LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Thursday, June 1, 2023
Madam Speaker: Good afternoon, everybody. Please be seated.
House Business
Mr. Ian Bushie (Keewatinook): Is there leave of the House to request that the Speaker send a copy of the Reggie Leach private member's resolution that passed unanimously this morning to the Hockey Hall of Fame?
Madam Speaker: Is there leave to send a copy of the Reggie Leach private member's resolution passed unanimously this morning to the Hockey Hall of Fame? Is there leave? [Agreed]
Introduction of bills? Committee reports?
Hon. James Teitsma (Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services): On May 23rd, 2023, the member for St. Vital (Mr. Moses) made a statement about STEP student wages not reflecting recent changes to minimum wage.
I am pleased to table the documents dealing–or detailing the STEP student wage pay scale, as listed on the government website, which does indeed reflect changes to minimum wage.
Madam Speaker: The honourable First Minister–and I would indicate that the required 90 minutes' notice prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance with rule 27(2).
Would the honourable Premier please proceed with the statement.
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): It is an honour and a privilege to rise today in recognition of the 10th annual Special Olympics Awareness Week in Manitoba.
In 2013, I had the opportunity to introduce and pass private member's bill 209, proclaiming the second week of June each year as Special Olympics Awareness Week in our province.
This week is not only a celebration of the impactful work of Special Olympics Manitoba, but also an opportunity for all Manitobans to reflect on our roles in creating a diverse, equitable and safe sports system, where all athletes feel included.
Madam Speaker, 50 years ago, there were few opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities to participate in sport. Today, through Special Olympics Manitoba, youth and adults of all abilities across our province have access to a community dedicated to fostering sport for all.
This dynamic organization provides a diverse array of programs that encourage athletes, families and volunteers to engage with their communities. Special Olympics Manitoba is a true leader in empowering people to be the best versions of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.
Through their mandate to accept without exceptions, they are working to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities, while inspiring the masses to open their hearts and minds to others.
From June 17th to 25th, Special Olympics Manitoba will be sending eight athletes, one mission staff, and two assistant coaches to represent Team Canada in Berlin, Germany for the 2023 Special Olympics Games.
The eight athletes are: Regan Hofley, Alec Baldwin, William Hall, Jennifer Adams, Colleen Voth, Jason Norminton, and Reetu Chahal and Rebecca Birss.
I would also like to recognize Susan Lamboo, chief–or chef de mission for Team Canada; Steven Dreger, female soccer assistant coach; and Jacquie Mazur, powerlifting assistant coach.
Madam Speaker, I ask all members to join me in recognizing and celebrating Rachel Wheatley, CEO of Special Olympics Manitoba, who is with us in the gallery today, and all the incredible athletes, the coaches, the board members, the volunteers and the families that drive Special Olympics Manitoba.
Thank you.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): It's almost 10 years now that Manitoba recognized the second week of June as Special Olympics Awareness Week. This annual event serves as a reminder of the power of sport in transforming lives and promoting acceptance within our communities. Recognizing the need to raise awareness of the abilities of people with exceptional needs participating in sport, the Special Olympics Manitoba honorary board started up a campaign in 2013. Since then, Manitoba has used this week to embrace diversity and promote opportunities for individuals with exceptional needs.
Special Olympics Awareness Week serves as a platform to highlight the achievements, abilities and determination of these truly remarkable Manitoba athletes. It's a time for us to reflect on the values of inclusion, equality and respect. Special Olympics Awareness Week also allows us to acknowledge the vital role played by the coaches, volunteers, families, friends and supporters who dedicate their time and efforts to ensure the success of Special Olympics programs in our great province. Their commitment to the athletes and their well-being is amazing, and their dedication inspires us all.
Recognizing the abilities and contributions of individuals with exceptional needs is not just something we should do this week but, of course, something to be celebrated all year round. Through our collective efforts, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate society that uplifts and empowers everyone.
This time, I'd like to acknowledge and celebrate all the participants, the coaches, those from the organizations that make this possible and, of course, the chef de mission that the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) acknowledged.
I encourage all members of this Assembly to join me in celebrating everyone involved with Special Olympics. Let us continue to fight for the rights and inclusion of individuals from all walks of life in our society and cheer on these great athletes.
Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): I seek leave to speak to the Premier's statement.
Madam Speaker: Does the member have leave to respond to the statement? [Agreed]
Mr. Lamont: I rise today to recognize Special Olympics Awareness Week in Manitoba, which promotes the awareness of the abilities of people with an intellectual disability participating in sports across the province.
The bill to recognize this important week was passed in 2013, 10 years ago, and the occasion is paramount in promoting the importance of inclusive sports and fostering a more inclusive society; the simple idea that everybody gets to play. Special Olympics Manitoba is an incredible organization that provides individuals opportunities to participate in year-round sport training programs and competitive opportunities in 18 official sports, including both summer and winter sports.
During Special Olympics Awareness Week, we shine a spotlight on the talents, resilience and determination of Special Olympics athletes in Manitoba. This is done by offering inclusive sports events, awareness campaigns, community engagements and educational programs.
I am very proud to recognize this week and giving kudos to all those involved in providing individuals the chance to 'parciticipate' in physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and partake in the sharing skills of friendships in sports. This week gives us the opportunity to acknowledge and express gratitude to the dedicated coaches, volunteers, families and sponsors who all play a vital role in fostering a supportive environment for Special Olympics athletes. The work you all do does not go unnoticed.
Thank you, Special Olympics Manitoba, for being the driving force behind the success and growth of this transformative movement.
Madam Speaker: Further ministerial statements?
The honourable Minister of Advanced Education and Training (Mrs. Guillemard), and I would indicate that the required 90 minutes' notice prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance with rule 27(2).
Would the honourable minister please proceed with her statement.
Hon. Sarah Guillemard (Minister of Advanced Education and Training): Madam Speaker, from May 24th to the 27th, Winnipeg was host to the 29th annual Skills Canada National Competition; 550 of the most talented and aspiring students from across Canada competed in an Olympic-style skilled trade and technology competition.
They displayed their skills in 45 competitions representing six sectors: construction, employment, information technology, manufacturing and engineering, services and transportation.
The theme for this year's competition, adaptability, pushed competitors to overcome unique challenges and promote the skilled trades and technology as rewarding career opportunities. A record-breaking 13,000 Manitoba students attended the competition over the two-day event to see these skills in action. They even had a special mascot: a red seal.
I had the opportunity to tour the competition and speak with individuals who work in the trades. It was encouraging to see Canada's future in the trades and technology is bright with the dedication and commitment in the next generation of tradespeople.
This competition is the largest skilled trades and technology event in Canada, and it was a great success. Manitoba once again punched above its weight, taking home seven gold, four silver and nine bronze medals.
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We have some of the medal winners joining here today in the gallery. Derrick Penner won a gold medal in cabinetmaking. He also had won the RBC Best of Region award for receiving the top grade amongst all Manitoba competitors for his work in cabinetmaking. Tristan Slonowski won a gold medal in IT network systems administration and Dorrian Selley won a silver medal in car painting.
Congratulations to all of the apprentices who competed this past week with great perseverance and passion for their trade while representing Manitoba on a national level. Your commitment to excellence contributes to building and developing a highly skilled workforce that will meet industry labour market demands of the future.
Thank you very much.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister of Advanced Education and Training.
Mrs. Guillemard: I just ask leave to add all the names of all of the medal winners into Hansard.
Madam Speaker: I would indicate that those names will be added–[interjection]–oh, sorry. Does the member have leave to add those names into Hansard? [Agreed]
Gold medal winners: James Bartel, autobody repair; Devin Friesen, car painting; Elwood Innis, IT network systems administration; Derrick Penner, cabinetmaking; Kevin Schroeder, bricklaying; Tristan Slonowski, IT network systems administration; Simar Ubhi, web technologies
Silver medal winners: Matthew Dyck, aerospace technology; Grace Guan, graphic design technology; Emma Nadon, hairstyling; Dorrian Selley, car painting
Bronze medal winners: Jacob Abbey, landscaping gardening; Mason Bessey, steamfitter-pipefitter; Connor Cornejo, automobile technology; Jordan Dougall, outdoor power and recreation equipment; Neal Dzisiak, electronics; Luke Friesen, outdoor power and recreation equipment; Dhani Goolcharan, video production; Jomar Manzano, video production; Natalia Pereira, photography; Kayla Wieler, landscaping gardening; Sloane Williams, mechanical engineering CAD
Mr. Jamie Moses (St. Vital): The Skills Canada National Competition provides tomorrow's workforce with an opportunity to discover new and exciting careers. It is the only national, multi-trade technology competition for students and apprentices in the country.
Each year, the national competition, hundreds of competitors from all regions of Canada come together to participate in over 40 skilled trade and technology competitions.
This year, the Skills Canada National Competition was held here in Winnipeg from May 25th to 26th at the RBC Convention Centre. It featured over 500 competitors in 45 competitions representing six sectors: construction, employment, information technology, manufacturing and engineering, services and transportation.
The competition also welcomed over 10,000 student visitors and over 50 Try-A-Trade Technology activities for visitors to learn and experience careers in skilled trades and technologies.
Skills Canada brought three new initiatives to the 2023 competition. A new Skills Symposium brought together industry, government and education, giving them opportunities to meet, exchange and share knowledge. Some of the topics presented included engaging diverse communities, recruiting and retention and sustainability.
There was also a new Indigenous Skills Showcase, which allowed thousands of visitors to explore First Nations, Inuit and Métis skills by taking part in activities such as flat stitch beading, 'soanstope' scarving–carving, building mini tipis and constructing Inuit yo-yos.
I–when I toured on May 25th, I particularly was impressed with the Red River College Polytechnic's booth where they had a 5-foot-tall robot, which was terrific to enjoy.
And finally, the Empowering Women in Trades initiative brought together industry partners by showing young women the incredible careers that are available in the skilled trades.
On behalf of the Manitoba NDP, I want to congratulate all the 2023 Skills Canada competitors, especially those who are with here–us, here in the gallery today: Derrick, Tristan and Dorrian. We congratulate you on your hard work, we thank you for your involvement and we thank Skills Canada for their ongoing commitment to strengthening our future workforce.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Madam Speaker, I ask for leave to respond to the minister's statement.
Madam Speaker: Does the member have leave to respond to the statement? [Agreed]
Ms. Lamoureux: I rise today to recognize all competitors, staff, volunteers and participants of the 2023 Skills Canada National Competition.
Every year, Skills Canada showcases and engages thousands of students and apprentices in a multi-trade and technology competition. This year, Manitoba hosted the national competition, which brought competitors from all across Canada to participate in over 40 skilled trades and technology competitions.
Madam Speaker, Skills Canada does really important work in engaging young people and promoting careers in skilled trades and technologies. I wanted to highlight some of their initiatives this year, which were empowering women, First Nations and diverse communities in the trades. We know that women continue to be under-represented in skilled trades, and part of Skills Canada's approach has been to break down the negative misconceptions and showcase young women in the incredible careers that are available in various industries.
Madam Speaker, we must continue to break down barriers, empower underrepresented people and encourage inclusion in the trades.
Lastly, I want to recognize all the Manitoba finalists and their incredible achievements at the event, as well as welcome those medal winners along with their families here at the Manitoba Legislature today.
Thank you.
Hon. Jeff Wharton (Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade): Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to honour Dennis Wiwcharyk, a long-time resident of Red River North, for his outstanding contributions to the East St. Paul community.
For Dennis, the–has been 25 years serving his community as East St. Paul's emergency co‑ordinator. He and his team has worked on multiple emergency situations. While each emergency is a learning experience, nothing compared to the global COVID‑19 pandemic. He and his team weaved through–weaved their way through changing health regulations, having to close facilities and help keep municipal employees safe and healthy.
For Dennis and his colleagues, it was extremely challenging. To quote Dennis, the biggest issue with the pandemic was there was no playbook. As this was a new–was new to everyone, we did not have anything to refer to, what worked, what didn't, et cetera.
As things have now started to return to normal, Dennis's responsibility as well as has returned to–as emergency co‑ordinator. Mr. Wiwcharyk is required to have municipal emergency plan in place that includes manuals of prevention and mitigation efforts which he recommends before council for their approval. Every fourth year, they must conduct a full-scale exercise where they deploy resources.
The last exercise was done in co‑ordination with the River East Transcona School Division. A total of 238 students were evacuated from Robert Andrews school and bused to the RM's evacuation centre at Eastview Community Church.
The RM's plan–or Dennis's plan–is award winning. In 2016, East St. Paul was recognized by the Province with Manitoba Community Emergency Preparedness Award, and Dennis was presented with the emergency co‑ordinator award of the year in 2011.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to join me in welcoming Mr. Dennis Wiwcharyk and his wife Brenda to the gallery today.
Thank you.
Ms. Lisa Naylor (Wolseley): I welcome guests from Pride Winnipeg into the Legislature this morning.
Winnipeg's Pride parade started when activists took to the streets to celebrate the 1987 inclusion of sexual orientation in The Human Rights Code. In the 36 years since, Pride Winnipeg has grown as an organization, becoming more inclusive over time and more responsive to community needs.
The organization holds the values of diversity, inclusivity, safe spaces, accessibility and sustainability. Their vision is to create an annual festival that reflects these values, advocates for equality and celebrates our gender‑, sexual- and relationship-diverse communities.
Each year, Pride Winnipeg organizes five events that mark the beginning and end of Pride celebrations: the flag raising at City Hall, a vigil for those we've lost, a rally on the steps of the Legislature, a two-day festival and the spectacular Pride parade. These official events are rounded out by dozens of community-organized events.
Today, board members and hundreds of volunteers donate 50,000 hours annually to bring Pride Winnipeg to life. Pride Winnipeg has also helped to spark parades throughout the province and have mentored local advocates in Flin Flon, Brandon, Steinbach, Altona, Pembina Valley, Portage La Prairie and Thompson.
Some who took to the streets of that first Pride march wore paper bags on their heads for safety or fear of job loss. I am appalled and angry that 36 years later, human rights are still threatened for many in our 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
But despite these very real threats, the leadership of Pride Winnipeg and the strength of our community ensures that in 2023 we will wear our rainbows, and we will walk, dance, roll, sashay in the streets with pride and determination to make our city safer and joyously inclusive for all.
