LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Madam Speaker: Please be seated.
Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): I move, seconded by the member for Minto (Mr. Swan), that Bill 221, The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day Act, be now read a first time.
Motion presented.
Ms. Fontaine: I'm pleased to rise in the House today to introduce for the first reading Bill 221, The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day Act. Bill 221 builds on the courageous work of Manitoba's MMIWG families over the last 20 years alongside community, officially recognizing October 4th as a day to honour and recognize Manitoba's over 200 missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
This bill also intrinsically recognizes all of Canada's missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, while continuing the long-standing work of public education on the epidemic levels of violence against indigenous women and girls here in Manitoba, as well as Canada.
I am pleased to present this bill to the House for its consideration.
Miigwech.
Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Mrs. Sarah Guillemard (Chairperson): Madam Speaker, I wish to present the Fifth Report of the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs.
Clerk (Ms. Patricia Chaychuk): Your Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs presents the–
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Madam Speaker: Dispense.
Your Standing Committee on LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS presents the following as its Fifth Report.
Meetings
Your Committee met on May 8, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in Room 254 of the Legislative Building.
Matters under Consideration
· Bill (No. 29) – The Health Sector Bargaining Unit Review Act/Loi sur la restructuration des unités de négociation dans le secteur de la santé
Committee Membership
· Mr. Bindle
· Hon. Mr. Goertzen
· Hon. Mr. Gerrard
· Mrs. Guillemard (Chairperson)
· Mr. Lagimodiere
· Mr. Michaleski
· Ms. Marcelino (Logan)
· Mr. Marcelino (Tyndall Park)
· Hon. Mr. Schuler
· Hon. Ms. Squires
· Mr. Wiebe
Your Committee elected Mr. Bindle as the Vice Chairperson.
Public Presentations
Your Committee heard the following 28 presentations on Bill (No. 29) – The Health Sector Bargaining Unit Review Act/Loi sur la restructuration des unités de négociation dans le secteur de la santé:
Sandi Mowat, Manitoba Nurses Union
Kevin Rebeck, Manitoba Federation of Labour
Beatrice Bruske, United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 832
Michelle Gawronsky , Manitoba Government and General Employees Union
Lee McLeod, CUPE Manitoba
Phil Kraychuk, Private Citizen
Paul Moist, Private Citizen
Marianne Hladun, Public Service Alliance of Canada
Michelle McHale, Private Citizen
Sonia Taylor, Private Citizen
Loreto Gutierrez, Private Citizen
Bob Moroz, Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals
Bill Sumerlus, Operating Engineers Local 987
Frederick Jackson, Private Citizen
Trevor Yuriy, Private Citizen
Ross Owens, Private Citizen
Michael Alberg, Private Citizen
Sharon Grehan, Private Citizen
Nellie Minville , Private Citizen
Paul Carr, Private Citizen
Mike Kerr, Private Citizen
Sudhir Sandhu, Manitoba Building Trades and Allied Hydro Council
Jim Want, Private Citizen
Carmela Abraham, Private Citizen
Geoff Bergen, Private Citizen
Brian Hodgert, Health Care Equipment and Facilities Technologists of Manitoba
Rock Spencer, Private Citizen
Bruce Ulrich, Private Citizen
Written Submissions
Your Committee received the following five written submissions on Bill (No. 29) – The Health Sector Bargaining Unit Review Act/Loi sur la restructuration des unités de négociation dans le secteur de la santé:
Paul McKie, UNIFOR
Curtis Huzarewich, Private Citizen
Carlos Wiebe, Private Citizen
George Heinrichs, Private Citizen
Cory Martens, Private Citizen
Bills Considered and Reported
· Bill (No. 29) – The Health Sector Bargaining Unit Review Act/Loi sur la restructuration des unités de négociation dans le secteur de la santé
Your Committee agreed to report this Bill without amendment.
Mrs. Guillemard: Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable member for Kildonan (Mr. Curry), that the report of the committee be received.
Motion agreed to.
Mr. Dennis Smook (Chairperson): I wish to present the Fifth Report of the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development.
Clerk: Your Standing Committee on Social–
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Madam Speaker: Dispense.
Your Standing Committee on SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT presents the following as its Fifth Report.
Meetings
Your Committee met on May 8, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in Room 255 of the Legislative Building.
Matters under Consideration
· Bill (No. 28) – The Public Services Sustainability Act/Loi sur la viabilité des services publics
Committee Membership
· Mr. Allum
· Hon. Ms. Clarke
· Hon. Mrs. Cox
· Mr. Ewasko
· Hon. Mr. Friesen
· Hon. Mr. Gerrard
· Mr. Lindsey
· Mr. Nesbitt
· Mr. Smook (Chairperson)
· Mr. Swan
· Mr. Wowchuk
Your Committee elected Mr. Nesbitt as the Vice Chairperson.
Public Presentations
Your Committee heard the following twenty-five presentations on Bill (No. 28) – The Public Services Sustainability Act/Loi sur la viabilité des services publics:
Dr. Aaron Chiu, Doctors Manitoba
Ashley Morello, Private Citizen
Alex Forcier, Private Citizen
Kaitlyn Braun, Private Citizen
Wendy Lundy, Private Citizen
Kevin Rebeck, Manitoba Federation of Labour
Michelle Gawronsky, MGEU - Manitoba Government and General Employees Union
Claudia Colocho, Private Citizen
Sandi Mowat, Manitoba Nurses Union
Jonathan Alward, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Beatrice Bruske, United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 832
Norm Gould, Manitoba Teachers' Society
Paul Moist, Private Citizen
Michelle McHale, Private Citizen
Martin Trudel, Private Citizen
Kim Ferris, Private Citizen
Curtis Martel, Private Citizen
Janet Morrill, Private Citizen
Robert Chernomas, Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations
John Arthur, The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
Ken Woodley, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2034
Bob Moroz, Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals
Lee McLeod, CUPE Regional Operations
Marianne Hladun, Public Service Alliance of Canada
Patrick McDonnell, Private Citizen
Written Submissions
Your Committee received the following three written submissions on Bill (No. 28) – The Public Services Sustainability Act/Loi sur la viabilité des services publics:
Mark Hudson, University of Manitoba Faculty Associations
Blake Crothers, Private Citizen
Paul McKie , UNIFOR
Bills Considered and Reported
· Bill (No. 28) – The Public Services Sustainability Act/Loi sur la viabilité des services publics
Your Committee agreed to report this Bill, without amendment, on a counted vote of 6 Yeas, 4 Nays.
Mr. Smook: Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable member for Riding Mountain (Mr. Nesbitt), that the report of the committee be received.
Motion agreed to.
Mr. Matt Wiebe (Chairperson): I wish to present the Third Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
Clerk: Your Standing Committee on Public Accounts–
Some Honourable Members: Dispense.
Madam Speaker: Dispense.
Your Standing Committee on Public Accounts presents the following as its Third Report.
Meetings
Your Committee met on May 8, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 255 of the Legislative Building.
Matters under Consideration
· Auditor General's Report – WRHA's Management of Risks Associated with End-user Devices – dated July 2015
· Auditor General's Report – Follow-Up of Previously Issued Recommendations – dated May 2015
o Section 2 – Economic Development: Loans and Investments under The Development Corporation Act
o Section 5 – Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services Agency
o Section 11 – Report on the Rural Municipality of St. Clements
o Section 12 – Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation
o Section 16 – Office of the Fire Commissioner
· Auditor General's Report – Follow-up of Recommendations – dated May 2016
o Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services Agency
o Northern Airports and Marine Operations
o Report on the Rural Municipality of St. Clements
o Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation
o Office of the Fire Commissioner
o Citizen Concerns – Town of Lac du Bonnet – Bulk Water Sales
o Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet
o Lake Manitoba Financial Assistance Program: Parts C & D
· Auditor General's Report – Follow-up of Recommendations – dated March 2017
o Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation
o Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet
o Provincial Nominee Program for Business
o WRHA's Management of Risks Associated with End-user Devices
Committee Membership
· Mr. Bindle
· Mr. Helwer (Vice-Chairperson)
· Mr. Johnston
· Ms. Klassen
· Mr. Lindsey
· Mr. Maloway
· Mrs. Mayer
· Mr. Michaleski
· Ms. Morley-Lecomte
· Mr. Wiebe (Chairperson)
· Mr. Yakimoski
Substitutions received prior to committee proceedings on May 8, 2017:
· Mr. Lindsey for Mr. Marcelino
Officials Speaking on Record
Officials speaking on record at the May 8, 2017 meeting:
· Norm Ricard, Auditor General of Manitoba
· Hon. Mr. Goertzen, Minister of Health, Seniors and Healthy Living
· Karen Herd, Deputy Minister of Health, Seniors and Healthy Living
· Perry Poulsen, Chief Information Officer, Manitoba E-Health
Agreements:
Your Committee agreed to conclude consideration of the following sections of the Auditor General's Report – Follow-Up of Previously Issued Recommendations – dated May 2015:
· Section 2 – Economic Development: Loans and Investments under The Development Corporation Act
· Section 5 – Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services Agency
· Section 11 – Report on the Rural Municipality of St. Clements
· Section 12 – Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation
· Section 16 – Office of the Fire Commissioner
Your Committee agreed to conclude consideration of the following sections of the Auditor General's Report – Follow-up of Recommendations – dated May 2016:
· Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services Agency
· Northern Airports and Marine Operations
· Report on the Rural Municipality of St. Clements
· Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation
· Office of the Fire Commissioner
· Citizen Concerns – Town of Lac du Bonnet – Bulk Water Sales
· Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet
· Lake Manitoba Financial Assistance Program: Parts C & D
Your Committee agreed to conclude consideration of the following sections of the Auditor General's Report – Follow-up of Recommendations – dated March 2017:
· Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation
· Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet
· Provincial Nominee Program for Business
· WRHA's Management of Risks Associated with End-user Devices
Report Considered and Adopted:
Your Committee has considered the following report and has adopted the same as presented:
· Auditor General's Report – WRHA's Management of Risks Associated with End-user Devices – dated July 2015
Reports Considered but not Passed:
Your Committee has considered the following reports but did not pass them:
· Auditor General's Report – Follow-Up of Previously Issued Recommendations – dated May 2015 (Section 2 – Economic Development: Loans and Investments under The Development Corporation Act, Section 5 – Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services Agency, Section 11 – Report on the Rural Municipality of St. Clements, Section 12 – Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation, Section 16 – Office of the Fire Commissioner – concluded consideration of)
· Auditor General's Report – Follow-Up of Recommendations – dated May 2016 (Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services Agency, Northern Airports and Marine Operations, Report on the Rural Municipality of St. Clements, Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation, Office of the Fire Commissioner, Citizen Concerns – Town of Lac du Bonnet – Bulk Water Sales, Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, Lake Manitoba Financial Assistance Program: Parts C & D – concluded consideration of)
· Auditor General's Report – Follow-up of Recommendations – dated March 2017 (Citizen Concerns – North Portage Development Corporation, Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, Provincial Nominee Program for Business, WRHA's Management of Risks Associated with End-user Devices – concluded consideration of)
Mr. Wiebe: I move, seconded by the honourable member for Brandon West (Mr. Helwer), that the report of the committee be received.
