Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the public gallery where we have with us today a delegation from Trinidad and Tobago. The delegation is undertaking a training program in management development and environmental management at the Department of Environment and is under the direction of Dr. Daniel Chang, deputy medical officer of health, City of Port of Spain Corporation.

On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you here today.

Also, seated in the public gallery we have this afternoon fifteen Grades 7 to 9 students from Darwin School under the direction of Mrs. Lori Arnel. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable Minister of Energy and Mines (Mr. Newman).

Also, twenty-eight Grade 4 students from Centennial School under the direction of Mrs. Karen Klassen. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable Minister of Highways and Transportation (Mr. Praznik).

And, sixty Grade 5 students from Winkler Elementary School under the direction of Mr. Eckhard Klaassen and Mr. Lawrence Siemens. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Pembina. (Mr. Dyck).

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

Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, it has been reported over the weekend that the federal government will be making an announcement dealing with the flooded farmland in southwestern and central Manitoba and in southeastern Saskatchewan. Has the Premier been informed of the announcement? How much money will it be for a contingency plan for unseeded acreage, and can he report that to the House, please?

Hon. Gary Filmon (Premier): Madam Speaker, regrettably, I cannot give any detail on the announcement to the Leader of the Opposition. I thank him for the question. My office and that of the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns) have been endeavouring to get factual information from the office of the federal Minister of Agriculture, and we have not been privileged to receive that information.

We do have a copy of the news release which was just issued in Estevan a short while ago, which was faxed to us. It appears as though what has been proposed in Saskatchewan, which we assume may form the basis of an announcement in Manitoba, is that there will be a loosening of the triggers for NISA that will allow for farmers that have built up surpluses in NISA accounts to be able to access that money a little more easily. I would indicate that from a Manitoba perspective that will have some positive impact in that in the southwest corner of the province there is about a hundred million dollars sitting in NISA accounts to the farmer's benefit which cannot, under these circumstances, be released. It also, of course, is not likely that very much of it will be in the hands of new young farmers, and so that is a concern. They are also calling for an advance payment using, as we had proposed, the AIDA funds, making a calculation based on unseeded acres and then flowing approximately 60 percent of the payment by September, so as an advance payment on the expected allocation. So that is as much information as I can share. It is based somewhat on speculation, assuming that what he announced in Estevan may in fact also be announced in Brandon.

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Mr. Doer: We did pull the announcement in Estevan off the Net, and I am surprised to hear that there has been no federal-provincial negotiations for farmers and producers in communities dealing with this matter.

Madam Speaker, I would like to also ask the Premier: what is the specific contingency plan from the Province of Manitoba? What will the province be leading with in specific terms to deal with the unseeded acreage? We have heard from Saskatchewan, at $25 out of the crop insurance in Saskatchewan, a specific amount of money as a contingency plan for unseeded acres. We know that AIDA has not been farmer-friendly or producer-friendly. Very few people have accessed that program to date. Many farmers tell us that your costs for an accountant are higher than the potential relief from last year's prices. What is the specific Manitoba program, and will this program, at the end of the day, be producer friendly to deal with the immediate crisis in Manitoba?

Mr. Filmon: Madam Speaker, I make two points about this. As we discussed it last week and as I discussed with the farmers when I was there to visit with them and met in the cabinet room with representatives of producer groups as well as the municipal leadership of the province, that the farmers, even if they planted a crop, would not get any revenue from this until September. So, for the member to shout that this is an immediate crisis that has to be dealt with today or tomorrow, what has to be done is to find a way of addressing their need for cash flow when they would normally get it by the sale of their crop, which would be, of course, late August or some time in September. That is what we have been urging Ottawa to deal with.

The proposal with respect to AIDA, and the member knows full well that we did not from the beginning believe that AIDA was a sound program to be able to realistically impact on the needs of our farm community, but it was his critic the member for Swan River (Ms. Wowchuk) who kept saying to us: why do you not sign on; why do you not sign on or go into it? Everybody else is doing it.