Colleagues in the Legislature, please join me in thanking Pride Winnipeg for their enormous contributions to inclusion and culture in this province.
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Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister of Labour and Immigration. [interjection] Oh, sorry, me–sorry, the honourable member for Wolseley.
Ms. Naylor: I ask for leave to include the names of my guests in Hansard.
Madam Speaker: The member does not need leave to include those names, but they will be included.
Jamie Gooding, Barry Karlenzig, Cassie Lethbridge, Stacey Linton, Kristie Matheson, Amanda Pratt, Jenn Rands, Micaela Reeve
Hon. Jon Reyes (Minister of Labour and Immigration): As the MLA for Waverley and someone who was born and raised in Manitoba and of Filipino descent, I am very proud of the fact that last year the Filipino Heritage Month Act received royal assent in Manitoba, declaring the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month.
Did you know that it was in the late 1950s when the first recorded Filipino immigrants in Canada arrived in Manitoba? Mostly nurses, doctors, teachers and other professionals were part of this first wave of Filipino immigrants.
Between the late 1960s and the '70s, the second wave of Filipinos would consist of workers employed in the garment industry. My father was one of them. Many more waves of immigration from the Philippines would come decade after decade and continues because of the welcoming province Manitoba is known for.
Since then, the Filipino-Canadian community in Manitoba has grown to nearly 100,000, the largest per capita Filipino population of any province in Canada, with many setting not only in urban centres such as Winnipeg but also in rural, regional communities such as Steinbach, Swan River, Brandon and Neepawa, to name a few.
Manitoba has provided new Canadians from the Philippines an opportunity to live, work and grow in our great province. And Manitoba is all better for it, because the people and families who came from the Philippines have enriched our culture, grown our economy and made our province a better place for all.
As the first Filipino-Canadian-born MLA in Manitoba, I must mention some politicians from Manitoba who came before me: Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, the first Filipino Member of Parliament in Canada; the late Dr. Conrad Santos, the first Filipino member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly; as well as other several Manitobans including Cris Aglugub, Flor Marcelino, Ted Marcelino and Mike Pagtakhan, to name a few.
So let's celebrate Filipino Heritage Month to recognize the outstanding contributions of our growing and vibrant Filipino community in Manitoba, some who are with us today in the gallery.
Thank you. Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat. [Thank you very much to all of you.] Mabuhay. [Live.]
Mr. Diljeet Brar (Burrows): Mabuhay [live] and welcome to my friends in the gallery today.
Madam Speaker, have you ever seen a combination of a barong and a turban? It's rare and important.
Today, I am honoured to recognize Filipino Heritage Month and the incredible contributions of Manitobans of Filipino heritage. Every June, we celebrate Filipino Heritage Month, an important time to recognize and highlight the many contributions Filipino Manitobans make in our province.
The positive impact of Filipino Manitobans continues to be seen in sectors such as business, politics, health care, journalism and many more. In my own constituency of Burrows, I am honoured to know and work alongside Filipino community leaders who have helped foster a more open, diverse and inclusive Manitoba, some of whom I would like to highlight today.
For the first time in Manitoba's history, three Filipino trustees were elected last year. Perla Javate, Dante Aviso and Ann Evangelista's tireless advocacy has led to the establishment of a Filipino-English bilingual program at Winnipeg School Division. Now, two school divisions in my constituency, Seven Oaks and Winnipeg School Division, both offer Filipino-English bilingual programs.
Manitoba Association of Filipino Teachers and the Seven Oaks Filipino Employees Association are doing commendable work in the classroom by leading with compassion.
Sugar Blooms and Cakes and VC Cuevas are two well-loved Filipino bakeries in Burrows who have been connecting Manitobans through a shared love of sweets.
Philippine Heritage Council, Pinays Manitoba, 204 volunteers, and the Filipino Street Festival team have been instrumental in community organizing and advocacy.
The turban and the barong are both symbols of pride and respect that serve to unite and strengthen diversity in our province. I am proud to represent such a diverse constituency where generations of Filipino families have chosen to make Burrows their home.
I thank all Filipino Manitobans for their contributions in building a better Manitoba and wish everyone a happy Filipino Heritage Month.
Salamat po [thank you], Madam Speaker.
Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): I am so honoured to serve the constituents of Tyndall Park, and I will continue to work hard and do everything I can for our community.
Now, this will not be my last member's statement, but as we rise for the summer, I want to use this as an opportunity to share some thank yous.
First and foremost, I want to I want to express a special thank you to our Education and Outreach Services, our planning and program co‑ordinator/analyst, LBIS, security, Leg. Counsel, our HR department, Members' Allowances and structural and cleaning staff. This place would not function without all of you.
Furthermore, Madam Speaker, I want to thank those who work for Hansard and translation, and apologize, as I know we get too loud sometimes.
I want to thank our clerks, our pages and you, Madam Speaker. I truly appreciate the efforts and patience in walking us through the daily procedures.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank our caucus staff: Colin, Shandi, Colleen and Justin. And I'd personally like to extend a big thank you to all departmental staff. I know my office tends to send a lot of letters, and I've followed up probably too many times in some cases, but it means so much to me to have your assistance in helping my constituents.
Madam Speaker, I want to wish everyone well this summer. I know the member for Borderland (Mr. Guenter) just had a baby–he's catching up to the member from Radisson there. The member for Point Douglas (Mrs. Smith) is about to become a grandma. Bhavika, who happens to be the daughter of the member from The Maples and a page here at the Legislature, is turning 18. Tim, one of our clerks, is getting married in July. And I know the member from Steinbach is going to ask: in 23 days, I'm getting married, Madam Speaker.
So, it's going to be a very good summer, Madam Speaker, and in all the excitement, I want to wish everyone safety throughout the summer, and I hope that everyone has fun on the campaign trail.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Introduction of Guests
Madam Speaker: And now we have some guests that I would like to introduce to you.
Seated in the public gallery, from Rossburn Collegiate, we have 25 grade 11 and 12 students under the direction of Julia Johnston. And this group is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Swan River (Mr. Wowchuk). We welcome you here.
And also in the public gallery, we have Daniel Adeyanju, the partner for the honourable member for Point Douglas, and we welcome him here today.
Also in the public gallery, we have Mr. Reynold Reyes and Mrs. Leticia Reyes, parents of the honourable member for–the honourable Minister of Immigration; and Cynthia Reyes and Reyna Reyes, wife and daughter of the honourable Minister of Labour and Immigration (Mr. Reyes).
And I've been wanting to say, mabuhay [live], so there it is.
In the Speaker's Gallery is my dream team: my constituency assistants Carol Vandale and Pat Rondeau, and I welcome them here to the Legislature.
* * *
Madam Speaker: And, as is our custom, it is time to say goodbye to three more pages.
Sonya Rooprai: Working as a page has been a remarkable experience for her, and she is very grateful for this opportunity. She says, I will begin grade 12 in the fall and expect to graduate from Fort Richmond Collegiate in the summer of 2024. It was a pleasure to meet all of you and witness first-hand all the hard work and dedication each and every one of you commits to your duties. I will be leaving here today with a wealth of knowledge and an unparalleled experience I will always treasure. Thank you for making this such a memorable experience.
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Kylie Hiebert. Kylie will be graduating from Murdoch MacKay Collegiate this June. Her hard work and dedication towards her academics have paid off as she is now set to attend the University of Winnipeg in the fall where she will be part of the advanced neuroscience program. She hopes to obtain her bachelor's degree to then further her education in the years following.
As she prepares for this new chapter in her life she is also grateful for the experience she has gained as a page at the Legislature. During her time here she gained a deep understanding of how our provincial government works and the role it plays on how it shapes our society.
She would like to express a heartfelt thanks to everyone at the Legislature who supported her throughout the year. She is particularly thankful to those who went out of their way to guide and mentor her. Their kindness and patience have made her experience more memorable, and she will carry the lessons she learned with her for the rest of her life.
She is confident that in the future she will be able to make meaningful contributions to society while having a positive impact on others' lives. She hopes to see all of you soon, and joining her are her parents Kim and Tyson Hiebert.
And the last page we want to wish well is River Amy. When I first started at the Legislature, she says, I was more than intimidated. I had never worked anywhere so formal or worn a uniform so fancy.
But as I became more comfortable I realized there is nothing intimidating about working here at all. All the staff at the Legislature have made me feel nothing but safe and welcomed in this environment. Dave and Cam have always been kind, organized and understanding bosses. The other staff of the Legislature have always been warm and friendly.
And whether it's compliments on my earrings or my name or even just a simple thank you, you have all made this experience a job of a lifetime. I will cherish working here forever, and I am eternally grateful for this opportunity.
Although I am sad to leave, I am excited to attend McGill University this fall semester to study cognitive science. I will always be grateful for the things I've learned here, and I will take this knowledge with me to Montreal, one of those things being my newfound ability to lip-read the word water.
And joining her today is her father, Jeff Amy.
We learn something new from our pages every year.
And on behalf of all of us in the Assembly, I just want to wish our pages the very best in the future, and thank you for your amazing service to us over the past year. You really are part of an important team that can allow us to do our work here in the Chamber.
So thank you and the best of luck.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): On this last sitting day of the 42nd Legislature, I wanted to begin by thanking you, Madam Speaker. For more than seven years now, you have presided over the proceedings of this Chamber. You have made important rulings, and you have acted in good stead in your role as steward of the people's building of Manitoba, and I wanted to say thanks.
On a lighthearted note, we also asked you to rule on more matters of privilege than probably any other Speaker, in the year 2020. Of course, you know what I'm talking about there.
And so, all the best in what's next, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker: Thank you.
Mr. Kinew: By way of thanking you I also want to thank the clerks, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the pages, all of the staff who make this place function. You are the facilitators of our democracy, and that is truly a sacred function.
I do have a question about health care, but wanted to put those words on the record first.
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): I, too, want to thank you for what you have done representing your constituents and, certainly, representing Manitobans and being our Speaker here in the Legislature for the last seven-plus years, Madam Speaker. And thank you for everything that you have done.
It's in–it's been an incredible honour to work closely with you over those years and beyond that. I think you've been an MLA–one of a couple of people in here that's maybe been an MLA longer than I have. But we've certainly shared many times over the years. And I want to wish you all the best on your retirement, and I know that we will keep in touch.
So thank you to you.
I also want to thank the Clerk, the Deputy Clerk, to all the table officers. I want to thank Hansard; I want to thank Translation as well, and I want to thank the Sergeant-at-Arms and all the security staff.
To our pages who are here today and those who have left just earlier, but thank you for everything that you've done for all of us and making our lives that much easier here in the Manitoba Legislature to be able to do our jobs.
So, on behalf of all of us, I thank you very, very much, and I wish you all the best, a wonderful, wonderful summer.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, and I'm wondering if we can keep that same tone throughout question period. [interjection]
Okay; I had to try; I had to try.
The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): So, what have we learned this session? Well, we've learned that health care is in crisis in Manitoba.
Doctors at the Grace Hospital have been very clear, and I quote: The situation has become so severe that some of our section members no longer feel comfortable working at the Grace Hospital, recognizing the lack of patient safety, which occurs after hours in that building. End quote.
We've learned that the Premier hid a report that over half of front-line workers are thinking of quitting, and that her Minister of Health (Ms. Gordon) didn't even bother to read it. Tenuous claim, at best.
That's the legacy of this Premier and this PC government.
Will the Premier tell the House why our government has caused so much damage to our health-care system?
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): Well, Madam Speaker, what we have learned, certainly on this side of the House, is that day in and day out, the Leader of the Opposition and members opposite get up in this Chamber and put false information on the record for Manitobans, and that is shameful.
We will continue to go out, Madam Speaker, and we will let Manitobans know what the facts are. The facts are we're making record investments in our health-care system, almost $8 billion this year–a 9.2 per cent increase over last year–$668 million more.
We will continue to make those significant investments in our health-care system for Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Kinew: I recognize that that's the Premier's election year talking point, but I invite her to look at specific reference. Was the statement from the Grace doctors not a fact? Was the fact that the report was commissioned not a fact? Was the Health Minister's claim that she had not read the report not a fact?
I'll put further facts on the record. Dan Roberts, at Health Sciences Centre, doctors at the sleep clinic at Misericordia, and orthopedic surgeons at the Grace Hospital have also raised the alarm about mistakes that this government is making in their stewardship of the health-care system.
We have also tabled research that proves there are fewer than–there are, rather, 300 fewer nurses working at the bedside in Winnipeg, that there are 87 fewer paramedics working in rural Manitoba. These are all facts.
Why has the Premier caused so much damage to our health-care system in Manitoba?
Mrs. Stefanson: Well, Madam Speaker, once again, more false accusations and information put on the record in the Chamber.
But here are the facts: In our health human resource action plan, we've invested more than $200 million, and we are pleased to announce and have Dr. Peter MacDonald and the task force go out the other day and announce that we are over halfway there. We are well over a thousand new health-care workers in the province of Manitoba.
Madam Speaker, we know there's more work to be done, and we'll continue to get it done on behalf of Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a new question.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): A tacit admission from the Premier that everything I asserted is fact.
We see that on the last day–we see that–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –on the last day of this Legislative Assembly–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –that much like the first day of her time in office, there is another strike. The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals has now announced that their members will hit the picket lines on June 15th.
To cut through the rhetoric of this government, one thing is clear: it has been deeply irresponsible of this Premier to let the MAHCP situation get this bad. We are talking about rural paramedics, people who run tests and diagnostics in hospital, people who deliver mental health services in the community who are now going to hit the picket lines on June 15th.
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Why has the Premier forced thousands of front-line health-care professionals to strike?
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): Madam Speaker, I want to thank all of those individuals who work on the front lines of our health-care system. They do incredible work to help keep patients safe and healthy, and we thank them for the incredible work that they do.
Speaking of irresponsible, Madam Speaker, what is irresponsible is to get involved in the collective bargaining process that is taking place. Right now, this is in active mediation, and I know that they're working towards a resolution.
We need to allow that process to take place. It would be irresponsible to intervene in that process, like the Leader of the Opposition is suggesting.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Kinew: This government created Shared Health. They appoint its board. Any time there's an impasse in negotiations, Shared Health negotiators walk away saying that they have to check in with those who set their mandate.
