders of the day, government business.
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): Could we please resume debate on the Throne Speech.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: It was called that we resume on debate on the Throne Speech.
The honourable member for McPhillips has four minutes remaining.
Mr. Shannon Martin (McPhillips): It's a pleasure to conclude some remarks on our government's Throne Speech. Where I left off yesterday was talking about the educational institutions here in our province and the lack of investment that we saw under the previous NDP government during their 17-year tenure, Mr. Speaker.
In the short time that we've been in office, Mr. Speaker, we've seen seven new schools constructed. In my old former constituency, we've seen a brand-new high school built in Niverville. We've seen expansions in both La Salle and Sanford as well.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, the other day when I was dropping off my kids at school, it was quite a sight to see that the four or five portables that were so commonplace under the former NDP government as part of their educational priorities were now removed from the school grounds as the children now had fully accessible and new classrooms in which to study.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, as part of our government's 20 New Schools Guarantee, at least two of those new schools will be in my new riding of McPhillips. I know in talking to many, many residents within West St. Paul, in the Kildonan area, there is, with the growing community, with the influx of new and young families, there is that demand for new educational institutions, and I'm proud that on this side of the House we will be fulfilling that mandate.
And along with that fulfillment of the construction of schools comes the construction of additional daycare, Mr. Speaker. And again, I only look to my own community, in this community of almost 3,000 people. And under the previous NDP government, it was all private daycare. Since coming into office, we've seen the openings up of two not-for-profit daycare centres, one that was actually constructed as part of the expansion to the school. So the addition of these almost 1,500 new child-care spaces will make a significant improvement in the lives of teachers and students.
As well, in terms of looking at improvements in the individuals' lives, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud that this government and that our PC government is looking at amending the Employment Standards Code to extend leave protections to all survivors of sexual violence. I know, initially, actually, this was a–initiative brought forward by Theresa Oswald and I applaud her for that initiative during the dying days of her government, but clearly, it was a rushed initiative, Mr. Speaker. And while it may have helped some people, there is the opportunity for expansion to make sure that it applied to individuals who may not be in a domestic relationship with their perpetrator so that they have access to those 10 ad hoc days as well as a continuous period of up to 17 weeks to make sure that they're getting the services that they need, whether it be medical services, counselling services or legal services.
And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, there are so many good things to talk about in this Throne Speech and where our government is going in the next year going forward. But I will simply end this way. I've listened to the NDP in this House post-election, and I would think if they had saved some of their sanctimonious outrage on issues of justice and education and poverty for when they were actually in government during those 17 years instead of their constant infighting, perhaps they wouldn't find themselves in opposition as they have once again.
And, with those very few brief comments, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Adrien Sala (St. James): I'd like to begin by acknowledging first and foremost that I am delivering this speech on Treaty 1 territory, home of the Anishinabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and homeland of the Metis nation.
My name's Adrien Louis Sala, and I was born in Thompson, Manitoba, thanks, in fact, to the fact that my father at that time was an employee of Manitoba Hydro. On my father's side, I am the son of French and Spanish families who voyaged to Manitoba in the late 1800s, bought a farm in Notre Dame de Lourdes, and who later became successful wine merchants in Winnipeg, operating a successful store on Main Street between 1897 and 1916, when prohibition was passed into law.
On the side of my mother, I am the son of Irish, English and Scottish families who were among the first to settle in the farmlands around the area of Dauphin, and to this day members of my family continue to live on a farm outside of Dauphin, which has been in our family for over 120 years.
Mr. Greg Nesbitt, Acting Speaker, in the Chair
I'm incredibly happy to be here in this Legislature and to be–and I'm deeply grateful to the residents of St. James for electing me as their representative. Thank you for placing your trust in me and for sharing your stories and your struggles over the course of the election. You invited me into your living rooms and your kitchens, and you shared stories about the day-to-day realities of not being able to make ends meet, about affordability challenges here in Manitoba, about rents and food costs that are skyrocketing and about the impacts of those increases and the decisions you're forced to make as a result. I feel a great responsibility in this role and will be doing everything I can to learn about your needs and the needs of our broader community and to work by your side in responding to and overcoming these challenges.
It's important to me here today that I recognize some of the key individuals who are, in large part, responsible for me being here. And I'll start by thanking members of the St. James constituency association, who provided guidance from the very beginning: people like Wayne Copeland, Marilyn and Dean Rosaasen, and people like Alexandria Bonney. As many of us know, constituency association volunteers are the heart of political organization in our communities, and I'm grateful to have occasion to spend time with such an intelligent and progressive group of people on a regular basis. They've been there since the beginning, making sure every rule was followed and every NDP-specific process is observed, and I'm grateful for their help.
Thank you to Felix Meza, my campaign manager, for helping us to defeat a strong and well-financed opponent in a Tory-held seat on a shoe-string budget. Your frequent reminder that I was always one vote behind kept me motivated to the very end.
Thank you to Renée Cable for your leadership in our–as our E-day co-ordinator, and for bringing a calm and organized presence to our office for the last week of the campaign. You are hugely appreciated.
And I'd also like to thank my good friend, Joe Rarama, for his volunteer work and willingness to take on the incredibly important but less-than-exciting role as official agent. Joe and I connected early on in the nomination process, and he's been a huge help to me. And I'm really grateful for all the support that he's provided.
There are, of course, too many volunteers to list in one place, but it's important to list the following people who worked night after night in support of my campaign: people like Art Holroyd, Annie Ross, Kalen Leid and Mitchell Duce. And I am thankful for your time and your commitment. I would not be here today without your support, for all the time you offered and all of that with the simple goal of helping to elect a progressive government.