Motion agreed to.
Hon. Cathy Cox (Minister of Sustainable Development): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table the Manitoba Sustainable Development, Supplementary Information for Legislative Review, 2017-2018 Departmental Expenditure Estimates.
Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister of Health, and I would indicate that the required 90 minutes' notice prior to routine proceedings was provided, in accordance with rule 26(2).
Would the honourable minister please proceed with his statement.
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living): Good afternoon, Madam Speaker, it is with pleasure that I rise to recognize May as Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, Awareness Month in Manitoba, and also congratulate the work of the Manitoba Division of the MS Society of Canada.
The MS Society of Canada provides support and services to people who are affected by MS or an allied MS disease. The MS Society provides services to patients, families, friends, caregivers, health professionals, employers, institutions and students.
It is particularly important that we mark MS Awareness Month given that Canada has the highest rate of MS in the world. Thirty-five hundred Manitobans and 100,000 Canadians are estimated to be affected by this disease.
There have been significant improvements in treatment and medical supports for MS patients over the past decade. This is in no small part because of the advocacy, support and fundraising efforts of the MS Society.
I would like to take a few moments to recognize a few of the representatives from the Manitoba Division of the MS Society who have joined us here today: Joe Healey, Llona Niemzyck, Ellen Karr, Barb Van-Wallenghem, Darell Hominuk, Ada Jane Okonkwo and Lizelle Mendoza.
As the Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living, I want to take this opportunity to thank you sincerely for the work you do as allies, advocates and champions for Manitobans with MS.
And to those Manitobans who are living with MS, I applaud your courage, your determination and your vigour in dealing with your illness. I know that with a committed partner and an advocate like the MS Society of Canada you are in good hands.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Matt Wiebe (Concordia): Madam Speaker, May is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, a month for recognizing the effects of this debilitating disease and for supporting individuals and families who battle it every day.
Today, as we all wear our red carnations, we proudly show our support for those living with the disease. They also bring to mind the efforts of the MS Society. Not only does the society work to improve the lives of those affected by MS, but they educate the public, involving all Manitobans in the journey to find a cure. For that, we can't thank them enough.
Canadians have one of the highest rates of MS in the world and Manitoba has some of the highest rates in Canada. Over 3,000 families in Manitoba struggle with the unique plight of MS every day. We still don't know the cause of MS, but we know the consequences all too well. This horrendous disease can affect vision, hearing, memory, balance and mobility.
There are many ways for us–those of us in the Chamber today to take action against MS: we can donate to the MS Society; take part in fundraising activities, like the Manitoba MS Walk which took place last weekend. The money raised goes directly to funding research, new treatments and better detection methods.
Thank you to all those who are involved in the fight to end MS. A special thanks goes out to the MS Society's Manitoba division, for their unending efforts to spread awareness in Manitoba and improve the lives of Manitobans living with MS.
On behalf of the society, let's take some time today to reflect on how we can improve the lives of those affected by this disease.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, I ask leave to speak to the minister's statement.
* (13:40)
Madam Speaker: Does the member have leave to speak to the minister's statement? [Agreed]
Mr. Gerrard: Madam Speaker, May is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in Canada.
MS is currently believed to an–to be an autoimmune disease which typically has an onset between the ages of 20 and 40 years, affecting the most productive years of a person's life. With Canada having the highest prevalence rate of multiple sclerosis in the world and Manitoba one of the highest rates of any province in Canada, it is a disease which we should be focusing on here, finding better treatment and improved prevention.
We have a chance to make a difference for people and families living with multiple sclerosis. Research should be this top priority for Manitoba. There are already indicators that good nutrition, including getting sufficient vitamin D, getting exercise and reducing stress can help, but there's also some fascinating new findings, including by the Nobel Laureate Harald van Hausen [phonetic] which may lead to new preventive opportunities.
I ask the government to reverse the cuts it's made to research funding in Manitoba and to be an even better partner with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada in funding new research and new preventive efforts here in our province.
I thank the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada for all that they do and the tremendous work that is done here in Manitoba and across Canada.
Thank you, merci, miigwech.
Mr. Jon Reyes (St. Norbert): I rise today to take this opportunity to proudly acknowledge this week, May 8th to the 14th, 2017, as national nurses week.
On a personal note, this recognition is very close to home for me, as my wife, my mother-in-law, my aunt and many other friends and family are proud members of the nursing profession.
This week has been set aside as an opportunity to celebrate and learn about the largest group of health-care providers in the country. Nurses dedicate their compassion and expertise towards improving the health and well-being of the citizens of Manitoba and work collaboratively with all health disciplines to improve the health status of Manitobans.
Our Province is committed to strengthen Manitoba's health-care system and its investment in health human resources, including nurses.
We celebrate all those in the nursing profession who provide safe, high quality and timely care in facilities, homes and communities across our great province, not only in urban settings but also in rural, remote and indigenous communities.
This year's theme for national nurses week is: #YESThisIsNursing. Inspiration for this year’s theme underlines that roles of nurses is evolving as an exponential rate, particularly with the influence of technology and the expansion of digital technologies. This theme speaks to the expanding traditional and non-traditional roles, settings and sectors that nurses work in, as well as the unique opportunities for their profession presented by social media and emerging tech trends.
I encourage all Manitobans to take time this week to thank a nurse that may be caring for you or a loved one and let them know that you appreciate their dedication to their work and level of professionalism.
I personally wish to acknowledge my mother-in‑law, Lydia Baquiran, a retired nurse of 39 years, my auntie, Lena Davy, who is still nursing after 51 years, and their friend Thelma Meaney, a retired nurse of 45 years. Thank you, mom, auntie and all the nurses that continue to serve.
Thank you to you as well, Madam Speaker, for your past service in the nursing profession.
Happy National Nursing Week.
Mr. Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, today marks the 25th anniversary of the Westray disaster, a tragic mining explosion in Nova Scotia that killed 26 miners, the youngest being just 25 years old.
In the months that followed it was revealed that this tragic and preventable accident was caused by a series of reckless oversights on the part of government, management and the company that owned the mine. Workers didn't have proper safety training, there was inadequate ventilation to keep methane levels at safe levels, unauthorized layout, which forced workers to work in risky tunnels.
In the end, the Westray mining disaster and the death of these 26 men taught us important lessons about workplace health and safety regulation. Unions fought hard to have the Criminal Code changed, to hold management, corporations and government liable if they failed to protect the safety of their employees.
In 2016, I had the opportunity to visit the Westray memorial honouring those dead workers. It was with a heavy heart that I stood above the spot where 11 of those workers' bodies remain entombed forever. Their bodies were never recovered.
Coming from a mining town, the legacy of the Westray disaster is always at the front of our minds. Today, the steelworkers are at the monument to remember those who died and to recommit to the fight to enforce the law.
As this government moves towards–moves ahead with their workplace safety review, I urge them to remember the lessons of Westray. Blindly cutting workplace regulation under the guise of red tape reduction will not help keep Manitoba workers safe.
As legislators, we have an important job of making sure Manitoba workers are protected. We must honour the miners who died at Westray and all workers killed or injured on the job. The best way to honour them is to constantly remember that worker safety is–
Madam Speaker: The member's time has expired.
Mr. Alan Lagimodiere (Selkirk): First Nations, Metis and Inuit youth are one of Manitoba's largest growing demographic. They represent a valuable population sector with the potential to enhance our communities at the professional, academic, cultural, business and, as evidenced in this Chamber, political level.
Unfortunately, Aboriginal youth find it difficult to stay in school, graduate or pursue careers.
Seventeen years ago, a program was established in Selkirk to acknowledge and promote the importance of Aboriginal education. Promoting Aboriginal Student Success, or PASS, celebrates and recognizes Aboriginal students for their achievements while attending secondary or post-secondary school. PASS acknowledges and promotes the importance of Aboriginal education. The cultural uniqueness of all three indigenous peoples, First Nations, Metis and Inuit, are reinforced by PASS. Former PASS students are honoured for their success through a local awards night. Gold Medallion awards are given to former PASS graduates for outstanding educational and community accomplishments.
Some past recipients have been: Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair, a professor in the department of native studies at the University of Manitoba; Jillian Taylor, a CBC Manitoba news correspondent; Joshua Whitehead, currently pursuing his doctorate degree in English at the University of Calgary.