For five years, these front-line health-care professionals have had their wages frozen. These rural paramedics and folks who run our diagnostics have not had an increase in their pay during a time of record inflation. Now, perhaps a few months, maybe even a year, that would be a result of tough negotiations. But five years without a contract? That is clearly the strategy of this Stefanson government.
Why has the Premier disrespected Manitoba allied health-care professionals for more than half a decade?
Mrs. Stefanson: Well, Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is being disrespectful by suggesting that we should intervene in the middle of a collective bargaining process. This issue remains before mediation, and we'll look forward to a resolution coming.
Without any understanding of the real facts, Madam Speaker, all the Leader of the Opposition is doing is inflaming the situation. It is not helping Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Kinew: The only thing that isn't helping is the Premier sticking to talking points in the face of the reality of the situation.
At any point, she could bring this situation to resolution by handing Shared Health a mandate that would actually meet the needs of these rural paramedics, of these front-line diagnostic–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Kinew: –professionals, of these people who deliver mental health services in our communities.
The Premier has refused to take action here, and now it's people who live in rural Manitoba who are waiting longer than ever. It's people who are going to hospitals trying to get tests run who are waiting longer. It is people in the community trying to access mental health services who are waiting.
Again, the PCs have created this situation through a deliberate set of policy decisions and now we're at a unprecedented situation where 7,000 health-care professionals–on the backs of whom our health-care system runs–are announcing a strike. When the strike happens on June 15th, it will be a symbolic exclamation point on the failures of this PC government when it comes to health care.
Why has the Premier failed Manitobans so badly when it comes to health? [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order. Order.
The honourable member for Union Station–[interjection] Oh, sorry. Oh, pardon me.
Mrs. Stefanson: Madam Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition truly cared about getting a resolution to this matter, he wouldn't be suggesting that we should intervene in the process.
This issue remains under mediation. We need to allow that process to go through. All the Leader of the Opposition is doing is inflaming the situation. This is not helpful to Manitobans.
We will stand up for Manitobans each and every day in our great province, Madam Speaker.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order. Order. Order.
MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): Over five years, Madam Speaker. That's how long MAHCP workers have gone without a contract thanks to the PCs' refusal to bargain fairly with these workers.
And now, MAHCP has announced they have no choice but to go on strike on June 15th. It is completely irresponsible that the PCs have let it get to this point and get this bad in health care in our province.
These workers are critical. They're critically important to health care in our province, and instead of providing them support, the PCs have done nothing but disrespect them for years.
Can the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) explain why she's forcing MAHCP members to strike?
Hon. James Teitsma (Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services): Well, Madam Speaker, I will begin with a point of agreement with the member opposite. I will say that I agree that these members are critical to the delivery of health care, and we certainly value their service.
And we want to ensure that they get a fair deal. That's why we're encouraging them to stay at the negotiating table. Here on this side of the House, we believe that bargaining should happen at the negotiating table with the aid of a 'medior'–mediator.
On that side of the House, they don't trust the mediator. They have no respect for proper bargaining.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Union Station, on a final supplementary–I mean, on a supplementary question.
MLA Asagwara: The same workers that that minister called health-care heroes during the pandemic, he and his caucus have turned their back on. They refuse to fill high vacancies, which has led to widespread burnout and mental health issues amongst workers.
And they disrespected MAHCP workers by forcing them to work over five years without a contract, the longest of any across our country, Madam Speaker. That's exactly why MAHCP members voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action.
It's beyond irresponsible that PCs have allowed it to get to this point.
Can the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) explain why she's forcing MAHCP workers to strike?
Mr. Teitsma: I'd make it very clear to that member that what we need to have here is negotiations, bargaining, aided by a mediator. Intensive bargaining and a commitment from both the union and the employer to work out a fair deal.
That's how this will be resolved, not on the table of the Legislature.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Union Station, on a final supplementary.
MLA Asagwara: Nearly 7,000 allied health-care professionals are set to go on strike on June 15th, thanks to this PC government's refusal to bargain fairly for over five years, including throughout a pandemic, Madam Speaker.
MAHCP workers have been forced to work without a contract, some people even taking out loans to pay their bills.
They've worked long hours while short-staffed, leading to burnout and mental health issues. They've provided critical services such as addictions counselling, emergency response, diagnostic imaging and more.
And yet, this PC government has treated them with nothing but respect–disrespect–disrespect for years–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order. Order.
MLA Asagwara: I wish they showed this kind of enthusiasm for the workers on the front lines of our health‑care system.
Can the–
Madam Speaker: The member's time had expired.
Mr. Teitsma: We have nothing but respect for the workers in this negotiation. We value their contribution to our health-care system.
We want it–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
* (14:20)
Mr. Teitsma: –to continue. We are urging both union and the employer to remain at the bargaining table, to be aided by a mediator, to be active in the negotiations.
And I would say, Madam Speaker, that Manitobans don't want a strike. Our government does not want a strike. The union members I've spoken with don't want a strike. Seems the only people who maybe want a strike is the NDP members opposite because they think it will serve their narrow political interests.
Shame on them. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order. Order. Order.
Probably worth a caution that we are not to be indicating whether members are present or absent.
Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): Five years, no contract for MAHCP. It's hard to imagine that that's a sign of respect from this government.
And after five years of frozen wages from this PC government, MAHCP has issued the strike deadline for June 15. This after a 99 per cent of allied health workers voted in favour of that mandate.
And if the strike takes place, it would be due to the complete and total failure of this Premier and this government. Manitobans need allied health workers, and allied health workers need a fair deal.
Why is the Premier forcing them to go on strike?
Hon. James Teitsma (Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services): If it's any comfort to you whatsoever, we're at least almost halfway through question period. So, hopefully this'll come to its end soon.
But I will remind that member how negotiations occur. They occur between the employer and the union. They occur, in this case, with the aid of a mediator.
I would ask that member: Do you trust the mediator? Do you expect that mediator to be able to negotiate a fair deal or not? We–if you do trust him, why don't you let him do his work?
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Fort Garry, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Wasyliw: Madam Speaker, this government hasn't met a Manitoban they couldn't pick a fight with, and the problem with that is, is our health care suffers.
M-H-A-C-P president, Jason Linklater, says that a strike is a last resort, but, and I quote, at this point, we feel like we have no other option.
They had no other option because this government has refused to bargain fairly with them for the past five years. The Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) has refused to give them a new contract, failed to fill high vacancies, forced them to work long hours while short-staffed, leading to burnout and mental health issues. Unacceptable.
Will the Premier explain to allied health workers why she's forcing them to go on strike? [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: Madam Speaker, I think it's sad that the members opposite continue to go down this road.
I asked him a very simple question, one that could be answered with a simple yes or no: Do–does the member accept that the mediator is actually engaged in–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –attempting to negotiate a fair deal or not? Does he trust the work–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –of the mediator? Does he believe that negotiations should be taking place at the bargaining table with the aid of the mediator?
Does he believe that or not?
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Fort Garry, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Wasyliw: Madam Speaker, this minister sets the bargaining mandate for Shared Health. For him to deny that he does that is an absolute abdication of leadership. For him to hide behind Shared Health is absolutely a lack of accountability.
We are going to go and have an election this fall, and Manitobans deserve better. They deserve a government that will actually stand up for them and fight for their health care.
Workers are burnt out, they're struggling with mental health challenges, and this Premier has given them nothing but disrespect.
On this side of the House, we respect allied health-care workers, and we believe in caring for those who care for us.
Why has this Premier forced nearly 7,000 allied health-care workers to go on strike?
Mr. Teitsma: The member opposite talks about accountability and sits behind a leader that won't take any.
The member opposite talks about hiding things, but the only things I think that we can remember has been hidden are the advertisements that he has on his website–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –advertising that maybe the age of consent is somehow negotiable; or maybe drinking and driving isn't actually a crime; or maybe he can help sexual assault criminals have a reduced sentence. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: That's what that member now likes to hide. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: I am going to have to call the member for Point Douglas (Mrs. Smith) and the member for Union Station (MLA Asagwara) to order.
MLA Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): So, back to allied health professionals.
Since the day that the PCs took office, they have shown absolute disdain for allied health workers. For over five years, the PCs have forced them to work without a contract.
Allied health professionals are dealing with burnouts, thanks to every single member there refusing to fill high vacancy rates. Make no mistake, all this is the fault of the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) and her PC caucus.
Will the Premier simply admit that forcing essential allied health workers to strike is irresponsible and that she's failed allied health workers and, by virtue, all Manitobans?
Hon. James Teitsma (Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services): Madam Speaker, I think I'm forced to assume that the member opposite didn't hear my previous responses. That's probably because she was constantly heckling me, as were her neighbours.
She sits on that side of the House talking about accountability, talking about standing up for women, when she does that. And yet, she sits next to a leader who does none of that, who avoids accountability–who avoids accountability–who won't admit responsibility, who leaves in his wake a trail of victims–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –and then turns around and blames them for his actions.
Will the member opposite stand up and at least condemn that?
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a supplementary question.
MLA Fontaine: Again, Madam Speaker, the PCs make it clear that they actually don't respect allied health workers. They called allied health professionals–including rural paramedics, lab techs and diagnostic imaging techs–heroes during the pandemic, yet they've refused to bargain fairly for over five years now. And allied health now has no choice but to strike.
It is irresponsible that the PCs–the Premier, the Health Minister–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
MLA Fontaine: –that minister over there–have let it get to this point that people are forced to strike.
Can the Premier explain why she is forcing allied health workers to strike?
Mr. Teitsma: Madam Speaker, let's just look at the facts. Let's look at the history.
In terms of health-care negotiations within this province, we got a deal done with Doctors Manitoba. We got a deal done with Manitoba Nurses Union. We have deals done with 85 per cent of health-care workers.
Those deals all included retroactive pay. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: Those deals all included compound increases. Those deals were obtained through negotiation, through mediation or arbitration. They were not reached on the floor of this Legislature. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
* (14:30)
Mr. Teitsma: What happens on the floor of this Legislature is not negotiation. What happens–what's happening now is the member opposite putting her own narrow political interests ahead of the interests of Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a final supplementary.
MLA Fontaine: After over five years without a contract and continued disrespect and disdain–some of what we're seeing right now–allied health workers have no choice but to strike on June 15th.
While essential services will continue during the strike, allied health workers have said that a strike will cause, and I quote: significant delays and service disruptions, end quote, for Manitobans, Madam Speaker.
Wait times and cancellations could increase for surgeries and diagnostic services, mental health and addictions services, lab results and much, much more, Madam Speaker. It's clear that the Premier does not care to take this issue seriously.
Can the Premier explain why she has failed and failed and failed to bargain fairly with allied health professionals, and why they're forced to strike?
Mr. Teitsma: Can the member opposite explain why she has failed and failed and failed and failed to listen to the advice of someone who should be a mentor for her, who should be a role model for her? I'm speaking, of course, about the former NDP minister, Jennifer Howard.
When Jennifer Howard was asked this type of questioning, what did she have to say? She said that this kind of questioning, the kind of questioning being put forward by the member for St. Johns (MLA Fontaine), by her leader and by all the members opposite, she said that you wouldn't want to see–you wouldn't want to–or, sorry, that that kind of questioning, I should say–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –that that kind of questioning is–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –taking political advantage of the situation.
It's clear, Madam Speaker: government does not–
Madam Speaker: The member's time has expired.
And I am going to have to call the member for St. Johns to order. Yelling across the House isn't going to make anything different; it's not going to make any changes happen. It's definitely not civility that is being respected in this House.
And I'm going to ask for everybody's co‑operation. I think we had some great messages given to us yesterday by a member, and I think a lot of you might have forgotten about that. I'm asking for everybody's co‑operation, please. I know it's the last day. But at least for these last few minutes of question period, can we at least, in this province, show that democracy can work in this Chamber.
Mr. Adrien Sala (St. James): Nearly 7,000 allied health-care workers will walk off the job on June 15th if this PC government doesn't–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Sala: –ensure a fair deal. This would make it even harder for Manitobans to access health-care services in a system that's already been broken by the Stefanson government continuing Brian Pallister's devastating health-care cuts.
Manitoba is losing highly specialized allied health professionals, because this PC government's wage freeze makes it impossible to recruit and retain people here in this province. Manitobans deserve an explanation.
Why does the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) insist on forcing nearly 7,000 allied health-care workers to go on strike?
Hon. James Teitsma (Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services): I suppose I should be not surprised that the member for St. Johns disrespects the opinion of Jennifer Howard, just like she disrespects your leadership, Madam Speaker. Just like she disrespects our entire PC caucus, and frankly, just like she disrespects the Liberal caucus and more than half of her own caucus.
But what I would say to the future leader of the NDP is: you can learn. You can–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –learn from former minister Jennifer Howard. Spend some time, maybe give her a–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Teitsma: –call, I hope you have her number, and see what she has to say about the line of questioning that you're doing here.
Are you putting–is the member opposite putting–is the member opposite putting his own narrow political interests ahead of the interests of union members?
We stand on the side of union members; we stand on the side of Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: The member's time had expired, and I would ask the member that in responding for any further questions, that he direct his answers through the Chair.
The honourable member for St. James, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Sala: Five years without a contract is unacceptable, period. It's the longest time without a contract for any health-care sector in Canada, ever.
While this PC government has frozen allied health-care wages for the past five years, the cost of living has gone up 20 per cent. Allied health-care workers have set a strike deadline of June 15th because they're tired of being disrespected by this Premier and her PC government.
These are our essential front-line health-care workers. It's time they had a government who cares for them like they care for us.
Why is the Premier forcing nearly 7,000 allied health-care workers to go on strike?
Mr. Teitsma: We're past 80 per cent through this question period, so you have my sympathies that you've had to put up with this that–this long.
But I would remind the future leader of the NDP and future opposition leader, presumably, that when he's going to bring up these kinds of matters in the House, this might be the time–this might be the time–for this member to differentiate himself from his leader, to differentiate himself from his House leader, get a little separation–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order, please.
Mr. Teitsma: –before they go down in flame.
Madam Speaker: I've reminded the member, and I will remind him one more time, that in answering any questions, please direct your answers through the Chair.
