Mr. Chairperson (Ben Sveinson): Will the Committee of Supply please come to order. This section of the Committee of Supply will be considering the Estimates of the Department of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship. Does the honourable Minister of Culture have an opening statement?

Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship): Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. I do have some opening remarks which I am very pleased to provide. This will probably be my last Estimates opportunity as I am retiring, so I want to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of my department and the initiatives that we have been working on in the past year.

It is my privilege to submit the 1999-2000 Estimates for Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship to this committee for review. Our diverse areas of responsibility such as arts funding, participating in immigration management, overseeing film classification, support for the cultural community, assisting in the preservation and development of heritage resources and promoting recreation and wellness opportunities, add significantly to Manitoba's progress, prosperity and quality of life on many levels.

Our broad mandate involves the many branches of my department in developing and implementing strategies, policies and legislation on behalf of Manitobans. As an example, I point out the recent examination of the issue of video game classification. For some time, we have been concerned about the growing availability of violent, realistic and interactive video games. Of special concern is the impact they may have on those who play them, particularly young Manitobans. We believe parents need information about the content of these games, so they can make informed decisions about the entertainment to which their children are exposed.

There is an industry rating system for video games that is widely available throughout North America, and it appears to be very effective in outlining the content of games. Developed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB, this rating system provides information about the content and age appropriateness of games on all platforms including personal computers, video game cartridge consoles and Internet game sites.

The Manitoba Film Classification Board has launched a public information campaign to raise parental awareness of the ESRB system and how it can help them determine what is suitable for their children. This campaign has the support of major video game retailers, and the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils now recently introduced an amendment to The Amusements Act as a proactive measure to anticipate problems that may arise in the future. This bill will allow for future government ratings of video games, if necessary, and it will allow for the classification of all new forms of video entertainment such as digital video disks or DVDs.

Culture, Heritage and Citizenship also plays a significant role in enhancing and sustaining the quality of life in Manitoba communities through the Community Places Program. This initiative supports facility renewal and development initiatives of community organizations. This coming year, my department is continuing this highly successful community improvement program. Through project planning and grant assistance, Community Places co-operates with community groups on about 200 facility projects intended to provide long-term recreational, cultural and social enhancements at the local level. With a total estimated value of $10 million, these projects also create immediate local economic benefits with 700 construction jobs and local supply and service purchases.

I would now like to discuss the activities of the department's Programs Division. Through our Culture, Heritage and Recreation Programs Division, we are proud to support the province's vibrant arts and cultural communities. The achievements of individual Manitobans and cultural organizations over the years has earned our province a global reputation for excellence in many disciplines. This diverse field also contributes significantly to Manitoba's strong economy at the local, regional and provincial levels.

In support of our cultural sector and in recognition of its economic importance, we are about to announce a number of new initiatives which will increase this sector's ability to thrive in the millennium marketplace.

Before I make these announcements, I would like to take the opportunity to share with my colleague and the Legislature some cultural highlights of the past year. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet presented a new full-length commissioned work called Dracula, which performed to sold-out houses in Manitoba and the rest of Canada. Martha Brooks's novel, Bone Dance, has been awarded the Canadian Library Association's Young Adult Canadian Book Award. Linda Holeman, also a Manitoba writer, received an honourable mention for her novel, Promise Song. In 1998, Ms. Kady MacDonald Denton, a children's book writer and illustrator from Brandon, won the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award under the Children's Literature-Illustration category for her work on A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Bruce McManus's play, Selkirk Avenue, was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award for Drama.

Professor Fred Ahenakew was named to the Order of Canada. Professor Ahenakew is a research scholar in the area of Cree literacy and language teaching and the co-editor and translator of three books published by the University of Manitoba Press.

This past season the Manitoba Theatre Centre celebrated its 40th anniversary. Founded in 1958, MTC was Canada's first regional theatre, and it continues to set the standard by which other regional theatres are measured. On April 13, 1999, at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre, the world premiere of the new opera, The Golden Ass, with music by Winnipeg composer, Randolph Peters, took place. This new work produced by the Canadian Opera Company featured story and lyrics by the late Robertson Davies. Later this year, Le Cercle Molière, Canada's oldest continually operating theatre company, will begin its 75th anniversary celebrations. This historic season will be widely promoted as a year of artistic renewal for the Francophone theatre and culture in Manitoba.

These notable events reflect the rich artistic and cultural life in Manitoba. My department works in partnership with many leading community institutions to ensure the continuation of this vibrant legacy into the 21st Century.