We were the last province to hold out in hopes that the federal government would see that the program has plenty of flaws. Now the member opposite is taking the position that we are, that with all the flaws, it has to be fixed, Madam Speaker. We have been saying that right from day one, and what this does, as I understand it, is to provide for a cash flow mechanism, an advance payment mechanism so that the farmers would not have to wait until they put in their income tax return next year. Under those circumstances, a 60 percent cash flow payment, in advance, based on an expected allocation with the income tax return, does make some sense and does give us what we are looking for, which is an advance payment. It is our understanding that the minister has indicated in Saskatchewan that he hopes to have that payment come in September, and that, too, meets some of the recommendations that we have been making to him along the way.

With respect to his first point about why there is no negotiation, Madam Speaker, this government has been in touch with that minister. Our Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns), who is meeting with Minister Vanclief right now in Brandon, has certainly put forward many suggestions, both in writing and verbally, to the minister. But the minister has chosen to make the decisions on his own. Even though 40 percent of the money is provincial government money, he has chosen to make the decision unilaterally as opposed to through consultation and discussion. That is not something with which we are particularly happy.

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Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, with a new question to the First Minister. On Tuesday, June 15, on the 17th of June, on 18th of June and again on the weekend, we have had more contradictory stories and statements and lines from this so-called Minister of Justice than we had from Taras Sokolyk about the vote-rigging inquiry. Contradiction after contradiction.

I would like to ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon): what is the status of the situation on the confidentiality of the gang hotline, given it was his promise back in 1994, and what action is he taking with his Minister of Justice that obviously has breached the promise the Premier made to the people of Manitoba?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, I am advised that as a result of an internal review by one of my staff members, the province took over the clearing of the line of information and following up with any necessary action. The province took over this function on or about May 10, 1999. Prior to that date, the City of Winnipeg Police Service cleared the line of information and followed up with any necessary action.

In respect of the explanation as to why certain calls were capable of identification, it was explained to the media on Thursday afternoon. I provided the media with a copy of that explanation, and I am prepared to table that same explanation here again today.

Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, the word-changing and buck-passing keeps continuing from this minister. This is a document from the Department of Justice mailed to 100,000 Manitobans by the former Minister of Justice and the present Premier (Mr. Filmon). This promise, basically, Take Back the Streets–no, that was this year's promise. On the Street Peace program, 100,000 brochures state, and I quote: Your call is confidential. No call is traced or displayed.

I would like to ask the Premier: is he holding his Minister of Justice accountable for breaching a promise to 100,000 people and breaching the integrity and confidentiality of the gang hotline? If he is going to be tough on gangs, take action on his Minister of Justice.

Mr. Toews: Madam Speaker, as far as I am aware, all calls for assistance or information since the province took this line over in terms of clearing the information on or about May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential level. I would say, however, with the exception of some calls made from a specific exchange, indeed the calls of the member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh), there was in fact a capability of identifying those hang-up calls where there was simply a hang-up in that particular situation.

Madam Speaker, I am not aware of any other calls where there was a similar capability. As far as I am aware, all calls for assistance or information since the province took this over on or about May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis.

Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, this promise was made in 1994. This is a promise made by the former Minister of Justice as part of a previous pre-election campaign. Sergeant John Eyer in a wire service story stated that anonymity is a cornerstone of Crime Stoppers program: Confidentiality is crucial. We go out of our way to make sure we don't know who you are. I think you should do as you promise to do on confidentiality.

The minister is stating today that that did not happen. His contradictions last week mean that we do not believe him very much, and why should we? I would like to ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon): given other precedents in other provinces, will you be removing your Minister of Justice and find out why your promise of confidentiality to 100,000 people was breached and how we can restore the integrity of other lines to ensure that all of us as citizens can do what we can to prevent crime and be backed up by an honest government?

Mr. Toews: Madam Speaker, as indicated earlier, the disclosure of the calls made from the office of the member for St. Johns, whether those were calls made by people other than him, as he first stated last Tuesday or whether he made them himself as he confirmed last Thursday, should not have been referenced by me in the House. That is clear.

However, as far as I am aware, all calls for assistance or information since the province took this over on or about May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis.