The honourable member for St. James, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Sala: Allied health-care workers are burnt out. They're working long hours in an understaffed system because of this PC government's failure to fill vacancies.
These are our health-care heroes, and they deserve our respect. Instead, the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) and her government have frozen their wages for five years and refuse to give them a new contract. That's shameful, Madam Speaker.
This PC government's record on health care is failure after failure after failure–and I may add another one–after failure. And Manitobans are the ones, unfortunately, paying a price for that litany of failure.
Will the Premier apologize for the damage she's done and prevent the strike by giving allied health-care workers a fair deal?
Mr. Teitsma: I would just remind that member where negotiations are taking place right now, where they should be taking place; I hope the union hasn't backed away.
Shared Health is at the table. The mediator is at the table. The union should be at that table too. They should be in active mediation, intense mediation.
That is how you get a deal done. You don't get it done on the floor of this Legislature.
Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): This government is getting over $1 billion in new transfers, a 16.8 per cent increase and over 100 per cent since 2016.
Yet, this morning, the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals announced they'll go on strike June 15th because the people who make sure doctors and nurses can actually provide treatment haven't had a contract in over five years.
Let's not pretend this is about interfering in bargaining from a government that passed a law to suspend it. It's about every patient in Manitoba sitting, waiting in pain and fear and uncertainty, who is going to have to wait even longer for tests and surgery they need and can't get.
This is a health-care crisis created by this government that it can afford to resolve.
Why is this PC Premier making it worse?
Hon. James Teitsma (Minister of Consumer Protection and Government Services): Out of respect for the Liberal Party, I will give the member a small benefit of the doubt.
And I'll just remind him that when we came into office, there was an unbelievable number of negotiating units that were part of the health-care system, and have been allowed to get completely out of hand by the NDP.
And so, in this particular case, there was 50 individual bargaining units that are now boiled down to six. So, this made for a complex negotiation; actually took quite a long time for the members themselves to choose who their union would be, to choose who would be negotiating for them.
And finally, when all that was done, negotiations began, and they've been continuing ever since, and they're continuing today, as they should.
* (14:40)
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Boniface, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): That's not the only area where Manitobans are facing impossible and dangerous waits getting access to basic help. As this article I table shows, there are hundreds of women who are homeless in Winnipeg, more than in the past, and there's nowhere safe for them to go.
We also know wait times and access to addictions treatments are failing Manitobans, as folks are having to wait months for an appointment.
Despite years of tragedies and crises where women and girls who are vulnerable are preyed on, no provincial government has ever seen fit to fund emergency overnight shelters for women.
What is this government going to do to step up now to provide emergency overnight shelter for women, because it sure wasn't in the budget?
Hon. Rochelle Squires (Minister responsible for Gender Equity): I guess the members opposite had missed the page, so I'll table the budget for him afterward for his review. But our government provided $1.5 million to Velma's House, which is a 24‑7 safe space.
Unfortunately and sadly, members opposite–all those members opposite–voted against a safe space–24‑7 safe space at Velma's House for women.
We also doubled the funding for our women's shelters and some of our homeless shelters, moving to 24‑7 for many of these shelters, also something that members opposite had voted against, each and every one of them: $126 million they voted against. Shame on them all.
Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Many of my constituents utilize the Seven Oaks hospital, and as an MLA, I believe it's important that we know what is happening in our hospitals.
So, about a month ago I requested a tour of the Seven Oaks hospital and I was recently told that I would require the permission of the Minister of Health's office in order to proceed. To expect an MLA to have to get permission from the minister to tour a hospital is completely unacceptable and deeply concerning.
Madam Speaker, I will not be asking for permission from the Minister of Health, nor should I have to.
So my question is: Does she truly believe MLAs are required to have her permission in order to tour hospitals in Manitoba?
Hon. Audrey Gordon (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I want to thank all health professionals for their dedication and their commitment to providing care to Manitobans, many of them under a lot of pressure during the pandemic. And I want all of those individuals to know, regardless of what–of which region they live and work in, that our government is committed to ensuring they have all the supports and resources they need to do their job.
As this is our last day in the House, I want to thank you and everyone here for the great work that you do, thank, once again, our health-care heroes for their commitment and their dedication to providing care to Manitobans.
Mr. Brad Michaleski (Dauphin): Under the NDP, community projects were famously used as a form of patronage. They would hand out funding based not on community need, but exclusively for political gain and generally ignored rural communities.
I am proud to serve as part of a government that realized that all Manitobans deserve access to strong community services. I table an article from my local community paper that shows just how well received these investments are.
Can the Minister of Municipal Relations explain how all Manitobans benefit from the Building Sustainable Communities fund?
Hon. Andrew Smith (Minister of Municipal Relations): I want to thank the member from Dauphin for that great–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Smith: –question on the last day of session. And he couldn't be more right.
One of the greatest opportunities and honours it is to administer the Building Sustainable Communities grant program, watching people right across this province serve in their communities, work hard for the communities, and deliver results for their neighbourhoods.
And that's why, Madam Speaker, I believe that those folks, those Manitobans, are so fortunate that the NDP and the member from St. Johns are not in charge of that program. We know that they would prefer their own constituents over the greater good of our province.
If it was up to the NDP we know that Linden Meadows School would not have received funding for their inclusive community play structure.
Madam Speaker, on this side of the House we fund communities and municipalities. They force their amalgamations.
Madam Speaker: The honourable leader of the official–oh, yes.
The time for oral questions has expired.
Point of Order
Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a point of order.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): Now that the experience, shall we say, of question period is over, I wanted to return to the last day of school theme, as it were, and just take this opportunity to thank the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson).
Serving as the Leader of the Official Opposition has been the great honour of my life, and there's no opportunity to serve as Opposition Leader unless there is a government to oppose. The Premier is the first woman elected to hold her office, and she made history in that respect.
And so, as we draw the 42nd Legislature to a close, I wanted to take an opportunity to acknowledge her.
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): It's always nice to end on a good, positive note. So, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for that. It sets the tone, I think, as we move into a wonderful summer, as we're going to be out on the campaign trail.
And I want to wish everyone a very happy summer, and we look forward, Madam Speaker, and I certainly look forward to coming back at–after–in the fall, after we get a renewed mandate of four more years.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order, please.
As the House is expected to adjourn later–oh, the point of order. I would just indicate that the member did not have a point of order, but it was a nice point to be made on behalf of all members in the House.
Madam Speaker: As the House is expected to adjourn later today for our summer break, and for the general election in the fall, I would encourage all honourable members to remove the contents of their desks today.
I would further encourage members to recycle as much of the material as possible. The blue bins here in the Chamber are designated for recycling of Hansard only. Any other material you would like to recycle may be placed in the larger recycling containers in the message rooms located just outside the Chamber.
Mr. Ron Schuler (Springfield-Ritchot): To the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, these are the reasons for this petition:
(1) The 2023 health-care spending proposal contains health information sharing conditions, which raises concerns about privacy rights.
(2) Digital ID is still in its infancy in Canada. The digital ID and authentification council of Canada is currently partnering with public–private and public stakeholders to provide the framework to develop a digital identification and authentication ecosystem. This is supported by a September 2022 resolution by the office of the privacy commission of Canada, giving the federal, provincial and territorial privacy commissioners and ombuds responsibility for privacy oversights of the ongoing evolution of a digital identity ecosystem.
(3) Governments and third-party stakeholders across the world have started to roll out digital ID policies, calling for invasive collection of biometric markers, location data, banking information and personal health information.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
(1) To urge the provincial government to not surrender nor weaken any personal health privacy rights when signing a new Canada Health Transfer agreement.
(2) To urge the provincial government to not create a digital ID nor accept any requirements for the creation of a digital ID tied to health-care funding.
(3) To urge the provincial government to not share any personal medical information with the federal government or third parties, as this information is protected under The Personal Health Information Act, PHIA, and sharing any personal health information would be in violation of the–of that act.
Signed by Dana Wood [phonetic], Rhonda Medwood [phonetic], Kelly Lloyd [phonetic] and thousands of others of Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: In accordance with our rule 133(6), when petitions are read they are deemed to be received by the House.
Any further petitions?
If not, grievances?
* (14:50)
Madam Speaker: I'm going to indicate that I am going to make a farewell statement to the House.
After 25 years in public service, in public office, I've made the decision not to seek re‑election in the 2023 provincial election. The time has come for new adventures.
It has been a great honour and privilege to have served the constituents of Charleswood, and now Headingley, as MLA since 1998. I appreciate the confidence placed in me when asked to serve in various caucus positions over the years, including Legislative assistant to ministers of Health and Families; Health, Finance and Education critic; interim leader of the PC Party of Manitoba and deputy leader.
I am proud to have had five private members' bills unanimously passed during my career. Most notably were those that helped to prevent sexual assaults caused by date rape drugs and to establish the Nellie McClung Foundation. The latter led to the monument of Nellie McClung and the Famous Five on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature.
Recognizing Nellie McClung wasn't just about the past. It was also about inspiring girls and women to know that they, too, have the opportunities to be leaders and to create positive change. For every little girl who can see a woman making a difference in the lives of others is one more little girl who may be inspired to follow suit.
My advocacy over many years to have a dedicated stroke unit and a women's heart health program became a reality after the 2016 election. As a former neurosciences nurse, I was determined to do everything I could to have a gold standard stroke unit in Manitoba, and I am most grateful to see this about to become a reality.
While it was never my intention to pursue the position of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, being elected twice by my colleagues to serve as Speaker has been a demanding but rewarding experience. I am honoured to have worked with our Legislative team to enhance our programs and services, modernize the workings of the Legislative Assembly and implement a leadership development program that resulted in the first mission, values and aims statements for the Assembly.
As Speaker, I have experienced many unique opportunities. I led our Assembly through the COVID‑19 pandemic. I created and curated the content of a time capsule in celebration of the 100th birthday of the Manitoba Legislative Building. I oversaw the historic Manitoba Legislative Chamber renovation to improve accessibility. I initiated a women's Trailblazers of the First 100 Years permanent exhibit at the Legislature and a vote 100 permanent exhibit to recognize Manitoba women as the first in Canada to be granted the vote. I wanted a way to show women and girls that there is a place for them under this dome.
I'm also honoured to currently co-chair the Manitoba Legislative Building Restoration and Preservation Advisory Committee and to work actively to prioritize the development of strong and effective security measures for this building and for the Assembly.
Over the years, I became very aware of women's challenges in getting into politics and other leadership roles. I developed a deep commitment to addressing this deficit through my provincial, national and international positions with the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. It culminated in my appointment as president of CWP International last year.
I would like to be hopeful that more women will want to take on the challenge of being a woman in politics; however, today's challenges in the world of politics, of social media toxicity, political polarization, personal security concerns, mental health challenges and unconscious bias may drive women away.
One of my most fulfilling achievements in Charleswood is the development of the Charleswood 55+ Active Living Centre following my initiative in 1999 to bring seniors together to celebrate the International Year of Older Persons. The centre now has over 500 members. The other is the community leaders networking luncheons, where community leaders come together twice a year to network, connect and form community partnerships that benefit our community.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to represent the people of Charleswood and Headingley. I want to say a heartfelt thank you for the opportunity you have given me to serve as your MLA. It was incredibly humbling to run in and win seven elections. I want to thank my constituents and my campaign volunteers for their unwavering support and commitment. Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude.
Today, I offer heartfelt gratitude to those who walk through the journey with me: my caucus mates, who became like family; to the caucus staff, who made so many things possible; to my dedicated and magnificent constituency staff, especially Carol Vandale, who has been by my side from the beginning; to my association board for their guidance and support; to all of the gifted and dedicated Assembly staff who have guided me through the last seven years of me being the Speaker.
As we experience this unique role as an MLA, alongside us on this journey are our families. Thank you to my family, who has been with me every step of the way. I love you with all of my heart.
And in the gallery today, I thought my husband might be home looking after little Briar, but he is here today, and he's been on this journey for the whole 25 years. And he was supposed to be looking after one-and-a-half-year-old Briar, but I see they worked up the nerve to bring her here, and she's somewhere here in the building.
My eldest son, Rhys, who's working and couldn't be here but has kept my feet firmly planted in the ground. My youngest son, Curtis, who has grown into a man that I have become so very proud of. In the gallery is Curtis and his wife, Dana, who has also become such a special part of our lives. With them in–with them today is my precious four-year-old granddaughter as well, Addison–hi, Addison–as well as Dana's parents, Don and Marlene Oftedal.
Curtis and Dana have blessed me with two wonderful granddaughters, Addison and Briar. To Addison and Briar, I want to say to you: follow your dreams–that's the little one. Follow your dreams and always believe in yourselves. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire, just like nan did.
And a final comment: it is healthy for democracy if MLAs respectfully express different opinions. It is not healthy for democracy if we can't do it with decency and respect. Democracy right now is so fragile. Now, more than ever, we need us, as lawmakers, to transcend partisanship and learn how to work together.
According to a neighbour of mine, he said, as a society, we have lost any ability to judge policy based on merit. We attack it based on whether it comes from the left or from the right. The rising toxicity in politics and perpetual anger erodes the foundation of democracy. We must do better.
And in ending, I would say I am genuinely thankful for my journey in public life, and I look forward to what the next chapter will bring. Public service has been an incredible honour and privilege, and I would like to wish all of you the very best in whatever your futures may hold.
Thank you.
And now, if it's possible, I would like to turn the House over to the Deputy Speaker for a few moments, so that I can meet with my family and help them leave the building.
Mr. Andrew Micklefield, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair
House Business
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): I'd like to announce that the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs will meet on Thursday, June 15th, 2023 at 1 p.m. to consider the following: the annual report of elections in Manitoba for the year ending December 31st, 2022.
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Mr. Deputy Speaker: It has been announced by the honourable Government House Leader that the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs will meet Thursday, June 15th, 2023 at 1 p.m. to consider the following: annual report of Elections Manitoba for the year ending December 31st, 2022.