* (11:20)
I'd like to thank my wife, Amelia Curran, who is actually here with us today, alongside my beautiful daughter Nieve, for the incredible support she provided to me throughout the campaign. She's a brilliant–[interjection] Yes, thank you. Amelia's been working really hard in completing a Ph.D. She's a brilliant woman and will be soon finished that long, long process, and she's done that alongside being a parent to both of our little girls, so I'm incredibly proud of her and I'm just so incredibly thankful for your support. Thank you, Amelia.
I'd also like to thank my two little girls, one of whom is here sitting right beside her–Nieve–for all the love that she brings into my life and for inspiring me to always do better, because everything I do, it's for her and for our family, so thank you.
I'd also like to make special mention of my father, who is up there beside my wife, maybe offer a wave–that's Jean-Louis–for all of his efforts in supporting my campaign, doing things I never imagined he was capable of, like knocking on doors and asking people to share their personal political opinions. Dad, I know you well, and I know just how far outside your comfort zone knocking on those doors must have been, and yet you did it repeatedly in support of me, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. Thank you.
To my mother, who is also up there–to the left of my daughter–Karen, thanks so much for moving into the city from Grand Marais, from your cozy home, to come answer phones, get coffee, do all the little things that are incredibly important that most others didn't want to do. Those things mean a lot to me and I'm really grateful for all your efforts in helping us with our successful campaign. So thanks to you, Mother.
And I'd also like to thank my brother Kelsey for all his incredible work. He showed up night after night to campaign for us, sometimes along with his two little girls who got a little bit too into the campaign at times, I think, and were yelling on the doorstep to anyone who would listen, but incredibly grateful for all your work. I think at times we may have been a little confused about who was the actual candidate, whether it was you or I, but in the end your help was tremendously beneficial to the campaign, so I'm grateful to you, Kelsey. Thank you so much for everything you did.
I am truly fortunate to represent the constituency of St. James, which includes the neighbourhoods of Bruce Park, Deer Lodge, King Edward and Jameswood, all located in St. James itself, as well as the Minto and Sargent Park neighbourhoods, which are located in the wonderful West End. These neighbourhoods have long histories and are filled with beautiful old homes and canopied streets. We've got historic 100-year-old schools like Isaac Brock, École Assiniboine, Linwood, and incredible community centres like Bourkevale, Linwood, Deer Lodge and Bord-Aire, all of which are run by volunteers who are working tirelessly for our community.
We have amazing community organizations like the St. James Assiniboia 55+ Centre, serving the social needs of huge numbers of seniors in the west end of our city; organizations like the Valour Patriots and the St. James Rods football organizations who both do incredible work in bringing our community together while offering youth important recreational opportunities. I should offer a brief shout-out to the Valour Patriots peewee team who recently won the championship for our community, so congrats to them.
We have the historic St. James Horticultural Society who've been bringing our community together in St. James for over 100 years in taking care of a large community garden and offering services to our community that, again, bring us all together around the act of gardening.
And it's also very important to mention, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that we have the best imperial cookie to be found in Winnipeg at the High Tea Bakery, and we have a world-class brewery at the Half Pints brewery, which provided a pretty decent place to stop mid-canvass during some of those long days we all experienced in August.
The character of St. James is unique. There's a stability and a continuity of ownership that isn't common in every community, and that stability comes from a long history and a lot of people who tend to stick around.
When I think of my neighbourhood, I think of Peggy, a 93-year-old lady who lives across the street from our family and who's been there for an incredibly long period of time. Peggy's been–actually been in that house for over 50 years, and her husband, Gordon, actually grew up in the house next door, which was once a farmhouse and is still there to this day. Peggy's watched consecutive generations of kids grow up on our street, and now, with an invasion of young kids–my two little girls, the three boys next door, several others across the street–she's there to witness another generation growing up, talking about the families who lived here before us, watching over our kids and connecting with a new generation of parents who can take comfort in that stability and sense of place that Peggy offers to us all.
That's what it means to me to live in St. James. And, while the character of the community is rooted in this stability and history, change is happening. Just as many new Canadians moved into the West End over the last 25 years, more and more new Canadians are moving into St. James, and we are so much richer for it.
I can see the growing diversity in our schools and in the classrooms of my little girl, and I'm so proud to know that my girls are going to grow up in a community alongside a new generation of increasingly diverse working families. I'm entirely committed to ensuring that all of these diverse voices and concerns are represented here in our Legislature.
My decision to run is an extension of a path that I've been on for some time. Years ago, after graduating from the business school at the University of Manitoba, and after taking a few years to explore a life as a musician–and we can call those my lost years–I decided I wanted to work with youth, and I spent the next eight years working in a variety of roles, working with youth in our child-welfare system, managing a federally funded anti-gang program which operated, actually, only a few blocks from here in the West Broadway neighbourhood, and later managing an employment program for homeless youth that partnered with community businesses in offering them an opportunity for employment.
This is where my politics were incubated and formed. Working in community organizations offered me a lot of insight into the social realities faced by families here in Manitoba. I learned about what often led youth to get themselves into tough situations, and, as many of you may have guessed, none of them–not one of these kids I ever met–grew up wanting to be homeless, grew up wanting to be addicted. Not one of them grew up wanting to end up to be involved in our social justice system or in criminal justice system.
My time working in support of these youth made it incredibly clear to me that I was living in a system that wasn't working for everybody, that it wasn't just bad decision-making that led to people ending up in difficult social and economic situations, that poverty, social injustices, racial discrimination and government inaction were most often at the root of broken families, mental health issues and addictions.
On the flip side, it was also here in this role–these roles that I saw firsthand what could happen for these youth and for their families when they were given access to the supports they needed–things that every single person in this room deserves access to and may take for granted, but that some of us don't often think about–access to social opportunities, to employment and training, to housing, to food security. Seeing the way social policies and programs change lives completely altered my view of politics and the importance of the roles that we find ourselves in here in this House.