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Mr. Gord Mackintosh (St. Johns): To the Minister of Justice: after the minister was caught both tracing calls, at least to 9-4-5 numbers, and then, second, breaching confidentiality of the gang hotline contrary to the government's promise, 100,000 wallet-size cards, this was only the first of seven inconsistencies, and I am being generous with that term, from this minister. The minister gave two explanations then. He said, first of all, that the government was trying to monitor and prevent internal abuse; in other words, it was a planned tracing. Then, later, he said it was a technical glitch; it was a mistake.

My question to the minister is this: how are Manitobans ever to believe these people? What a tangled web they weave.

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, when I was first questioned by the media outside of the House on Thursday, I indicated that I would be looking into the matter. Indeed, I held a press conference later on that afternoon after I had received what I considered to be the full and complete details of this matter, and I provided that on I believe it was the Thursday after I had given the explanation.

So I do not agree with the comments from the member for St. Johns, and I have tabled the explanation that my staff had provided.

Mr. Mackintosh: Madam Speaker, how is anyone supposed to believe this minister who says, first of all, that this whole problem was not his mistake, it was the City of Winnipeg? Then on Friday he comes back on open-line radio and says that his department was running this line. I would say no one is running this line, but how can the minister continue in this position with these inconsistencies?

Mr. Toews: Madam Speaker, I am advised that, as a result of an internal review by one of my staff members, the province took over the function of clearing the line of information and following up with any necessary action. The province took this function over on or about May 10, and prior to that date the Winnipeg Police Service cleared the line of information and followed up with any necessary action.

Mr. Mackintosh: Well, another whopper, Madam Speaker. How are Manitobans to trust these people when the minister says that they found out just a few days ago that calls were being traced, and then records on Friday indicate that the department knew going back at least to May 10 that this department directly was tracing calls, and those calls were languishing since December of 1998? Boy, that is tough on crime, is it not?

Mr. Toews: Madam Speaker, I understand that on May 10 the department went in to clear the lines of those calls. Prior to that date, the responsibility for doing that had been with the Winnipeg Police Service, and I understand that the police chief has offered some explanation in respect of that issue. They have indicated that the line had been of limited use and that emergency calls were rerouted for assistance.

So the department, in fact, commenced discussions with the City of Winnipeg in order to determine what, in fact, needs to be done with that particular line. All I can indicate is that the province took over the function on May 10, 1999.

With respect to the calls made from the office of the member for St. Johns, as I have indicated, those calls should not have been referenced by me in the House.

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Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, my question is to the First Minister (Mr. Filmon).

Despite the minister's protestations, what this government has done to the fight of organized crime and gang crime has set it back many, many years, despite what the minister tries to weasel out of in terms of his words in this House. The breaching of confidentiality, the contradictory statements have destroyed the credibility of this government, if they had any, on fighting gangs.

I want to ask the First Minister: given the serious situation his Justice minister has put himself in, would the Premier consider doing the honourable thing and asking his minister to step aside in order to restore integrity to the system and allow a review to take place to ensure that some credibility goes back into the administration of justice in the province of Manitoba?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I do in fact know that the Estimates process is coming up and that I am in fact available to questioning by members opposite on this particular issue and other issues that relate to the functioning of the department.

Mr. Chomiak: How does the Premier (Mr. Filmon) allow his minister to try to wriggle out of it when the honourable thing would be for the Premier to step in, considering that in 1995 his former minister talked about the province's efforts? The young people said they would prefer anonymity. The information to this House is it is taken off the youth gang line very regularly, as stated by the former minister.

The contradictory statements are legion. I am asking the Premier to step in and do something to restore integrity to the justice system of the province of Manitoba.

Mr. Toews: Until May 10, 1999, the function of clearing that line was in fact the responsibility of the Winnipeg Police Service. The Province of Manitoba did in fact fund that particular line. I understand then, as a result of an internal review by one of my staff members, the province took over the function of clearing that line of information and following up with any appropriate information. As far as I am aware, all calls for assistance or information since the province took this over on or about May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis.

Mr. Chomiak: My final supplementary to the Premier (Mr. Filmon). Despite the fact that, in cases for five months, calls have gone unanswered on the line, despite all of those issues, it is clear that the gang line's integrity is jeopardized, not the least by which–and I am quoting Jacques Lemieux, national co-ordinator of the Criminal Intelligence Service who said, quote: security breaches can have dire consequences for callers when it comes to gang activity.