Manitoba's arts community continues to demonstrate its tremendous social, cultural and economic value to the citizens of our province. In recognition of its important role in our communities, my department will continue to sustain its operating funding for Manitoba's major arts and cultural institutions. The department continues to make Manitoba's major arts organizations increasingly accessible to Manitobans as well. This year, for example, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra received special assistance from the department to undertake a highly successful tour of northern Manitoba. This tour was the first of its kind in over 20 years, brought workshops and performances to Flin Flon, Thompson, Gillam, and Churchill. These concerts represent only a few of the hundreds of performances by provincial artists made possible by my department in rural Manitoba every year.

To sustain and develop Manitoba's renowned artistic excellence, my department is pleased to have joined other levels of government and the private sector to support community efforts to develop an arts stabilization strategy for Manitoba. Stabilization strategies adopted by other communities in North America have proven very successful. Discussions with the corporate sector are underway to ensure that the unique needs of arts organizations in Manitoba are addressed. I have written to my colleague the Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage, expressing Manitoba's interest in working with her department as part of a national arts stabilization strategy.

In 1999-2000, my department will continue to assist the arts' and cultural industries' growing contribution to the economic well-being of our province. Through its support for the new Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation, my department assists the promotion, production, marketing and growth of film, television and sound recording industries in Manitoba. In 1998-99, Manitoba Film and Sound's $1.7 million in direct film investment, coupled with a projected $3.5 million in claims under the Manitoba Film and Video Production Tax Credit, generated production activity of more than $50 million.

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Recent enhancements to the tax credit ensure that Manitobans will continue to have access to film training opportunities provided by the most qualified training staff and mentors. As a result of increased production in the province, the industry's infrastructure continues to grow accordingly.

William F. White, a large supplier of film industry equipment, has established a Manitoba office. The Prairie Production Centre, a major 67,000-square-foot, $7.7-million sound studio production complex, is slated for completion this fall.

Industry growth has also prompted the National Screen Institute to officially open a development facility in Manitoba. Its programs will bring young talent from across Canada to Winnipeg for industry workshops and training.

My department is also working to ensure that the Francophone segment of Manitoba's film and video industry is well positioned for growth. This past year, La Société des communications du Manitoba, Inc. received financial assistance for its French Language Film and Video Industry Development project. It will provide industry training and development opportunities.

Manitoba's literary arts sector is another positive contributor to our cultural industries. Book publishing, for example, is firmly established as a $3-million industry and growing. My department's Book Publishers' Support Programs will continue to assist this growth industry and help Manitoba book publishers expand marketing, improve operations and develop new product lines.

Manitoba's visual arts industry is equally well supported by the department. New marketing initiatives through funding partnerships with the department already show increased sales by Manitoba's private art galleries. In addition, the Winnipeg Art Gallery is exhibiting work by Robert Houle, a prominent Manitoba-born artist, in numerous installations at the gallery, the Pool of the Black Star, the Via Rail train station, and The Forks. I invite my colleagues and the public to view the exhibit being held in the Pool of the Black Star.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is also hosting the blockbuster exhibit Art in the Age of Van Gogh from now until July 11, 1999. The gallery anticipates 13,000 Manitobans will attend this major exhibition, again reflecting our deep appreciation for such artistic achievements.

In 1999-2000, I am pleased to announce a special grant to the Manitoba Arts Council of $875,000. This extra support will allow the council to continue its ongoing work while recognizing the special needs of the arts community identified through community consultations.

Since 1988, Culture, Heritage and Citizenship has placed a high priority on maintaining and developing the capital infrastructure for Manitoba's cultural and heritage communities. I am pleased to report that in 1999-2000 we will have completed the comprehensive cladding repairs to the Manitoba Centennial Centre, the Manitoba Museum, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It will also be the final year of a $2.4-million capital renewal program at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium. Last year, my department committed $2 million over five years toward the renewal of the Manitoba Theatre Centre's Main Stage and Warehouse theatres.

I will move on now to our Historic Resources branch. The identification and preservation of Manitoba's vast historic resources is an important focus within my department. Manitoba communities recognize the exciting potential of these assets as a resource of sustainable tourism development and economic growth.

My department has been an active partner with the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone, Canadian Heritage, and the City of Winnipeg in promoting the Exchange District. Since 1985, my department has provided over $436,000 through the designated heritage building grant program to assist in the restoration of 14 buildings in the district. This year, my department will be providing a $1-million capital grant to the Mennonite College Federation to undertake extensive renovations on the historic Manitoba School for the Deaf. The facility will be redeveloped in the coming years to provide a cultural centre, housing, and education facilities for the students of Concord College, Menno Simons College and the Canadian Mennonite Bible College. All heritage aspects of this facility will be preserved.