The hopefulness of those experiences and the resilience I witnessed of young people pushing through seemingly insurmountable challenges helped me to gain a much deeper awareness of the importance of social investment and of the incredible importance of ensuring we have people in government who understand the importance of these types of investments and working to lift all of us up, not just those sitting at the top.
That, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is the root of my inspiration for wanting to be here fighting for these types of concerns. And I'll be fighting for–fighting against these types of decisions we've seen from this current government as evidenced in their recent Throne Speech, which completely failed to address income inequality and poverty.
Throughout my career, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and like many in this room, I've done my best to give back over the years by volunteering the skills and knowledge I've gained in support of organizations and causes that resonated with me. Concerns with the over-criminalization of marginalized youth led to me volunteering as a member of the central youth justice committee, a restorative justice initiative that focused on keeping kids out of the youth centre. And this interest in youth justice issues later led to me volunteering as a board member with the John Howard Society, an incredibly important organization that works to advocate for the rights of prisoners and helps them reintegrate into our communities to get a second chance that we all deserve.
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What I learned with total clarity during my time with these organizations is that our responses to dealing with crime go far beyond policing. We need the political will to address the root causes of these issues, to make bold investments in our communities, to make investments in mental health and addictions services and to make policy that reflects the links between income inequality, colonialism, system racism, income inequality and the criminal justice system.
I must say that it saddened me to hear the interview yesterday with our Premier (Mr. Pallister) when he commented that people who are engaged with the criminal justice system need to stop pretending to be victims, as he clearly projected here that he does not consider income inequality or racial injustice to have any links to the social challenges we are seeing here today in our community.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the law-and-order approach, the pull-up-your-bootstraps approach and that perspective is dangerous. And it bothers me deeply to know that in 2019 we have a Premier (Mr. Pallister) with this world view here in Manitoba. We will and we must commit to responding to the root causes of crime.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we're at a critical juncture in this–in the history of our country and of our planet. We know that its now famous report, the IPCC announced that in order to keep temperature increases to 1.5℃, we need to be carbon neutral as a planet by 2050.
The impacts of not achieving this target, as we know, are likely to be catastrophic, with the potential for causing untold suffering, mass migrations, droughts, global food insecurity and an increasingly violent spiral of turbulent floods, wildfires and threats to our ability to produce agricultural outputs here in Manitoba.
Our role in responding to this crisis as legislators is critical, and yet this government refuses to take meaningful action in response to the challenge, and in many ways, we are going backwards through the cancellation of important programs like the furnace replacement program, which allowed low-income families to switch to high-efficiency furnaces to lower their heating bills and fight climate change, or through the pausing of important programs such as the solar panel program, which helped with the affordability of transitioning to renewable energy.
The Tories like to talk about moving forward, Madam–or Mr. Speaker, and they have been doing nothing but taking us backwards in response to the climate crisis. Greenhouse gas emissions in Manitoba are at an all-time high, yet the Tories are cutting greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets, which are already too modest, and we are continuing to see an incremental approach when we need transformational change.
What the Tories don't seem to realize is that an aggressive action in response to the climate crisis is not only essential for the survival of the planet, but is also good for Manitoba's economy. Electrification of our transportation system and heating systems is good for the Manitoban economy. Investments in mass scale energy efficiency upgrades and projects is good for the Manitoban economy.
We need more action, and we need it now. We need a government that is willing to do whatever it takes to curb our contributions to the climate crisis. Mr. Speaker, there's simply no greater threat to our way of life than climate change. It is an existential threat not just to Manitoba, of course, but to our planet, and we need a government that will do what it takes for the sake of our children and for our grandchildren.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we continue to live in a province with too much income inequality, too much abject poverty, too much social suffering as a result of government inaction, and yet this government barely mentioned these concerns in their recent Throne Speech.
One in five Manitobans continue to live below the poverty line. We have an estimated 1,500 chronically homeless people living here in Winnipeg. We have large numbers of people who are homeless for no other reason than they cannot afford to access housing.
It is staggering to me that this government has not built a single unit of social or affordable housing over their entire time in government, and is even more staggering to me that this government has sold off over 1,000 units of housing, including 200 units only a couple of blocks from here on Smith Street, that could've gone to supporting the needs of individuals who are struggling to access housing.
Mr. Speaker, the inaction of this government in responding to income inequality and their failure to respond at scale to the climate crisis before us concern me at the most fundamental level. I look forward to working every day in holding them to account in their failure–in these failures, among many others.
Mr. Speaker, before closing the speech today, I'd like to state how very proud I am to have been elected as part of this caucus, the most diverse Manitoba NDP caucus in our history, and to be fighting for progressive social policy for more–for better affordability, for climate action, for accessible and quality health care, for a world-class education system alongside such a talented and inspiring group of community leaders.
I am confident that we are going to achieve great things together for our constituencies, for our province in the years to come. So let's do everything we can to advance more fairness, more equality, more inclusion and more diversity in this province.
Thank you very much.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): I would like to begin by thanking the residents of River Heights. I want to thank them for their continued support of me and the work that I do in this Chamber. I will continue to do my best for them and for all Manitobans.
I will recognize the positive mention of diabetes prevention in the Throne Speech. It's clearly needed. And although it has been promised in the last two decades, there has been very little actual progress. There is a need to deliver on this promise, and there is a need to be more specific than we saw. Diabetes Canada has put forward a diabetes strategy for Manitoba and for Canada called diabetes C–360°, which focuses on several critical areas, including prevention.
There are other provinces which have already signed on to the diabetes 60–360° approach, but Manitoba is a laggard. The extra costs of not acting to prevent diabetes when this government was first elected three and a half years ago have likely already added up into several tens of millions of dollars that could have been saved, as well as a lot of heartaches and deaths as a result of diabetes.