My question to the Premier is: if you take criminal and gang activities seriously, how can you allow this to go on when the integrity of the entire gang effort is called into question and compromised by the actions of your minister and your department?

Mr. Toews: I do not intend to get into the entire aspect of the programs that our department has taken very successfully in respect of gang initiatives. I do, however, want to say that, since the province took over the clearing of the line on or about May 10, 1999, there have been a number of conversations among staff and with the Winnipeg Police Service regarding the continued operation of the line. I am advised that staff will be coming to a conclusion on that issue and indeed making recommendations on this matter in due course.

Mr. Steve Ashton (Thompson): After 11 years, a lot of Manitobans just do not trust this government anymore, and if there is any indication, it is the complete lack of response today from the Premier (Mr. Filmon) to the numerous questions we have asked about the integrity of the justice system. Let no one underestimate the importance and significance of what this minister did. On Tuesday last week he chose to release confidential information in this House. He denied that on Thursday, but in statements to the media on Thursday and Friday, he has now confirmed that he did indeed release confidential information in the House. This has compromised the integrity of this particular line.

I want to ask the First Minister why he will not apply the same kind of code of conduct that even Mike Harris in Ontario applied when Mr. Runciman, a Tory cabinet minister, also breached confidential information. Why will this First Minister not remove the Minister of Justice pending investigation of misconduct?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): In respect of the disclosure of that information, I have indicated that I should not have referred to those particular calls being made, even the fact of them being made. I appreciate that.

I do indicate that–and this perhaps needs some clarification. The member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh) indicated that he did not make any telephone call, and he stated that at page 2778 of Hansard. On Thursday, in fact, the member specifically said that those were his calls. I indicated at that time that was the first admission by anyone of making a call. The point is that the matter should not have been brought forward by me in the House.

Mr. Ashton: Madam Speaker, I want to ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon) again, who is supposedly still responsible for the operation of government in this province, not his Minister of Justice: why will he not recognize how serious the breach made by this Justice minister is then, not only in terms of the credibility and integrity of this minister but a program where they sent 100,000 leaflets out in the province, guaranteeing anonymity? Why will the Premier not take action?

Mr. Toews: As far as I am aware, as I have indicated earlier, all calls for assistance or for information since the province took this over on or about May 10 of this year have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis. The reason why certain hang-up calls were able to be identified has been addressed by MTS, and that ability to identify hang-up calls no longer exists.

Mr. Ashton: A final supplementary. I want to again ask the Premier of this province how he expects anyone to believe anything he says now on crime. You know, all those ads about getting tough with gangs, but in 1994 he promised a confidential gang hotline and this minister breached that confidentiality in this House last Tuesday, this minister who should resign, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Toews: Madam Speaker, as I indicated earlier, with the exception of a number of calls that were made from the member for St. Johns' (Mr. Mackintosh) office, the province did not have the capability of identifying any anonymous calls made where there was simply a hang-up without leaving any further information. I am advised, and as far as I am aware, that the calls for assistance or information since the province took this over on about May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis. I would also again reiterate what the police chief just said recently, that this line has been of very limited use and emergency calls when they were in fact rerouted for assistance.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, on several occasions the Minister of Justice has made reference to "appropriately confidential." The question that we have for the Minister of Justice is: in his definition of "appropriately confidential," does that then mean that anyone who is calling in to the gang line today has absolutely no fear of the government being able to track or get or find out who it is that is calling in to that particular line? Is that the case? And if that is not the case, can the minister or this government give that assurance that people today do have the ability to make that phone call and not be traced in any fashion whatsoever?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I thank the member for that question. I am advised that MTS in fact has addressed that particular problem to ensure that confidentiality, the issue, of course, of phoning the phone line. If a person leaves their name and number and requests assistance, obviously that is going to be answered by someone and will be followed up by someone, so that is still then being handled in an appropriately confidential way.

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Mr. Lamoureux: Was the minister unaware that the calls to the gang action line were confidential, and if so, can he explain why his office then had tracked these calls in the first place?