Mr. Goertzen: In accordance with section 33 of the Sessional Order passed by this House on October 7th, 2020, and subsequently amended, I'm seeking leave of the House to further amend that same Sessional Order so that, in the first paragraph, June 1, 2023 is replaced by the dissolution of the 42nd Legislature.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is there leave to further amend the Sessional Order passed by this House on October 7th, 2020, and subsequently amended so that in the first paragraph, quote, June 1st, 2023, end quote, is replaced by, quote, the dissolution of the 42nd Legislature, end quote? Is there leave? [Agreed]
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Mr. Goertzen: I thank the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Could you please canvass the House for leave to allow the Premier to make a statement to the House without responses at 3:15 this afternoon? The purpose of the statement will be to offer an apology on behalf of the Manitoba government regarding the Manitoba Developmental Centre class action lawsuit.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is there leave to allow the Premier to make a statement to the House without responses at 3:15 this afternoon? Is there leave? [Agreed]
Mr. Goertzen: Mr. Deputy Speaker, could you please canvass the House and see if it's the will of members to recess until 3:15 p.m. and to have the bells ring for two minutes prior to the resumption of the sitting?
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is there leave to recess now until 3:15 p.m. and to have the bells ring for two minutes prior to resumption of sitting? Is there leave? [Agreed]
This House is therefore recessed and stands recessed until 3:15 this afternoon.
The House recessed at 3:03 p.m.
____________
The House resumed at 3:15 p.m.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The House will now resume. We are in session. And I recognize–the House will now resume. We are in session. Please take your seats.
And I recognize the honourable First Minister.
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): I am deeply sorry as I reflect upon the history of suffering experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I wish to offer an apology to the men, women and children who have experienced mistreatment as a result of the historical harmful policies and practices of the government.
Madam Speaker in the Chair
As Premier and on behalf of all the people of Manitoba, I am sorry for the long and devastating history where Manitobans with intellectual and developmental disabilities were placed in institutions long term or for their entire lives, including at the Manitoba Developmental Centre.
There was a time when families were told the only option for their loved one was to place them in an institution. Many felt that they had no choice but to listen to those in positions of authority and make the devastating decision to relinquish care of their loved one and to place them in an institutional setting.
The result was our vulnerable citizens were separated and segregated from their families, devalued and denied of their fundamental human rights to live freely in the community.
Today, we take responsibility for the pain and suffering experienced by those who have been institutionalized and deprived of the opportunity to pursue their dreams as is the right of every Manitoban. We acknowledge that this suffering is shared by the family, friends and loved ones of those who are placed into institutional care.
We are sorry for our province's history of forcing children and adults into an institutional model of care. For the resulting loss of family, culture and the right to be valued member of a community. For restricting their choices and movement of those residing within an institutional environment. For any neglect, physical and sexual abuse or harms experienced by children and adults in Manitoba-run institutions. For creating barriers to living a life filled with love and sense of value and community.
Today, we offer our deepest commitment to never forget and continue to learn from the transgressions of the past. We recognize the courage and bravery of people like David Weremy, other former residents of Manitoba Developmental Centre, some of whom are here with us in the gallery today along with their families and supporters. I want to honour your determination and courage and humbly thank you for being here to bear witness to this very important occasion.
Manitobans with lived experience, their families and communities and advocacy groups have tirelessly fought for the rights of people with disabilities in our province to live and receive services in the community. You have been tenacious in helping us to understand the right way forward. Through efforts like the Welcome Home program, you have shown us that, with the right supports, all people can and should be supported in the community with the same opportunities to thrive like all other Manitobans.
Today, people with disabilities live, learn, work and play alongside us. They're our neighbours, they're our friends, they're our fellow students and our work colleagues.
* (15:20)
There is always more to do and, on behalf of all Manitobans, you have our government's unwavering commitment to supporting all Manitobans to live their best lives.
In 2021, our government took a long overdue step forward in announcing the closure of the Manitoba Developmental Centre and plans to transition all remaining residents to community living over a three‑year period. Despite the overwhelming challenges brought on by the COVID‑19 pandemic, our community partners have once again demonstrated their unwavering dedication to supporting people with disabilities to live alongside each one of us in the community.
I am so pleased to report that 32 individuals have already moved to their new homes in communities across the province. And plans are in place, and well underway, to have everyone move into the community by 2024.
To all those that are making these transitions a reality, I offer you my most grateful appreciation. A memorial commemorating all residents will be erected at the MDC cemetery as a tribute to all the men and women and children who lived at MDC. It will be a lasting reminder of a history that must never be repeated.
We know that today is but one step towards ensuring that we will never forget the wrongs of the past. Today, we understand it is every person's human right to live as a valued member of community with self-determination, with dignity, choice and the love of family and friends. Today, we understand how diversity and inclusion enriches all of our lives.
Thank you.
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Madam Speaker: As agreed to by the House on May 30th, 2023, the House will now consider end-of-session speeches from members of this Assembly.
As a reminder to the House, for these speeches, any member wishing to speak shall have 10 minutes to do so. The House shall not see the clock today until all members wishing to speak have done so, and once these speeches conclude, the House will rise.
Are there any members wishing to–the honourable member for La Vérendrye.
Mr. Dennis Smook (La Vérendrye): The last 12 years have been an important part of my life. I have learned a lot and have enjoyed being an MLA. It has been an honour to work in this great building.
I'm going to start by thanking the Speaker and her staff for all they do. To all my colleagues that I've had the pleasure of working with over the years from all sides of the House, I thank you. A lot of new friendships have been made, especially our team on this side of the House.
Next, I would like to thank the clerks and all the Chamber staff. Working committees and the Estimates process and sitting in the Speaker's chair taught me a lot. I was able to get through these processes with the help of the clerks, especially Patricia, Rick, Tim and Kat, and all the others that are involved today and all the past clerks.
The sergeant-in-arms and his staff for keeping us safe as we do our jobs. To all the government staff, thank you. Our caucus office staff that kept us going; they're–were always there when we needed help. You could always count on them.
I would like to thank our current staff, Maureen and Donna, and some of the staff from the past, Barb and Jeanine. Over the years there have been many staff that I have worked with, and I thank them all.
I was not going to speak today, but there are a lot of good people that have made my political career an important part of my life. I learned that a lot–I learned a lot and I need to thank them all. But it is time to leave this great building, Madam Speaker.
Coming from a business, where I know how important a person's integrity and honesty is to be successful, especially as an MLA, this Chamber should run on the integrity and honesty of its members. Madam Speaker, I have only two comments for this House: My uncle once told me that if people would not tell lies, others would not call them liars. That goes to the integrity and honesty of those who tell lies.
My dad told me if you have nothing good to say about someone, don't say anything at all. I would suggest that some members that practise those–should practise those comments.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie): I had a chance the other day, in private member's statements, to say a few things, and I think many of you know that I never miss an opportunity to brag up my home community, which I'm very proud of.
Portage la Prairie is a lovely little city, and I encourage you all to come and spend some time there, maybe a little more in the future, and I'll have a little more time for you. But we continue to move forward on improvements to the city and achieving the greatness that I know is in the community.
But it's really the people that I'm going to remember. People here, whether you're speakers or clerks, and all of the other people in the House, or whether you're my colleagues on this side of the House and the other side of the House, too, I have certainly enjoyed my 12 years working with you, and there's been a lot of great things that have been accomplished.
And I just wanted to reflect a little while on some of the other people that have contributed in a major way. I didn't get a chance to thank my family. I know the cost to family is always huge, and I don't want to get emotional because, as the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) knows, it's never great. It makes you feel bad, but, you know, it shows where your heart is. It's on my wife and the two daughters–thanks a lot–have put up with an awful lot.
Not only did I have 12 years in here, but I had 10 years before that as a president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, another great opportunity. And I certainly appreciated that time representing the farmers, which are a great bunch of people in this province.
My constituents join them, has been a great bunch of people, and I certainly have enjoyed representing them here in the House. One of the things you learn early on, in being an MLA, is that you do the constituency work because it informs everything else you do: your policies that you put together; where you put your time and effort, because the size of the problem you have in your constituency is a measure, really, of the number of people you see at the door.
And so certainly I recommend that to everyone and encourage them to do that, because knowing what the problems are is the first step in finding the solutions. So, you want to do that, and you want to do it right, if you can.
I mean, it takes a lot of work, and I want to thank my two constituency assistants, and there's been a few more over the years, but Lori and Suzie are the ones that are there now, and they help me a great deal when we deal with a lot of people in our constituency.
* (15:30)
We're probably the only office in the province that is shared with the MP, or at least it was to the other day. And that brings in a different set of traffic, but I think people actually appreciate that, something that you could consider, because if they have something they can identify as a political problem, they just come to our office, and we sort out whose responsibility it is. Sometimes it's ours, sometimes it's federal. Sometimes it's actually municipal, and we send them across the street or wherever they have to go to do that. But it's a great opportunity.
But Portage has changed a lot in the 12 years I've been there. For many years, most of my lifetime, it really didn't grow very much. Had the same 12 or 15,000, depending on how they counted them, in size, for many, many years. And now it's just booming. The growth has been huge. A lot of things have come to town, some of our services, assisted-living facility that I had a small hand in. It's a huge popularity–full–and they're looking at stage 2, and I, you know, I can't say enough about the people who sat on that board. Was most of 10 years before we–getting it from an idea to shovels in the ground. And it's a great facility.
Child-care facilities, we have several already completed and more in the planning stage, providing great opportunities for a lot of people and a standard of care for children moving into early years and then, of course, coming into the kindergarten or grade 1 situation. And the teachers are already telling me they're seeing the difference. The kids that are coming in through that system are much more ready to learn. And so that's one of the great things we're doing, and I certainly want to thank the minister for the great work he's done in that area, and encourage him to do more, because there's–it's not all done yet. And certainly, we're pleased to do that.
We have a new hospital under construction in Portage, and we're really pleased to see that. Thank the governments and the Premier in particular for moving ahead with that. It's moving ahead at a tremendous rate. It's a lovely spot, and I know we lost our facility–corrections facility as part of that. But, you know, corrections facilities are something that you really don't want to ever have to have. You deal with the problem as it is there, and, actually, the number of people in Agassiz had been dwindling for many years, and we all knew it was coming. So, we're really pleased to see the site put to a really good use. It'll be one of the most lovely hospitals in the province, I think, when you're done because you'll have a lake view out your front window, which you don't get very often these days.
The RAAM clinic, which is just down the road from the existing one, is getting a lot of use. That's unfortunate in that there's a need, but it–we're really glad that it's there to meet that need, and they work very co-operatively with the three First Nations that we have in our immediate area, and this is very positive, and I hope that it's–opens doorways for a lot of solutions for a lot of people.
The recreation facilities, both in the city and in the RM, Stride Place, which is on the island, a lovely facility, started actually back under the NDP era. And I don't want to make this an attack thing, but I can remind the NDP that all they really contributed to that was enough to pay the PST; that was all we got. The rest of it, we had to find our–in our community. It's a lovely facility, and it gets a lot of use by all people from across the province, but especially our local community.
The fall in 2011 and again in 2014, we had terrible floods, Lake Manitoba and on the Assiniboine River. And we had basically complete rebuilds at the lake facilities, the beaches, whether that was Delta, where the RM is responsible for the rebuild on all of the cottages along there. Almost every one of them took damage at one time or the other, and we had hundreds of claims to deal with and work our way through.
And then, of course, we had to rebuild an awful lot of stuff around the Portage Diversion because the mishandling of 2011 flood, I'll put it bluntly, took a lot of the facilities out, damaged the diversion, and so it had to be rebuilt. And bridges had to be rebuilt, and there was huge cost–I think we all know that–in the province.
And we're back to a situation now where we feel pretty confident that we can handle most flood situations that come at us down the Assiniboine, and that's a good thing because they do come. We just have to, you know, be patient and deal with them as they come up.
The St. Ambroise facility, which is a provincial park, and I appreciate the minister's co‑operation on rebuilding that park; it's kind of a new thing. We have a operator's agreement there, a local person in the community; he's a Métis member of the community there. He hires local people. It's really put life back in that community.
And I know following 2011, I met with the minister of the time, and what they were planning on doing with it was turning it into a natural park, losing all of the beach facilities and really not turning it into anything. And it's a world of difference, and I encourage you to go out and have a look. It's one of the nicest beaches on–probably in Manitoba, certainly on Lake Manitoba, and it's 40 minutes from downtown Winnipeg. You can't get a whole lot closer.
The businesses in the community have thrived, especially post‑COVID, but we also have a lot of new ones coming to town. We had Roquette come, which I think everybody's heard about–a world-class facility–using technology that exists only here in Manitoba, creating a product.
And you won't see their name on the shelf; Roquette doesn't make retail products; they make wholesale products that other people turn into retail products. And it's the protein sources that you see coming through the new burger products and things like that. They're the source for an awful lot of that, and they taken that for peas right now, and they're looking at other crops, moving into the future.
Okay, oh, time is running out. I'm sorry that I don't have a little longer to talk about this. But so many other great facilities. I did mention family and the cost of that. My wife Leslie has put up with a lot, and my two–
Madam Speaker: Order, please.
Point of Order
Madam Speaker: A point of order. The honourable Minister of Justice.
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): Is there leave to allow the member an additional five minutes to conclude his remarks?
Madam Speaker: Is there leave to allow the member additional five minutes? [Agreed]
* * *
Mr. Wishart: Thank you all. Thank you all for that extension.
I'll go back and touch on a few more companies. We also have Nutri-Pea, which is a homegrown Manitoba company that do more traditional things with pea products, the pea proteins that you see, pea fibre that you see in your breads; things like that all come out of a place like that; Richardson Pioneer, the oat processor. You–we tend to forget about them. We drive by them. Looks like a little silo on the bypass. They're one of three biggest oat processors in the world, and they're–and one of the oldest ones.
It's really interesting. I like to collect old things, and some of you know that. I have a bag from the first oat processor in Manitoba, 1896. So, we have been in the oat processing business for a couple of years, and maybe we'll get it right one day.
You know, it's interesting what they do with that and all of the great things that they do in terms of turning out great products.
Southport Aerospace, which is a great training base there, and rotary-wing pilots are all trained there for the military and for a lot of the private industry. And now they're busy building–bidding on two-engine fixed-wing trainers there, and it's mostly done with simulators. And you know, maybe if you're really lucky, maybe they'll let you try one one day because you're pretty much guaranteed to crash; pretty much everybody does.
