Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the public gallery where we have this afternoon sixty-four Grades 2 and 9 students from Victor H.L. Wyatt School under the direction of Mr. Bruce Dunbar. This school is located in the constituency of the Speaker.

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

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Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, we just gave leave to deal with the request from the government to deal with the amendment to The Essential Services Act. In the past we have had requests from the city to deal with legislative changes, one, noticeably, to open a contract in the past that has not been accepted by the government. We ask the government why they have not considered using The Fire Departments Arbitration Act as a remedy for this potential dispute, a matter that allows the matter to be resolved with binding arbitration for firefighters who also carry out essential services. Why would this Legislature not contemplate that alternative as a more equitable and workable way for the people of this province and for the workers affected in this dispute?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I encourage the Leader of the Opposition to read the two letters from the mayor of the City of Winnipeg, one dated May 13, just last Thursday, and the other one dated today, May 18, 1999, where the City of Winnipeg very specifically asks for this amendment and this kind of coverage to include the ambulance services within the essential services legislation. So we are responding very directly to that request from the mayor and from the City of Winnipeg. As well, obviously it is very important to protect the citizens and potential patients, potential users of ambulance service here in the city of Winnipeg for that very important and very vital health care service.

Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, The Fire Departments Arbitration Act, which was provided in the public interest to deal with public services that would not be disrupted in the time of a dispute and the dispute would be resolved by binding arbitration–many first responders for patients in Winnipeg, these services are provided by the firefighters, and ambulance providers also provide a service to our citizens. Why, given that The Essential Services Act does not have a way of resolving a dispute or does not have a remedy, would we not use the tried and tested way on behalf of the public, rather than just using something that has not been tested yet in the province?

Mr. Stefanson: Madam Speaker, there is obviously the opportunity to reach agreement by both parties through collective bargaining, and we obviously support that process, encourage both parties to work towards finding an agreement through that very important process. Having said that, it is my understanding that with the discussions that have taken place, there has been no agreement to an essential services agreement in the event of a strike of ambulance service employees. We have before us now a very specific request from the mayor and the council of the City of Winnipeg to include this important service under essential services. There are a number of services that are included under essential services that provide for the very important health care of all citizens of Manitoba, and in this case it is the important service of ambulance services in the city of Winnipeg. We are certainly responding both to the request from the City of Winnipeg and from the mayor of the City of Winnipeg and to the protection of that very important service for the citizens of Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Mr. Doer: This Legislature and the government opposite agreed to binding arbitration for the doctors last year after considerable acrimony before they reached that stage. We have put in place binding arbitration for police officers. This Legislature has approved The Labour Relations Act that provides for binding arbitration for firefighters in Manitoba. The binding arbitration option allows for this dispute to be settled without any withdrawal of services, and therefore the public would be protected.

Why would this government not consider an amendment that we will put forward as a positive alternative for the citizens of Winnipeg and for the legislative process for the province of Manitoba?

Mr. Stefanson: Let us look at the history of The Essential Services Act which was introduced back in May of 1996. It was passed in November of 1996 and was originally applicable only to provincial civil servants. Subsequent to that, we had a request from health facilities to be included in the essential services legislation. That was in June to October of '97, and in April of 1997, again The Essential Services Act was extended to health facilities and Child and Family Services agencies. Again, that legislation passed in June of 1997.

So this legislation has been available for organizations to come forward with requests that they felt that the service they are providing is of such a nature that it should be protected within the essential services legislation.

The City of Winnipeg has done just that with the two letters that I provided members opposite, the letters of May 13 and May 18, making that very specific request, and we believe in supporting that request and responding to that request. That is what we are doing today. We are certainly very supportive of protecting that very important health care service, which I hope all members in this House are supportive of doing. One way to do that is to respond to the request from the mayor of the City of Winnipeg and include the ambulance services within The Essential Services Act.

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Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Well, we will work on the government at committee.

A new question to the Premier (Mr. Filmon). The Premier has been involved in attempting to maintain neurologists and people that work in the neurology program in Manitoba. We have been quite concerned about the neurology program, pursuant to the specialists' provisions in the last contract signed by the government. There are five neurology residents presently in Manitoba. I would like to ask the government: how many of these residents will be staying after their residency program in Manitoba?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Manitoba, I believe, currently has about 18 adult neurologists in the province of Manitoba. Recently four additional neurologists have been recruited. I am certainly prepared to provide the names to the member opposite. Obviously, this recruitment represents a 20 percent increase in neurologists serving the needs of Manitobans, and that certainly shows significant, again, enhancements in this whole area.

