Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): As I am sure all the members of this House are aware, 1999 has been designated International Year of Older Persons. In this province, the theme is Manitoba: A Province for All Ages, which encourages an intergenerational approach in celebrating the contributions of seniors to the growth and development of our province. To help promote the recognition of the International Year of Older Persons, our government established a grant program to help support celebration activities, seminars and conferences and other projects around Manitoba.

I am very pleased to find that two organizations in the Gimli constituency were chosen to receive grants for their project proposals. The Teulon and District Seniors Resource Centre has received funding to help provide a caregivers workshop. This is being held today for families, spouses and others who have direct-care responsibilities. The resource centre hopes that a self-help group for caregivers will develop out of this workshop where they can come together to share their experiences and find support.

The Interlake Seniors Resource Council also received a grant for this project entitled Discovering Our Gifts. The goal is to provide a forum where seniors and youth can discover each others' gifts and talents and plan together ways of using these gifts to build healthier communities. Both groups have developed quality events that will have lasting benefits for their communities. So I applaud the efforts of all those involved in the Interlake seniors resource council and also the Teulon Seniors Resource Council who do excellent work year-round for Manitoba seniors. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to recommend to the House Manitoba Book Week, April 18 to 24, culminating on Saturday, April 24 in the Manitoba book awards. This week is a time for us all to consider the importance of writing, publishing and book selling to our economy and the importance of the literary arts to our public and personal lives. Members, I know, will join me in gratefully acknowledging our literary community's economic contribution.

The role the literary arts occupy in our lives and culture is more subtle, but to my mind well spoken by William Carlos Williams who wrote: poetry is a rival government, always in opposition to its cruder replicas. The rival governments or visions of Manitoba writers range from Ralph Connor's moral writings or social gospels to Margaret Laurence's compelling humanism, to Gabrielle Roy's compassion, to Carol Shields' experimental dexterity and imaginative understanding, to Patrick Friesen's incisive but always sympathetic voice.

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The people here cited are mere examples, names of writers engaged with the questions of craft identity and values, writers who speak to us of the way we are, life in our times and in our place. My time today does not allow me to mention a new and younger generation of poets, novelists and playwrights, some of whom will be honoured on April 24. All deserve our respect. Even if we do not know their names, or all their names, I believe their words are with us, shaping our thinking, deepening our compassion, teasing our imaginations, showing us truth and always developing. Again I quote: a rival government in opposition to its cruder replicas.

Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): I would like to congratulate the Manitoba Moose Hockey Club on their most successful season in the International Hockey League. The Manitoba Moose ended their regular season Saturday night at the Winnipeg Arena in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,842. The Moose fans were on their feet for the 4-1 season-ending victory over the defending Turner Cup champions, the Chicago Wolves. The Moose finished their year fourth overall with an outstanding 47-21-14 record. The Moose recorded 108 points which makes them the most winning professional hockey team in Manitoba history, recording more points in one season than the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association or the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League.

The Manitoba Moose announced their annual year-end awards. The awards are as follows: the most valuable player, number 27, Bill Bowler; the best defenceman, number 2, Brett Hauer; the unsung hero, number 23, Jeff Parrot; the community service award, number 4, Michael Stewart; the most points for three-star selection, Scott Thomas; and leading scorer, number 27, Bill Bowler.

The Manitoba Moose begin their playoff quest against the Milwaukee Admirals this Wednesday in Milwaukee and return home for a game Friday evening. Please join all hockey fans and me in congratulating owner Mark Chipman and coach Randy Carlyle and the entire Manitoba Moose hockey organization on a record season and wish them well in their fight for the Turner Cup.

When we talk hockey, a name that is synonymous is Wayne Gretzky, No. 99. Here is a hockey legend that would need a lot more time for me to speak on than I am allotted, but I am sure every member in this Chamber would join me in extending our thanks to Wayne Gretzky for 20 marvellous years and our heartfelt congratulations to him on his retirement. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the organizing committee of the conference held on the weekend: growing minds. Hundreds of Manitoba teachers and parents, trustees and even municipal councillors attended and heard a wide range of papers. We heard from trustees from Winnipeg as well as from Calgary. We heard from international figures familiar with education in the United Kingdom, in New Zealand and the United States. We listened to journalists, to educators, to authors and to students in a series of what I would congratulate the organizers on as a series of very well-prepared presentations and debates.

This was one of those conferences that had a buzz, a sense of enthusiasm of open debate and common purpose in support of public education. It was, I believe, the Premier's loss that after five months he chose not to attend for even the Saturday portion for which he was invited, but it is all our loss, Madam Speaker, that after 11 years we have a government which chooses not to allow its Leader to face the public in open discussion about public education.

Mr. Jack Penner (Emerson): Madam Speaker, it is certainly my pleasure today to rise before this House and congratulate Wilbert Funk–we call him Big Red–of Altona who was presented with the 1999 Altona District Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award at their annual dinner on Saturday.

Mr. Funk was chosen to receive this honour for his outstanding contribution in working with young people. Mr. Funk was a hockey player, a player in his own right. He, however, excelled in taking upon himself the task of bringing together young people who were very often not very capable and teaching them how to play hockey.

One of the key things that Mr. Funk and his wife–and he always called her Precious. He said: we have to go out and win one for Precious today, boys. I was one of the young fellows who Wilbert coached when I was much younger than I am today. But he always used the theme that if you are going to play well, you are going to become the kind of citizen that you really want to be, or, he said, do you want to be one of those? That was his motto.

An Honourable Member: He was pointing at you, Steve.

Mr. Penner: No, I am not pointing at anybody in this House, but he always said: or do you want to be one of those? I say to you that Mr. Funk coached better than a thousand games played by young people in his community. He not only coached hockey, but he also umpired and coached baseball. He coached and umpired between 900 and a thousand games of baseball.

The interesting thing, Madam Speaker–and I wish you would let me finish–is Mr. Funk lost his right arm in 1973 in an industrial accident. Did that stop him from being involved with these young people? He said no, and he would raise his right arm without a hand and he said: let us go out there and win; let us play one for Precious, and that is why Mr. Funk was chosen as Citizen of the Year today by the Altona Chamber of Commerce. I would like all of us to congratulate him.