There is also a need for more funding and coverage for insulin pumps for all ages. There's a need to extend the approach to prevention, to use the treatment-is-prevention approach for HIV/AIDS, to cover cystic fibrosis drugs, to support the CPAP machines because they're important not just to improve peoples' breathing, but they actually prevent a number of problems, including problems with high blood pressure.
It is time we do better in looking at how we cover hearing aids and how we support, you know, upgrades for devices that are implanted to improve hearing. I recently had a woman in my office, and she is facing a bill of many thousands of dollars because this is not covered, whereas in other provinces there would be coverage. Hearing is important. It is important to people of all ages. It is one of the fundamental components, one of the fundamental senses that is critical to being able to live and do the best we can as humans.
And, of course, we want to make sure that those who have difficulty hearing, or hard-of-hearing or–are also supported in the various ways that we can.
Mr. Doyle Piwniuk, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair
We are facing an extraordinary increase in crime in Manitoba. It is particularly with regard to property crime and particularly regard to violent crime. In River Heights, for example, the increase in 2018 from previous years was in the order of 50 per cent in terms of an increase in property crime. The increase in violent crime is clearly there, has been noted. It fills many of our newspapers at the moment. And yet there has not been a comprehensive approach to reducing and addressing crime.
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There has been a government which has delayed, a government which has dabbled here and there, but there is not a comprehensive approach.
Sadly, when we're dealing with the many thefts from liquor stores which are occurring currently, we have had a government for a year and a half which has operated liquor stores in a way that has let many people walk out the door with liquor without paying.
This has essentially sent the message to many that it's okay to steal, and the result has been dramatically increased retail theft, not just from liquor stores but from many other retail outlets as well.
Finally, after a year and a half, we are starting to hear talk of action from the government, but action needs to be timely, and this has hardly been timely, when timely action is critical.
As well as timely, quick and immediate action to stop crime to send a strong message that stealing is wrong, we need to work closely with community groups, many of whom who have ideas. During the campaign in River Heights, it was notable that areas where there were visible video surveillance cameras, that there was reduced crime within the range of such cameras.
And yet the Throne Speech does not mention such surveillance cameras or working closely with community organizations in this area. The Throne Speech also doesn't mention poverty, one of the major causes of crime or contributors to crime. People who can't afford to eat can be in a position where they see no alternative but to get involved in activities which are less desirable for–from our societal point of view.
I talked recently with an individual who is on social assistance, but he has a daughter, and he has a very difficult choice to make between seeing his daughter, who lives some of the time in northern Manitoba, and eating. Indeed, he pointed out to me that the cost for him to bring his daughter down was $377, and from his social assistance, he got $381, leaving him $4 for that month for food. It's difficult choices and it's difficult living when there's not adequate support.
Homelessness: this is an important area to address. We know this is more common than it should be in Manitoba and in Winnipeg, and yet we have not had provincial leadership in ensuring that there is an effective approach to addressing homelessness.
When it comes to addictions, we can watch sadly as this government talks about the importance of addressing meth and yet, at the same time, we see that organizations which are on the front lines and doing great work to address the meth crisis and to help people with meth addictions–organizations like Morberg House–are not being supported by this government and are struggling.
Even as we have a crisis in this province, the government is standing by and watching instead of acting. When it comes to mental health, thanks to federal dollars, this government has been making some recent announcements dabbling in areas of mental health. Important, yes, but not a comprehensive province-wide approach as, for example, we Liberals have advocated for, covering psychological therapies under Medicare province-wide.
Brain health is important in a broader sense than just mental illness, and it is important that we are addressing brain health and that we are addressing issues related to the health of our brains, like, for example, nutrition for brains, just as we are moving forward and doing better in addressing and supporting nutrition for our hearts.
Related to this, individuals with learning disabilities are, sadly, more likely to end up committing criminal offences. And the reason for this is actually straightforward: that such individuals, when they are not given the help that they should be provided, because of failures of this government and the government before, that they become frustrated in school.
They are not able to learn and they often drop out and too often are involved in juvenile delinquency. And in the occasional, individuals with such problems and with mental health conditions are sometimes even told: the only way to get you help in Manitoba is for you to commit a crime and then you, at last, may get some help.
That's not the way the system should work. People should be helped in a proactive way and helped to do well.
Toxic chemicals are known to be associated with increases in violent crime, and one of the most carefully studied in this context is lead. And we have had problems with lead contamination in this province. And sadly, too often they have been covered up and they are still not being adequately addressed and they are not even mentioned in this Throne Speech.
There are many other areas which are in critical need, areas, for example, like addressing climate change. We still don't have a plan from this government which is going to set targets. We don't have a plan that has a clear pathway to meeting those targets, which haven't yet even been set. There is a lot of work to do before Manitoba has a credible plan to address climate change.
In our major lakes, the fisheries in Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis, we know that they have been called among the most poorly managed fisheries in the world and that there is room for a lot more care and a lot more attention.
We are told repeatedly by fishermen that it is vital that there be more work so that we better understand the situation of the various fish populations, whether it be pickerel or saga or pike or others, and that only through much more investment in the studies to actually do the work, to know what the fish populations are and what the fish biomass is, can we move forward and responsibly manage these and move forward toward the eco-certification that this government promised but has yet to deliver and failed to even mention in the Throne Speech.
We know, in the context of Lake Winnipeg, that one of the major problems is the increase in phosphorus and we know that the sewage discharge into the Assiniboine and Red rivers from the North End treatment plant and from the combined 'sewarge' system that we have is significant and needs to be addressed. It was not mentioned in the Throne Speech and the Province has clearly backed away from any real leadership role in this area.
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The Throne Speech lacks a desire to work closely with First Nation and Metis communities on fire prevention plans, on community economic development plans, on plans to move communities all over Manitoba forward in a positive way.