My staff is also working closely with the City of Winnipeg and Parks Canada to develop a new heritage park at the mouth of the Seine River in north St. Boniface. This is the site of the Lagimodiere-Gaboury homestead, a pioneer francophone family recognized as being of national historic significance.

Manitoba's rural heritage resources are another area considered by my department to have tremendous potential. This fact is illustrated by the recent designation of the row of five grain elevators in Inglis, the best collection of historic grain elevators remaining in Canada as a provincial heritage site under The Heritage Resources Act. The Inglis Area Heritage Committee took the lead role in this ambitious $2 million project. My department assisted with $162,000 in funding and technical guidance.

As well, the special Theme Museums initiative announced in March of 1998 assists selected museums which showcase unique collections and show potential as significantly enhanced heritage attractions. Three museums are now part of this group, the Dugald Costume Museum, the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum and the New Iceland Heritage Museum.

The Dugald Costume Museum holds the largest collection of costumes, textiles, and accessories in Canada and, I am proud to note, is one of only six costume museums in North America.

Another outstanding and unique facility is Brandon's Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. It is Canada's only museum dedicated solely to preserving the history and artifacts of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of 1939 through '45 which supplied the British and Dominion air forces with trained pilots. I am very pleased to announce a special capital grant of $500,000 to the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum for extensive renovations to the wartime hangar which will house this museum.

The New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli fosters the heritage and culture of the Icelandic people and provides a repository for the many objects that tell the story of their settlement in Manitoba. I am pleased to report a $1-million commitment to the Betel Heritage Foundation for the construction of the New Iceland Heritage Museum and Icelandic Cultural Centre at the Betel Waterfront Centre in Gimli.

My department continues to work co-operatively with major resource industries to ensure that the province's archeological heritage is discovered, protected, and shared with all Manitobans. One such successful undertaking is our joint effort with Manitoba Hydro along the route of the Churchill River Diversion in northern Manitoba. This spring, departmental archeologists will bring the fourth field season of the present five-year agreement to monitor the effects of flooding on archeological sites and to rescue threatened burial sites.

Next, I would like to discuss the activities of our Public Library Services. The province is committed to the concept of universal access to library services. To meet this objective, the Department of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship has initiated several projects to improve the accessibility and range of services offered in rural and northern public libraries and to explore the feasibility of a province-wide library network. The ongoing Manitoba Public Libraries Information Network, or MAPLIN, allows regional and municipal public libraries to connect with the Manitoba Union Catalogue and the Public Library Services circulation system. Forty-eight of the 52 regional libraries are now automated and use the MAPLIN network to access the Public Library Services' central data base. These developments have moved rural and northern public libraries into the global information age and allow Manitobans to have access to a wide range of library and network information.

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Culture, Heritage and Citizenship is taking a lead role in another initiative to develop an integrated library service delivery system using telecommunications and computer technology. Building of the success of MAPLIN, this system will link and co-ordinate all libraries in Manitoba so that resources are shared throughout the province in effect creating a province-wide Manitoba library.

The department has also been working with Industry Canada to encourage communities to provide public access often in public libraries to the Internet through the Community Access Project, or CAP. This project has been expanded to provide funding to support Internet connections in all public libraries in all Manitoba.

The department has been co-operating with the Gates Foundation toward the installation of additional public Internet computers within public libraries serving lower income areas. The goal is to promote free, universal access to this increasingly important information resource.

Another active area for the department this year has been recreation and wellness promotion. My department is committed to supporting Manitobans in developing more healthy and active lifestyles. The benefits to the individual and to our society are significant. Physical activity is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways of improving the health of Manitobans. Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for fitness, recreation and sport met recently in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, to discuss many items of joint concern. Our collective goal of reducing the number of inactive Canadians by 10 percent over a five-year period ending in 2003 was reinforced as being vitally important.

My department has embraced a strategy to promote healthy, active lifestyles for Manitobans. We have established new and expanded initiatives promoting the benefits of physical activity such as SummerActive '98. This was a month-long celebration of physical activity encouraging Manitobans and their communities to stage activities and events to promote recreation and physical activity. To sustain the SummerActive momentum from last year, we launched a WinterActive '99 to encourage individuals and families to get involved in winter activity, incorporating a balance of indoor and outdoor fun.