Involvement in PASS has encouraged many students to become proud of who they are and become advocates for indigenous peoples.
This year, PASS graduation is taking place in Selkirk on May 24th, and at this time it is my pleasure to introduce some individuals who have made PASS the outstanding initiative it is: Steve Richard, Jacqueline Bercier, Taylor Stewart, Kate McDonald, Marlena Muir and Heaven Geller.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Selkirk.
Mr. Lagimodiere: Madam Speaker, I ask for leave to have the names of other individuals instrumental to the promotion of PASS entered into the record.
Madam Speaker: Does the member have leave to include other names in the record? [Agreed]
PASS Participants: Taylor Burka-Kent, former PASS valedictorian and PASS Youth Council member, member of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and Red River College student; Mr. John Sobkovich, former PASS Gold Medallion recipient, current student at University of Winnipeg pursuing his bachelor of education and recent board member of PASS; Taylor Stewart, current PASS Student Committee member at Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School; Heaven Geller, current PASS Student Committee member at Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School; Jakob McDonald, former PASS Bursary award winner and valedictorian, as well as former PASS Youth Council member, current student at University of Manitoba.
PASS Community Board Members: Jacqueline Bercier, chairperson; Melissa Muir, first vice‑chairperson; Curtis Cawson, second vice‑chairperson; Ashley Monkman, secretary; Cindy Taylor, treasurer; Beth Burrows, board member and teacher facilitator at Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School; Keirin Curle, board member; Taylor Galvin, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation student/community liaison; Leslie Loutit, board member; Kate McDonald, board member; Marlena Muir, board member; Kim Pastetnik, board member; Steve Richard, board member; Ranee Sinclair, board member and teacher facilitator at Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School; John Sobkovich, board member; Melody Tully, board member.
Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): Grad season is upon us. It is a time to celebrate the hard work, dedication and achievements of Manitoba students.
I would like to take the time to highlight a very special graduation ceremony that took place this past weekend.
The University of Manitoba hosted the 28th Annual Traditional Graduation Powwow. The powwow was held to celebrate and honour 430 indigenous graduates. That is the highest number of indigenous graduates ever. The Aboriginal Business Education Partners, ABEP grads, and the Engineering Access Program, ENGAP grads, will always hold a special place in my heart.
Kewatinook is proud of Alex Simard of Hollow Water-Manigotagan, another new proud engineer.
Madam Speaker, that number continues to grow each year as more and more indigenous students are chasing their dreams and graduating from post‑secondary institutions.
* (13:50)
I would like to share with the House the vision statement of Migizii Agamik, the Indigenous Student Centre there: Empowering the next generation of proud indigenous world leaders who are balanced in their traditional, cultural and intellectual knowledge.
It is a vision statement that I strongly believe in and support. It is a vision statement that this government should also support by investing in education right across our province.
If given a chance, if given the opportunity, if given the proper educational resources and guidance, we could see that number of indigenous graduates continually surpass that number.
Every child in Manitoba should not feel unjustly limited in choosing their future. They should be able to answer and be excited to respond to the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? An aerospace engineer, a business owner, a politician are all attainable dreams.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): Madam Speaker, 2017 marks a momentous occasion for a community in my constituency.
Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, was incorporated as a rural municipality in 1917. That's why this year marks the 100th anniversary of the RM of Lac du Bonnet.
The fur trade was the area's earliest economic activity and formative to Lac du Bonnet's development. At the turn of the century, a railway line was constructed to the Lac du Bonnet post, which is now the Town of Lac du Bonnet. Later, the area was developed with hydroelectric power plants, sawmills and a brick plant, as well.
Shortly after, Lac du Bonnet diversified into successful forestry, hydroelectric, agricultural and mining industries.
In 1927, Lac du Bonnet was the location of the first airmail flight in Manitoba, an important milestone in Canadian aviation history.
Presently, the municipality is a favourite for Manitobans during summer and winter months for cabins, resorts and outdoor recreational activities.
But it is not the activities that make Lac du Bonnet special, it's the residents, Madam Speaker. Lac du Bonnet is home to some of the kindest and most genuine people in Manitoba.
I invite all Manitobans to visit Lac du Bonnet this year as we celebrate our 100th-year anniversary. Join us at our Canada Day weekend celebration, one of the largest fireworks displays in Manitoba, on July 1st, and then the parade and midway July 2nd. And don't forget to come to the relaxing waterways and cottage living that we are also very well known for.
I am proud to be the MLA of such a historically diverse and important constituency in Manitoba.
I ask all honourable members join me in congratulating the RM of Lac du Bonnet and their centennial anniversary as we celebrate their past and anxiously anticipate a positive future, Madam Speaker.
Thank you.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Lac du Bonnet.
Mr. Ewasko: I ask for leave for the 2017 reeve, council and administration team members' names of the RM of Lac du Bonnet to be included into Hansard.
Madam Speaker: Does the member have leave to include those names in Hansard? [Agreed]
RM of Lac du Bonnet Municipal Council: Reeve Loren Schinkel; Councillor/Deputy Reeve Doug Marks; Councillor Frank Terra; Councillor Cindy Kellendonk; Councillor Rob McLachlan. Administration Team: Tannis Lodge, chief administrative officer; Sandra Broek, assistant administrator/finance officer; Brenda Cade, accounts payable clerk; Elana Sytnick, accounts receivable clerk/website administrator; Michelle Chapman, payroll and benefits administrator; Lana Dykstra, office support clerk.
Introduction of Guests
Madam Speaker: Prior to oral questions, there are some guests in the gallery that I would like to introduce to you.
We have seated in the public gallery from Morning Glory School 54 grade 7-to-12 students under the direction of Robert Wall, and this group is located in the constituency of the honourable Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living (Mr. Goertzen).
On behalf of all members here, we welcome you to the Manitoba Legislature.
Government Record
Ms. Flor Marcelino (Leader of the Official Opposition): It's increasingly difficult to keep up with the contradictions the Premier puts forward.
He says he will respect front-line services, then he closes three emergency rooms and an urgent-care centre. He says he will stick up for workers, then he imposes wage freezes and interferes in contract negotiations. He says he will lead by example, then he takes a 20 per cent salary raise.
How can workers believe the Premier, what he says?
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): I thank the member for the question.
Integrity matters, Madam Speaker, and it is best to find us doing what you say you'll do. We asked Manitobans–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: We asked Manitobans for permission to fix the finances after a decade of debt, Madam Speaker, and we are prepared to do that. We know that it will not be easy. We know that the undertaking is one that is long overdue, however, and we know that it will be in the best interests of our province to, with diligence and with grace and respect, approach the challenge with a will, and so we will.
Madam Speaker: The honourable interim Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.
Ms. Marcelino: The Premier says he will release value-for-money reviews of government, then he hides his plans for cuts and privatization. He says he supports democracy, then he makes it harder for people to vote during elections and rewards his friends at the top. He says he supports students, then he jacks up their tuition.
How can Manitobans trust a thing the Premier says?
Mr. Pallister: Well, again, Madam Speaker, integrity being doing what you say you'll do, we're doing what we said we would do in fixing the finances of the Province of Manitoba. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: We are also reducing barriers to post‑secondary education by quintupling the amount of money available for scholarships and bursaries for post-secondary educational pursuits for our young people, and we're setting a proper tone at the top by reducing the size of government in our own offices. I have the updated numbers now from the last year of the previous NDP government, and they actually had payroll of over $8 million, in that year, for political staff, Madam Speaker. Our payroll for the first year of government was $4.3 million. That's a reduction of 84 per cent.
Setting the proper tone at the top, Madam Speaker, demonstrates to everyone else in the organization you're serious about doing things right for their best interests and for the best interests of their children and grandchildren.
Madam Speaker: The honourable interim Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary.
Ms. Marcelino: We checked some of those figures the Premier provided, and they're not really exactly the same figures.
Anyway, Madam Speaker–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Ms. Marcelino: Madam Speaker, the–
Madam Speaker: Order.
Ms. Marcelino: Madam Speaker, the Premier says he's at a family wedding during a flood; turns out he was in Costa Rica. He says he was only going away for five weeks; turns out he went for many more. He says he communicates while away; then he has no records and won't reveal how he keeps in touch.
How can this House believe what the Premier says?
Mr. Pallister: Madam Speaker, I don't mind the attacks, even the personal ones, because they show a sense of desperation on the part of the NDP and repeat, in fact, the same technique they used against their own leader, the member for St. Boniface (Mr. Selinger).
So, Madam Speaker, this is what people do when they are frustrated, and they are frustrated, but their frustration concerns me far less than the frustration of the people of Manitoba who saw the previous government go to their door, knock, promise them, look them in the eye, promised them they wouldn't raise their taxes and then impose on them the largest tax hikes in Manitoba history.
Madam Speaker, if the member wants to take exception to the numbers, understand this: these are numbers provided to us by hard-working, non-partisan civil servants in the government of Manitoba, and her desperation should know some bounds. She should not be attacking civil servants in our province.
Request to Withdraw
Mr. Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): Representatives of working people filled two committee rooms last night in this building to voice their concerns about Bill 28 and Bill 29. We heard them say Bill 29 will take away their right to join unions of their choice. We heard that Bill 28 will take away their right to bargain their wages, a right guaranteed by the Constitution.
The one thing we didn't hear was a commitment from the government to actually consider seriously what people were telling them.
Madam Speaker, will the Premier listen to the concerns of workers and commit to withdrawing these unfair and disrespectful pieces of legislation?
* (14:00)
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): What is disrespectful, Madam Speaker, to the people of Manitoba, including hard-working union members in the public service, is to continue with an old system that costs them excessive amounts of money, creates incredible frustration for them within their own organizations and unnecessary extra costs for all of us–all of us.