In part, responding to a question from his colleague the member for Transcona (Mr. Reid) where he was asking about an issue relative to epileptologists, again, in that particular case, two of these new neurologists, Dr. Ahmad and Dr. Hudson will join the team on July 1, 1999. They also specialize in epilepsy, Madam Speaker. So, again, that certainly is showing progress in addressing that very important area.

Mr. Doer: The minister did not answer the question. There are five residents now in Manitoba. We have been informed that after June, three residents will be leaving. Can the minister confirm this, and what will the impact be on patients?

Mr. Stefanson: Again, I have just given the member recent information in terms of the significant progress in terms of the whole issue of recruitment of neurologists. I have outlined for him the current numbers of adult neurologists, the recent addition of four more neurologists. I have indicated the role that two of the new neurologists will play in the whole area of epilepsy, which is an issue that is of concern to all of us and has been raised by his colleague the member for Transcona (Mr. Reid). So, again, we continue to make significant progress in that area of specialty medicine, as we do on a number of fronts in the province of Manitoba.

Mr. Doer: The minister did not answer the question. We know that the complement has been down in the neurology program. We even know with some recruitment they were still below the levels that were stated by the WHA to be, quote, acceptable. My question was: if we have five residents in neurology and three are leaving at the end of June–that is 60 percent of those people–what will the impact be on the patient services requiring neurology? Why are we losing so many of them, I think, is a real vital question to the people of Manitoba.

Mr. Stefanson: Again, Madam Speaker, I have indicated to the member our current number is 18 adult neurologists in the province of Manitoba. There are four additional neurologists that have been recruited. I have named two of them who are starting on July 1 of 1999. That is a 20 percent increase in neurologists in the province of Manitoba.

Madam Speaker, we currently have three and a half positions for pediatric neurologists, and again there was a recent acquisition there, again with an individual who brings some specialty in the whole area of epilepsy. So again, Manitoba has never been in a better position regarding pediatric neurology than it is today, so significant progress on all fronts relative to services from neurologists, and again we continue to improve not only in this area but in other areas in terms of recruiting and retaining health care professionals.

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Mr. Daryl Reid (Transcona): Madam Speaker, back in November 1997, I wrote to the previous Minister of Health about the loss of neurological services at the Health Sciences Centre and also involving the loss of the only remaining epileptologist in the province. At that time the government said they were on a recruiting program. Here we are, two years later, and now the minister is announcing that we have some new doctors coming into Manitoba.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Mr. Reid: I guess the government thinks a two-year wait is a reasonable period of time for these services.

I would like to ask the government: if you cannot maintain your own resident doctors in our hospital program in the province of Manitoba, how can you run a neurological program in our hospitals, and how do you know you are not going to be losing these doctors as well some short period down the road?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Again, the member recently asked me about the whole issue of epileptologists, and he referred at the time to a Dr. Pillay who had left for the province of Alberta. I do want to assure him that the team in that entire area that is involved in that implant program is still in place at the Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Brian Schmidt, a neurologist, has followed all of those patients. The surgeon on the team, Dr. Brownstone, remains at the Health Sciences Centre and continues to follow those patients as well, and as I indicated in response to a question from his Leader, there are two new neurologists, Dr. Ahmad and Dr. Hudson, who are joining the team on July 1, 1999. They specialize in epilepsy, which is exactly what is required in this area, and as I responded to his Leader, not only do we currently have 18 adult neurologists, there are four additional neurologists that have been recruited, a 20 percent increase, so again showing significant progress in that whole area of retaining and recruiting neurologists in Manitoba.