This year, as part of SummerActive, we have distributed a SummerActive guide as an insert in the Winnipeg Free Press. We have also distributed 10,000 copies of Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy, Active Living throughout Manitoba.

As well, on Wednesday, May 26, my department, along with key partners in recreation and physical activity delivery system, hosted a Taste of Activity, a public event on the grounds of the Legislative Building. Over 2,000 people, many of them elementary school-aged children, participated in over 30 activities and exhibits designed to encourage healthy, active lifestyles.

A new initiative designed to encourage physical activity in senior citizens is now in the final planning stages. The summit on healthy, active living in older adults represents a focal point for the International Year of Older Persons in Manitoba and provides a point of reference from which policies, programs and services can be developed.

Communities in Manitoba have a rich history of volunteer participation. Volunteers are the foundation on which local recreation opportunities have been built. As a result of consultation with the recreation delivery system, I was proud to announce a new volunteer recognition certificate program. It consists of two certificates available for use by communities to recognize volunteer service and exemplary volunteers.

The dawning of the 21st Century creates a tremendous opportunity for Manitobans to celebrate our unique achievements to honour the pioneers, past and present, who have made this province such a rich and dynamic place to live. I am proud to note that Culture, Heritage and Citizenship has been designated as the lead department on Manitoba's official millennium commemoration activities. To assist Manitobans in marking this auspicious moment in our history and to stimulate the creation of millennium partnerships, a special four-part Manitoba Millennium Program has been established and will be administered by my department.

In keeping with our mandate to work with Manitobans to enhance the quality of life in our communities, the new program will provide $10 million over the next two and a half years to stimulate millennium-oriented partnerships with community groups, local and federal governments and nonprofit and private sector organizations. The four components of the Manitoba Millennium Program are the municipal partnership program, the innovation Manitoba program, the celebrations component and signature projects. Each of the four components assists different levels of activities and projects while providing the greatest possible community participation. Overall, program funding will assist communities with special one-time-only projects to commemorate the turn of the millennium and capture the spirit of it for future generations of Manitobans. My department is very proud of this initiative because it gives every Manitoban an opportunity to contribute to and to be a part of a never-to-be-repeated experience.

As Manitoba crosses the threshold of the 21st Century, these projects will mark our generation's contributions to the proud legacy we are leaving for future generations.

I would like to talk now about the work of the department's Information Resources Division. Over the past year, the Information Resources Division, or IRD, has helped increase electronic access to government information through the expanded content on the government of Manitoba website, which now includes 20,000 pages. The site is currently providing information to approximately 850,000 Web browsers monthly and 6.5 million browsers annually. During the coming year, IRD will continue to add material to the site so that important program information can be made immediately available to the public.

The Statutory Publications branch has recently made the Statutes of Manitoba available on a paid subscription basis through the government of Manitoba website. Electronic subscriptions will be made available to all new and current subscribers who wish to use the new service. A free public Internet service is also being developed that will be updated once annually. This new free Web service will be available to the public this summer.

Our Provincial Services Division has also had an active year. Most notable is the official opening in April 1999 of two new storage vaults in the Manitoba Archives Building. These state-of-the-art facilities house and protect the internationally significant collection of the Hudson's Bay Company archives. It is estimated the project resulted in nearly $5 million in gross benefits to Manitoba's economy.

The Legislative Library is one of the province's oldest libraries. Its collection reflects the interests and aspirations of Manitobans over more than a hundred years. Following a major retrofit and the installation of a high-quality climate control system, the library's rare book room now safely protects priceless treasures and ensures their future availability. This collection includes books belonging to early Red River settlers, high-quality art books showing the works of such artists as Walter J. Phillips and books by and about Manitobans. The library continues to enhance its services through technology. Last year, a co-operative venture with other libraries in the province made it possible to be part of a joint subscription to Ebscohost. This is a major international database offering access via the Internet to three million articles in many different subject areas. Later this year, the library will be able to extend access to this database to all Manitoba government staff with Internet access. Access will also be available in the Legislative Reading Room here in the building. This is an excellent and cost-effective way to expand the range and depth of information available to support the work of government and the Legislature.

The Chartier report on French language services significantly emphasized the importance of translation in supporting French language education. In collaboration with the Department of Education and Training, we are adding four new translator positions to the Translation Services branch. This will significantly improve government's provision of French language services to the Francophone community of Manitoba and respond to critical requirements regarding the translation of curricula.