There is a problem in this Throne Speech in the lack of attention to ethics, integrity and conflict of interest. We know this is a significant issue. We know that Manitoba's conflict of interest legislations are far out of date and need to be improved. And yet this government has sat idly by and done nothing and not even included it in the Throne Speech.
There is clearly a need to relook at areas which are critical in terms of moving control of health care closer to communities. This government has done what it can in terms of increasing the centralization and the control of health care, but if we are actually going to improve health care one of the things that we need to do is to make sure that we are involving and including better local communities in decision making related to health care.
We know that there's lots of work to do in terms of improving protected areas. Provincial parks are still open season in many areas for mining. It is time to start moving to end mining in provincial parks.
There is a need, as we work around the province, to improve the processes for consulting with First Nations and Metis people and involving First Nations and Metis people better in decision making. This is clearly an issue with the current government, where it appears that a major reason for the delay in the construction of the outlet from Lake Manitoba going to Lake St. Martin and Lake Winnipeg is that the approach to consultations was not adequate or sufficient.
There's been a failure to work together with the federal government on many files. This government has been too ready to criticize and not ready to work together with others, including the federal government. It is to be hoped that the Province will embrace the development of a national Pharmacare program to help all Manitobans and all Canadians.
We know that with Manitoba Hydro, there is a very high debt, and that debt is due in part to actions by the NDP and in part to actions by the Conservative government. And there is yet no plan from this provincial government to work with Manitoba Hydro to address the extraordinary high level of debt.
There is a need for this government to change direction and start looking at how better to support people who are on lower incomes instead of primarily providing support to those who are on the upper end of the income scale. It has been shown in many economic studies that, when you help those who are on low incomes, that you get many benefits; the money is spent here in Manitoba rather than in Costa Rica. The money contributes to our economy, contributes to our businesses and contributes to the well-being of all Manitobans when it's spent here on Manitoba businesses.
And, lastly, we can use better advances in technology systems, artificial intelligence, learning–computer-based learning, to help us as what we do as humans and what we do for the benefit of all Manitobans, and Manitoba needs to be further ahead in this area of how we can benefit, all of us, in the way we make investments, in the way we contribute to our province, in the way we help our province and all people in Manitoba succeed.
Thank you, merci, miigwech.
Ms. Janice Morley-Lecomte (Seine River): It is an honour to stand before the House this morning and speak to the opening of the 42nd legislative Throne Speech. As I reflect on the past year, I also look forward to the many great things to come in Manitoba. I would like to note the importance of community and how it is as a result of the strength of many that I'm able to stand here today and speak to the Throne Speech.
I want to begin by thanking the many individuals who worked as part of my campaign team during this most recent election. Their dedication to scheduling, canvassing, answering phones, making calls, putting up signs, meeting and always being available to participate in campaign activities has amazed me beyond words. I am honoured to have worked with such a great group of individuals.
I would like to personally thank Ken [phonetic], John [phonetic], Wayne [phonetic], Matthew [phonetic], Bree [phonetic], Jane [phonetic], Stephanie [phonetic], Bruce [phonetic], Alexa [phonetic], Miles [phonetic], Georgette [phonetic], Christine [phonetic], Aidan [phonetic], Paul [phonetic], Chad [phonetic], Elizabeth [phonetic], Doyle [phonetic], and many others who supported my campaign.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, as I stand before the House and have the opportunity to speak to the Throne Speech today because of this great team of individuals whom I can never thank enough for their tireless support and encouragement. Seine River is a diverse constituency, and the culture and heritage of the constituents is reflected in the many varied interests that make up the milieu of the area. The many cultural groups, community organizations, sports teams and small local businesses within the community reflect the strong bonds between the residents in the area.
Seine River is rich in arts and culture. St. Norbert boasts the St. Norbert Arts Centre, which is located near the Trappist Monastery. The area surrounding the Trappist Monastery is ideal for both outdoor community events and quiet walks on the many footpaths which lead through the local green space. The area is also rich in heritage sites as highlighted by the several historically preserved structures located nearby. The Trappist Monastery guest house is one such site and is truly a hidden gem. It is located in a secluded wooded area and is part of the larger heritage site known as the Trappist ruins. This structure dates back to the early 1800s and allows visitors to see and learn about the architecture of that era and get a sense of how life was for people living during those times.
Union Nationale métisse Saint Joseph du Manitoba has actively worked hard to preserve heritage in St. Norbert. The McDougall House, located near the St. Norbert Farmers' Market, was the meeting place for a very important celebration in October of this year. The members of the Union Nationale métisse Saint Joseph du Manitoba researched the history of the local area, and as a presentation was held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the event at La Barriere. The site was blessed and marked with a wooden cross, which will be replaced next year when the area has a permanent monument erected on-site.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, who has not heard about the St. Norbert Farmers' Market? People flock to the main street in St. Norbert to view the many different locally produced goods that are available for purchase. Local vendors, market gardeners and small businesses all proudly display their wares. One does not have to go far to find the perfect gift or to buy fresh produce and meat. One cannot forget the many special events that are also held annually at the market, most notably the amazing Canada Day celebrations held every July 1st.
Culture is key to any community, and Seine River has embraced many different ethnic groups. Over the years many families have chosen to live in the southern part of the city. South Winnipeg has a Hindu temple, 'gudwarda' and churches of all denominations. These community places strengthen both community and family ties and are a testament to the diversity of Seine River.
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Our community is stronger for this reason, and there is a distinct sense that each and every resident brings their own unique strengths and perspectives to the table. Working together, all of the residents of this constituency help ensure the Seine River community continues to thrive. Community sports teams, community centres and public recreation spaces add to the richness and strength of our community. Maple Grove Park, St. Norbert Community Centre, Trappist ruins, St. Norbert park offer both local families and tourists alike a place to meet, learn and grow as a community.