Mr. Daryl Reid (Transcona): Then perhaps can the Minister of Health indicate what will be the effect on the accreditation program at the Faculty of Medicine now that three of the five residents are leaving the province of Manitoba? What is going to happen to the accreditation of that particular program?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Well, Madam Speaker, again without necessarily accepting any of the preamble from the member, based on some past practices in this House, I am certainly prepared to look into that issue further, but again I pointed out very clearly for members opposite the significant progress in this area of the recruitment of neurologists here in our province, a 20 percent increase, not unlike the kind of progress we are seeing in other areas whether it be oncologists or the recent graduating class for anesthetists here in Manitoba where the majority of them are staying right here in the province of Manitoba, the vast majority of them again. So I tell the member not to worry about any accreditation.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, in respect to the minister's responses, a 20 percent increase when you are below actual levels required is not anything to brag about. My question to the Minister of Health is again a repeat because it is a very, very significant. [interjection] Well, if the Premier (Mr. Filmon) wants to answer and do something about health care, let him stand up and answer a question on health care.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Kildonan, to pose his question please.

Mr. Chomiak: Thank you, Madam Speaker. We will welcome a chance to talk about health issues when the Premier screws up the courage to call an election.

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

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Mr. Chomiak: My question to the Premier, who wants to answer, or the Minister of Health: is the minister not concerned if three of the five resident neurologists, who are home-grown, home-trained, are leaving the province, what the effect will be on the neurology program at the University of Manitoba?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, again, with all due respect to the member opposite, I have answered the majority of that question.

We are always interested in this province in keeping the majority of our graduates of our educational facilities here in the province of Manitoba. We continue to see more and more of them staying right here in Manitoba, whatever faculties they are coming through, for a number of reasons, from reasons like the tremendous job opportunities they have in Manitoba to the quality of life, to all of the factors that make individuals who come through our education facilities want to remain in the province of Manitoba. I have just cited in this House that for the recent graduating class of anesthetists, I am told that virtually all of them are staying right here in the province of Manitoba.

I have outlined very clearly for members opposite the significant improvement in areas like neurology. In fact, when it comes to the whole area of specialty provisions, Manitoba, on a ratio to our population, we have the fourth-highest ranking in Canada in terms of specialists to population of all the provinces in Canada. Again, we stack up very well in keeping specialists, just like we do on our ratios when it comes to nurses that I pointed out very clearly from a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

So again, Madam Speaker, we made significant progress in the province of Manitoba, not only retaining but recruiting additional neurologists to our province.

Mr. Chomiak: Madam Speaker, will the Minister of Health not agree and will he not undertake to review the situation at the University of Manitoba and the neurosurgery program because of this shortage of manpower so that like when we raised the issue of oncologists and the government finally responded, like when we raised the issue of anesthestists and the government responded, like when we raised the issue of the neurosurgeons, the government responded, the government–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. Chomiak: Will the minister undertake to return back to this House, as the government was forced to do when we raised those other issues, to ensure that the program is not in jeopardy and the residents in neurology can maintain and stay in Manitoba?

Mr. Stefanson: Madam Speaker, again, I thank the member for Kildonan for acknowledging the significant progress in the whole area of oncologists, again acknowledging the significant progress in the whole area of anesthetists. Again, I am sure he will acknowledge the significant progress in the whole areas of neurology, and I am sure that is one of the many reasons why they have had the wisdom to support our 1999 budget which includes $194 million more than last year to provide all of the very important health care services right across Manitoba. I am sure that is one of the many reasons that they saw the wisdom to support our budget this year.

Mr. Chomiak: Madam Speaker, I will try again to the Minister of Health or the Premier who seems anxious to try to answer some questions.

Will the Minister of Health undertake to return back to this House with information about the security, the future and the tenure of those students and those residents who are involved in the neurology program so it can be assured that home-grown, home-trained individuals will not have to, as they have had to do the past 11 years under the dismal Filmon government's control of health care, leave the province of Manitoba?

Mr. Stefanson: Well, Madam Speaker, I have already indicated to the member that we continue to do all kinds of things to keep the graduates of our educational facilities here in the province of Manitoba, not only in the area of health care but in all types of educational faculties and facilities right across the province of Manitoba.

I have outlined very clearly to him the progress we are making in the whole area of attracting neurologists to the province of Manitoba. He himself, while he likes to sit there and try to take some credit for it, acknowledges the significant progress in areas like oncology, like anesthetists. I hope that he can certainly acknowledge the significant progress here in the whole area of neurologists, that we continue to make progress in attracting and retaining specialists. Within Canada, we continue to have one of the best ratios in all of Canada in keeping specialists here in the province of Manitoba.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry and Trade.