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In 1997, my department introduced The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, or FIPPA, to address the concerns of Manitobans about the privacy and protection of personal information held by government or other public bodies. This legislation provided a balance between the right of individuals to have their privacy respected and the right to access information held by government and other public bodies. While this act came into force for the government of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg in 1998, it also allows a phased-in implementation for local public bodies. This gradual introduction permits the preparation of information, the delivery of training and the development of internal procedures required under the legislation. This coming year, we will proceed with the proclamation of FIPPA for local public bodies not currently included in or covered by the legislation to further protect the privacy of Manitobans.

Next, I would like to discuss the work of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Division. Recognizing the importance of immigration to the future of Manitoba, my department has undertaken a variety of initiatives to increase our involvement in the promotion, recruitment and settlement of skilled immigrants destined to our province. Working in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the business sector and ethnocultural communities, we are raising Manitoba's profile abroad and providing valuable assistance to new immigrants settling in our communities.

The division recently reorganized to handle increased responsibilities for immigration recruitment and settlement affected in part by the signing of two addenda to the 1996 Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement: one on the realignment of settlement services and the other on provincial nominees. With these new agreements, Manitoba received federal funding and staff and reassigned division staff to enhance our service delivery. Manitoba values the importance of immigration to the economy of the province and strongly supports the reunification of families and the protection and settlement of refugees and displaced persons. As an example, Manitoba supports the resettlement of Kosovar refugees into the community, as it supports refugees from other world areas.

Recently, I wrote to the federal immigration minister to express Manitoba's willingness to assist in Canada's humanitarian efforts. We are currently working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, settlement service providers and private sponsors to increase efficiencies and minimize resettlement difficulties for Kosovar refugees. Our province is committed to assist with the resettlement of 350 of the 5,000 Kosovar emergency evacuees and to accept family reunification and special needs cases destined to Manitoba which number about 80 people to date. These efforts are in addition to the 540 government-assisted refugees that will come to Manitoba throughout the year.

The Immigration Promotion and Recruitment branch has a proactive campaign to promote and recruit skilled immigrants to the province. I am pleased to announce that my department will be expending an additional $170,000 to augment our efforts in the global recruitment of skilled workers to Manitoba. This builds on the department's ongoing international recruitment initiatives.

In partnership with the federal government, private sector and community groups, we have developed a more active and dynamic recruitment strategy supporting Manitoba's labour market needs and contributing to economic growth.

In June 1998, the provincial nominee agreement, an addendum to the Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement, was signed providing an increased role for the province in recruiting skilled immigrants. Under the terms of the agreement, Manitoba can nominate 200 principal applicants and their accompanying families annually. Since the implementation of this program in September 1998, 314 individuals have been nominated for immigration to Manitoba. When we include family members of the nominees, we will welcome a thousand new residents.

With the Settlement Services Agreement, the Citizenship Settlement and Labour market services branch has an increased role in the settlement and integration of immigrants. This agreement gives us the flexibility to ensure services are responsive to provincial needs and allows us to tailor programs to help retain newcomers in the province. The agreement has provided Manitoba with funding in the amount of $3.75 million per year and the equivalent of six full-time employees.

On April 1, my department launched the Manitoba Immigrant Integration Program, a new settlement and language-training funding and support program. This is a streamlined funding program facilitating the economic and social integration of immigrants. Settlement service providers no longer have to apply for funding to two levels of government and can be assured that support will meet Manitoba's settlement needs.

Under the Manitoba Immigrant Integration Program, $3.4 million will be allocated to adult English as a second language services, and $1.1 million will be allocated to immigrant settlement services.

The province also assists qualified professionals, technically trained immigrants, or recently naturalized Canadians in gaining recognition for education and work experience obtained outside of Canada. In 1998-99, under the Credentials Recognition Program, 28 clients received wage assistance, and 37 received assessment assistance to gain Canadian work experience. Clients under this program represent a wide range of economic sectors such as engineering, computer programming and accounting.

We introduced the Academic Credentials Report, giving skilled immigrants information on international education credentials obtained from institutions abroad. The report helps immigrants obtain formal recognition of their accomplishment and assists in career planning and job search. It also assists employers and licensing bodies by educating them about foreign credentials.

The Adult Language Training branch co-ordinates English-as-a-second-language training for adults. Activities include language assessment, instruction and delivery, volunteer programs, and curriculum development. We fund Winnipeg School Division No. 1's day, evening, weekend and summer school adult English classes for up to 1,400 students. We also fund other school divisions delivering adult language and training classes.