But the simulators just astound you at the level of technology. The new one that they're looking at is a $21-million bid. Yes, it's an–they're expensive toys, moving into that.
And I did want to mention the vegetable industry, as well. For many years, it's been centred around Portage and continues to be. We're kind of going through some generational changes with different people taking over. The range of crops is changing a little bit at the same time. But pretty much be guaranteed that if you're eating a carrot from Manitoba, it came from Portage–[interjection]–yes, or a red beet in borscht or all kinds of other products.
And the asparagus we had the other night–and most people–there are so many acres of asparagus around Portage now, I've lost track, frankly; it's probably over 200, and we're exporting, actually, all over North America, as it's a real great product.
We're seeing the sewer and water upgrades that we need to continue developing, bringing in value-added industries, wet industries, as some people would call it. And all of that takes a fair bit of time. But we're also rebuilding not only the bypass at the west end of Portage that a series of events managed to take down for us.
And I know the Infrastructure minister probably had a laugh on this, but that's the thickest file in my office, by the way; how many times that bridge was hit before it finally came to the ground, and I'm looking forward to it being completed.
* (15:40)
But also, the whole west end of Portage is getting a complete rebuild and revamp. At the moment, I don't recommend driving through it because the traffic is a bit of a mess, but by the time–by this fall, it'll be completed and it'll be a–probably one of the nicest main streets in the province. So I would certainly encourage you to do that. Come and have a look, and you're always very welcome.
And I briefly mentioned my wife Leslie and the many years that she's put up with me being away from home when I probably shouldn't have been, but were there, and my two daughters, who had some challenges at different times. You should try going through high school, I guess, with your dad being the Education minister at that particular point in time. Apparently it was challenging. But they made it through, and they are both still in school, post-secondary now. One of them is actually in medical school, and I'm very proud of her. And yes–sorry–yes. And the younger one's in third year, working towards her psychology degree. So, we're certainly proud of them both.
And I appreciate the many years I've got to serve here, and I know–[interjection]–I see it, yes–I'm going to make this deadline–I see all of the things that, you know, have been done and should be done, and I look forward to the opportunity. But I know this is a great crew and that they can make them happen.
Thank you.
Madam Speaker: I don't really have a list, so if somebody could just wave–oh.
Mr. Shannon Martin (McPhillips): Madam Speaker, I understand that all good things must come to an end. I think it's very appropriate that I'm speaking today after yesterday's condolence motions, because, as I said yesterday, it really helped frame my comments today as I came to the realization that not only is our time as elected officials limited, but obviously, our time here on this planet is limited. And at some point, each and every one of us will be recognized and acknowledged in this House, our history of what we did as legislators.
And I think it's important for us all to take an opportunity to reflect on that and think about what is our own individual legacy and what are the comments that we want referenced in this Chamber, hopefully, in many, many years ahead, as to what we did or didn't accomplish as individuals.
As I leave the Manitoba Legislature, I have, obviously, mixed emotions. But, Madam Speaker, I leave on my own terms. It's been a decade of elected service, and I go back to my colleague, the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen), and the class of 1995 of legislative interns. And it was a–I could do a whole speech on the internship program, which is a whole other story, but this is really–and this opportunity is about what we all have, and that's memories, right?
And so, we all have memories, Madam Speaker, of–in–as to what brought us here to this building and what we may or may not have accomplished during this time. And so, it was difficult to pick some of them, and they're mostly quite random, but they did stick in my mind.
I've made it clear–I don't think it's any secret–I enjoy politics. And one of the things I really quite enjoy, obviously, is the internal behind-the-scenes politics. And so, as a political science student and a political geek, for lack of better terminology, Madam Speaker, to be here–and this is no slight on the former government–but to be here and to have a front-row seat in the complete collapse of a government was fascinating, to say the least, and something that I truly enjoyed as a political observer.
When I first got elected, Madam Speaker, we had the flood of 2014. And to me, as an elected official, it allowed me two things: one, it really emphasized to me how much our climate is changing. As temperatures rise, we have a tendency to see more rain, not necessarily rain within a 12-month period. We're seeing the same volume of rain but we're seeing it in a much more condensed time.
And so, there I was, just newly elected and finding myself out in St. François almost ever 'exzay'–every day lifting sandbags and helping out residents. And I remember sandbagging one day with Judy Wasylycia-Leis, former NDP MLA and that.
And I remember, I think it was Bruce Owen for the Winnipeg Free Press, did a story on it because it was–he found it quite shocking that two individuals could be, you know, from polar opposite–political polar opposites, to be working together.
But I think that should serve us all as a reminder, that there will always be issues that are bigger than all of us, that regardless of our political perspectives, require a united effort.
I'll also remember as well the opportunity I had to go up with my colleagues, including yourself, Madam Speaker, the member for Brandon West (Mr. Helwer), to go up to Churchill and to kayak with the belugas. And to put your hand in that water and to touch a beluga is an incredible memory, and this is something that will stay with you forever.
So, for anyone who follows, I encourage you to get up to Churchill and experience that world-class tourism that we have, Madam Speaker.
Obviously, the–one of the highlights, I think, for a lot of us when we're elected officials is Februarys, and I Love to Read Month. And it was always a highlight of mine and a particular one that obviously that COVID set that back quite a ways. But I remember one particular February, Madam Speaker, when I was the minister of–or the member for Morris, and I think with my CA's help, we hit over 50 classrooms that month, and I loved every single minute of it.
You, in this place, Madam Speaker, you meet people, people that will stay with you for your entire life, people that will make a difference in your life. And one of those people I had the great honour of meeting was a young woman name Ema Guimond, who taught me about Rett syndrome, which is a very rare neurological disease that primarily affects women.
And again, I thank my friend, the MLA for Steinbach, who helped ensure that we are to light the Legislature in purple during Rett Syndrome Awareness Month and that I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to have Ema here as a guest, and actually she had an opportunity to sit in your chair. I know she was thrilled even though, obviously, she wasn't able to verbalize it, Madam Speaker.
We talked about issues that affect all of us and affect all corners of our constituencies. And another fond memory I have is in Brandon, which, you know, essentially is my hometown. I was there with my colleagues at the Pride march there, and I remember a individual coming up to me and said, I understand you're the MLA for Morris. Yes, and introduced myself and that. And she said, you know, I grew up in Rosenort, and I never thought in my life that I would see my MLA march.
Why wouldn't I? Just–it just didn't make sense to me that I would even be asked that question, Madam Speaker. But it also showed me and emphasized to me again that we are all role models on any number of files, and let's not ever, ever forget that.
Obviously, one of the more recent highlights, Madam Speaker, is the trip I took to Poland and Ukraine. And so to see first-hand the war, essentially, and see the humanitarian crisis that is occurring makes me value what we have here all that much more.
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When you have an opportunity to actually visit the death camps in Poland, and when you see where the road to hate ultimately will take you to, again, it makes you realize how much–how important all of our roles are here.
One of my last memories, I think that's–that important to you, Madam Speaker, and I congratulate my Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) on this and all my colleagues on this and my friend, the minister of Indigenous affairs–for bringing in land acknowledgements; again, something long, long overdue.
I know, obviously, you had your role in it as well, Madam Speaker. But in terms of reconciliation and in terms of the actions that we as a government can and cannot undertake, I think that was a significant, significant action, one that–as I mentioned earlier about legacies–that will be a legacy of our government and one that I will always be very, very proud of.
Madam Speaker, one of the things that we're facing–and you reference it in your own comments, is–I don't know if the word quite–phraseology is, crisis of democracy. But I think it was–clearly, it was exasperated during COVID. COVID was a time to govern like no other. There was no playbook, no rulebook. I don't envy any of my ministerial colleagues that had to handle and bring government through those times.
But it did–during COVID, though, I think it did expose and widen a lot of the fault lines within our communities, Madam Speaker, and has led to–lack a better term, a lot of tribalism and a strong desire by some quarters in the 'plittals'–political spectrum to try to pigeon and label every single individual. And I think that is to the detriment of all of us.
And I think of comments that somebody once shared in this House, Madam Speaker, that there is no red race; there is no white race; that there is no yellow race, no brown race and no Black race. There is only one race: the human race. And I think that's something that all of us need to recall and understand.
Madam Speaker, we talk a lot about people that we need to thank and acknowledge.
An Honourable Member: Leave?
Point of Order
Mr. Goertzen: On a quick point of order, is there leave of the House to provide another five minutes to the clock?
Madam Speaker: Is there leave to provide another five minutes on the clock for the member? [Agreed]
Leave has been granted.
* * *
Mr. Martin: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and thanks to my colleague for that.
One of the first people I'd like to acknowledge and thank, Madam Speaker, is Professor Meir Serfaty from the Brandon University, who took me aside and said, I know you're headed off east to go to law school, but there's a program at the Manitoba Legislature that I think you'd be interested in. And so, here I am.
And I think to myself, Madam Speaker, I guess–I mean, it could have been worse. I could have followed that path and ended up here, and, unfortunately, not only would I be, you know, a generally disliked politician but, you know, lawyers are quite low as well. So I can only imagine the trauma to be an MLA and a lawyer. So I'm very glad that I dodged that bullet.
Christine Brigg, Madam Speaker, was my very first CA and a very, very loyal friend. Marian Jaworski, who's with me here today, is my current CA and has helped me in McPhillips. More importantly, he was my guide and a translator during our overseas trip, and he ensured that I got to share his love for Poland and share his experiences.
I also want to thank a very good friend of mine, Morgan Shipley. And Morgan taught me that, you know, Madam Speaker, sometimes it's okay to reach for those things that may be out of grasp because it's always easier when someone lifts you up.
I also want to make reference to my partner, Rina Farkas, Madam Speaker, who came into this situation a bit late and has learned to dislike it as much as most of us do.
And then, obviously, Madam Speaker, Jack, Kara and Tess, my three kids, of who I have done–all my actions, I believe, have been done for them and, ultimately, in what I believed to be in their best interest.
And one of the lessons I tried to teach my kids is the concept of consequences, Madam Speaker. And I think with all of us here as elected officials, we're cognizant that our actions have consequences: our legislation, our spending and that. And I'm not going to go too deep into it, but there's a couple years ago where, for lack of a better phrase, we'll just say it went off the rails.
But I sat down with my kids and I said to all three of them, you know what, there's things going on that you dad simply doesn't agree with. And I have a choice right now, and I'm going to make a choice, I said, that probably will result in the end of things, Madam Speaker. And all my kids appreciated that and supported me.
And I say that not as a regret, Madam Speaker, but as a reality that consequences aren't necessarily a negative thing. And the lesson that I tried, and I believe that I showed my children, is that it pays to stand up for what you believe in. It will always pay to raise your voice and make sure that, if you disagree with something, that you say something.
And then finally, Madam Speaker, we see people in the Chamber, we often hear comments echoed by you when school groups come in, and what a–lack of better terminology–what a crapfest this place could be at times. And I will tell anyone that comes to me that this building, this Legislature and democracy, is fundamentally the worst that you could ever work in, that it is–at times, it is a joke that makes you roll your eyes, and is a complete waste of time. But all that being said, I always tell them that no matter what, despite all the flaws that our democratic–parliamentary democratic system has, it will always be better than the alternative.
And so, to each and every colleague in here, government and opposition, you all play and have played a very important role in democracy. And while we philosophically may have our differences, you will always have my respect for standing up and saying that democracy matters.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Just to be clear, I'm going to put a few words on the record, but I'm not quitting and so–much–the chagrin of maybe people on both sides of the House, some of them. But it's more of the traditional wrapping of the session. And so I'm going to speak about others in the few minutes that I have.
I've already commended you, Madam Speaker, for the work that you have done in a previous time in this House, a few days ago, and I, again, want to thank you for the work that you've done as Speaker. I know it's a job that has been challenging, that you didn't necessarily see yourself in, but you've done it in an extraordinary way. And congratulations to you, and I hope that you and Hal enjoy the–being grandparents, and maybe there's more to come, I don't know.
I want to thank, again, the clerks, the Deputy Clerk, the table officers for your extraordinary work this session, all of those who are working in the building in Hansard, our pages, security.
We all share a very unique experience that we hope we never share again, and that is governing in a time of a pandemic. I look now, here, and I see the screens on the–up over your chair, Madam Speaker. And four years ago, it would have been completely foreign; we wouldn't have known what was going on. I couldn't have imagined a time when there were five of us in this House and everybody else was virtual. But there was a time there was three on the government side and two on the opposition time, and I was one of the five. And you just didn't know where things were going to go and how things were going to continue on.
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But the work of the clerks, the speakers, of everybody, of the opposition, of the government, of every member of this House made it continue to happen. And I don't think that we're going to have a–reams of credit as an Assembly, but I think we should all be proud, because we continued to make sure that the work of government, that the business of government continued.
And I think that that gave confidence to people, that even in times of unprecedented uncertainty, there were some things that could still be relied upon. And I give tremendous, tremendous credit to everybody who managed to keep things going during this particular four years of the Legislative Assembly.
We have been operating under new rules since 2016, and in some way I think that those new rules have brought a little bit of a different culture to this House, Madam Speaker.
You will remember the days when we sat through the summer and almost routinely sat late into June and into July and weren't quite sure when the House was going to begin or when the House was going to end, when days were going to end, often when committees were going to end.
We'd sit 'til three, four in the morning in committees at times, much to the frustration of the public, not just to ourselves. And that, I think, has largely changed because of the rules that were instituted in 2016. Not that they are perfect and not that they don't need to continue to be changed, because they do and they should always be reviewed.
But I think we've changed the culture of the Assembly a little bit in a better way to bring more predictability to members, to their families, to the public, to have a little bit more order, but still allow opposition to be opposition. There's a balance in the rules. It allows for–as the Clerk was saying yesterday–negotiation within the rules. That's important and that there's a balance, that government has the right to get their agenda through, but opposition has the right–and, actually, a responsibility–to oppose when they believe it's necessary to oppose.
So, I hope that, in the future–I think I'm–have served as House leader in opposition in government for about 15 years collectively, and my wish and my hope and my expectation is that after the next election I can move on from this role.
But whomever, sort of, takes on, you know, the role as an opposition in government in the future as House leader, remember that we collectively have an interest of making sure that this place works, not for the benefit of government, of opposition, independent members, but all of us. And I think it's really important that that work continues, and I think we've done a good job, collectively, of shifting some of what was a culture that wasn't really great in terms of how this place worked.