And so, when you realize that the total number of bargaining units in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia is a tiny fraction of the total number here in Winnipeg alone at the WRHA level, you realize that it's long overdue that we clean up the system.
Now, members of the working groups of our province, whether unionized or not, whether public sector or private, understand that every dollar saved within their organization can go to lower taxes. Why are the members opposite continuing to advocate for an old system and higher taxes for people across the province?
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Flin Flon, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Lindsey: Madam Speaker, at last night's public hearing, the government was told, in no uncertain terms, that Bill 28 is an illegal piece of legislation and a betrayal of the Premier's promise to protect front-line workers and services.
Madam Speaker, the Premier has the opportunity today to prove that Bill 28 is more than an act of revenge on workers, as one person put it; he can admit that it and Bill 29 are deeply flawed, heavy‑handed, an attack on workers.
Madam Speaker, I ask the Premier whether he's seen the light yet and will withdraw Bill 28 and Bill 29 for the good of this province.
Mr. Pallister: For the good of this province, Madam Speaker, we're going to change things so that everyone in the province has their best interests dealt with, not just some special interests.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Flin Flon, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Lindsey: It's clear the Premier doesn't like to play by the rules. That's unfortunate from someone who claims to have been such a gifted athlete in his earlier years. He should know the rules are there to protect everyone in the game. But now this Premier is trying to change the rules to suit his own purposes. He doesn't care that his actions will hurt thousands of Manitoba workers–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order. Order.
Mr. Lindsey: –those workers that supply all the services our families rely on.
Madam Speaker, will the Premier please stop trying to impose potentially illegal, heavy-handed legislation and create turmoil for hard-working people and families and withdraw both of these bills today?
Mr. Pallister: It was Bill Clinton, Madam Speaker, who said that the price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change. I know that it's difficult for the members to accept, but things have changed in this province. I know that they have been used to having a very close, and continue to have a very close, personal relationship with certain of the union bosses in the public sector in our province. I understand that the chair of their leadership committee is, in fact, the head of Manitoba Federation of Labour.
And all of that is fine, because in the interests of transparency, we understand that the goals of certain public sector unions are exactly the same, inseparably linked with the goals of the NDP. But that does not mean that the whole province should be governed according to those rules.
Now, the member says changing rules. It was the previous government, Madam Speaker, that introduced a hike to the PST and went to court to make sure that they could change their promise, break their rule–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –and impose–
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Pallister: –taxes that they'd promised, Madam Speaker, they would never impose.
So, when the member speaks about respect, he should remember that that respect must include all working Manitobans, all Manitoba seniors, all Manitoba families, not just the special friends of the members opposite.
Government Position
Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): I'm proud to introduce Bill 221, The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day Act, setting aside a day to honour and lift up indigenous women and girls who are victims of violence, as well as their families. We fundamentally recognize and practise reconciliation in this province.
The bill also raises awareness on the epidemic levels of abuse and violence indigenous women and girls experience, and invites Manitobans to stand with us in the fight to eradicate said violence.
The Pallister 'governent' has said they support the national inquiry, so will they do their part and vote for this bill?
Hon. Eileen Clarke (Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Relations): I thank the member opposite in regards to the bill she's presenting.
As a government, we will continue to support murdered and missing indigenous women and girls and–as well as the families, and we understand the strife that they put up with for many, many years, and we will continue working on their behalf with the inquiry.
The Minister of Justice (Mrs. Stefanson) and myself have been in constant contact with the inquiry and are constantly awaiting for further information coming from them, and it is very high priority within our departments.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a supplementary question.
Ms. Fontaine: This Pallister government repeatedly says one thing but actually does the antithesis. They say they support front-line workers; they say they support post-secondary students; they say they support seniors; they say they want to do their part and end the ongoing national 'tradegy'–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Ms. Fontaine: –that leaves indigenous families and communities devastated, but when presented with the opportunity to take a positive step towards reconciliation, they ignore it. It's time that this government lives up to its word.
Will the Premier (Mr. Pallister) direct his caucus to vote in favour of this bill?
Ms. Clarke: Very pleased within my department to work on the path of reconciliation as well as the duty to consult the families that are affected by murdered and missing family members, as well as other issues throughout our indigenous populations.
We have been meeting with the chiefs and councils as well as families, and in this particular government we have different 'partments' working together. We are united as a government working on behalf of all 'digenous' families and all issues that they are facing.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a final supplementary.
Ms. Fontaine: I'm disappointed to see that the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls does not receive the support of this House. I'm disappointed to see that the Premier would choose to pick political–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Ms. Fontaine: –fights over a community-led effort to end violence against indigenous women and girls while raising up indigenous families that have worked for years for awareness.
The Premier has repeatedly said that he is an ally of indigenous women and girls, so I'm giving the Premier an opportunity to stand up in this House and prove himself and dedicate to voting for–in favour of this bill.
Miigwech.
Ms. Clarke: Very disappointed that the member opposite would politicize such a sensitive issue that our families are facing and continue to face.
We have to work on prevention, we're very well aware of that, and ensure that this stops, and, again, I will emphasize the support that we offer to families. The groups and organizations within Winnipeg alone, as well as beyond the perimeters of Winnipeg, are numerous, and they work willingly. There are many volunteers and our government is working with them as well as the justice system to ensure that this ends, and it ends–this government will support that.
Request to Release
Mr. Wab Kinew (Fort Rouge): I would like to acknowledge MS Awareness Month and also the anniversary of the Westray disaster.
This government is moving ahead with P3 school construction without telling Manitobans what the true costs will be–same government that said they'd release 97 per cent of the KPMG report and then backtracked now says trust us when it comes to P3s. Manitobans deserve to see the numbers on these deals.
Will the Premier commit to releasing the P3 schools report to Manitobans?
* (14:10)
Hon. Cameron Friesen (Minister of Finance): Well, I thank the member for the question.
In 2016, the Toronto Star published an article that talked about P3s being the best model for major projects because it imposes discipline on all players and failures in overruns affect everyone; goes on to say that there's a lack of accountability in conventional approaches and that P3 approaches can add value because they enforce deadlines and they enforce penalties.
Now, who said that in that article? I notice that article was written by Robin Sears, an NDP strategist for 20 years.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Fort Rouge, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Kinew: If the Minister of Finance and the Premier are so confident about the value of the P3 deals, then they should commit to releasing the report.
It's about accountability. The biggest question mark when it comes to these deals is whether or not the government is being accountable. Instead of having the independent Auditor General be the one who will evaluate the P3 deals, they're changing the laws so that a hand-picked political appointee, made by the Premier, will decide if these deals make sense. That makes it even more important that we see the report.
Can we trust the Premier to release the P3 schools report?
Mr. Friesen: So the P3 approach was good enough for an NDP strategist. It's good enough for provincial governments that are even NDP. But when did that previous government become opposed to the P3 approach? Only when CUPE published in their newsletter a report that said that they wanted to take action against P3 projects and they hoped to curtail the future use of P3s in Manitoba. Only when their union buddies stood up and said, no more P3s, did that group get on side with the anti-P3 movement.
Why is P3 good enough for everyone else but not good enough for that previous government? [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
The honourable member for Fort Rouge, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Kinew: The question is about accountability: Will the Minister of Finance release the report? Will the Minister of Finance release the P3 schools report?
The main argument put forward by the big banks is that the money will be saved when risk is transferred to the private sector. The trouble is that the big banks and governments like this one never give the figures to actually back up those claims.
All we're asking for here today is the proof: Can we trust the Premier to release the P3 schools report? [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Well, the previous government's record on nondisclosure was well known, Madam Speaker. The former Auditor General, Carol Bellringer, issued a report in which she said that untendered and nondisclosed contracts were an epidemic in our province.
What we just learned now, Madam Speaker, is that although the previous premier was happy to do a photo op at the opening of the Disraeli bridge, which was a 3P project, happy to cut the ribbon on that one, now the new position of the new NDP is against studying 3Ps. It's saying–it's advocating that every other province, where over a hundred 3P projects have been undertaken, is wrong and the member from Fort Rouge is taking the position that the old way is best.
Madam Speaker, we don't think so. We think we should study and look at different innovative options to see if we can find ways to address our infrastructure deficit effectively for today and tomorrow for a stronger Manitoba.
Crime Statistics
Mr. Andrew Swan (Minto): Madam Speaker, last Friday the City of Winnipeg chief of police addressed the Winnipeg Police Board. He spoke about the substantial increase in violent crime in Winnipeg after crime had fallen, in his words, for the better part of five years before last year.
Indeed, the latest crime statistics provided by the police show that crime across 10 reported categories is up 16 per cent so far this year over just the same time last year.
Does the Minister of Justice believe the chief of police when he tells us that crime in the city is way up?
Hon. Heather Stefanson (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I want to thank the member for the question.
And, certainly, last Friday I had the opportunity of being with the chief of police, as well as many other police officers, as we recognized all of the incredible work that they do to make our communities safe in Winnipeg and, certainly, we respect the work that they do. We know that many of the families were there, that they–we know that the families–the sacrifices that those families make in order to have their loved ones out protecting us in our streets.
So we recognize the challenges that are faced by the Winnipeg Police Service; this is nothing new. And the members opposite, certainly the member for Minto, should be fully aware, because certainly under his watch, we had some of the highest crime rates in Canada.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Minto, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Swan: Well, Madam Speaker, the minister should look at the City of Winnipeg's CrimeStat website, because it confirms the chief's report to the police board. It shows that most categories of reported crimes are way up this year over last: shootings, up 81 per cent; commercial robberies, up 55 per cent; non‑commercial robberies, up 27 per cent; commercial break and enters, up 54 per cent; and car theft, up 20 per cent.