The St. Norbert Community Centre is certainly a hub for this type of–vital type of community building. The hockey rink and community centre are both humming with excitement and community spirit as they host the many teams, parents and visitors who visit their facilities every year.
In terms of local small businesses, St. Mary's Road is indisputably home to the best greenhouses in Winnipeg. One has only to get in their car and take a short drive south of the Perimeter to find an abundance of plants, trees, herbs and seasonal décor to choose from. Summer sees the road lined with the many vehicles of shoppers who are eagle to–eager to start their yard work, plant a garden or beautify their flower beds. Winter also offers many opportunities for families to come and pick out a Christmas tree, poinsettia and, if they have time, take a ride on a horse-drawn carriage.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, if I were to list all the great qualities and organizations which make Seine River such a vibrant and amazing community, we'd be here all day. I wanted to take this opportunity, however, to acknowledge how much I am honoured to represent the many residents who make Seine River their home. It is likewise an honour to be here today to speak to the Throne Speech.
Our government is committed to moving Manitoba forward for the constituents of Seine River and for all Manitobans so that our communities can continue to grow and thrive. This government will focus on saving money so we can use our financial resources wisely and on what matters to us. It will focus on building an economic base so our children have the opportunity to work and start businesses of their own in our great province and it will focus on supporting families so that communities can grow together. And, finally, it will focus on making sure everyone is able to live in a community that is safe.
Mr. Speaker, saving money is what Manitobans do best. I have often heard that the best test market for a product is in Winnipeg. If Winnipeggers accept and embrace a good or service, then it must be reasonable and have good value for money. This holds true for all Manitobans.
We are interested in getting good value for our tax dollars. This Throne Speech outlines the many areas where the government is going to remove or reduce taxes and make life more affordable for Manitobans. This legislative session, the government is set to begin the implementation of its 2020 Tax Rollback Guarantee that will put at least $2,020 back into the pockets of Manitoba families. It is great knowing there will be more money staying with families and not being paid out in taxes.
Beginning in the 2020 tax year, the provincial sales tax on professional fees related to the preparation of wills and tax returns will be eliminated. This just makes sense. Paying taxes on a service to determine the amount of tax one pays is simply overkill.
The provincial sales tax will also be removed from personal services over $50, including salon services. In this matter, our government has recognized that for far too long, women have been discriminated against when it comes to paying for haircuts. As a woman, I can say that what I pay for a haircut is more than quadruple what any male I know pays for their haircut. I have never understood why women's haircuts are so much more expensive than men's haircuts when the service of cutting hair is essentially the same. Then to be taxed on a service that is over $50 is further discrimination to women, since they are the most heavily penalized by these measures.
And, lastly, I want to speak today on the celebration that is near to many peoples' hearts and which marks a positive and joyous event in our province's history. Manitobans will celebrate our province's birthday on May 12th, 2020. Many activities will be planned throughout the year which will put a spotlight on the beautiful diversity of our great province.
Our government will work with the Legislative Assembly to supports its efforts to repair the beautiful Legislative Building and surrounding grounds as an initiative part of Canada 150 and as part of our Manitoba 150 celebrations. We have the most beautiful Legislative Building and grounds in Canada, and it's important that we maintain this building so that the many visitors that come to admire this majestic building, where so much vital work happens in our democracy, can enjoy it for generations to come.
I extend a special invitation to all Seine River constituents and to all Manitobans to participate in the special events part of the Manitoba 150 celebrations, some of which will be held here at the Legislature.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, in closing, I want to thank the constituents of Seine River for putting their trust in myself and in this government to represent them and to keep Manitoba moving forward. Thank you.
Mr. Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): It gives me great pleasure to respond to this most current Throne Speech that this government has brought in.
I'll start off, of course, with the usual thank-yous to everyone who helped contribute to my success getting re-elected. Certainly, campaign manager Courtney Wentzell, once again, has done just a super job. There's so many people to thank.
I just want to give a shout out to Marg Lyle, a constituent to–who we helped during the previous term, and she said, well, she might pop in every now and again and help out. You know what, once she showed up once, she was there pretty much every day. So it's dedication like that that really speaks to this government's lack of commitment to the North because that is exactly why she showed up to help out with our campaign is, there was health concerns, there's transportation concerns, there's so many concerns that that constituent had, that were echoed amongst so many constituents that I talked to, not just during the campaign but prior to obviously.
You know, some new communities were added to the constituency of Flin Flon, like Cross Lake and Norway House. And pretty much everyone I spoke to in those communities in northern Manitoba were so concerned with what this government had done so far, and scared, really, as what cuts were going to come next from this government.
And really, this Throne Speech, I guess, really sets the groundwork, again, for more of those cuts that they were concerned about. You know, things like Lifeflight which is a major issue in northern Manitoba, privatizing it and lowering the standard of service that's going to be provided. Where once upon a time, it was jet service, and now it's prop planes that take that much longer to get people from the North to the south.
And, if anybody thinks that the disaster that this government has created in emergency departments in Winnipeg doesn't have a negative effect on those of us that live in the North, they're somewhat mistaken as well, because we have to wait longer to get to emergency care here.
So in all, in this Throne Speech, this government talks a little bit about–what is it exactly that they say?–for a century and a half, Manitoba has been the home of hope. People in some of those northern communities really–their hope has been stretched. And, when we asked this government for help for some of those communities, yes, not our responsibility, nothing to do with us.
There's a large swath of Manitobans who this government is willing to write off and forget about people that live in communities like Tadoule, Brochet, Lac Brochet, that when we go to them and say listen, they need a hand, they need something. No, not our responsibility; leave it up to somebody else. That's this government's typical response. Whether it's talking about some funding for a hospital in Cross Lake, no, no assistance going to be offered; none whatsoever. Sports complex at Tadoule. No, not our responsibility they say; leave it up to somebody else; we don't care.