Mr. Toews: Well, Madam Speaker, when the particular staff member went in to clear those lines, the particular staff member simply did a clerical function, that is, recorded all the information that was there. In the case of some hang-up calls, and the only ones that I am aware of are the ones from the member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh), there was able to be an identification by the automatic downloading of the prerecorded name that is put onto the voice mail system. So that was in fact as explained here. Now that clearly should not have occurred, and that has in fact been addressed by MTS.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, with a different question for the Minister of Education. I trust that the minister has now had the opportunity to review the report from the Seven Oaks School Division. My question to the minister is: is he content with that particular report, and if so, will he table it? If not, will he now call for what we have been calling for, an independent investigation into the whole breach of the security for standards exams?

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, the report to which the honourable member refers was received in my office late on Friday afternoon. I have spent a good part of this morning reviewing that report, as has my deputy minister and legal counsel. It is safe to say, because it was previously acknowledged by Mr. Brian O'Leary, that the report confirms his wrongdoing in that he, Mr. O'Leary, breached the security protocol of the test, potentially compromising test security. That much I can comment on.

There are–[interjection] I can do that because Mr. O'Leary acknowledged it himself. We have yet to hear from the honourable member for Concordia (Mr. Doer) about this matter, the Leader of the New Democratic Party, who says that if his campaign manager were to do wrong he, that being the Leader of the Opposition, would resign. Now we await word from the Leader of the Opposition on that matter. Having said that he would resign if this type of thing happened, we await word from him. But there are matters that relate–

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, on a point of order. I have been patiently listening to the minister. Beauchesne's is fairly clear, indicating that relevancy is somewhat important. There was a specific question.

An Honourable Member: 417.

Mr. Lamoureux: Beauchesne's 417, the member for Thompson (Mr. Ashton) tells me, to assist you. Unfortunately, I do not have it right in front of me. But the point is I do believe there is an obligation for the Minister of Education either to answer the specific question that was put: is the minister content with the report, or are we going to see an independent investigation?

Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister of Education, on the same point of order.

Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, it had been my intention to be relevant to the question. I thought that I was dealing with the very specific points raised–points plural–in the question by the honourable member, points related to the report that we referred to, the fact that I am reviewing the matter with a view to answering further the questions raised by the honourable member, questions such as whether there ought to be something else happen or whether I will table it in the House.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. I believe the minister is responding to the question now and not speaking to the point of order.

On the point of order raised by the honourable member for Inkster, I would agree that the honourable minister did ramble away from the specific points of the question, and I would ask the minister to keep his remarks relevant to the question asked and to quickly complete his response.

Mr. McCrae: I accept that ruling, Madam Speaker.

There are other issues, related issues, ancillary issues surrounding this whole matter, issues related, for example, to the grievance arbitration in which one Mr. Treller is involved. I am getting some legal advice about that, because I think that it would be my wish to make public the report. But there are certain processes in place and in progress, the outcome of which ought not to be jeopardized in the same way that Mr. O'Leary jeopardized the test system in Manitoba.

Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): The Minister of Justice of every province in this country must be the bearer of truth and the guardian of public trust. This Minister of Justice no longer has the confidence of many members of this House or, I would suggest, the respect of many citizens. His betrayal of the confidence of the hotline and his many twists and turns as he avoids responsibility for his action have clearly lost him that trust.

I would like to ask the Premier (Mr. Filmon) to be accountable in the full parliamentary manner for a minister who has betrayed that trust and to conduct an investigation and to report back to this House while the minister stands aside.

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): With the exception of some of the calls that were made on a specific exchange, and that is a government exchange and a voice mail system, the province did not have any capability of identifying any anonymous calls made where there was simply a hang-up without leaving any further information.

As I have indicated earlier, the disclosure of the calls made from the office of the member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh), whether they were made by staff or whether they were made by himself as he first indicated and then later indicated, should not have been referenced by me in this House. However, I am aware and I have been advised that all other calls for assistance or information have been acted on in an appropriately confidential manner.

Ms. Friesen: I would like to ask the Minister of Justice why it is he continues to evade his parliamentary obligations by telling us it was the city's fault; it was the police's fault; it was his staff's fault. Why is it from this government there is blame everywhere, and we have a Minister of Justice and a Premier who are accountable to none? That is what it is about.

An Honourable Member: Afraid to call the election, afraid to face the truth.