Financial support is also provided to Red River Community College for advanced English for academic and occupational accreditation and to employment projects for women to assist with job search and placement. In addition, co-ordination and funding support is provided to community-based language training programs for nonconfident women with child care responsibilities and for seniors. This assistance supports 495 Manitobans.

Workplace language training was provided to 231 students in 35 worksites through regular program funding plus additional dollars received from employers. In the past year, we have also launched and distributed orientation, settlement and language training materials and a Welcome to Manitoba video.

The Multiculturalism Secretariat is responsible for ongoing consultations, communications and relations with ethnocultural community organizations, individuals, federal/ provincial/territorial and municipal departments and agencies. The past year we participated in 120 community consultations and events and organized provincial activities and staff training opportunities for International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The secretariat provides practical assistance to citizens in their efforts to access government departments and services. It also plans citizenship courts in the Legislative Building to welcome new Manitobans.

As I have demonstrated throughout this narrative, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship plays a crucial role in the lives of Manitobans, from preserving our heritage and improving the quality of life to helping Manitobans pursue dynamic opportunities in many areas. My department is proud of its ability to work in partnership at many levels to produce positive results. I hope my illustrations have underscored the important contributions of my department.

My department will continue to build on the partnerships between government and Manitobans making our province a stronger and more progressive place to live, work and raise families today, not only today but in the 21st Century. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chairperson: We thank the Minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship for those comments. Does the official opposition critic, the honourable member for Osborne, have an opening statement?

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Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): No, Mr. Chair, I do not have an opening statement, but perhaps I could take this opportunity to suggest to the minister the way I would like to proceed, and with her grace, maybe we can do that.

Mr. Chairperson: You can go ahead.

Ms. McGifford: I wanted to begin with a very few questions that grew from the minister's report, and then I have a few quite general questions. Then perhaps we could go line by line. I notice there are quite a number of the minister's staff here. I cannot imagine getting beyond the Manitoba Film Classification Board. I do not know whether that would affect who the minister might like to have with her.

Mr. Chairperson: We thank the critic for those short comments. Under the Manitoba practice, the debate of the minister's salary is traditionally the last item considered for the Estimates of the department. Accordingly, we shall defer consideration of that item and now proceed with consideration of the next line.

Before we do that, we invite the minister's staff to join us at the table, and we ask the minister to introduce her staff present. Would the minister also like to acknowledge the comments of the member for Osborne?

Mrs. Vodrey: I thank the member for helping us and giving us an idea of who may be required, particularly at this hour, and so I am appreciative of that. I understand the desire, then, to speak in a general way about the report that I gave, and then if there are questions that involve detail, they can be covered in the line by line, some general questions and then the desire to go on to the Film Classification Board.

So I am very happy to introduce the staff who have now joined me: Roxy Freedman, who is the deputy minister of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship; Lou-Anne Buhr, who is the assistant deputy minister, Programs Division; and Dave Paton, who is the executive director, Administration and Finance.

Mr. Chairperson: We thank the minister. We will now proceed to line 14.1. Administration and Finance (b) Executive Support (1) Salaries and Employee Benefits $463,100.

Ms. McGifford: Pardon me, Mr. Chair, but I thought we had agreed to some more general questions and to return then to the line by line.

Mr. Chairperson: That is fine.

Ms. McGifford: One of the things that I neglected to mention a few minutes ago was that my colleague from Point Douglas is the critic who attends to Citizenship and Multiculturalism. So the idea that we had was that I would cover the areas that were applicable to me, and then he would come in and do Citizenship and Multiculturalism, if that is all right with the minister, and I see the minister nodding.

Then I wanted to ask a couple of general questions. Could the minister tell me if there is an annual report related to The Amusements Act?

Mrs. Vodrey: No, there is not an annual report. It is contained within our annual report of my department.

Ms. McGifford: There is an annual report of the Manitoba Film Classification Board?

Mrs. Vodrey: Yes, there is.

Ms. McGifford: Is that a separate report, or is it contained within the department's annual report?

Mrs. Vodrey: Though it appears as a separate report, it is contained within our annual report within my department.

Ms. McGifford: Then I wanted to ask the minister a couple of questions about the special warrant's request monies granted to Culture, Heritage and Citizenship. I notice that there was an amount of slightly in excess of $2 million. I can return to the question if it is more appropriately asked somewhere else, but I wonder if the minister might like to comment or tell me why it was not included in the regular budget.