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Which is really a sad commentary on a government of Manitoba that doesn't care about so many Manitobans. And even if they didn't have the financial wherewithal to help out with some of those communities, the very least they could do is join us in trying to lobby the federal government to do more. But instead, they just say no, nothing to do with us, move along. It's outside the Perimeter; don't care. It's not a farmer issue; don't care.
It's really a shame. Which, really, you know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, when you look at the constituencies that make up northern Manitoba, whether it's The Pas-Kameesak, Keewatinook, Thompson, Flin Flon–all of them soundly rejected what this Pallister government had done and what they were concerned that they were either going to do or not going to do. Because a lot of times, it's the things that they haven't done that concern people in the North, as well.
You know, they–this government talks a lot about, well, we're going to make life more affordable, we're going to change the provincial sales tax on professional fees. You know what, Mr. Deputy Speaker? People that don't know where their next meal is coming from don't generally spend a lot of money on professional fees. They're not into estate planning because they don't have an estate because many of them don't have a home. That cutting revenues for the Province won't help them. It won't help them when the government, along with cutting those tax revenues, cut services. And that's what we've seen even though this government stands up and says, no, we didn't cut any services. That's patently not true.
People in Flin Flon know that. People in Flin Flon know that who have families, who want to start families most assuredly know that front-line services have been cut. You can no longer give birth in Flin Flon; the Flin Flon General Hospital doesn't offer that service anymore.
And that affects more than just Flin Flon. You know, in this very Throne Speech they talk about giving better health care closer to home. As long as you don't live in northern Manitoba–they should have added that proviso to their statement, because cancelling birthing services in the community, that affects not just the community, but all those other communities that were within an hour–maybe two. Now, some of those communities, in order to give birth, have to travel four, five hours. The best hope you have is two hours to The Pas.
And, you know, it's a sad commentary on the state of health care that mothers are being kicked out of hospital after they give birth and told to–get in your car, drive home to Flin Flon in the dead of winter with your newborn baby because we don't have room to keep you in the hospital. And if any of these government ministers really bothered to listen to people like the We Want Birth Committee, that are young mothers that are concerned not just for themselves but are concerned for other young mothers that can't give birth close to home. If they listened to some of those stories that they tell, there's no way they could possibly not want to stand up and make sure that the obstetrics unit at the Flin Flon General Hospital was once again open for business.
But they don't want to listen because it's in the North.
So, you know, we listened to this government time again talk about, well, they're going to cut the provincial sales tax because that's going to make life so much more affordable for people in this province. And everywhere I travelled throughout that election campaign, I talked to people about the 1 per cent cut and what it would mean for them. And pretty much everybody I talked to said, well, it isn't going to mean anything. But, Tom, they said, what services are they going to cut?
And that's the question. So, what services is this government prepared to cut in order to keep cutting taxes?
How about snowplow services, Mr. Deputy Speaker? We know that in the last session they told northern communities that they weren't going to pay to have snowplow operators plow snow on their airstrips on the weekend.
So now we're being told, and it may be rumours at this point in time, but certainly the evidence points in that direction that snowplow operators are being told no more overtime. You can't start plowing snow on provincial highways until at least 8 o'clock in the morning.
You know, during that big snowstorm that we had, I was trying to get from Winnipeg back home to Flin Flon. So, on the first day I left Flin Flon–and I'll give them the benefit here, that it was in the middle of the storm–that the highway should have been closed but wasn't. I got as far as just about to Woodlands up No. 6 Highway before I turned around and came back because it was unsafe to proceed any further. I didn't see any snowplows out–not one.
So, 24 hours later the storm has ceased; it's not storming anymore. We sat on the middle of the highway, not on the side of the highway, in the middle of the highway just outside Eriksdale while a police truck was stuck in the snow on the highway. An ambulance attempted to go by us and got stuck in the middle of the highway because at noon there still hadn't been a snowplow.
Local people came out with their front-end loaders and plowed a path and towed the police truck and the ambulance so that they could get on to their destination.
So the evidence clearly says that they have reduced snowplowing operations on a major highway. Now, it's a major highway that runs north, so I guess that maybe explains what this government is up to.
So we got as far as Ashern that day, after they–local folks plowed a path and they just had the highway closed from there on, and it was closed the next day. They didn't even attempt to get it open because they didn't have enough people, enough equipment, enough will to make sure that highways were kept open.
So now we talk about mothers having to travel in the North to give birth. Well, now they're travelling over these roads potentially that aren't going to be plowed, that aren't going to have proper maintenance done on them to make travel safe in the winter, which really speaks volumes about this commitment from this government to people in the North again.
So, moving on from the horrible job that they're doing with things like birth, things like snowplows and, you know, things that don't affect them in the south, they've decided they're going to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade.
What does that mean, once you cut through the double-speak that this government is famous for using? Well, what it means is this government refuses to stand up and protect Manitoba workers. They're fully prepared to do away with any kind of protections for community benefit agreements that really allowed workers to get the skills to be able to bid on jobs. Now, those bids will go to the lowest bidder regardless of where they come from.
*(12:20)
And, you know, really, if anybody thinks that this only affects Manitoba workers, small Manitoba contracting outfits should be very concerned about what this government is doing as well, because they won't be getting those contracts because this government doesn't care about Manitoba workers. They care only about the big boys, the multinational corporations, the ones that have lots of shareholders and make lots of money. That's who this government cares about. They don't care about hard-working Manitobans at all.
You know, they come out and set their hair on fire almost because we had the audacity to stand with workers on a picket line. And they said, oh you can't do that; you can only stand with the multinational farming corporations that want to move grain, when clearly, as the leader of the NDP pointed out, that's not the commodity that CN is really pushing down the tracks. It's goods coming in from China and running empty cars back to the seaport–empty cars; not grain cars, not loaded cars–empty cars. That's where this government's priority is.
