Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): Yesterday, our government announced an important initiative, the formation of a Lower Tax Commission. Its goals are to make the provincial tax system fairer, simpler and more competitive. The three-person commission will consult with Manitobans through public hearings and submissions to gather input on how Manitoba's tax system can be improved.

Former Manitoba Finance minister Clayton Manness will chair the commission. Tax expert Evelyn Jacks and the University of Manitoba economist Dr. Norman Cameron will be the other members of the commission, which will begin work immediately and report by year's end.

The commission will have three main issues to consider, Madam Speaker: (1) the tax competitiveness, including how Manitoba remains competitive with other provinces and jurisdictions; (2) tax mix, such as whether the existing mix of taxes in Manitoba, including the amount paid for personal income tax, sales tax and business tax, is the right balance; and (3) tax on income, including how Manitoba should deal with the province's ability to levy personal income tax directly on taxable income rather than on basic federal tax.

The commission will also look at key tax issues currently being discussed in Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada, such as the property taxes, proposals for a flat tax, and the tax treatment of parents who choose to stay at home with their children. Our government knows that tax cuts are a key to creating jobs and growth, and we look forward to advice from the commission as to which taxes should be adjusted to have the most beneficial impact on Manitobans.

Our government has taken many steps to make Manitoba an attractive place for businesses, including balanced budgets, debt repayment, and increased spending on priority areas. We know that tax policies play an important role in determining the competitiveness of any economy, and we look forward to the important input the Lower Tax Commission will provide. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Madam Speaker, the government likes to brag about selective numbers which make them look good. However, if one looks at the welfare caseloads as recorded in the annual reports of the Department of Family Services, there were 7,000 more social assistance cases in 1998 than there were when the NDP left office in 1988. If one looks at the total of provincial-and municipal-assistance clients, there were 12,000 more people on social assistance in 1998 than there were in 1988.

The federal government has been working with two provincial governments, B.C. and New Brunswick, on a project to get people off social assistance and into paid work called the Self-Sufficiency Project. I hope the Minister of Family Services or someone in her department will look at this very interesting report, analyzing the results to see if there is anything that could be replicated here in Manitoba. The findings make for interesting reading. For example, recipients were asked what factors kept them from participating in the income supplement program. Most said that it was the inability to find a job or to get enough hours of work, followed by family responsibilities and then health problems or disabilities.

We know that assisting people to find work pays off. At least, that was the conclusion of the City of Winnipeg when they employed staff to work more intensively with clients on job searching. Next, it is not enough for people to get part-time employment since only full-time employment will take them off assistance entirely. For many parents, it is the availability of good-quality, affordable and accessible child care which is the ticket to getting into the workforce.

The major findings of the Self-Sufficiency Project were: that it doubled the full-time employment rate of the program group; reduced income assistance by 13 to 14 percentage points; every dollar the government spent on additional transfer of payments bought more than $2 of increased earnings and led to more than $3 of additional income for participants; had a substantial antipoverty effect by reducing the number of families below the low-income threshold by 12 percent; and most significantly, helped working poor families to meet their basic needs. In fact, their increased income from the Self-Sufficiency Project was used partly to increase spending on three necessities: food, children's clothing and housing. The percentage of families using food banks was reduced. There need to be long-term studies to see if the people stay in the workforce.

Mr. Ben Sveinson (La Verendrye): Madam Speaker, as all members of this House are aware, justice is a top priority of this government. Our comprehensive commitment to this area includes cracking down on criminal activity; responding to the needs of victims, and also spearheading and supporting initiatives that prevent people from turning to a life of crime.

To that end, we are proud to be able to support programs such as the Salvation Army's Weetamah Corps Youth Initiative, which recently received $64,000 in provincial funding. This award-winning program offers young Manitobans alternatives to negative lifestyle choices, including membership in street gangs. This funding represents a contribution to an endowment fund that will provide stable resources for the long-term viability of the youth initiatives program.

The youth initiatives program, housed in the Salvation Army Weetamah Corps building at 324 Logan Avenue makes contact with 14,000 inner city children and families on a yearly basis. We are pleased to be able to offer our support to such a worthy organization that provides successful intervention programs to our young people.

These programs include Kids Zone and Kids Club which provide after-school activities and education for young people between the ages of six and 13; four o'clock youth groups which offer children ages 11 to 14 athletic programs, special outings and leisure activities; Midnight Challenge which focuses on diverting children away from street gang activity; the Gang Support Group which helps families affected by gang activity; and the Red Berets, a team of college- and career-aged youth that patrol inner city streets helping those in need or at risk.

Madam Speaker, all Manitobans will benefit from a preventative approach to crime. This government will continue to support programs that offer such a positive influence and create alternatives for our youth. Thank you.

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): Madam Speaker, last year when we had fires in other parts of the country, Metis firefighters from my constituency and in other communities tried to go out of province to fight the fires. They were told that they were not qualified, so they could not go. To upgrade themselves, they took the necessary training to ensure that they had the skills that were needed when a fire started. But last week, when the fires started in the eastern part of the province, these crews applied to go to work and were shocked to learn that firefighters were being brought in from other provinces–from Saskatchewan, Alberta, and in fact, I understand from the United States, and Manitoba firefighters were not included in it.

I want to say that I understand that we want to do everything possible to keep the effects of the fire to a minimum, but our concern is that many of the provincially certified Metis firefighters have been overlooked. These firefighters have taken the proper training according to the standards set by the Manitoba government, and over the week I have been contacted by these people who feel that they are being overlooked, even though they had the training. These are people from a community of very high unemployment, people who are trying to help themselves, people who have taken the training, as has been directed by the province, and now, when there is an opportunity to work, they are overlooked.

Certainly, we hope that there are not going to be any more fires in this province, that we are not going to have to call up firefighters, but what we have to look at is to ensure, when there are fires in the vicinity, that we look at local people who have taken the initiative on their own to ensure that they have the skills. As I say, Madam Speaker, many of these people live in my constituency. In fact, there are five fire crews in the Duck Bay community who are willing to go to work. It is our hope that there are not any more fires, but we would urge the government to recognize the skills of these crews and, when there is a need, that they are called upon to have the opportunity to work in the area where they have taken training.