Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): I would like to first of all congratulate Clay Lewis, a community activist in the province of Manitoba, for being the first recipient of the John Rodgers Award for community service in the city of Winnipeg.

I have had the privilege of working with John Rodgers as a former volunteer with the Main Street Project. I have worked with him over the years, and the fact that the City of Winnipeg has created this award in his name I think is a very, very positive realization that people can make a difference to their community. People do make a difference, and when people do make a difference, it is important for all of us to recognize them.

The fact that Clay Lewis, who worked with John for years at the Main Street Project and worked as a volunteer at the Main Street Project group home and worked in a number of other projects like Jack's Place and other projects in the inner city, was the first recipient, I think is wonderful, because the two of them worked in partnership on behalf of people in the city of Winnipeg and across the province of Manitoba.

I have a great deal of respect for John Rodgers and his contributions to our community. I obviously know his family members and his two sons and daughter who are carrying on I think in the spirit of the Rodgers family, but to give this award first of all to Clay Lewis in the ceremony last week at City Hall is wonderful. I congratulate the Lewis family as well on being the recipient of this wonderful award. Thank you very much.

Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): Madam Speaker, Manitoba is the country's best-kept secret, CJOB host Charles Adler trumpeted on a recent broadcast. University of Manitoba economist John McCallum told CTV News that Manitoba is, and I quote, probably the best untold economic story in this country in the last generation. He noted Manitoba is succeeding because it has moved away from an agricultural-based economy into just about every field of manufacturing. Diversification is paying dividends.

A story in the Winnipeg Free Press this week explains how Manitoba continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the country. Everyone is looking for workers, the service sector, the construction sector. High-skilled, high-tech positions are going wanting as the economy continues to thrive. The provincial economy continues to experience strong retail sales and an increase in export sales. From woodworkers to accountants to engineers to hog barn managers to computer programmers, Manitoba workers are in high demand. "Help Wanted" signs abound.

Our government wants to see a strong, healthy economy in Manitoba because that is the way to guarantee a brighter future for our children. Our government believes the way to achieve a strong economy is to provide responsible, predictable leadership, remove barriers to economic growth, keep taxes competitive, and look for strategic opportunities which build upon the province's natural strengths.

Manitoba has seen tremendous growth over the past number of years because of the way our government has positioned this province. Consecutive surplus budgets, no major tax increases, and a plan to pay off the province's accumulated debt all serve to send a message: Manitoba is open for business. Thank you.

Mr. Steve Ashton (Thompson): Madam Speaker, July of 1999 marks a very difficult anniversary for the people of Cyprus. Twenty-five years ago this month Cyprus was invaded. In fact, 40 percent of the area of Cyprus was invaded and occupied by Turkish troops. Since that time more than 200,000 Greek Cypriots left the island after thousands died in the conflict. At that time there were 15,000 Greek Cypriots remaining in the occupied part of Cyprus. Today there are fewer than 500 who live under very difficult circumstances with apartheid-like conditions and subject to arbitrary treatment and abuse. It has been a difficult process for Turkish Cypriots as well. In fact, there has been an exodus of 50,000 Turkish Cypriots, replaced by 100,000 colonists from mainland Turkey.

I want to put on the record that there have been 106 United Nations General Assembly and Security Council resolutions for the withdrawal of the occupying forces and efforts to have a peaceful settlement, but at this point in time for many people Cyprus has become the forgotten conflict.

As a concerned Canadian, I visited Cyprus a short time ago, and I made a personal commitment to get involved in trying to work towards a settlement of the situation in Cyprus by helping organize a group called the Campaign for Cyprus. I want to urge all members on July 20 of this year to mark that occasion by giving our own support for the people of Cyprus. I want to just remind people that we have done this on other issues such as apartheid. In fact, Desmond Tutu spoke during his recent visit to Canada that if the fight against apartheid can succeed in South Africa, there is hope in other countries facing human rights abuses such as Cyprus.

On this, the 25th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of northern Cyprus, I urge everyone in the world community to push for an international campaign aimed at the end of the occupation of Cyprus and the re-establishment of a multiethnic, united Cyprus. We as Canadians can play a key role in achieving that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. Marcel Laurendeau (St. Norbert): Madam Speaker, education and training is one of the foremost commitments of my government. We want all Manitobans to acquire the skills necessary to take advantage of employment opportunities, and we want the Manitoba workforce to be representative of the general population. Having recognized that aboriginal people are underrepresented in the civil service, my government recently announced the establishment of the Aboriginal Public Administration Program.

This program will provide qualified First Nations, Inuit, non-Status Indians and Metis interns from across the province with on-the-job placement and training in different government departments. Each intern will be assigned a mentor as part of the support network. Interns will gain exposure to a wide variety of public sector areas such as finance, program administration, policy development and research. Through this program, they will build on existing knowledge, gain new skills and acquire the leadership abilities required to make their voices heard in their communities and in their province.

It is important that the different segments of our population are represented in government agencies to reflect the diversity of cultures that comprise the Manitoba mosaic. We need their knowledge about their issues, cultures and communications in order to effectively manage our programs and services.

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Madam Speaker, my government values the perspectives of the numerous cultural groups in our province. We want everyone to have the opportunities and the abilities to succeed and to make significant contributions to public life. We feel confident that the Aboriginal Public Administration Program is an important step in this direction.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr. George Hickes (Point Douglas): Madam Speaker, I just want to put on the record a few comments on the announcement this morning of the urban aboriginal issues that was announced by Minister Axworthy and the government minister.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the federal government for taking the initiative and putting dollars in place to try and help the urban aboriginal population, but I was really disappointed when I heard that our provincial minister of Manitoba–I think somebody should probably sit down with him and explain to him that aboriginal people are not only Status treaty people.

When I saw the comment in the paper where our provincial minister said 100 percent of the responsibility of aboriginal people is with the federal government, I think someone should explain to him that the Metis, the non-Status people are not federal responsibilities and that they are provincial responsibilities, and also they are all treaty people. The non-Status people are citizens of Manitoba, and we have to work in co-operation with the federal government as a provincial government to try and make things work, so that aboriginal people, who, in a few years, a quarter of the workforce will be aboriginal people, to ensure that the proper training is in place, adequate employment opportunities are there, adequate housing is available for individuals, and to meet with the aboriginal leadership.

We have the MMF, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the urban Aboriginal Council, the friendship centres. They represent the people who elected them, and our governments have to meet with those leaderships so they can go back to the people that they represent to get ideas, to make sure that our Urban Aboriginal Strategy will work. This government has to be serious about helping aboriginal people and not trying to promise programs just to get by the next provincial election, which they will not deliver anyway, Madam Speaker.