Could the Minister of Justice tell this House why there is nothing–nothing–in this spring's budget to make our neighbourhoods safer?
Mrs. Stefanson: The member opposite should know full well, having been the minister of Justice himself and asked similar questions, that certainly, you know, it's easy to pick out certain statistics. And, as a matter of fact, the statistics that he is referring to have a disclaimer at the bottom that reads: This information does not represent official statistics. The user of the following pages should not rely on the data provided herein for comparison purposes over time, or for any reason. So that's the disclaimer on that website itself, but, Madam Speaker–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order. Order.
Mrs. Stefanson: –we recognize the hard work that our police officers do, day in and day out, to ensure the safety of Manitobans, and we will stand by them to ensure the safety of Manitobans, not just in the city of Winnipeg, but all across this great province of ours.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Minto, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Swan: The chief of police tells us that car thefts and vehicle pursuits are up; he tells us that cars are now being stolen to assist with break-ins and robberies. The police, MPI, corrections and the community had worked so hard to get this problem under control, and now, under this Minister of Justice, all that work has been erased. The Minister of Justice has done nothing to get ahead of the return of this problem.
Why is the Minister of Justice more concerned with protecting big donations from her donors than protecting our neighbourhoods from crime?
Mrs. Stefanson: As I have mentioned before and I will continue to mention to this member, that our government is very concerned about the safety and health of all Manitobans and we will continue to work on a daily basis towards those goals.
But I will remind the mender–member for Minto that while he was the minister of Justice, Manitoba had more homicides per capital than any other province. Manitoba's violent crime rate was second worst among provinces and–[interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order. Order.
Mrs. Stefanson: –Manitoba's incarceration rate increased by more than any other province.
I will take no lessons from members opposite when those were the kinds of 'strats' that were under his watch, and what did he do? Instead of sticking around and ensuring that he protected the safety of Manitobans, he quit.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order.
Impact of Increased Hydro Rates
Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): Manitoba Hydro is seeking a 7.9 per cent increase in its rates every year for the next five years. In this next year, this hike will force people in northern Manitoba to pay an extra $330. Madam Speaker, our northern residents already pay four times what a home in the south would pay. They will now have to pay $3,330 for the privilege of hydro.
Can the Premier (Mr. Pallister) tell the House how his government plans to help northern residents now pay for hydro?
Hon. Ron Schuler (Minister of Crown Services): I'd like to thank the member for that question.
In fact, I think all Manitobans are concerned about the NDP bipole-Keeyask levy that's going to take place.
* (14:20)
In fact, Madam Speaker, if the House would allow me, I'd like to go back and look a little bit at behaviour of the past. In 1974, on April the 1st, hydro waits–rates went up by 20.6 per cent. Who was the government back then? It was the NDP.
We are going to fix the finances of this province, Madam Speaker, and that's exactly what we were elected to do.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order.
The honourable member for Kewatinook, on a supplementary question.
Subsidy for Health-Care Escorts
Ms. Klassen: The government's words do not match its actions. They say they support the North, yet this government removed the subsidy for patient escorts.
There are many elders in the North who cannot effectively advocate for themselves, nor can they fully understand doctors. Our experiences in hospitals are quite different from what members opposite receive. We can all recall Brian Sinclair. Many of our elders only speak their language.
Oji-Cree spoken. Translation unavailable.
Our valuable escorts help with the translations.
Why is this Premier taking away what little help our northern residents receive?
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living): Well, Madam Speaker, as we indicated yesterday to the House, the Northern Patient Transfer Program remains. It remains for those who are referred by a doctor to medically need to be transported by air. It also remains for their escorts who have to go with.
We were disappointed to hear the member from Flin Flon and other New Democratic members say on the weekend that the program was cancelled when it hadn't been cancelled. And I would certainly encourage this member to join with us to get the right information out and also to lobby the federal government, who still owes us $30 million for transporting patients, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Kewatinook, on a final supplementary.
Look North Consultations
Ms. Klassen: The total lack of respect or concern from this government for our northern Manitobans is blatantly obvious. There has been no meaningful consultations with our First Nation leaders for Look North. We're still waiting for the round-table pictures to appear on the site as they did for the non‑indigenous forums.
The Premier says he is fighting for improved indigenous health, yet they cut services to those same vulnerable people.
Will this Premier rise and tell us why the government refuses to respond or consult with almost 17 per cent of Manitoban's population and still blindly goes about creating policies that harm First Nations people?
Mr. Goertzen: Well, Madam Speaker, I'm disappointed in the question from the member. We certainly know that those in northern Manitoba, along with all parts of Manitoba, deserve to have quality health care.
When we were going to Ottawa and asking for real support from the federal government, we didn't hear from the Liberal caucus; they didn't stand up and support with us at that time.
But I would say, Madam Speaker, and let me say clearly for this House, that because of the stand that our Premier (Mr. Pallister) took in ensuring that our voices were heard in Manitoba and Ottawa, we did see–we did see–some support in the federal budget for indigenous health care that wouldn't have been there had not been for the Premier, who stood up for those issues.
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order.
Trilateral Partnerships
Mr. Reg Helwer (Brandon West): Madam Speaker, access to safe and affordable housing is in more demand as our population ages. In Brandon West, I'm pleased to say that construction is under way on a 63-unit seniors' residence. This will go a long way to meet long-term housing needs for Brandon and Westman.
Can the minister of 'housey'–sorry–Minister of Families please explain how this important trilateral partnership is creating more housing options for seniors who wish to live independently in their community?
Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Families): It was an absolute delight to be with the members from Brandon West and East apart with the federal government, as well as the city government, in terms of making housing a true priority here in the province of Manitoba.
Our government has signed a $90-million agreement with the federal government to create housing solutions. We've created thousands of different spots for low-income families through the Rent Assist program, and, yes, in Brandon, we've created over $3.1-million new housing for seniors as a part of it, a three-level agreement of all three levels and, more importantly, the community. It's something that was embraced, and I want to thank everyone, including the members from Brandon East and West for being a part of the process. Thank you.
Reason for Closures
Mr. Mohinder Saran (The Maples): Madam Speaker, it is claimed over and over again that the Seven Oaks ER closure will bring efficiency to the health system and thus help the service seekers.
Will the honourable minister explain what type of inefficiency forces him to close the entire ER and how closing it helps people?
Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living): Well, Madam Speaker, the member will know from the time that he spent in the NDP caucus before he moved on to become an independent member that it was the Peachey report which was commissioned by the former NDP government, by his former leader, the hand-picked consultant who designed the report, who said that, in Winnipeg, we would be better off having three emergency rooms that were working in a way that could move people more quickly.
He would remember from his time in the NDP caucus that people were waiting far too long in emergency rooms, and that had to change. That's why we're changing it. That's why it will improve.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for The Maples, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Saran: Will the honourable minister let us know the indicator of efficiency that made him take ER closure decisions, and what is his present indicator to assess and evaluate the efficiency at the three remaining ERs?
Will the minister's indicator sum up zero wait times to three closed ERs with 18 to 20 or more hours of wait time to existing ERs to show an average fall of wait times to prove this so-called efficiency is achieved?
Mr. Goertzen: I had forgotten that the member opposite, of course, was a member of the former Cabinet of the NDP, a just reward for helping the premier survive the internal revolt that happened with the NDP.
But when he was in that Cabinet, Madam Speaker, he may have learned about the Peachey report, which was commissioned by the NDP government, the hand-picked consultant of the NDP, to redesign the health-care system in Winnipeg. He might remember from his time in Cabinet that it was the NDP who came up with that individual to come up with a solution in terms of reducing wait times. He might remember that the previous government had tried many times to reduce wait times. It didn't work. We're going to get right what they had wrong for so many years.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for The Maples, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Saran: Won't the minister agree that his decision of ER closure is made without presenting the public with clear and concrete definitions of what is emergency versus urgent or less emergent, and non-emergency patient care?
Will the minister let us know which services are considered emergency services in his recent efficiency report, and are they different from previous services?
Mr. Goertzen: Madam Speaker, that is actually a good question. Those definitions and information related to emergent care or urgent care exists on the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority website for him and for all the public to see, but there will continue to be information as facilities are repurposed. There'll be information that is sent to the specific community so residents–so they will know where urgent and emergent care should be used.
But that is a good point that there needs to be more education in terms of ensuring that individuals, they're accessing the right care at the right place at the right time, and that is what the plan is about. [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Workforce Reduction
Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): My question is to the Premier (Mr. Pallister).
The Premier endorsed the Bell MTS deal without knowing all the facts. He promised economic development and jobs for Manitobans, but it turns out that Bell's investments will be no higher than MTS, as we pointed out before, and now 85 good-paying jobs will be lost.
I'd like to know: Why did the Premier not put Manitobans and Manitoba jobs first?
Hon. Cameron Friesen (Minister of Finance): Well, Madam Speaker, that member should understand that job numbers in the province of Manitoba are actually up 3,000 year over year. We have increasing population here. Immigration numbers are very good, and this province is expected to lead the nation when it comes to year-over-year GDP growth; that's 2.0 and equal to the federal number, so there's a lot of reasons to be optimistic.
* (14:30)
Obviously, we're concerned whenever there are job losses in the province, but overall it looks like things are improving. We know we're on the road to recovery.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Elmwood, on a supplementary question.
Mr. Maloway: The Premier certainly didn't answer the question.
Without a fourth competitor, Manitobans will certainly see rising rates, and now 85 good-paying jobs will be lost in Manitoba.
What guarantees did this Premier receive from Bell before he sold Manitobans out, or did he even bother to ask?
Mr. Friesen: Madam Speaker, MTS Bell is going to represent good value for Manitobans.