Mr. Toews: The member for Thompson makes a good point. Ultimately, I am responsible to the electorate in the constituency of Rossmere, and I will–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. Toews: And I do indicate, and I have stated it in answer to earlier questions today, I should not have referenced those phone calls that were made from the office of the member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh). Ultimately, Madam Speaker, I am responsible to this House and to the electorate in the constituency of Rossmere.

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Mr. Gord Mackintosh (St. Johns): To the Minister of Justice, who I hope never runs a witness protection program, I want to quote the sergeant who supervises Winnipeg Crime Stoppers who says: Anonymity is the cornerstone of Crime Stoppers worldwide, and we go to some lengths to protect that. The head of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada who said: security breaches can have dire consequences for callers when it comes to gang activity involving bikers. We know how bikers operate. If they find out who gave the information, their weapon of choice is intimidation.

My question to the minister is: does he not understand how he has undermined not just criminal intelligence on gang activity in Winnipeg but he has undermined every call line and the criminal intelligence of this government?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): As I have indicated earlier, as far as I am aware, all calls for assistance for information since the province took this over on about May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis. I understand that the ability to identify the hang-up calls that came from the member for St. Johns have been corrected as a result of the MTS making the necessary change to the system. So I am willing to take my share of the responsibility for even referencing the fact that there were–

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

Madam Speaker: Order, please.

Mr. Toews: As I was stating, Madam Speaker, the ability to identify a hang-up call has been corrected as a result of MTS making the necessary change to the system.

Mr. Mackintosh: Well, aside from the seven whoppers and the breach of confidentiality, can the minister explain–if we are to believe these words of the former Minister of Justice about the gang hotline that it is, and I quote, extremely helpful, a very important tool, individuals find it very useful, and as I quote, another successful anticrime initiative, why is it that after the election and in the face of ballooning, skyrocketing and dangerous gang activity, this government walks away from it? Can he explain that negligence?

Mr. Toews: Well, Madam Speaker, in respect to the issue of gang violence, this department and this government has taken numerous steps to ensure and limit the activities of gangs. Indeed, from statistics that I referred to in this House earlier, 385 identified gang members are in fact incarcerated. In respect of the number of gang members, as the member knows, the number of confirmed gang members in the province from the Winnipeg Police Service is approximately 601.

Mr. Steve Ashton (Thompson): Madam Speaker, I want to address my question again to the Premier (Mr. Filmon), because it is totally inappropriate for a minister in this case to be answering questions that relate directly to the integrity of this minister, whether he should in fact even remain as a minister of the Crown. I want to ask the Premier if the minister's oath means anything and in fact whether the First Minister has any concerns whatsoever about the fact that this Minister of Justice has compromised a significant part of his ability to perform in that role because he chose last Tuesday to come in this House and breach the confidentiality of the supposedly confidential hotline.

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, as I have indicated earlier, I should not have referenced those particular calls. But, in fact, as I am aware, any calls, any genuine calls for assistance or information since the province took over the line on May 10, 1999, have been handled on an appropriately confidential basis.

Mr. Dave Chomiak (Kildonan): Madam Speaker, I will try to get the Premier to answer a question. The Premier has no problem appearing on TV on paid ads every night talking about justice and gangs, but he will not stand up in the House and try to defuse the situation, explain the situation his Minister of Justice finds himself in.

I would like to ask the Premier: does the Premier not recognize that all of the claims and promises since 1995, all of your heavy-priced paid TV ads, the very nature of all of the confidential lines in the province of Manitoba are in jeopardy because of the breach of confidentiality by your minister and the confusing stories and the seven or so contradictions? Will the Premier not do the right thing today, stand up and ask his minister to step aside while they investigate this issue for the benefit of all Manitobans?

Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Indeed, I can indicate that it was as a result of an internal review by one of my staff members that the province took over the function of clearing the line. There were, I understand, some concerns about the operation of the line, and as a result, other conversations have taken place between staff members and the Winnipeg city police. I know that staff are looking at the operation of the line and will come to a conclusion and recommendations for me in respect of the operation of that line. As the police themselves have indicated, in recent years the line has been of limited use. Emergency calls, however, I might stress, were appropriately routed for assistance.

Madam Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has expired.

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