Madam Speaker, quite often government will give out or loan out monies in expectation that those loans in fact be paid back. There is somewhat of a strange occurrence with the Estimates, which we made reference to, where the government has given out a $2-million loan or made a $2-million loan commitment of which $1.6 million of that has already been given to the company. Yet, today, we still do not know who or what company that $1.6 million is being sent to.

My question to the minister is: is he prepared to share with Manitobans where those tax dollars are in fact going?

Hon. Mervin Tweed (Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): As I explained to the member in Estimates, in the process, quite often when negotiations are completed, before we make an announcement, we always try and get an agreement between us and the company or the business that we are doing business with for an agreed-upon announcement. Sometimes these companies prefer to delay the announcement or defer it to a certain period of time to make arrangements with their employees, make arrangements with the other companies that they are doing business with.

I advised the member during the Estimates process that, upon completion of the negotiations, we would be proud to make the announcement.

Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, given that the election has in fact been put off, my question to the minister is: is the minister trying to tell us then it has nothing to do with the government, that the only reason why Manitobans do not have a right to know is because the company does not want Manitobans to know that they are in fact receiving the money? So it is the company; it has nothing to do with this government.

Mr. Tweed: I would like to thank the member for Inkster for making the announcements in regard to the election dates, but perhaps he knows something I do not.

I can tell the member again that we are negotiating with the company, as we do with all of them, because of certain formalities that we like to go through and respect with doing business with the companies and the province. I advise the member again that upon completion of these negotiations, an announcement will be made.

Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, can the Minister of Industry and Trade then tell this House: how often does this government give out $1.6 million of a loan and not feel any obligation to tell Manitobans where those tax dollars are in fact going? How often has this occurred, or is this just a one-time thing?

Mr. Tweed: I would like to just correct the member for Inkster. We do not give out money. We loan out money with a return on the investment. As I said in Estimates, our success rate to date has been very good. We have seen a lot of new jobs and a lot of new industries brought to the province.

Again, I will just advise the member that when negotiations are completed, I would be happy to inform him.

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): My questions are for the Minister of Health.

This past weekend, the special care unit at the Flin Flon General Hospital was shut down. The hospital was forced to send patients by air ambulance to The Pas. Could the minister tell residents of the city of Flin Flon and surrounding region why the special care unit was shut down and when we can expect to see it reopened?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Well, Madam Speaker, I am certainly prepared to look into that issue with the regional health authority and with the individual facility as to what led to those kinds of decisions and to report back to the member.

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): To the same minister: does the minister perhaps know how much it would cost then to send one patient by air from Flin Flon to The Pas hospital?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I am certainly prepared to look into those kinds of issues. I am in Estimates; I have been the last few days. I am back in, I believe, again this afternoon with the member for Kildonan (Mr. Chomiak), so I am certainly prepared to look into that specific financial request. But I think, for all of us, the issue that is first and foremost is patient care and patient safety. That is what drives all of our decisions.

In terms of the specific request that the member for Flin Flon asks about, I am certainly prepared to get back to him or to return with information during the Estimates process.

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Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Similarly, could the minister then also find out and report back to me or to the House whether or not those patients being flown from Flin Flon to The Pas are being charged the $50 Filmon user fee?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I am certainly prepared to look into all of the financial impacts in terms of the overall cost of that service that the member is referring to and to provide him all of the details and whether or not there is any contribution required from the individuals. But, again, I remind the member for Flin Flon that the most important issue is providing the health care services that are needed when they are needed. That is certainly something that we are committed to right throughout the province of Manitoba. That is why we have taken a number of initiatives to not only provide the services here in the city of Winnipeg but also to provide them right across Manitoba in all of the other communities. I will certainly get back to the member with specifics related to the question that he asked.

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Madam Speaker, today Manitobans learned in the media that we are now in the hotel business, and in fact the Lotteries Commission will be building a new hotel next to Club Regent. My question for the Minister responsible for Manitoba Lotteries is: how much are Manitobans going to pay for their new hotel, and how are we going to finance this new project?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Lotteries Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, it always amazes me when I hear the tone of the member opposite with respect to these issues because there are certainly two sides to the gambling issue, and like all issues there are pros and cons to it. One of the pros to our province has been the increase in tour buses, et cetera, coming from outside our jurisdiction, bringing people into our province to spend dollars as part of the increase in our tourism trade. This hotel project is certainly part of that development of the facility. It is part of that particular development; it is financed, part of it is not costing the taxpayer money. In fact, if anything, it is bringing revenue into this province which we need for things like health care.