We know from our discussions with the company that the investment that they're planning to make in this 'provint' is significant, also that we understand that they'll be able to make it in a more timely manner–an investment that would have been done over 10 years now collapsed and done within the space of three years. This is going to mean increased service for Manitoba communities. It's going to mean increased opportunities for business and entrepreneurs. All in all, this is a very excellent investment, an opportunity for Manitobans. Manitobans are onside; why doesn't that member get onside as well?
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Elmwood, on a final supplementary.
Mr. Maloway: The final supplementary to the Premier is that this Premier actually undermined competitiveness by endorsing the sale of MTS. Manitobans are looking at rising costs for everything, including their cellphones, and this Premier is not sticking up for Manitobans.
Now, with these 85 jobs–and this is just the first, probably, group that will be lost–good-paying jobs are going to be lost in this province.
Is the Premier working for Bay Street or is he working for Manitobans? [interjection]
Madam Speaker: Order.
Mr. Friesen: I'm pleased to hear from that member a concern for rising costs. I'm a bit perplexed though. Where was that concern for rising costs in 2012 when his party widened the RST to include everything from haircuts to insurance policies? They raised $184 million in one shot, but it wasn't good enough for them. They went back at rising costs when they raised the PST and took in another $288 million dollars a year, and in that context they still went in the wrong direction in terms of deficit reduction. Where was that member's concern for rising costs all those many years of overspending and underperforming?
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Madam Speaker: Order.
Sexual Violence Prevention
Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): Madam Speaker, students should be–should feel safe on their respective post-secondary institutions. Unfortunately, it is estimated that between 15 and 20 per cent of female post-secondary students experience sexual assault or attempted sexual assault during their education, and victims know their attacker 90 per cent of the time. That is why protecting victims from these unwanted sexual attacks has been a priority for our government.
Can the Minister responsible for the Status of Women please inform the House about how our government has taken steps towards combatting sexual harassment and violence on our campuses?
Hon. Rochelle Squires (Minister responsible for the Status of Women): I thank my colleague for this important question on the steps that our government has taken to protect students who are pursuing post‑secondary education in the province of Manitoba.
The Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Act took effect last week. This important legislation works to improve education about sexual violence and mandates that all institutions have appropriate policies and procedures in place to respond when a student reports an incident of sexual violence. This legislation also ensures that schools will consider how to deal with social media as a platform of sexual harassment and violence.
We are taking important steps to protect our students on campuses and are sending a message to all survivors that we believe them and that we stand by them.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker: The time for oral questions has expired, and there is a point of order being requested by the member for Assiniboia.
Point of Order
Hon. Steven Fletcher (Assiniboia): Madam Speaker, the purpose of question period is to discuss issues that fall within the realm of provincial power and influence. The member from Elmwood asked questions dealing with private corporations that have nothing to do with the provincial government and fall within the federal mandate of telecommunications. So, unless the member's arguing to nationalize telecommunications or provincialize them, I would think that that question may be out of order.
Mr. Jim Maloway (Official Opposition House Leader): On this supposed point of order made by the member, I would have to say that this is nothing more than a dispute over the facts. There's no point of order here whatsoever.
Madam Speaker: I would indicate that this is not a breach of the rules or practices of the House, so there is no point of order.
Mr. Ted Marcelino (Tyndall Park): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly.
And the background to this petition is as follows:
The taxi industry in Winnipeg provides an important service to all Manitobans.
(2) The taxi industry is regulated to ensure there are both the provision of taxi service and a fair and affordable fare increase–I mean structure.
(3) Regulations have been put in place that has made Winnipeg a leader in protecting the safety of taxi drivers through the installation of shields and cameras.
(4) The regulated taxi system also has significant measures in place to protect passengers, including a stringent complaint system.
(5) The provincial government has moved to bring in legislation through Bill 30 that will transfer jurisdiction to the City of Winnipeg in order to bring in so-called ride-sharing services like Uber.
(6) There were no consultations with the taxi industry prior to the introduction of this bill.
(7) The introduction of this bill jeopardizes safety, taxi service, and also puts consumers at risk, as well as the livelihood of hundreds of Manitobans, many of whom have invested their life savings into the industry.
(8) The proposed legislation also puts the regulated framework at risk and could lead to issues such as what has been seen in other jurisdictions, including differential pricing, not providing service to some areas of the city, and significant risks in terms of taxi driver and passenger safety.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to withdraw its plans to deregulate the taxi industry, including withdrawing Bill 30.
Thank you, and this has been signed by many Manitobans.
Madam Speaker: In accordance with our rule 133(6), when petitions are read they are deemed to be received by the House.
Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly.
The background of this petition is as follows:
(1) The taxi industry in Winnipeg provides an important service to all Manitobans.
(2) The taxi industry is regulated to ensure that there are both the provision of taxi service and a fair and affordable fare structure.
(3) Regulations have been put in place that has–have made Winnipeg a leader in protecting the safety of taxi drivers through the installation of shields and cameras.
* (14:40)
(4) The regulated taxi system also has significant measures in place to protect passengers, including a stringent complaint system.
(5) The provincial government has moved to bring in legislation through Bill 30 that would transfer jurisdiction to the City of Winnipeg in order to bring in so-called ride-sharing services like Uber.
(6) There were no consultations with the taxi industry prior to the introduction of this bill.
(7) The introduction of this bill jeopardizes safety, taxi service and also puts consumers at risk, as well as the livelihoods of hundreds of Manitobans, many of whom have invested their life savings into the industry.
(8) The proposed legislation also puts the regulated framework at risk and could lead to issues such as what has been seen in other jurisdictions, including differential pricing, not providing service to some areas of the city and significant risks in terms of taxi driver and passenger safety.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to withdraw its plans to deregulate the taxi industry and–taxi industry and passenger safety–we petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to withdraw its plans to deregulate the taxi industry, including the withdrawal of Bill 30.
And this petition is signed by many Manitobans.
Mr. Greg Selinger (St. Boniface): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislature.
The background to this petition is as follows:
The taxi industry in Winnipeg provides an important service to all Manitobans.
The taxi industry is regulated to ensure there are both the provision of taxi service and a fair and affordable fare structure.
Regulations have been put in place that will–that has made Winnipeg a leader in protecting the safety of taxi drivers through the installation of shields and cameras.
The registered taxi system also has significant measures in place to protect passengers, including a stringent complaint system.
The provincial government has moved to bring in legislation through Bill 30 that will transfer jurisdiction to the City of Winnipeg in order to bring in so-called ride-sharing services like Uber.
There were no consultations with the taxi industry prior to the introduction of this bill.
The introduction of this bill jeopardizes safety, taxi service and also puts consumers at risk, as well as the livelihood of hundreds of Manitobans, many of whom have invested their life savings into the industry.
The proposed legislation also puts the regulated framework at risk and could lead to such issues as has been seen in other jurisdictions, including differential pricing, not providing to–service to some areas of the city and significant risks in terms of taxi driver and passenger safety.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to withdraw its plans to deregulate the taxi industry, including withdrawing Bill 30.
Thank you.
Mr. Matt Wiebe (Concordia): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly, and the background to this petition is as follows:
(1) The provincial government has announced the closures of three emergency rooms and an urgent-care centre in the city of Winnipeg, including closing down three emergency–sorry–including closing down the emergency room at Concordia Hospital.
(2) The closure comes on the heels of the closing of a nearby QuickCare clinic, as well as cancelled plans for ACCESS centres and personal-care homes, such as Park Manor, that would've provided important services for families and seniors in the area.
(3) The closures have left families and seniors in northeast Winnipeg without any point of contact with the front-line health-care services and will result in them having to travel 20 minutes or more to St. Boniface Hospital's emergency room for emergency care.
(4) These cuts will place a heavy burden on the many seniors who live in northeast Winnipeg and visit the emergency room frequently, especially for those who are unable to drive or are low income.
(5) The provincial government failed to consult with families and seniors in northeast Winnipeg regarding the closing of their emergency room or to consult with health officials and health-care workers at Concordia to discuss how this closure would impact patient care in advance of the announcement.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to reverse the decision to close Concordia Hospital's emergency room so that families and seniors in northeast Winnipeg and the surrounding areas have timely access to quality care.
And this petition is signed by many Manitobans.
Mr. Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly.
Background to this petition is as follows:
(1) The taxi industry in Winnipeg provides an important service to all Manitobans.
(2) The taxi industry is regulated to ensure there are both the provision of taxi service and a fair and affordable fare structure.
(3) Regulations have been put in place that has made Winnipeg a leader in protecting the safety of taxi drivers through the installation of shields and cameras.
(4) The regulated taxi system also has significant measures in place to protect passengers, including a stringent complaint system.
(5) The provincial government has moved to bring in legislation through Bill 30 that will transfer jurisdiction to the City of Winnipeg in order to bring in so-called ride-sharing services like Uber.
(6) There were no consultations with the taxi industry prior to the introduction of this bill.
(7) The introduction of this bill jeopardizes safety, taxi service, and also puts consumers at risk, as well as the livelihood of hundreds of Manitobans, many of whom have invested their life savings in the industry.
(8) The–excuse me–the proposed legislation also puts the regulated framework at risk and could lead to issues such as have been seen in other jurisdictions, including differential pricing, not providing service to some areas of the city, and significant risks in terms of taxi driver and passenger safety.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to withdraw its plans to deregulate the taxi industry, including withdrawing Bill 30.
And this petition has been signed by so many Manitobans.
Mr. Rob Altemeyer (Wolseley): I wish to present the following petition.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) Thousands of Manitobans are reliant on minimum wage jobs.
(2) Raising the minimum wage is one of the most effective means of raising employed Manitobans above the poverty line.
(3) Increasing the minimum wage on a consistent, incremental basis puts more money in the pockets of hard-working Manitobans.