Mrs. Vodrey: We are not quite clear on what the member means in terms of the special warrant, which simply, before the budget was tabled, allowed for certain monies then to be detailed, but those dollars are reflected within the budget.

Ms. McGifford: I was referring to the Orders-in-Council of March 3, 1999, signed by the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and the Minister of Finance (Mr. Gilleshammer).

Mrs. Vodrey: I think the member is referring then to some dollars which were required to deal with projects or initiatives which came up mid-year for which there was an important opportunity for Manitoba.

One of the major issues, though, which is contained in that $2 million, was dollars for the Citizenship Division to deal with some of the devolution and the changes to the requirements in Citizenship. Some of the other dollars dealt with the development of an Internet unit. As I said in my opening remarks, there was significant increase of activity, and we had to look at a way of dealing with that increase of activity. Thirdly, there was budget identified for the NSI or the National Screen Institute.

Ms. McGifford: I see that $350,000 is labelled Grants to Cultural Organizations.

Mrs. Vodrey: We believe that that is some dollars which were there to cover the deficit reduction programs which were put in place last year.

Ms. McGifford: Perhaps the minister could check and bring back that information tomorrow clearer?

Mrs. Vodrey: I have been joined by some additional staff: Ann Ryan, who is the manager of Agency Relations; and Terry Welsh, who is the director of the Arts Branch, who confirmed that that was for the deficit reduction plans for the major arts organizations last year.

Ms. McGifford: So perhaps we can discuss it later when we get to that budget line. When the minister was making her introductory remarks, she spoke about new initiatives, and I believe she said that she would be making announcements with regard to new initiatives.

Mrs. Vodrey: I did within the speech. I did announce $875,000 for the Arts Council. I announced any new initiatives which are being undertaken within each division. So as I went through division by division, dollars which were then attached to any new initiatives were all outlined in the speech.

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Ms. McGifford: I will have to read that speech very carefully. The minister also spoke about the arts stabilization strategy. I wonder if the minister could explain to me exactly what it is and how it works. She spoke about it but there were not any details.

Mrs. Vodrey: This has been a project that to my knowledge we have been working on for several years. It is a stabilization initiative to assist the arts community. The private sector is taking the lead. We have been a participant with the private sector, with groups such as the Bronfman stabilization fund, the federal government and others within the arts community to develop an ongoing source of funds which would provide stabilization for the arts community. We have been very interested, and I have written a letter to Sheila Copps, as well, on this issue.

Ms. McGifford: Yes, I remember that part of your speech. It was very memorable; it was just late in the day. So would the purpose or one of the purposes of the arts stabilization fund be to assist organizations, for example, like the symphony, which now appears to be in financial straits, or would it be to prevent that sort of situation from developing?

Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Chair, yes, it would actually be both. It would be an effort to assist in growth and strategic planning for organizations to avoid situations which may require a deficit reduction program. But also where a crisis arises in certain organizations, the stabilization fund would also be there and available to assist.

Ms. McGifford: Are all the major arts groups in Winnipeg part of this? Are all of them part of it?

Mrs. Vodrey: Yes, all of them have been involved in the planning.

Ms. McGifford: I think I remember discussing this stabilization strategy with the Manitoba coalition of arts groups.

Mrs. Vodrey: Could it be the Manitoba Cultural Coalition the member is thinking of?

Ms. McGifford: And that coalition then has participated?

Mrs. Vodrey: Yes, they have.

Ms. McGifford: Well, I think I remember in my discussions that there were some drawbacks to this stabilization strategy, but I could be misremembering. Are there any problems that the minister is aware of?

Mrs. Vodrey: This has been a process for some time. I am not sure whether some of the issues the member may have been recalling may have been part of the growing process. We do have to make sure that everyone is onside. We would like it to be a made-in-Manitoba stabilization program, but we do need the support also of the private sector in the stabilization. So we have to work with all of those people who are at the table to develop the common vision of how the stabilization program would work.

Just a little more information on the stabilization, it would also examine things such as governance, financial management of organizations, the cultural vitality, the renewal of organizations which is obviously very important in forward-looking planning, and governance, board governance in particular.

Ms. McGifford: I just have some very quick questions before we turn to the line by line then. I am wondering if the minister has participated in national meetings of ministers of Culture, Heritage and Citizenship or the equivalents in other jurisdictions, and, if so, I wonder what the major issues discussed at those meetings are.