Ms. Mihychuk: Madam Speaker, my question to the Minister of Lotteries and past Health minister: why is this government building a hotel now–and I am sure that it will be built very rapidly–when it has not built the personal care homes it promised five years ago?

Mr. Praznik: Madam Speaker, the member knows full well that the operation of the Lotteries Commission, the construction of the casinos, any relationship with the hotel is not coming from public money, is not coming from taxpayers' money, and in no way affects the budget operations. In fact, the profits from the operation of our lotteries contribute to the general revenue of this province. For her to come up in this House for the umpteenth time to try to imply that somehow a choice is made on scarce taxpayers' dollars of building a companion hotel to the casinos or personal care homes is just absolutely wrong.

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Madam Speaker, I want to ask the minister if he is prepared to call the committee where the public can have a full discussion of the policies of Manitoba Lotteries which puts lotteries and hotels and casinos before health care. When is the committee going to meet?

Hon. Darren Praznik (Minister charged with the administration of The Manitoba Lotteries Corporation Act): Madam Speaker, talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Lotteries has provided, over a number of governments, a source of revenue for a variety of operations and activities in our province, and today a significant portion of those lottery dollars go into general revenue and is used for health care, and now today we hear members of the New Democratic Party saying we should not have that revenue. How many patients would they deny care if they were ever in power to bring about that kind of course of action?

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): Madam Speaker, in November of 1997, the government awarded a contract worth $260,000 to Rescom Interactive, a subsidiary of Rescom Ventures, to produce a State of Innovation Report for the Economic Innovation and Technology Centre, but by that time, by November of 1997, Rescom's $5-million contract with the Royal Bank was in deep difficulty and had been cancelled roughly the same date that the contract was awarded. The company was already in severe difficulty, severe cash-flow shortage. Why did the government award a major contract to a company which was already in serious financial difficulty?

Hon. Mervin Tweed (Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism): Madam Speaker, as the member knows, companies that we do business with in Manitoba, certainly when we ask for information or we ask for services to be provided, they are usually sent out and asked for proposals from companies that can provide the information and the technology that we need. It is my understanding that Rescom, at that particular time, fulfilled the needs that we were looking for.

Mr. Sale: Madam Speaker, when the company was already being operated by a manager put there by the minister's own Manitoba Capital Fund, when its president had been ousted, why is the company and its president still featured in the 2,000 copies of the little red tool kit that were distributed, or at least were paid for, for $260,000, rendering the tool kit totally worthless because the company was bankrupt?

Mr. Tweed: Madam Speaker, as I mentioned earlier and we have discussed in the Estimates, when you look at risk capital, when you look at firms that are interested in taking part in some of the risk capital that is out there, I would like to make the honourable member aware that these firms create jobs at a 23 percent annual rate, which is very many more times higher than an average general business community.

I would like to advise the member that the booklet that was put out was not to highlight companies that have succeeded or have not succeeded but to just show to the community out there that the government of Manitoba is interested and caring and would look at all companies that are willing to make risk capital investments in the province.

Mr. Sale: Will the minister not acknowledge that by highlighting an unsuccessful company that was belly up when he highlighted it, he wasted $250,000? This report is totally worthless because, basically, you cannot use it. The company is belly up, $2 million down the drain in Manitoba capital, $250,000 in contracts, all wasted.

Mr. Tweed: While I totally disagree with the member opposite's comments, in the sense that we as a province, we are here to promote the risk capital investment in the province that we need. I would like to point out to the member opposite that during the previous administration, when they were involved in risk capital financing, they had to write off just under 70 percent of the loans that the government of the day put out, and I would gladly compare our record in this province to the previous administration.

Mr. Steve Ashton (Thompson): I must admit, on this side of the House when we see any kind of government contract being let, as we have seen in so many cases, we expect either to see Cubby Barrett or some other major contributor to the Conservative Party. In fact, in this particular case, the president of this near-bankrupt company that received a quarter of a million dollars just coincidentally happened to donate over $5,000 to the Conservative Party over the last number of years.

I am wondering if the Premier can indicate whether indeed this is another example of this government giving money to its friends, in this case money–$250,000–that was to be lost by the people of Manitoba because of this government's actions.

