Monday, September 16, 1996

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Monday, September 16, 1996

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

PRAYERS

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

PRESENTING PETITIONS

Teachers--Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of D. Fontaine, Kelly Barkman, Karen Penner and others urging the Minister of Education to recognize the true value of teachers and reject the recommendations made by the May 1996 paper entitled Report of the Teacher Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee.

READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS

Teachers--Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux). 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 the May 1996 report of the Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee is a direct attack on the collective rights of all teachers and consequently will negatively affect the quality of education in Manitoba; and

THAT by pursuing the direction and recommendations suggested by this report teachers will be stripped of any powers they have with regard to collective bargaining; and

THAT teachers by educating our youth to compete successfully in the knowledge-based economy of the 1990s are generators of wealth; and

THAT any changes to the teachers' compensation process only be undertaken with the idea of improving the present system and not by attacking teachers' ability to bargain.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Minister of Education (Mrs. McIntosh) to recognize the true value of teachers and reject the recommendations made in the May 1996 paper entitled Report of the Teacher Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for St. Boniface (Mr. Gaudry). 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: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT the May 1996 report of the Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee is a direct attack on the collective rights of all teachers and consequently will negatively affect the quality of education in Manitoba; and

THAT by pursuing the direction and recommendations suggested by this report teachers will be stripped of any powers they have with regard to collective bargaining; and

THAT teachers by educating our youth to compete successfully in the knowledge-based economy of the 1990s are generators of wealth; and

THAT any changes to the teachers' compensation process only be undertaken with the idea of improving the present system and not by attacking teachers' ability to bargain.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Minister of Education (Mrs. McIntosh) to recognize the true value of teachers and reject the recommendations made in the May 1996 paper entitled Report of the Teacher Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for The Maples (Mr. Kowalski). 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: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT the May 1996 report of the Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee is a direct attack on the collective rights of all teachers and consequently will negatively affect the quality of education in Manitoba; and

THAT by pursuing the direction and recommendations suggested by this report teachers will be stripped of any powers they have with regard to collective bargaining; and

THAT teachers by educating our youth to compete successfully in the knowledge-based economy of the 1990s are generators of wealth; and

THAT any changes to the teachers' compensation process only be undertaken with the idea of improving the present system and not by attacking teachers' ability to bargain.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Minister of Education (Mrs. McIntosh) to recognize the true value of teachers and reject the recommendations made in the May 1996 paper entitled Report of the Teacher Collective Bargaining and Compensation Review Committee.

Home Care Services

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Dauphin (Mr. Struthers). 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: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

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.

* (1335)

Native Addictions Council of Manitoba Incorporated

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

Some Honourable Members: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

Mr. Eric Robinson (Rupertsland): Let us have that one read.

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

Some Honourable Members: Yes.

Madam Speaker: Yes. The Clerk will read.

Mr. Clerk (William Remnant): The petition of Steve Courchene, Robert Flett, Arnold Fontaine and others,

Praying for the passing of an act to amend the Revised Statutes of Manitoba to change the name from Native Alcoholism Council of Manitoba Incorporation Act to Native Addictions Council of Manitoba Incorporated; and that the Head Office shall be located within Manitoba as opposed to Winnipeg; the Board of Directors be composed of not more than nine members as opposed to 12; the quorum be set at 50 percent plus 1 of the total number of elected members, as opposed to 10.

Pharmacare

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

Some Honourable Members: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

The petition of the undersigned citizens of the Province of Manitoba humbly sheweth:

THAT during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT the Pharmacare program brought in by the former NDP government was the first in Canada and has served as a model for pharmacare programs in Canada; and

THAT the Manitoba Pharmacare program has enabled thousands of Manitobans over the years to be able to stay out of costly institutions and to avoid financial ruin due to the high cost of necessary pharmaceuticals; and,

THAT previous cuts to Pharmacare have reduced the budget from $60 million to less than $50 million over the past two years; and,

THAT as of April, 1996 the provincial government is slashing benefits, effectively putting a tax on the sick, and reducing the Pharmacare budget by $20 million; and,

THAT these cuts more than double the deductible for most Manitobans to over $1,000 for most families effectively ending Pharmacare for the vast majority of the population regardless of health.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba may be pleased to request the Premier and the Minister of Health to consider reversing their plan to cut Pharmacare in 1996.

TABLING OF REPORTS

Hon. Jim Ernst (Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs): Madam Speaker, I have three reports to table, the Residential Tenancies Commission 1995 report, the Residential Tenancies Branch 1995 report, and the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs 1995-96 Annual Report.

Speaker's Statement

Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I am pleased to introduce to the House the six young people who have been selected to serve as Pages at this session. They are, beginning at my extreme right, Chrissie Ambrose, Interlake School Division; Anastasia Bowe, Lord Selkirk School Division; Crystal Cinq-Mars, Transcona-Springfield School Division; Thaddaeus Unruh, Hanover School Division; Tara Ranson, Transcona-Springfield School Division; Allison Stephen, St. Boniface School Division. On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you. We look forward to working with you.