I want to thank Tara Fawcett, who works on the government side when it comes to the House, where she does an extraordinary job and has taken this job on in the last few months. And I know that the opposition might thank their staff, as well.
That working together, it isn't always seen. It usually happens behind the scenes. I know, Madam Speaker, you talk rightly sometimes about the fragility of democracy and the toxicity sometimes in this place, but I wish in some ways–and maybe this will be good to have other House leaders–if every member could be able to work with the opposition in the way that I do.
And I know, maybe the member for St. Johns (MLA Fontaine) has the same feeling sometimes. I think our own caucus might feel a little like–I'm sure, you know, how that works, with–when you're working with the opposition, because really only House leaders do that. Only the House leaders work with the other side, you know, on a daily basis.
And so, separate from what happens in question period, we have those times where we're coming together and figuring things out, and the public and the media doesn't see that. There are lots of places where democracy works together. We saw that with the passing of 15 private members' bills. I believe that's a record in the history of this Legislature. So, all hope is not lost for democracy. I think that there's lot of hope for democracy, but we all have a responsibility of ensuring that it remains strong.
I do, again, thank my wife and my son. The last four years have been the most difficult in politics for them, as it has been, I'm sure, for all members of this House going through the pandemic and the divisions that it caused in the community and communities around Manitoba. But they've come out stronger than I could have ever imagined, and I'm incredibly proud of both of them.
And I'm incredibly proud of the people that I serve with.
You know, there was a time in 2011 when we sat on the other side, and we expected to–we were going to win government. And maybe it's like some of the members in the opposition; they're measuring drapes and getting ready to go into government.
And then we went to the electorate, and the electorate had a different idea. They didn't send us into government that time. That's my caution to the members opposite who might feel that they're going to be walking into government offices. People will have a choice, and when people have a choice, they have to look at certain things, have to look at a government, I believe, on this side, led by a Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) who has a compassion and a heart for people of Manitoba; who has a humility and a quiet presence, at times, but that has–demonstrates leadership in that quiet presence.
That believes in the security of people but fundamentally knows that security also means opportunity for people; that people should be safe in their communities, but that people should have a home; that people should be able to feel that they can walk on the streets safely, but that they should have compassion for those who are on those streets.
That's what this government is–who believes that people should be able to afford the things that they want–whether that's homes or other things that they desire to have; that they should be able to have opportunity.
That believes in reconciliation, demonstrated by legislation that we passed this session, believing that we need to be able to move together as a province, that we need to be able to do it in a way that everybody advances and not just some in society.
That believes that the environment is important; a water strategy that shows the future of Manitoba, because we know that that future is tied to protecting our environment.
That looks at different individuals who are challenged within the family services sector; that wants to reunite children with their families into safe and loving environments, something that this government has done.
That works with other levels of government; that realizes that we might not always get everything right. It's not about getting everything right. It is about doing your best, realizing, if you haven't done everything properly, to adjust and try to correct those things.
There's no government in the world that has gotten everything right. I remember Gary Doer often saying, yes, we don't get everything right. There's humility in sometimes acknowledging that and then finding a better path.
I believe that this government, led by this Premier (Mrs. Stefanson), has done those things; that it's progressing on things that are important to Manitobans: affordability, safety, reconciliation, the environment, adjusting if they need to get things right. And knowing that we've come through a pandemic, where every health-care system in the world and in Canada has been challenged, but not saying there's nothing we can do about it.
Investing. Investing to try to recruit and retain and rebuild and to restore those health-care systems that were so damaged by the pandemic.
To ensure that people can get surgeries. Yes, some of them are going to Fargo, but better that than have them suffer and not get those surgeries; better that than to ensure the–or, to ensure that they can have a quality of life that's important to them; to put ideology aside. That's what this Premier and this government have done.
There's much to be proud on the record that this government has put forward. I believe that Manitobans are starting to see that. When I go out and I talk to people in my community, when we go out next week to a Bomber game, I think I'm going to hear those sort of things. You know what, we think things are really heading in the right direction. Yes, it was a tough time, but things are moving in the right direction.
And you know what, I think the opposition is hearing that too, and maybe they're pulling back a little bit about those–measuring of the drapes, and maybe they're not quite sure after seeing what happened in Alberta last week.
And that's good because I think that when I return to this House in the fall, still going to be sitting on this side of the House. And I look forward with my members–my colleagues as well.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.
MLA Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): I just want to put a couple of words on the record on this last day of this 42nd Manitoba Legislature.
First, let me say that I want to, first and foremost, acknowledge all of the St. Johns constituents that I know and love and that have become family, and all of the St. Johns constituents that I still don't know but yet have put their trust in me and voted me into this Manitoba Legislature not once, but twice.
I am–even seven years in this position, I still walk into this beautiful building and into this Chamber quite shocked that I'm here, and always humbled and always just so grateful for the opportunity to represent not only the St. Johns constituents but all Manitobans. And so, I say miigwech for the–at the bottom of my heart.
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I have a bunch of acknowledgements. And I do want to acknowledge my colleague, the member for Steinbach, the Government House Leader (Mr. Goertzen).
We just had a quick word with one of our amazing clerks here, who said that he necessarily hasn't seen a relationship like mine and the Government House Leader. And I–and, you know, the Government House Leader just mentioned it, that sometimes folks don't really necessarily understand that part or even see that part. But I am proud of the relationship that both myself and the Government House Leader have developed to do the work of this Chamber and of this Legislative Assembly, so I do want to acknowledge him and I want to say miigwech for the good relationship that we do have and the working relationship that we do have, and I wish him nothing but the best on his path.
I want to say to each and every one of the PC caucus members that have chosen to retire or move on to a new path, a new journey, on behalf of our NDP caucus, we wish you nothing but the best on this new journey. And, you know, politics is not an easy walk; it's not an easy gig, and I know that it does take its toll on many of us and it takes a toll often, or it can take a toll, on our families. And so I certainly do wish everybody the best on this new journey.
I want to acknowledge and thank all of our NDP staff, our caucus staff, everybody, all of our CAs, all of the volunteers that come out and work with us. We have some of the hardest working staff in our NDP caucus, phenomenal individuals, who are some of the most brilliant that I have met and are dedicated to social justice and transformative change. And so, I just want to take this moment to say miigwech to each and every one of them and for allowing us and supporting us as the NDP team, the NDP caucus, to do our jobs in here and, certainly, outside this Chamber. So, miigwech to all of our staff.
And then just on a little personal note, I just want to say miigwech to–which I–actually, I was thinking about it when the Government House Leader (Mr. Goertzen) and some other folks were thanking their own families, and I actually don't think I've actually ever thanked my two sons, which I'm–I can't believe–or at least, I don't remember. But I do want to just acknowledge Jonah and Niniichaanis, who are–I'm not going anywhere, I'm hopefully coming back; I don't know why I'm crying–they are literally the two best sons that a mom could ever ask for. I am blessed that I am their mom, and I just want to say that I love them. Okay, we know. Okay. Gee, sorry.
I wanted to just reflect on this 42nd Legislature, because this is, as some of our colleagues have mentioned–miigwech–is–has been a really tough Legislative session. It is–we have gone from an election and almost immediately into a pandemic, something that none of us had of ever experienced, and we had to kind of all adapt. And I remember the day that the member for Steinbach (Mr. Goertzen), the Government House Leader, and I were sitting in the loge there and saying, like, what are–is the House going to close down? Do we have to rise? Like, what are we doing? And then making that decision, like, oh, we've got to rise the House; we have to adjourn the House.
And then, you know, working with the clerks and all of the changes that we did, which includes all of these cameras and people, our colleagues, that are able to participate virtually, and we have one of our colleagues right now that's participating virtually. It was extraordinary to see how everybody came together in this Chamber, on both sides of the House, led by the clerks and led by yourself, Madam Speaker, to allow us to continue to do the work that we were all elected to do. It was quite extraordinary, and I feel just so blessed to have been a part of–just a small part of that. And so I want to lift everybody up for that work as well.
We–as the Government House Leader said, we've passed a number of bills, important bills, on both sides of the House in respect of private members' bills. We experienced, for the first time in Manitoba history, a woman premier. That was historic, and I remember being one of the first to say congratulations and that congratulations still does stand. It's important that we recognize the history of that here in Manitoba.
And then, it took us a couple of years, but we were able to institute the first land acknowledgement, and I think that that's something that, on both sides, and, again, with the clerks and Madam Speaker, that we can be very proud that we are, you know, one of I'm not sure how many legislatures across the country that do a land acknowledgement. And I know that for myself as an Indigenous woman, I'm–that means a lot. It means a lot to be able to come into this Chamber and to have that land acknowledgement read out in the House every single day as we start our work.
So, there is lots of good work that was done in the Chamber, and I am–you know, I'm being very cognizant that this is, you know, the end of the legislative journey for some folks, so I will keep my comments very mild. But there were a lot of things that didn't go right in this 42nd Legislature. And I think it's important to put that on the record as well.
I think that there's still a lot of work to be done here in Manitoba to create a province that is equitable, that is safe for everybody regardless of who we are and how we live and who we love. There is still a lot of work to do in this province.
And, finally, I just want to say this. I am–as I said many times, I take this responsibility, this role, very seriously, and I see it as a sacred responsibility to be in this role. And by that, I mean that it is an awesome understanding and responsibility knowing that you represent so many people and that you come into this Chamber and you represent, and you're trying to do the best for all people, for all Manitobans, to create a province that is good.
And I am blessed, and I'm so honoured to work with an NDP caucus that shares the same values and the same dedication and the commitment to making Manitoba the best province that it can be, not only for us on this side, or that on that side, but for all Manitobans. That we have the best province that we can have, that we deserve, that each and every one of us deserve, that we–our children and our grandchildren can be proud of.
And so I want to acknowledge my NDP caucus and all the folks that are on this side and just say miigwech to them. And we look forward to this next journey. We don't take this journey lightly. I can tell the Government House Leader (Mr. Goertzen), none of us are measuring for curtains. We know that it is an awesome responsibility, and we know that we have a lot of work to do, and we hope that Manitobans will vote for a government in October of 2023 that puts the needs of Manitobans first and that will work hard for them and work with them in an equitable, respectful, compassionate, caring way.
Miigwech.
Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): I won't take too much time.
I do want to offer my congratulations, of course, to the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson). It is absolutely historic to be the first woman premier of Manitoba, an accomplishment that should not be diminished.
And the one thing I can say with my colleagues is that we certainly don't get anything done by ourselves in this province. We get–we don't get things done by working alone. And in–it–we've only–all that we've been able to accomplish, whether it's working with my colleague from River Heights or Tyndall Park, our staff, has been because we've had other people to help us, to lift us up, and that includes everyone–everyone in this room, every party and, of course, the assistance of the entire machinery that supports that.
I do want to say it's very difficult in some ways. I think that when you look at the extraordinary trials that we all went through with a pandemic and all sorts of other crises, that I think we're–it was a real season of loss. And I often think of our colleague, Danielle Adams, who sat next to me, who was–it was a very–that was a very, very difficult loss because I–as it happened, I'd lost a number of other people around that time. And so, I think we're, in some ways, still living in the shadow of grief that was cast by the pandemic.
But when I think about the wonderful moments we have working here, I also think that, despite the difficulties I have, I'm lucky enough to have the best job in the world. But the moments when we recognize each other's humanity, our common humanity, our shared personhood, which we saw on display with condolence motions. It's always been a profoundly moving experience for me to see the life outside this place that MLAs lived, the contributions–the extraordinary contributions they've made.
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And actually, when we get to meet–when I get the chance to get out and meet people in Manitoba, sometimes we'll meet people who are winning the Order of Manitoba. And it's absolutely incredible, the achievements and work that is done in this province. It is mind blowing. And people–there are certain–so many unsung heroes.
And when you get out across the province, in Minnedosa there's a place that built–there's a little company that built lenses that are now on Mars, for a Mars rover. There's a place up in Thompson, you're not allowed to take pictures of it, but they test jet engines. So if you go into this facility, it's like walking into a garage and there's an enormous jet engine which is tested up there.
The incredible beauty of some of the places this year, or just the experience of standing somewhere in rural Manitoba in a field, and you can–when the flax is in bloom, and you can smell the–and the air smells like perfume. It's really quite something.
And part of it–both House leaders mentioned the opportunity to work without partisanship, and I know that they've worked with my colleague from River Heights, as well. But there's another area which I, actually, as an independent, had the opportunity to experience, which is the Public Accounts committee.
The Public Accounts committee is one of the best committees that exists in this place. It's–and this, the–I did not have an opportunity, when I was the leader with an official–of an official party to sit on it, because you're denied that. It's only something that you can sit on as a backbench member.
And it took a while for us to realize that if we–it's really about setting our partisanship aside, and we were able to work together and it was fantastic. And the member from Dauphin, I remember how excited–I don't want to tell tales out of school, but maybe I do–he was so excited that he was going to be able to ask why something had happened in his constituency, because it's not–that committee is not about partisanship. It's about why government is working or isn't working. It's about why departments aren't delivering what they're supposed to be delivering.
And we all have a chance to contribute to that. And I will–actually, I have to thank the clerks for their extraordinary, almost heroic role in correcting us and making sure that we could actually get it together. Because for a while–it took a while for us to set aside our partisanship and start realizing that this isn't just about taking shots or trying to score points. This is actually about trying to drill down to figure out, why hasn't this issue been resolved? In–it's dealing with the machinery of government, and that has been one of the most fascinating parts of my job.
I've sometimes talked about–I've talked sometimes about forgiveness. I used to say, when–actually, when I started various parts of my campaigns, in our first-ever caucus meeting I talked about how I think we live in a very–when we talk about polarization, when we talk about the differences we have, lot of it is, sort of, punishment and cross-punishment, and figuring out ways that we can be a little less punishing of one another, because justice is about more than punishment. It also can include forgiveness and making amends, and trying to make things better.
And look, as Manitoba Liberals, people will tell us we're certainly not opportunists. We're in this because of a conviction, of a conviction that we know to be true, that we have a contribution to make here, and it's been a profound honour to do that.