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, we have had so many examples under New Democrats of them throwing money down the toilet at every opportunity–MTX over $30 million. In the words of the now Leader of the New Democratic Party when he was president of MGEU, they spent $200 million putting signs up along the roadways on the Jobs Fund. None of it resulted in any jobs that are here in the province today; $200 million they threw away.

In addition to that, they came up with their version of a venture capital fund in which not one company ever put any money back, ever paid any money back into the province of Manitoba. All failed, every single one of them throughout the '80s. There were millions and millions of dollars. Not one succeeded. That is the kind of record they had. I would think the member for Thompson would be embarrassed to even ask such a question.

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Mr. Ashton: I am wondering if the Premier, instead of practising to be Leader of the Opposition again and living in the 1980s, might answer the question: when is he going to refer this to his ethics chair who just happens to be the minister who authorized this $250,000 boondoggle.

Mr. Filmon: I can understand why the member opposite turns red and gets embarrassed every time he has to ask those silly questions. The fact of the matter is no government in the history of this province embarrassed this province more than the Pawley-Doer administration did for its boondoggles, and that is exactly what they stand for, is boondoggles. The member for Thompson is the king of boondoggles.

Mr. Ashton: Madam Speaker, as a final supplementary, I want to ask the minister if this is the legacy of the Lyon-Filmon years, in this particular case another example of the previous minister giving money to Tory friends, money that is now completely lost to the people of Manitoba, something the Premier does not even have the concern to even answer the question about. That is how arrogant and out of touch this government is after 11 years.

Mr. Filmon: In addition to the $200 million on the Jobs Fund, in addition to the $30 million at MTX, in addition to the $28-million bridge to nowhere, there was, of course, the over $30 million that they threw down the toilet.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): On a point of order, Madam Speaker, it was just several weeks ago that this Premier stood up and apologized for the worst scandal in the history of the province since the Rodmond Roblin scandal of 1919. I cite Beauchesne's, and I listened very carefully to the previous question of the member for Thompson. He asked specifically if the Premier would refer the matter to his newly created ethics person, and the Premier did not answer. The member for Thompson again asked the Premier a specific question, and the Premier, who is so defensive, who is so unable to answer questions, refused to answer the question.

I ask you to ask the Premier, either answer the question or go back and rewrite his memoirs about the 1980s where he seems to be living.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable First Minister, on the same point of order.

Mr. Filmon: Madam Speaker, the member opposite is very embarrassed these days and very sensitive to being reminded of all the issues that they absolutely fouled up when they were in government in this province in the '80s. They do not like to be reminded of it because it is terribly embarrassing, but Manitobans remember each and every one of these instances, and they know why they keep those incompetents on that side of the House.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Kildonan did not have a point order.

Mr. Leonard Evans (Brandon East): I have a question for the Minister of Health, and I would like to read a brief quotation from the chairman of the regional health authority in Brandon. It was in today's Brandon Sun, and the quotation is: our replacement equipment budget last year and this year is only about a half a million dollars, and it really should be over a million annually. So when you consider that we had a couple of years when it was $100,000, we had two years when it was nothing, well, the equipment situation was so bad, our replacement equipment budget was so low that everything was destitute. That is the quotation from the government-appointed chair of the regional health authority.

Madam Speaker: Question.

Mr. L. Evans: My question to the minister is: if this government is so committed to quality health care, why has it denied the Brandon general hospital the funding necessary over the years to replace essential outdated medical equipment?

Hon. Eric Stefanson (Minister of Health): Well, Madam Speaker, I had a chance to meet with the chair of the Brandon Regional Health Authority just last week, and I can certainly indicate they are very pleased. They are very pleased with the level of support that they receive from our government.

We have been in Estimates, and I outlined for the member for Brandon East some $65 million in capital projects that are being spent basically on the Brandon Regional Health Centre, approximately a $40-million improvement in their clinical services and building services, $4.4 million on a 25-bed adult acute psychiatric unit, $3.2 million on the Westman Child and Adolescent Treatment Centre. I could go on and on. I provided that for the member for Brandon East. I outlined all of these in great detail for him, and I am certainly prepared to do it again, to outline all of the projects totalling approximately $65 million dedicated to the Brandon Regional Health Centre to continue to improve the quality of care and the services not only in Brandon but in that entire region of our province.

Madam Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has expired.