Mrs. Vodrey: The meetings have been really quite infrequently held in relation to other ministerial meetings where we have the opportunity to come together. The last meeting was held in, I believe it was, October 1997. I was unable to attend that meeting. I was away from work for a short time, but my department did attend on behalf of the people of Manitoba so we were represented at the table by the deputy minister and staff. I am informed the key issues at that meeting were heritage tourism, the information highway, and partnerships. Since that time, there have been probably two or three meetings scheduled, all of which have been cancelled, and so there has not, to my knowledge, another meeting of Culture ministers currently in the near forecast.

Ms. McGifford: Is it the minister's federal colleague who generally calls these meetings, and does that mean that the federal colleague has not called one at this time?

Mrs. Vodrey: I understand in Culture, it alternates between a federal minister calling the meeting and a provincial minister who may be hosting it calling a meeting. At the moment it is at the call of the federal minister who is attempting to set a meeting. No meeting has been set, and two meetings have been cancelled.

Ms. McGifford: In her introductory remarks, the minister made mention of The Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act which is being proclaimed on a phased-in basis, and I wonder when we might expect the first annual report.

Mrs. Vodrey: I do not have an exact date, but I am informed it should be within the near future.

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Ms. McGifford: I will look forward to reading that and seeing how it is working, as I am sure the minister will.

I wonder if Culture, Heritage and Citizenship has a particular role to play with the Pan Am Games. Perhaps there are many roles and perhaps it would be best discussed in other places which I am willing to do, too.

Mrs. Vodrey: We may wish to discuss this in other places. At the moment it is support, secretariat support, secretarial support to the festivals division. That has been the area where our attention has been focused.

Ms. McGifford: Mr. Chair, if you would like, we can proceed.

Mr. Chairperson: 14.1. Administration and Finance (b) Executive Support (1) Salaries and Employee Benefits $463,100–pass; (2) Other Expenditures $74,200–pass.

14.1.(c) Financial and Administrative Services (1) Salaries and Employee Benefits $1,312,800–pass; (2) Other Expenditures $317,500–pass.

14.1.(d) Manitoba Film Classification Board (1) Salaries and Employee Benefits.

Ms. McGifford: Mr. Chair, perhaps I could start here by asking the minister about one of my constituents who runs a small business and has a small store on Osborne Street. He apparently sells the odd video but not as a matter of course. Anyway, he was apparently approached recently and asked to I believe it was purchase a licence. I believe if he purchased it before the 1st of April, it would be $105, and if he purchased it after the 1st of April, I think it might be slightly more expensive. I spoke to somebody at the Film Classification Board who sent me the regulations, and so I read that anybody who is distributing videos–I am summarizing–is required to purchase a licence. But I am wondering if that is something that has always been enforced or whether there is a new effort to enforce this.

Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Chair, the requirement to purchase a licence has been in place since 1991, and periodically there are blitzes to make sure that there is compliance for the licences.

Ms. McGifford: Well, then, are we currently in a blitz period?

Mrs. Vodrey: Yes, we have been. That does not mean that that is not part of the regular routine of inspection, but periodically there is a decision to prioritize a review for licences and there has been recently an effort to look at that.

Ms. McGifford: Could the minister enlighten me as to this possible differential in fee? Would it in fact have been less expensive if this individual purchased it before the 1st of April and then more expensive if he purchased it after?

Mrs. Vodrey: I am informed that there is basically a discount or an incentive to pay before April 1, and so there is a $20 differential. That would be the reason for the difference in fees.

Ms. McGifford: I wonder if the minister could tell me why there is an incentive to pay before the 1st of April.

Mrs. Vodrey: Well, it would be simply to encourage people to complete their payments and to avoid a long delay or the sort of dragging in what is actually an issue which require the purchase of a licence. So, for people who are able to complete that, then there has been the incentive should they complete it before April 1.

Ms. McGifford: So a licence that is purchased before April 1 or presumably indeed after April 1 is good for the fiscal year beginning April 1 and ending the 31st of March?

Mrs. Vodrey: Yes, that is correct.

Ms. McGifford: So then the individual would be purchasing the licence a little ahead of time, and that might be one of the reasons for the incentive?

Mrs. Vodrey: That is correct, or they could pay the full fee, the larger fee, without the incentive if they desired to withhold their payment until after April 1.

Ms. McGifford: I would like the minister to define what a video retail outlet is, because my understanding is that anybody who has a video retail outlet is required to purchase one of these licences.

Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Chair, I understand it is defined in the regulations, but in short the definition is that it is somebody who sells to the public.

Ms. McGifford: What about rents to the public?

Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Chair, that would be included in the regulation.

Mr. Chairperson: The time being six o'clock, committee rise.