Mr. Ben Sveinson (La Verendrye): Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today and speak of a recent initiative of my government that demonstrates our commitment to fostering economic growth and development in this province. My honourable colleague the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism (Mr. Tweed), along with the president of the Manitoba Crocus Fund, Mr. Sherman Kreiner, announced yesterday the launch of a new venture capital fund to support companies in the technology sector.

This new fund represents a partnership between the Crocus Investment Fund, the provincial government and the Workers Compensation Board. Other contributors include medical researcher Dr. Albert Friesen and other sources in Ontario and Quebec.

This Manitoba Science and Technology Fund will invest in small- to medium-sized businesses involved in early stage commercialization and/or product development in areas such as biotechnology, therapeutic products, medical devices, diagnostic products, health care services and information and communications technology. These sectors are at the leading edge of our economy, and they provide numerous opportunities for economic growth and prosperity. The leverage provided through this fund will be of invaluable assistance to companies as they seek out new opportunities.

The Manitoba Science and Technology Fund will dismantle one of the barriers faced by businesses looking towards growth and expansion, a lack of venture capital. The creation of this fund will also help us create exciting high-tech jobs which will provide employment for our young people and keep them here in Manitoba. This is the latest example of my government working to make Manitoba the best place to live, work, invest and raise a family. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Tim Sale (Crescentwood): I rise today to pay tribute to all of the thousands of high school graduates in this province whose graduations many members, both on this side and the other side of the House, have attended in the last few days of June. Our public school system is indeed a remarkable institution in the accomplishments of its students and its staff, and I think it is the foundation of our democratic society.

I want to particularly, though, pay tribute to the students of Kelvin High School whose graduation was today. We saw, for example, four students whose averages were over 97 percent, just a phenomenal performance on the International Baccalaureate examinations. We saw students who had already committed to give up a year to serve in Third World countries as volunteers in either the Mennonite Central Committee volunteer program or a CIDA volunteer program and who were already committing that time as part of their post-high school careers.

I want to particularly pay tribute to a young woman, Jennifer Neufeld, who I was privileged to award a prize to today, who has indicated that she will be studying a double honours program at the University of Winnipeg but that she is committing at least one year of her time to a volunteer service project overseas, and she was not alone in that graduating class.

Kelvin is truly a remarkable school, Madam Speaker, among many, many remarkable schools in our province. It shines as a lighthouse, and I want to pay tribute to it today. Thank you.

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Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): Today I would like to take a few moments and speak about the exceptional kindness and generosity of a fellow Manitoban originally from Morden and in the Pembina constituency.

Yesterday Mr. John Buhler announced a personal donation of $3.5 million to the Foundations for Health Research, the largest private donation to health research ever made in Manitoba. The foundation is a joint project of the Health Sciences Centre and Children's Hospital Foundation.

In honour and appreciation of Mr. Buhler's exceptional generosity, a research facility at the Health Sciences Centre will be renamed the John Buhler Research Centre. The centre will house researchers from various disciplines and will make significant contributions to furthering medical research in this province. It should also be noted that this extraordinary gift is not the first one Mr. Buhler has made to the Manitoba medical community. Last year he gave $200,000 to the Health Sciences Centre Women's Hospital that allowed them to purchase high-tech equipment for their laser surgery suite. Mr. Buhler has been quoted as saying that he wants to ensure his money goes to a good cause. I personally can think of few nobler causes than medical research that brings immediate benefits to the quality of life of individual Manitobans and helps ease the suffering of many. Yet Mr. Buhler's act of kindness is also noteworthy because it sets a fine example for members of our corporate community to emulate.

I am sure all of my honourable colleagues will be pleased to join me in thanking Mr. Buhler for this generous commitment to the people of this province.

Ms. Diane McGifford (Osborne): Madam Speaker, today residents of Winnipeg are paying their property tax. Manitobans, we hear, are now calling it the GFT or the Gary Filmon tax, and no wonder. It was this Premier (Mr. Filmon) who cut our property tax credit in 1993 from $325 to $250 per year. It was this Premier who cut the seniors' property tax credit in that same year. It was the Premier's 1993 briefing note that alerted him to the fact that these property tax credit changes amounted to increasing Manitoba property taxes by over $50 million per year or over a quarter of a billion dollars accumulated from 1993 to today.

It is no wonder that Manitobans are using the expression "GFT" because it was this Premier who cut education funding by over $480 per pupil since his government was elected and not only compromised education but over-burdened Manitoba taxpayers. It was this Premier's cuts to education that are directly responsible for the continued escalation of school taxes. An average Winnipeg homeowner is paying over 65 percent more in school taxes since this government was elected. Residents of Brandon, the Education minister's hometown, saw their bills increased by 9 percent this year and 14 percent last year. I am really surprised that the minister has not represented his community more diligently. The Gary Filmon tax–

Madam Speaker: Order, please. I believe I heard the reference to a specific member of this House earlier on, and I ignored it, hoping the honourable member for Osborne would not repeat it. I would remind the honourable member that all members in this House are to be referred to with their constituency title.

Mr. Steve Ashton (Opposition House Leader): Madam Speaker, I certainly acknowledge your ruling, but on a point of order, I do indicate there is some difficulty. I think the last election the Conservative Party was about this big, about half an inch on the billboards; the rest was the Filmon Team. I realize that a lot of them are in some difficulty now, but the Conservative Party has called itself the Filmon Team. I hope the ruling would not extend to that. We are quite happy to remind people about the Filmon Team, especially since most of them are going to be in some real difficulty very soon.

Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Thompson did not have a point of order. It is clearly a dispute over the facts.

Ms. McGifford: On the same point of order, I was not naming the member; I was naming a tax.

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Osborne is clearly out of order. I have previously ruled on the point of order.

Madam Speaker: I recognize the honourable member for Osborne to continue her member's statement.

Ms. McGifford: Madam Speaker, the GFT exists in the North, too. Residents of Thompson are paying 15 percent more in school taxes than two years ago, and how about Neepawa? Provincial cuts to education have caused Neepawa school taxes to increase by 8 percent this year on top of an 11 percent increase last year. Average Manitobans are feeling the pinch of the GFT. No wonder Manitobans cannot believe this Premier when he says that the government has not raised taxes.

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Lately our constituency office has been getting a number of calls regarding the long waiting lists in the Manitoba health care system. Last Friday, June 25, a 20-year-old young man from Flin Flon experienced a seizure, which was quite unnerving.

The doctors at the Flin Flon General Hospital felt that he needed an EEG and a CAT scan as soon as possible. The earliest date he could get an appointment was July 23. In other words, he is expected to wait almost an entire month. Meanwhile, he and his parents are living in stress and uncertainty. The questions in their minds, and in my mind too, are: what caused the seizure; will it reoccur; when will we have a clear diagnosis of this young man's condition?

The Minister of Health (Mr. Stefanson) tries to reassure us that the problem of long waiting lists is being addressed. We are not convinced he is doing enough, Madam Speaker. For the sake of this young man and his family and friends and for hundreds and hundreds of other Manitobans, I hope that the minister acts swiftly to shorten the unacceptably long waiting lists in the Manitoba health care system.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.