Mr. Gerry McAlpine (Sturgeon Creek): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House today to speak about my government's recent initiatives in the area of welfare reform. These are important initiatives that will benefit social assistance recipients and their children for years to come.

On Friday, we announced $1.2 million in funding aimed at getting young Manitobans off welfare by helping them stay in school, taking parenting courses, receiving training and finding jobs. A Learnfare program will be aimed at minors aged 16 to 17 years of age. As of January 2000, certain conditions will have to be met for these people to receive income assistance. Able-bodied young adults without children will be required to attend school, be in training or be employed in order to receive their employment and income assistance. Should an individual in this category fail to comply with these terms, their benefits will be terminated.

Able-bodied young adults with children will be required to take parenting courses. If their child is over six months of age, they will be required to go to school to receive their benefits. Where no family supports exist, government will provide assistance to cover child and transportation. Young adults who do not comply with these conditions will see their benefits reduced, but any funds deducted will be held in a fund that a special support unit will administer to meet their child's needs.

These initiatives will help us to engage in meaningful early interventions and help prevent long-term welfare dependency. We want young Manitobans to realize the importance of education in the overall quality of their lives and the lives of their children. The best way for them to improve their standing in life is to obtain education and training so they can provide for themselves and their families. We also want to see that young Manitobans with children are learning how to be good parents. The effects of these initiatives will be felt for years to come. I commend my government for this significant and logical approach to a very real concern. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Eric Robinson (Rupertsland): Madam Speaker, aboriginal people regard this day as a day of meditation, prayer and reflection, a day in the aboriginal world as the first in the new year. Modern-day terminology, of course, regards this day as the summer solstice or the longest day of the year.

For centuries, First Nations people have prayed to the Great Spirit or the Creator and also what is referred to as the Four Worlds, these being, of course, the animal world, the plant world, the earth world and the human world, for all these four are interdependent on each other: our Mother Earth for what she provides for us each and every day; our Grandfather, the plant world, for the medicines to cure illnesses that sometimes plague our people; and as well our brothers and sisters of the animal world, the four-legged world, that provide us with sustenance; and our reliance on our fellow human beings to side with each other in a time of need.

Many of our people have lost their way in the big world, but yet many still remain true to their traditional teachings of the elders. It is for this reason that we celebrate with other aboriginal people throughout North America and indigenous peoples throughout the world a day of solidarity, so that such experiments like residential schools and assimilation attempts like the exportation of aboriginal children to foreign countries will no longer occur in our future.

So today on behalf of my colleagues, my Leader in the official opposition, I rise to salute the contributions made by aboriginal people in this country, this being Aboriginal Solidarity Day. Thank you.

Mr. Edward Helwer (Gimli): Madam Speaker, I recently attended a special ceremony at Norris Lake Cemetery to unveil a cairn dedicated to the Swedish settlement in this area northwest of Teulon. The first Swedish settlers arrived at Norris Lake over 100 years ago and began to build their homes and communities. The cairn that was erected at Norris Lake recognizes a church and several schools built by these early settlers.

The Swedish Baptist Church was established at Norris Lake in 1907 and served the people of the area until 1967, when the building was relocated. The settlers were also involved in establishing the Norris School, the Westerham School, MacFarlane School, and also the Carlsborg School, which were completed between 1909 and 1916. As time went on, the schools were eventually closed and students from the area began attending classes in Teulon. The creation of the schools and the church were a very important part of building communities. By marking their history, we are also able to mark the progression of settlement in this area.

So I would just like to take this opportunity to again congratulate those involved in erecting this cairn. Through their efforts, future generations will have a better appreciation of the Swedish settlers of the Norris Lake area. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk (St. James): Madam Speaker, today I rise to talk about one of our local schools, Greenway School, which was recently rebuilt. Built anew in 1996, we had the official openings. Unfortunately, that brand-new school site sits on a yard space that is probably half of what we would consider standard for schools that are being built today. Living in an established neighbourhood in the core of the city means that sometimes there have to be compromises.

Now we have an opportunity to rectify some of those unfairnesses by looking at expanding that site. It is an unusual circumstance that we have the demolition of an established building, but that is exactly what happened. Adjoining Greenway School, Canadian Linen has been demolished, and that yard site is now vacant and available for sale. I have urged the government to look into this situation, allow the 600 children who use that yard space a little bit more land and have more parity with the schools being built in St. Vital, in Linwood, in other parts of the province and in this city. The window is open for a very short time in neighbourhoods where land is in high demand, and the opportunity exists today.

I urge the government to take special measures so that we can compensate those 600 children who use that school daily. In fact, the school division has had to put additional costs and maintenance into that small yard site so that the grass will survive the use by the community. In addition, the school sits in an area that is short of green space. So I urge the government to do the right thing, move on this quickly and expand the yard site for Greenway School. Thank you.

Mr. Denis Rocan (Gladstone): It gives me great pleasure to rise before the House this afternoon and offer my congratulations to Carman's Eddie Belfour, Winnipeg's Mike Keane and all of their team mates on the Dallas Stars for their victory Saturday night and capturing hockey's holy grail, the Stanley Cup. The six-game final series of the Stanley Cup did not come without a hard fight for the Buffalo Sabres and Manitoba's James Patrick. I congratulate the Sabres and Patrick on their success this season and for a tremendous effort in the final series.

Saturday night's game was the second-longest game in Stanley Cup final history, lasting more than 114 minutes. Manitoba's own Eddie "the Eagle" Belfour's performance throughout the playoffs and the final game was outstanding. "The Eagle" completely shut out the Sabres in game five and stopped 53 of 54 shots in game six. Having spent 11 years in the league, this is Belfour's first Stanley Cup and is well deserved and well earned. Mike Keane becomes the ninth player in the league to win three Stanley Cups with three different teams. Keane played all 23 games in the post season. His hard-hitting, rough-and-tumble style helped lead his team to victory.

Please join me in congratulating Manitoba's Eddie Belfour, Mike Keane and James Patrick for their tenacious efforts throughout the playoffs and the final series, and offer a special congratulation to Carman's Eddie "the Eagle" on his first Stanley Cup. Thank you very much.