(4) Mandating the increase in regular intervals allows business and families to plan and budget accordingly.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to commit to raising the minimum wage on a consistent, annual basis so that all hard-working Manitobans can provide for their families.
This was signed by Elizabeth Mason, Chris Dyw and Christy Szuk and many other Manitobans.
Ms. Flor Marcelino (Leader of the Official Opposition): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The background to this petition is as follows:
(1) The taxi industry in Winnipeg provides an important service to all Manitobans.
(2) The taxi industry is regulated to ensure there are both the provision of taxi service and a fair and affordable fare structure.
(3) Regulations have been put in place that has made Winnipeg a leader in protecting the safety of taxi drivers through the installation of shields and cameras.
(4) The regulated taxi system also has significant measures in place to protect passengers, including a stringent complaint system.
(5) The provincial government has moved to bring in legislation through Bill 30 that will transfer jurisdiction to the City of Winnipeg in order to bring in so-called ride-sharing services like Uber.
(6) There were no consultations through the taxi industry prior to the introduction of this bill.
(7) The introduction of this bill jeopardizes safety, taxi service, and also puts consumers at risk, as well as the livelihood of hundreds of Manitobans, many of whom have invested their life savings into the industry.
(8) The proposed legislation also puts the regulated framework at risk and could lead to issues such as what has been seen in other jurisdictions, including differential pricing, not providing service to some areas of the city, and significant risks in terms of taxi driver and passenger safety.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:
To urge the provincial government to withdraw its plans to deregulate the taxi industry, including withdrawing Bill 30.
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Signed by many, many Manitobans.
Thank you.
Madam Speaker: Grievances?
House Business
Hon. Andrew Micklefield (Government House Leader): Pursuant to rule 33(7), I am announcing that the private member's resolution to be considered on the next Tuesday of private members' business will be one put forward by the honourable member for Fort Richmond (Mrs. Guillemard). The title of the resolution is Child Advocacy Organizations.
Madam Speaker: It has been announced by the honourable Government House Leader that the private member's resolution to be considered on the next Tuesday of private members' business will be one put forward by the honourable member for Fort Richmond. The title of the resolution is Child Advocacy Organizations.
Mr. Micklefield: Madam Speaker, on House business, I would like to announce that the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs will meet tonight, Tuesday, May 9th, 2017, at 6 p.m. to consider the following: Bill 4, The Provincial Court Amendment Act; Bill 5, The City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment, Planning Amendment and Real Property Amendment Act (Conforming to Construction Standards Through Agreements); and Bill 32, The Statutes Correction and Minor Amendments Act, 2017.
Madam Speaker: It has been announced by the honourable Government House Leader that the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs will meet tonight, Tuesday, May 9th, 2017, at 6 p.m. to consider the following: Bill 4, The Provincial Court Amendment Act; Bill 5, The City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment, Planning Amendment and Real Property Amendment Act (Conforming to Construction Standards Through Agreements); and Bill 32, The Statutes Correction and Minor Amendments Act, 2017.
Mr. Micklefield: Madam Speaker, on House business, I would like to announce that the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs will meet on Thursday, May 11th, 2017, at 6 p.m. to consider the following: Bill 19, The Efficiency Manitoba Act; and Bill 20, The Crown Corporations Governance and Accountability Act.
Madam Speaker: It has been announced by the honourable Government House Leader (Mr. Micklefield) that the Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs will meet on Thursday, May 11th, 2017, at 6 p.m. to consider the following: Bill 19, The Efficiency Manitoba Act; Bill 20, The Crown Corporations Governance and Accountability Act.
Mr. Micklefield: Madam Speaker, on House business, I would like to announce that the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development will meet on Thursday, May 11th, 2017, at 6 p.m. to consider the following: Bill 21, The Fiscal Responsibility and Taxpayer Protection Act; and Bill 22, The Regulatory Accountability Act and Amendments to The Statutes and Regulations Act.
Madam Speaker: It has been announced by the honourable Government House Leader that the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development will meet on Thursday, May 11th, 2017, at 6 p.m. to consider the following: Bill 21, The Fiscal Responsibility and Taxpayer Protection Act; and Bill 22, The Regulatory Accountability Act and Amendments to The Statutes and Regulations Act.
* * *
Mr. Micklefield: Madam Speaker, this afternoon I would like to call for concurrence and third reading of the following bills: Bill 6, The Manitoba East Side Road Authority Repeal Act; Bill 10, The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Amendment Act; and Bill 12, The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act.
Madam Speaker: It has been announced that the House will consider, this afternoon, concurrence and third reading of bills 6, 10 and 12.
Madam Speaker: So, we'll call Bill 6, The Manitoba East Side Road Authority Repeal Act.
Hon. Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Infrastructure): I move, seconded by the Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Relations (Ms. Clarke), that Bill 6, The Manitoba East Side Road Authority Repeal Act, reported from the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.
Motion presented.
Mr. Pedersen: It certainly gives me great pleasure to speak to third reading and see the passage of Bill 6, which will repeal The Manitoba East Side Road Authority Act and effectively eliminate the East Side Road Authority, otherwise known as ESRA.
Eliminating ESRA will restore Manitoba Infrastructure as the single source for delivery of highway infrastructure in Manitoba. A single source of delivery of highway infrastructure will do many things: amongst them, eliminate administrative duplication; it will maximize efficiencies in staffing and operating costs; and it will ensure centralized coordination of all provincial infrastructure projects.
Madam Speaker, eliminating ESRA has been long sought by the communities on the east side of Manitoba. In fact, yesterday, just yesterday afternoon, I met with one of the band councils–chief and band councils–and when the word ESRA was mentioned, there was great relief from the band and council that they no longer had to deal with ESRA as they had been, as many had. And the minister of Municipal and Indigenous Relations and myself, Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade (Mr. Cullen) met with the communities shortly after we announced that we were going to get rid of ESRA.
They came–the communities came in the–community councils came in and met with us and told us some rather disturbing stories of how they'd been bullied and disrespected in all ways from the former government through ESRA, through the East Side Road Authority. And so it was a great relief to them to see and now see the East Side Road Authority finally being done away with once and for all.
And the record–the sorry record of ESRA is one of spending some $500 million and only getting 50 miles of road built. And I saw actual instances of this when I was on the winter roads this–back in February of this year. We came across–it's called an Acrow bridge, and it's a bridge that's built across rivers. And it's–if you can sort of relate back to the Meccano toys of our youth, they put the bridge together and they keep sliding it over the river until they've got a bridge there. They work very effectively, can take heavy loads.
But the Acrow bridge that we were on was built by Manitoba Infrastructure prior to the East Side Road Authority, and we were told by our staff that East Side Road Authority had built a similar bridge, the similar size, and it cost twice as much as what Manitoba Infrastructure cost was on this particular bridge. And that's just one example.
I can give you a few more examples of the–just the sheer ineptness, I think, is the best way to describe the East Side Road Authority. The Shoal Lake road, which we are going to get built after 100‑and-some years of not happening, it is going to happen. When we came into government and we took over the East Side Road Authority, the price tag on that road at that time was $55 million. When we turned it back to Manitoba Infrastructure and our engineering crew and within Manitoba Infrastructure took a look at the design of the road and the–where the road was going to be placed. In fact, I was told first-hand from one of our staff that he flew over the proposed site, and it's something like 19 kilometres from the Trans-Canada Highway to the edge of Shoal Lake 40's reserve. Where the East Side Road Authority was planning on building this road was through a marsh, a slough that would cost a great deal of money to build it through that. And instead, MI moved the road around this marsh, and it's just one example of how they've manage to save money.
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They've gone from $55 million down to a cost of $40 million for this road, and that is taxpayers' money. That's not only saving the provincial government money, that's also saving the federal government money, it's saving the City of Winnipeg money on that. And on top of that, Manitoba Infrastructure will make sure this road gets built, which is something that the previous government long talked about but had no intention or no ability to ever do.
Madam Speaker, right now the Manitoba Infrastructure is working very closely with the communities on the east side, and we're developing a five-year plan for road construction on the east side. And we hope to have this plan–to be able to present it to the communities within the next few months here. And it will be a long-term plan so that all the communities on the east side know exactly where–what to expect, how to work with us, how to work–we will be working with the federal government.
Right now there is two of the communities where there's a road being proposed, built. Again, this is another example of ESRA's total inability to plan. The proposed road between these two communities was going to cost in the neighbourhood of $40 million. After MI department staff sat down with the two communities, they've come up with a more direct route, and it kind of reminds me a bit of Bipole III, you know. And, instead of going the direct route, they–ESRA, I think they must have taken their plans from the NDP and Bipole III because they wanted to build this road in a circular fashion around the cost of $40 million.
It looks like we can build this road directly between the two communities for something like $20 million. And this is money that can be–now be spent elsewhere instead of on one road that was going to cost twice as much as it should have. So as we develop those plans, I'll certainly be more than willing to share those examples once we have everything in place. But that's what's coming together there.
The department–Infrastructure Department–continues to try to unravel and unwind the finances and the equipment that was in–controlled under ESRA. You know, and I know the member for Kewatinook (Ms. Klassen), I remember her saying in committee yesterday with her accounting skills–and I'm sure she's seen many people come with their taxes in a shoebox, and if ESRA had at least used a shoebox, maybe we would be able to unravel the finances. But they're spread all over the place in their offices. There is no coherence to the records at all.
We're trying to nail down where exactly the money was spent, but it is a huge task and it's a draining task on–within our department. And you know, I realize the NDP–and budgeting, and finances, and record-keeping aren't really one of their better skills. And that's being kind to them, too–but, you know, it just–it's just a real signal of how the NDP ran things. ESRA is really the poster child of how the NDP could run anything into the ground. And it's unfortunate because it came at a cost. It came at a financial cost to Manitoba. It came at a human cost to the–to all taxpayers in Manitoba, but particularly to the residents of the east side who had to endure those dark days of ESRA and the NDP, and the bullying, and the disrespect.
