Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): Madam Speaker, last evening a number of my colleagues were given the opportunity to meet with the constituents of Sturgeon Creek. There was a variety of events throughout the constituency, including a public barbecue, a health forum at the Grace Hospital, an education forum at Sturgeon Creek Collegiate, a business forum at Deer Lodge Curling Club and two seniors forums, one at 22 Strauss, and another at the St. James Assiniboia Senior Centre.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues for taking the time to meet with my constituents and listen to their concerns and queries. The Premier (Mr. Filmon), the Honourable Eric Stefanson, the Honourable Jim Downey, the Honourable Vic Toews, the Honourable Harry Enns, the Honourable Jack Reimer, the Honourable Linda McIntosh, the Honourable Rosemary Vodrey, the Honourable Jim McCrae and Mr. David Newman were all in attendance, the honourable member for Riel.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to my association for the effort they put forth in organizing a very successful cabinet and caucus tour. Invitations to the event were dropped to over 3,000 households in Sturgeon Creek. In particular, I would like to thank the president of my association, Brian LeGoff, and the manager of the Courts of St. James IGA, Mr. Jim Rawson.

Our government, through tours such as those last night, offers Manitobans an opportunity to meet with ministers in an open and public manner. I take pride in our government's policy of openness and willingness to meet with Manitobans. I know with certainty that their presence was appreciated and enjoyed by all those who came in contact with them. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I am experiencing difficulty deciding which member on the opposition wishes to be recognized because there are about six individuals standing simultaneously. The honourable member for Radisson.

Ms. Marianne Cerilli (Radisson): I am rising to make a member's statement and it is in response to the members' statement made yesterday by the member for Sturgeon Creek (Mr. McAlpine). It is interesting that he is on his feet again today, when yesterday he put on the record that we were trying to stop efforts for progress and improvements for seniors housing in Sturgeon Creek. He said: "I know that members across the way were doing their very best to try and stop any progress and improvements that I was trying to make for the seniors in Sturgeon Creek."

I want to draw to the member's attention that his own Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae), in response to questions by the member for Kildonan (Mr. Chomiak) and our Health critic, acknowledged that we on this side have helped to develop Kiwanis Courts, the development in question in the area of the member for Sturgeon Creek. The Minister of Health said: The honourable member and I were involved together in the issue related to the Kiwanis Courts and the resolution of the problem that we had there with some older, hostile-type personal care home beds. We worked very carefully with the community to resolve that problem in a way that worked for the concerns of the residents of St. James.

So obviously the member for Sturgeon Creek should stick to the facts and realize that it is his Minister of Health and his Minister of Housing (Mr. Reimer) that cannot get their act together on providing a full range of housing options for seniors.

We want to make sure that seniors know that we would support increased funding to develop personal care homes. We urge this government to go after the federal government which has eliminated all funding for future developments like Kiwanis Courts, sponsored housing for seniors and others requiring social housing in our community.

Mr. Mike Radcliffe (River Heights): Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise today in the Chamber and to pay tribute to the backbone of Manitoba's economy, that is, small business. As we join to celebrate the 16th annual Small Business Week, I would like to put a few comments on the record in support of the important work this determined group of Manitobans does in our province. In Manitoba we have over 33,000 small businesses employing more than 400,000 Manitobans. This important sector of our economy has created 54.6 percent of the new jobs in Manitoba over the last year and has a payroll of $10.2 billion.

Small businesses have been quick to adjust to the global economy and are now contributing more than ever to the growth of Manitoba in export sales. Our government has recognized that it is business, and small business in particular, that creates the jobs and the wealth in the economy.

Since being elected, we have worked closely with this sector to give them the tools they need to prosper in our province. We are reducing red tape and other obstacles that have stood in the way of small businesses in the past. We have created a stable economic and tax environment where business people know what to expect in their dealings with government. We will continue to work to enhance the favourable climate in Manitoba where small business will thrive. We continue to listen to what these entrepreneurs are telling us they need and then making it into government.

I call on all members to join me in paying tribute to the important role small business plays in making Manitoba strong. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): On Friday, October 19, the honourable member for Swan River (Ms. Wowchuk) and I attended the annual Association of Manitoba Museums conference in Russell, Manitoba. More than 70 persons, representatives of Manitoba's historical societies, parks services and other related organizations were in attendance. I believe it is accurate to say that nearly every Manitoba community was represented and that participants included members from various Saskatchewan museums.

The program included a keynote address by David Klatt, director of the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum. His presentation, entitled Surveying the Situation, addressed the financial pinch experienced by nearly all museums. Developing the conference's main theme, that is, Mapping New Tomorrows, he gazed into what he called his crystal ball and forecasted both light and gloom.

Mr. Klatt stressed the importance of flexibility in finding the fine line between sound museology and commercial necessity. He concluded with some sage advice to museums caught by the pinch and ignored by government funders. As he put it, speaking in images, and I quote: The ox may be slow, but the earth is patient.

The conference continued until Sunday October 20. While the member for Swan River and I were unable to stay for the entire conference, we were delighted to participate. We offer our thanks and congratulations to the association, the conference planners and the hospitable service personnel at The Russell Inn. Everyone worked together to ensure the continued strength of the Association of Manitoba Museums and to ensure that Manitoba's museums are in a position to preserve the past and map the future.

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Mr. Steve Ashton (Thompson): Madam Speaker, the tangled web of the government's many contradictions on MTS only grows on a daily basis. I want to state on the record for those members who may have forgotten that this is the same government whose minister, Mr. Findlay, on September 26 of 1995 stated: I have not discussed the issue of privatization with anybody. Privatization, as a principle, is not driving the reorganization of MTS, not at all. The only person who is raising the issue of privatization is the member for Thompson, the NDP opposition, the only people.

This is the same government on December 8, 1995, where the Premier (Mr. Filmon) stated, and I quote: I have said before and I will say again, that we have not entered into any agreement with brokers to privatize, nor we, the telephone system.

I want to indicate, too, this is the same government that we see the minister, the same First Minister this week in the House talking about how they consulted with many, many people. We found out that that included at most the three investment bankers who now the Premier says had some briefing meetings with the cabinet before the decision was made. In two days following the April 30 receipt of the report, on May 2, they announced the decision to sell off MTS.

I ask the question, Madam Speaker, how we are supposed to believe the word of this government, when today the Premier has extended this tangled web by saying that the reason they called in the investment brokers was to get a price assessment on MTS? Is he then saying that they had already made the decision? If they did not make the decision in September of 1995, if they did not make it in December, when did they make the decision? And if they did not make the decision until April-May of this year, why did they mislead the people of Manitoba?

I ask you, Madam Speaker, because the real difficulty for Manitobans on MTS is, when the government has been proven so clearly that they are misleading the people of Manitoba, when they misled them in the election when they said they would not sell MTS, and they have made these statements on the record, when are we supposed to believe anything that this government says about any issue, particularly in regard to MTS? Thank you.