They should stand with us and demand that CN actually sits down and negotiates with their workers and provides them with a safe workplace. But they don't, which, again, speaks a lot about what's wrong with this government, and there's so many things. Where to go next?
You know, we see that this government is going to talk about a dedicated fund for infrastructure projects. Well, what we've seen with a lot of their dedicated funds is they don't really spend that money. It sits over there, allows them to say that they're paying down the deficit. But the fund doesn't get used for what it should be being used for, and, in this case, what it is, is cutting–cutting front-line services for highway maintenance, for building highways, for maintaining bridges, for all those things. And it'll shovel that public money to the private sector, to the lowest bidder.
Is that who you want building your infrastructure? I ask you: Do you want the lowest bidder using the cheapest products possible building things that we, as Manitobans, depend on? Or do you want quality infrastructure, quality roads, quality bridges built by people that are trained and qualified to do that? Because that's no longer what you're going to get from this government as they continue to try and privatize every aspect that they can of public services.
They, once again, have announced that they will be attacking the PLA provisions that allow contracts to be let–that say that there's 'stertain' standards that have to be applied. They're not going to have that. They're going to pass a law that says no, no, and they've clearly, the former minister who's now the Minister of Agriculture said, well, there is no forced unionization. He was very clear in that statement, and yet they continue to tout that there is. And, clearly, there is not.
But they want to just keep attacking working Manitobans at every opportunity that they can because that's their mindset, is that people that work to make this province the great province that it has been for the last 150 years, they don't want to support them. They don't want to see average Manitobans get ahead. They only want their business buddies to get ahead, whether it's huge agricultural conglomerates. We see them shovelling government money towards building pea-processing plants and oat-processing plants and on and on.
Do they offer any public money to enterprise in the North that's struggling? No, no, they don't believe in doing that.
So, really, this Throne Speech, it's really short on the details of the things that they're going to do to Manitobans, as was previous throne speeches that they gave. They didn't lay out all the things that they were actually going to attack and cut, all the while saying no cuts to front-line services, when clearly there has been and there will continue to be from this government.
And shame on them for not even being decent and telling people–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member's time is up.
Hon. Cathy Cox (Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage): Mr. Speaker, I am exceptionally pleased to rise in the House today in response to the Throne Speech as a member of the Legislative Assembly for the new constituency of Kildonan-River East.
It's a sincere honour to represent this very diverse community which spans both sides of the Red River. I am humbled that so many families and residents put their confidence in me to represent them in the Manitoba Legislature. This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and I pledge to always do my best to represent them.
Mr. Speaker, my constituents are always and will always be my priority. Regardless of their political stripes, the families of Kildonan-River East can always count on me to advocate for them, to fight for what's best for our community and to stand up for them, their families and friends.
Mr. Speaker, politics is a job you can never accomplish on your own, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my invaluable friends, family and volunteers who supported me, lifted me and guided me during the recent election campaign.
And I can say unequivocally that I had the very best team of volunteers by my side, day after day, from morning to night. Regardless of the weather, where we experienced plus-90° days, to blustery, rainy evenings, my team remained by my side.
Mr. Speaker, I was so blessed to have dedicated volunteers like Sheila Russell [phonetic], my volunteer co-ordinator, who made calls and reached out to hundreds of volunteers to ensure our campaign was well-represented on the phones, at the doors or on election day as scrutineers, poll captains or drivers.
Volunteers like Danielle Claeys, who so generously stepped up as my campaign manager, and, despite her love for pickleball, Mr. Speaker, she set aside that passion to ensure a win for the new constituency of Kildonan-River East. Danielle, I am forever indebted to you for believing in me.
And to my best friend, Donna Patzer, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart, for always stepping up and giving 200 per cent. Donna quietly and humbly volunteered day after day. Regardless of the challenge, Donna was my rock who always had my back.
And Madam Speaker, I was fortunate to be surrounded by volunteers like Donna and Keith [phonetic], Tatyanna [phonetic], Bev [phonetic], John [phonetic], Liz [phonetic], Marta [phonetic], El [phonetic] and Lois [phonetic], who were there by my side, again, day after day.
And to my husband, Herb, who supported me every step of the way on my political journey, I say thank you. I love you and could never succeed in this occupation without your support, encouragement and love.
Mr. Speaker, we have so much to celebrate here in Manitoba, and I am so excited to be united in celebration with hundreds of thousands of Manitobans in 2020, as we host celebrations from Churchill to Emerson, from Pierson to the Whiteshell.
And I encourage all members in this Chamber to extend invitations to their friends and families as we reflect on the past, celebrate the present and look forward to the future.
Mr. Speaker, I guarantee Manitoba 150 will be the most memorable celebration in Manitoba history, and I invite all of the members in the Chamber here to day to also extend invites to all of their friends and families, because as we say here on this side, the more the merrier.
Madam Speaker, we know that when we all unite together in celebration, it really is going to be a year that we will never, ever forget–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
When this matter is before this, the honourable Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage (Mrs. Cox) will have 16 minutes remaining.
The hour being 12:30 p.m., the House is adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p–1:30 p.m. on Monday.
Go, Bombers, go.
Enjoy the weekend.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Friday, November 22, 2019
CONTENTS
Bill 2–The Retail Business Hours of Operation Act (Various Acts Amended or Repealed)
Bill 3–The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act (Cannabis Social Responsibility Fee)
Bill 5–The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act
Bill 202–The Vital Statistics Amendment Act
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park
Minnedosa Veterans Memorial Banner Project
Changes to Agricultural Crown Lands
Agricultural Crown Land Leases
Agricultural Crown Land Leases