2nd-36th, Volume 31 - Routine Proceedings

VOL. XLVI No. 31 - 1:30 p.m., WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1996

Wednesday, May 8, 1996

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Wednesday, May 8, 1996

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

PRAYERS

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

PRESENTING PETITIONS

Home Care Services

Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Ranjit Walia, Peter Lohre, Ed Baldevas and others requesting the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

Mr. George Hickes (Point Douglas): Madam Speaker, I would like to present the petition of Tina Plett, Greg Klassen, Dick Hildebrand and others requesting the Premier and the Minister of Health to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Darryl Livingstone, Peter Reimer, Twilla MacDonald and others requesting the Premier and the Health minister to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Jean-Marc Verrier, Marc Cormier, Paulette Lavallee and others requesting the Premier and the Minister of Health to consider reversing their plans to privatize home care services.

READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS

Home Care Services

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Yes.

Madam Speaker: Yes. The Clerk will read.

Mr. Clerk (William Remnant): The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth:

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT this plan calls for the complete divestiture of all service delivery to nongovernment organizations, mainly private for-profit companies as well as the implementation of a user-pay system of home care; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba may be pleased to request the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

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Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Yes.

Madam Speaker: Yes. The Clerk will read.

Mr. Clerk: The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth:

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

PRESENTING REPORTS BY

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Committee of Supply

Mr. Marcel Laurendeau (Chairperson of Committees): Madam Speaker, the Committee of Supply has considered certain resolutions, directs me to report progress and asks leave to sit again.

I move, seconded by the honourable member for St. Vital (Mrs. Render), that the report of the committee be received.

Motion agreed to.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

Maxim Hermaniuk

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, I have a statement, with copies for members opposite.

I rise in the House today to bid farewell to a man who had devoted his life and love to the people he served. It is with much sorrow that we say goodbye to the Most Reverend Archbishop Maxim Hermaniuk, Metropolitan Emeritus, who was known to and admired by all members in this House.

Our dear friend passed away early Friday morning of heart failure after living a full and committed life to the age of 84 years. He left this world in the peace of his own home as he recited the rosary.

Known and respected in the community, Archbishop Hermaniuk was a man of both wisdom and conviction. Born in western Ukraine in 1911, he was ordained in 1938 and came to Canada 10 years later. Three years after he arrived, Father Hermaniuk was consecrated as an auxiliary bishop. In 1956, the Holy See appointed Bishop Hermaniuk as the Archbishop of Winnipeg and Metropolitan for Ukrainian Catholics in Canada.

After committing his life to decades of work on church, volunteer and community service initiatives, Archbishop Maxim retired just three years ago. There is no question that the strength, dedication, compassion, caring and friendship of Archbishop Hermaniuk, through decades of service to the church and community, have had a profound effect on the lives of thousands of people.

His Grace accomplished much for the Catholic community over the years. He was a leader and he pushed for change. When the church in Ukraine was pushed underground by the Communist regime of the Soviet Union, Archbishop Hermaniuk remained a great supporter of Catholics there. He spoke for those who could not, always reminding the church of the martyrdom of the Ukrainian people who continued to believe, who continued to pursue their faith underground.

Madam Speaker, our government recognized the contributions Archbishop Hermaniuk made to society. On April 26, 1994, we awarded him this province's highest honour. In recognition of his outstanding dedication, leadership and compassionate ministry to Ukrainian people of Manitoba, His Grace was inducted into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt.

On behalf of all Manitobans, Madam Speaker, I would like to again say farewell to one of Manitoba's most respected citizens. I would like to thank him for all that he has done and for the strength that his memory will give us. He was a man of great community and religious spirit and will not be forgotten.

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Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the First Minister for his statement today and join with him in paying tribute to his life and his contributions and wishing him a farewell.

As the Premier has indicated, he received the Order of the Buffalo just recently, and I had the privilege of attending, along with many of my colleagues, the presentation and the award to Father Hermaniuk. I know that he is a person who is respected around the world, a person who has tremendous skills, intellect, culture and dignity. He spoke, I think, between six and eight languages. He had tremendous long service to the people of Manitoba and across western Canada. He worked with all political parties. He worked with all Premiers in this province, and he was respected by each and every one of them. I know he was a close personal friend of former Premier Schreyer, and I know that he was a person who worked very closely with all subsequent Premiers.

He worked very hard for social fairness, for economic fairness, for cultural and language preservation. He was very important in our communities for enhancing Ukrainian culture and language and of course having these institutions expand into our public education system. He was also a person of strong religious beliefs that of course offered a beacon for his life. He was a member of the Vatican II Council, and he was a pillar of strength in the Ukrainian church for people who followed the Ukrainian religion.

We too want to pay tribute to his life and his contributions. A rich cultural man with tremendous intellect, working in our rich cultural diversity, he has truly left us a tremendous legacy throughout his life and all of us are the better for having known him and following his wise words of wisdom.

Thank you very much.

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TABLING OF REPORTS

Hon. James Downey (Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table Supplementary Information for the members opposite for the Departmental Expenditures of 1996-1997.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill 17--The Government Essential Services Act

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Labour): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Government Services (Mr. Pallister), that leave be given to introduce Bill 17, The Government Essential Services Act (Loi sur les services gouvernementaux essentiels), and that the same now be received and read a first time.

His Honour the Lieutenant Governor, having been advised of the contents of this bill, recommends it to the House.

Motion agreed to.

Bill 18--The Payment of Wages Amendment Act

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Labour): I move, seconded by the Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship (Mr. Gilleshammer), that leave be given to introduce Bill 18, The Payment of Wages Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur le paiement des salaires), and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

Madam Speaker: Was it the honourable Minister of Labour's intention to table the message from the Lieutenant Governor?

Mr. Toews: There is only the message from the Lieutenant Governor on the first bill and I gave that to the Page.

Madam Speaker: Did the honourable minister wish to table that message?

Mr. Toews: Yes, I would.

Madam Speaker: I thank the honourable Minister of Labour.

Bill 19--The Dangerous Goods Handling and Transportation Amendment Act

Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister of Environment): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Driedger), that leave be given to introduce Bill 19, The Dangerous Goods Handling and Transportation Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur la manutention et le transport des marchandises dangereuses), and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

Bill 20--The Highway Traffic Amendment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act

Hon. Albert Driedger (Minister of Natural Resources): Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Highways and Transportation (Mr. Findlay), I move, seconded by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns), that leave be given to introduce Bill 20, The Highway Traffic Amendment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Loi modifiant le Code de la route--modifications diverses), and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

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Introduction of Guests

Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members, firstly, to the Speaker's Gallery, where we have with us today a delegation of parliamentarians and accompanying officials from Russia: Mr. Leon Yo. Kovalsky, Mr. Yuri L. Vechkasov, Ms. Ziyla R. Valeeva, Mr. Anatolii A. Kozeradsky, Mr. Alexander Kharitonov, Mr. Valery Borodayev.

On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you this afternoon.

Also seated in the public gallery, we have fifty Grades 5 and 6 students from Nordale School under the direction of Mrs. Connie Stanley and Mr. Neil Jackson. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for St. Boniface (Mr. Gaudry).

Also, we have 25 first-year journalism students from Red River Community College under the direction of Mr. Donald Benham. We have 20 adult ESL students from Red River Community College under the direction of Mr. Clint Wilmot. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Point Douglas (Mr. Hickes).

On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you this afternoon.