And I've said before that–I quoted a guy named Larry Wilmore, who's a really brilliant, brilliant comedian with tremendous insights. He was talking about show business, but he said, you know, it's a tough business, and if you really want to survive in it, you can't be in it to figure out what you want from it; you have to figure out what you need to do to make a contribution to it, how you're going to make that contribution, and how you're going to serve.
And the Minister of Families (Ms. Squires) asked me–we were at a–we had a very–we had a great time at a dinner the other day, and she asked me, what is it about my job that I find particularly rewarding. And it's when you actually find out that you've helped somebody. It's–and look, when you're the third party, that's not something we get to do very much. We don't get to go out and make announcements, and we don't get to go out and say that we've–we're spending money to help folks.
But the few times we've been able to do that, when we've passed legislation to help teachers, when this Legislature came together to take a stand against antisemitism, the stand we all took together on Ukraine. Actually, I will say that that was a moment of incredibly important unity and a stand for democracy to which we can all deeply–which we all deeply identify.
So I just want to thank you all very much. And I want to thank my staff; I want to thank everyone who's helped, and certainly, to all those people who send emails saying that–a reminder, an encouragement. That's what keeps us going, because we know that we're very, very proud of the work we've done. We're looking forward to letting people know about it.
And I wish to all those who are retiring who are not going to be coming back, it is a bit like graduation and graduation is always bittersweet, because this'll be the–this is the last day we'll be in this room like this together. And for good and for ill, we know each other and we are colleagues.
And there's something unique about this experience, which you all know. Even when you become a candidate, there's something unique about being a candidate and it's–and that is separate, that's different. Because you have an interaction with voters and you have an interaction with people that's completely different that isn't seen. It's never seen as part of politics.
And I was speaking, Madam Speaker, with some of your constituency's assistants today and saying exactly that. That it's the behind the scenes of the–of politics where–of the machinery of people getting along. Because if we really didn't get along, nothing would ever get done. And clearly things have gotten done.
So, I thank you. I've learned a lot, I hope I've learned good lessons and I thank you all, and I wish you all the very best.
Thank you.
Mr. Ian Bushie (Keewatinook): Thank you, Madam Speaker, to share a few words on the day today.
One of the words that kind of stands out to me time and time again over this last number of years now is the word normal. Coming from a significant background of First Nation politics, interprovincial politics, and being elected as the MLA for Keewatinook–which I gratefully thank my constituents every day on that–we come into normal.
And I've been told many, many times by not only my colleagues on this side, but even from members opposite, that today's not normal; we don't normally do this, various sessions, this isn't normally how it happens. And, of course, we've had a majority of this session through the pandemic, which is definitely not normal for anybody.
But then I wondered what exactly is normal when we have these discussions and we bring forth legislation, and there's a lot of procedural matters that I was starting to get myself familiar with and really maybe not understanding, you know, why are we doing this or why can't we simply get this piece of legislation done or this idea made into a reality.
But one of the things that I realized is that we then carve and make our own version of normal. So we are, in fact, in normal times for us. Something that happened even just, you know, prior to 2019 or prior to 2016 was maybe normal for the government of the time, and now we're in a different type of normal.
But specifically, I did want to talk about the members that are no longer going to be with us. And why I say that, I mean moving into retirement and different stages of their lives. And I do want to thank you for the work you've done.
Like I said, being a politician myself, I first ran for chief of my community when I was 19 years old. First time I was old enough to vote, I was old enough to run and, honestly, just lost by a handful of votes. But it gets you that bug to be in politics. And one of the consistent things that I've always said–and I've been asked many, many times is, why do you choose to do that, you know, to basically put your life out on public display for all to see and to criticize? And it's the desire to do the right thing and to really say I can make a difference, and this is where I can best utilize my skills.
And I know every member in this Chamber is doing that same thing, is doing what they want to do, doing what they think is right and feel is right for their community and their constituents and for Manitobans as a whole. But again, putting your life on display.
And when we see that–we'll probably see a lot more of that over this next couple months with election going on as well–but it is truly a lifestyle; it's not a job. It's not a 9-to-5 job like typical–what you would call a typical job of 9 to 5. It's a lifestyle and it's something that's 24-7, and as much as that sounds cliché, that's the reality. It's a 24-7, always working, always thinking, always bringing forth ideas and always hearing concerns.
And a lot of days, it's thankless. A lot of days, it's a thankless job, and sometimes you may feel like, well, why I am doing this; I'm getting nothing but criticism day after day after day.
But the reality is, we are moving to a positive future for our children and our grandchildren. And in my community and in my culture, I would say seven generations ahead is how we're looking at planning exactly how we want and desire that life to be.
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And I know members opposite have done their best to do that as well. We'll disagree; we'll definitely disagree on issues of the day and maybe just about how–going about some of those issues and how to get to that finish line. But at the end of the day, we all agree what's best for Manitobans as a whole. And, like I said, we have different paths to get there, different ideas to get there, but we all do want to get there.
And we have accomplished many things. And, as the member from Steinbach had mentioned, there's been a lot of private members' business that–brought forward. And while the article may say this is proving we can work together, I know our House leader says it's like pulling teeth. So, I mean, there's kind of the back and forth on those 'sind' of things too.
But the reality is, there is a lot of working together. And as an Indigenous person, I've seen some of that as well. You know, is there more to be done? Absolutely. But we have done significant steps in the right direction.
And I do want to talk about the land acknowledgement and recognize the land acknowledgement and realizing that that took an effort by not just one person in here That took a collective effort by all of us to do that.
And I commend Madam Speaker for the language and the wording of the land acknowledgement. I'm sure it was difficult from day one, and I will applaud you for getting really great at that from day one. And I will shout out the member from Rossmere, who was not so great at it from day one, but, I mean, he's trying. And I know the member from La Vérendrye, too, is the–I'm willing to call out the member from La Vérendrye as well. I mean, he was trying, too, but it was–it's a learning effort. And it's the attempts. It's the willingness to try and do the right thing.
But we've gone through tremendous difficulties over these last couple years. And, I mean, I'm kind of making a little bit of light of some of the things because that's also who I am and who we are as Indigenous people, too. We also like to institute some humour in how we present things and how we bring things forward. But also, there is a serious factor to that as well.
So, on Zoom–and it's been alluded to in a couple of different speeches here now–the difficulty we've had on Zoom and trying to navigate that. So, I applaud all the staff, the clerks, the Leg., for being able to do that and co‑ordinate that.
And it–sometimes it was difficult. So, the quote, unquote, normal times–I don't know what was normal while I was sitting–I think it was 2 o'clock in the morning while we were watching the member from McPhillips trying to compose himself on the screen while the member from Dauphin was–couldn't help but laugh and vote yea at the time.
But it was the fun part of being able to participate in that as well and really see exactly how, collectively, this can still function. Because the democracy of what we are is also who we are and makes up who we are.
So, with that, I am extremely grateful for what we do here and the staff that we do–and the collaboration back and forth. And, like I said, we'll have a difference of opinion on specific issues, on broader issues, but at the same time, I know the banter back and forth in question period here and in debate here–we also go in the hallway and say, how you doing? You know, how's your kids doing? How are things at home? And we do have that back and forth.
So, I also want to take this time to shout out my four daughters: Emily, Ally, Madison, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, who's–and she's going to get mad at me for doing this–but is in the–grade 10 but is the student president of her school, beating out grade 11s and grade 12s. And I'm going to say that that's my influence. She's not–she's going to deny that, but that's the influence.
And my two oldest work at–are ECEs here in the city of Winnipeg, so–in St. Boniface and over in Fort Rouge. So, again, they also want to be able to give back, and that's kind of the effort that–and the vision that they see for who we are as well, being able to nurture our young people and bring them forward in the spirit of reconciliation. And that was–again, we are in the era of reconciliation.
So, I do want to thank members opposite, as well. When we brought forth the opposition day motion for the papal apology, and we did have that open discussion about the need to have that recognized, it didn't really–I don't want to say it didn't make a difference, because it did–it didn't make a difference in the fact it didn't bring the Pope here to do that here, but it raised the awareness. It raised the awareness and keeps the discussion going, and that discussion is still going today.
So, there is no cause of the day; okay, that issue's done, let's move on to a different issue next week. That's an issue that's, first and foremost, always on our minds in regards to reconciliation for Indigenous people.
And including up until my last resolution that I brought forward today was to honour a role model here in Manitoba for Indigenous people, is Reggie Leach. And being able to bring that forward and having that unanimously passed. And I did kind of stand up at the end to say I want this unanimous because I believe it truly was and it is, because that recognition is also important.
And I will shout out the–one of the clerks for, you know, talking about how great that would be if he was able to–and he wasn't able to attend today, but I know, at some point in time, we are going to have those discussions about how he brings forth those kinds of things here to the province of Manitoba and to people of Canada and Indigenous people as a whole.
But there has been many, many things that I wondered. You know, do we go hard in this? Do we really kind of go at the government, say, you know what, we're glad you're leaving, or anything like that? But that's not the case. People move on in their lives, and people have that ability. And this is a venue to be able to do that.
And I have mentioned this in my last member's statement of this session, is I would be remiss if I didn't mention our colleague, Danielle Adams, who did not have this opportunity, who did not have the opportunity to come and say her farewell and say goodbye–and even say goodbye to her own family.
And that's something that we need to cherish every day, that we have our families here to go home to today. And after today, when we leave this Chamber, whenever it is we leave, that we have that ability to go and see our loved ones and tell them that, tell them that you love them, tell them that you're doing the right thing.
It was mentioned that sometimes you're away, and your–maybe your kids and your family wonder, how come you're always away? But this is the collective good. So go home, hug your children, hug your family and be grateful for this lifestyle that you chose and you have that ability to go home.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, briefly I want to thank the other House leaders, the MLA for Steinbach, the MLA for St. Johns, for the ability to work together and see through issues and find a way to have the Chamber working.
I also want to thank the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk and all those who have contributed in one fashion or another to making this place work.
And a special thank you to the Speaker, who's done, under often difficult circumstances, a pretty good job. Thank you.
It is the final day of the session; an interesting, memorable day for a couple of respects. David Weremy, who led the class action lawsuit–or was the pivotal person in that class action lawsuit, I have known for more than 20 years. And he's been a friend, and I've worked with people at People First, and it's interesting how things take a long time to get this sort of issue settled. When David was growing up in the '50s and '60s, people like David were put in institutions. And physicians would all too often recommend that a child be institutionalized because it was seen as the sort of easier way, in a sense. And, fortunately, we have changed. And today, we recognized the problems of the way that we used to approach this. And David Weremy, who was here in the Chamber with a smile on his face and pleased that after many, many years there is finally this result.
I–on the other side, I lost a good friend yesterday. His name was Elvis Antoine. He was an artist, an artist from Sioux Valley. And, you know, he's quite an accomplished artist, and I was fortunate enough, perhaps, to be able to tell him, a few days ago, before he passed away, that two of his paintings will be displayed now in the Senate of Canada. And he's a representative of a prairie school of artists from Brandon and from Sioux Valley and an Indigenous artist, and also to tell him that it's likely that there will be a show–a retrospective now, I guess–of much of his work in the gallery of southwestern Manitoba, probably in about a year or so.
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So, it's a sad day. He died in his sleep, from what we know. He had not had an easy life, but he was an incredible artist.
There's some, you know, good things that happened in this session, going back to the last several years. I want to acknowledge the day that the MLA for St. Boniface walked into the caucus office with a huge smile on his face because he'd been able to work collectively with people at the freshwater fish marketing board and also with people in Ottawa, and arrange, basically, a deal that would unlock the fish, which were in the freezers of the marketing board and were preventing, in 2020, there being a season, because there was no place to store new fish.
And the deal that was struck was that there would be a change in the approach that was steered by the Minister of Fisheries federally so that this fish which was stored in freezers could be distributed to First Nations communities around the province. And it was, to great satisfaction. And it meant, also, that the fishers on Lake Winnipeg could have a season in 2020, which, at that point, it looked as if it was probably going to be cancelled because there was nowhere to store the fish. So, I still remember that smile on the MLA for St. Boniface's face when he came in to tell us of that success.
And I remember the smile on my colleague from Tyndall Park when she came in with the bill being passed that allowed there to be a representative of retired teachers on the board of the teachers' retirement fund–pension fund. So, those were wonderful days, and there have been many more. It was, in my experience, lucky that we were able to pass a bill to help people in personal-care homes and do a number of other things.
So, I want to thank everybody here and acknowledge the contributions that all have made. Thank you.
Madam Speaker: Seeing no further members rising to speak on this, I would–just before we rise, I would once again remind members, if they have not already done so, to remove the contents of their desks before they leave the Chamber.
And, again, I want to sincerely wish everybody the very, very best in whatever journey you choose to go on. And I would like to say a thank you to our Deputy Speaker (Mr. Micklefield) and to the members for La Vérendrye (Mr. Smook) and Dauphin (Mr. Michaleski) for their willingness to take the Chair and to be such a good part of the team that we have to run the Assembly. So I want to make sure that we thank them.
And I would like to compliment our House leaders–and it's been said today, and I think it's important–a lot got done, and it was because of the co‑operative approach of our House leaders to moving business of this House forward.
To the new Speaker, a heads-up: When I became Speaker, I was told I had to use a time clock here, a little time clock to time everybody. And I said, what are you talking about? I'm going to be sitting here using something I have no idea how to use? And we had a very old one at the time, and it kept breaking down, and there were times you probably didn't even see the panic that I had, or I'm getting a hold of the Clerk, saying, help. It really was a piece of junk. And so, there is a new one, but the new Speaker might want to have a bit of a practice at this before they take over because it was something that totally caught me off guard. So, just a kind heads up.
The honourable Government House Leader?
Mr. Goertzen: Nope, I'm just listening to you, Madam Speaker, as I have for the last four years.
Madam Speaker: Are you willing to call it 5 o'clock?
Mr. Goertzen: Well, anybody else want to do anything else?
Madam Speaker, could you please canvass the House and all of my honourable colleagues and friends if it's the will of the House to call it 5 p.m.?
Madam Speaker: Is it the will of the House to call it 5 p.m.? [Agreed]
This House stands adjourned until the call of the Speaker.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Thursday, June 1, 2023
CONTENTS