And again, I go back to the meeting we had yesterday, after meeting with this group–this community previously–and now when they came into my office–yesterday, they actually look forward to the meeting because they knew that they would be treated with respect, unlike how they had been treated before. And we built up those–we built those relationships, but we have to keep continuing to build relationships. It doesn't happen once. You have to continue to work on it. And I realize that that's something that the NDP would never be capable of doing, but it's something that this government and this team will work on each and every day to build relationships with all Manitobans, no matter where they live in Manitoba.
Mr. Doyle Piwniuk, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair
So, Madam–or Mr. Deputy Speaker, we certainly look forward to finally putting ESRA away once and for all. I know that there's an Auditor General's report that still–I believe there's two Auditor General's reports that still have to come before the Public Accounts Committee. We look forward to dealing with those two reports. The staff within my department continues to, as I said, continues to try to unravel the tangled mess that ESRA has left.
We've got some very good people that have come back into our department from East Side Road Authority and they're just–it–to them it's like a breath of fresh air again to be back working under MI and within MI, and with a team that works within MI, because we know that no one person can do this job alone. It takes the concentrated efforts of everyone. And we know that that's something that the NDP, again, would never understand, that they have to work with other people and it's not every different direction. And so that's what the department continues to do. Again, Mr. Deputy Speaker, there's–this is a sorry tale in Manitoba's history that this East Side Road Authority was set up.
I continue to meet with communities as we look toward to building our channels out of Lake Manitoba into Lake St. Martin and out of Lake St. Martin into Lake Winnipeg. We are working very closely with those communities. They realize that they don't want anything like ESRA, and we've assured them there will be no East Side Road Authority down on top of them on this project as we continue to work with those communities and community benefit agreements.
I've said it before, and I need to remind the NDP again about this community benefit agreements. There was no sense of community. There was no benefits to community, and there certainly was no agreement, because it was all imposed upon those communities.
And so, when we look towards building capacity for building our outlet channels, there we've had some really great conversations. And, again, I want to thank my colleague, the Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Relations (Ms. Clarke) because her department has really worked very hard to actually–on the project that's called Operation Return Home, we will actually have people back in their communities shortly. This is something that the NDP had no intention of ever doing, were not capable of doing and this team will make it happen in co-operation with the local communities.
And so we look forward to building these relationships. As I said, it's not something that happens overnight, and it's not something that you can only do once and walk away from. It's something you have to continually work on, and this government will continue to do that. And so, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I just–it's a great day for Manitoba today to finally put the last nail in the coffin of the Manitoba East Side Road Authority.
So we look forward to the passage of this bill, and look forward to perhaps even the NDP would support getting rid of this bad legacy of their past government.
So, with that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I thank you, and I encourage everyone to get this bill passed.
Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): I guess I'm disappointed in the minister because I was looking forward to his use of his unlimited time here. Unfortunately, he did not take unlimited time he was–he restricted himself to 15 minutes.
But, do you know what, Mr. Deputy Speaker, what he forgot to address was the history or where the–what the situation is as regards to Freedom Road at the moment. Notice he never really talked about Freedom Road at all other than to say that they were going to do it. But the question is going to do it when? You know, what century is that going to happen? He'll be long, long back over on this side of the House I would think before this road gets built.
Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the east-side road project was about creating good jobs across the province, investing in our core infrastructure and growing our northern and rural economy. It created thousands of jobs and trained more than 350 people, many of them from isolated First Nations and built–more importantly built capacity within those communities. ESRA's mandate was to involve indigenous communities directly and to make substantial investments.
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We are concerned about this new government's lack of commitment to investing in the North. I know the minister did reference his five‑year plan for road construction and went on at some length to talk about how he felt his new plan here was going to somehow complete projects on time and quicker than the ones that we were involved in, but time will tell as to whether he is able to come good on any of those promises, because he seems to, I think, misunderstand that building roads in the North is a little different than building them right here in the city of Winnipeg or in the south. There's a lot more obstacles and obstructions to completing the plan up there and just the terrain is very difficult to work with.
And so we'll see–we'll see. I mean, he's talking about this project that he's saying that ESRA would spend $40 million and Manitoba Infrastructure could do it for half the cost at $20 million. I'd like to see the results of that first before we make any judgments about how brilliant he was in his new approach. The communities have committed millions of dollars towards the massive project, which was well under way, about 10 per cent complete. So that'll be another judge, another method that we can decide how much progress this government makes, because we now know that we have 10 per cent. We'll see in three years–if he's still around in three years–we'll see how much more of the project that he gets done. We'll be able to compare at that point how much he gets done, whether he gets it up to 20 or 30 per cent and whether he gets it into the budget parameters that he seems to think he might be able to do. And, you know something, it might be interesting that over time we may see this commitment wane and projects not get done, but let's say that–give him the benefit of the doubt, that he actually does fulfill the projects. I would suggest that he's not going to see that much of a reduction in costs compared to the way it was being done under ESRA.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Manitoba's remote communities deserve reliable all‑year access to the rest of Manitoba, and by building them a year‑round economic corridor we're helping them add to the Manitoba labour force and the economy, creating new jobs and opportunities in Manitoba's North. This particular bill is going to leave hundreds of employees wondering where they will find work. Now that the government is forcing public sector wage freeze, working families will find it even harder to make ends meet. We share the concern of First Nations and northern Manitobans that climate change is shortening the driving season on our winter roads and making them more dangerous.
We also need to take advantage of our location at the heart of the continent. Our province has an opportunity to become a trade and transportation hub, and so far, we have the Pallister–the, pardon me, the Conservative government is more interested in halting growth in this province and failing to come clean with where its cuts to infrastructure were going to be. And, you know, the longer we watch this government in action or lack thereof in this government, it looks more and more and more like the Sterling Lyon government, where the government of that day mothballed all the projects–
An Honourable Member: Acute, protracted restraint.
Mr. Maloway: Yes, acute, protracted restraint, the member for Minto (Mr. Swan) points out, and I remember it well, and that's what they did and that's the same pattern here: shut everything down, shut down the existing projects. You've got buildings with a hole built for a basement and they just stopped the construction, mothball the projects, and then after four years–and after four years, when they find out that they're dropping like a stone in the polls, they come up with–and I don't know whether anyone that was around here in those days could remember this, but it's one–it's got to be one of the classic advertising campaigns of all time. You know, in the middle of the campaign, when they found out that the–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order.
Mr. Maloway: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Chair.
And so, in the middle of the campaign, when they found that the bottom had fallen out of their campaign, they came up with these adverts which the message was, Don't Stop Us Now. And it was–got to be a pretty misplaced campaign promise, and people to this day shake their heads when they watch those Don't Stop Us Now campaigns. And, of course, the campaign ended in disaster for them, and Howard Pawley was elected as the premier of Manitoba after that campaign and they seem to have–you know, we say history repeats itself–[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order.
Mr. Maloway: –be the same kind of pattern here. You know, closing the ERs, you know, that was some–I don't know what genius over there figured out that–that you could close all the ERs and somehow it wouldn't be a hit to your credibility and your popularity. You know, I just don't know. They–I won't go there, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Obviously, there's some excited folks across the way here and my time is running out on me.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we had announced the next phase of our $3-billion, 1,000-kilometre road. We had already moved 600 kilometres of road from on top of lakes and rivers to land in order to increase safety and save lives while allowing more trucks to travel over a longer period of time.
We signed community benefit agreements. This is a very important point due to the fact that these community benefit agreements allowed for capacity building in these communities with all the local First Nations to ensure they're able to take advantage of the good construction jobs that come from the project–not just have people, you know, show up from outside from away, do the job and then disappear. We wanted people to have, you know, infrastructure, and not only infrastructure in these places but actually capacity in terms of construction–ongoing construction jobs.
We installed a bridge over Red Sucker River and we had begun installing bridges over Mainland River and Stevenson River. These bridges would keep the winter road system open longer and fed into the all‑weather road when it's ready.
The east-side First Nations were seeing results. In fact, Chief Roland Hamilton–and I believe I mentioned this before–of Bloodvein First Nation had a good experience with ESRA. The community won a tendered contract to do work on their own land. Over 60 people were employed in–from this community; 18 were trained as heavy construct–heavy equipment operators; one was trained as an environmental safety officer. Many participated in introduction to construction classes and received CPR and first-aid training. The community gained equipment and knowledge. That is what we were trying to do. That was not probably in the–in what the Conservatives will be seeing as a beneficial effect of this program.
First Nations communities were seeing benefits of ESRA. In fact, Pauingassi First Nation saw 19 local residents getting trained, including 11 graduates from introduction to heavy construction, 8 graduates from heavy construction–heavy-equipment operator training. Nineteen residents–12 local residents, 63 per cent, have been provided employment opportunities on the all-season roads.
In terms of–Berens River First Nation saw 72 local residents receive training, including 15 graduates from the introduction to heavy construction, 5 graduates from skilled labour training, 12 graduates from introduction to construction, 21 graduates from first aid, chainsaw safety training, 19 from heavy equipment training. And of these 72 residents, 31 local residents have been provided employment opportunities on the all‑season project road.
The–in terms of our record when we were in government, we weathered two major floods and a global recession.
Our $10-billion infrastructure plan included extending CentrePort Canada Way to increase trade with Saskatchewan and grow our transportation industry. And, you know, the current government's going to benefit by that. I mean, you're going to see the gradual change here. Another year, this government's going to be running around claiming credit for the whole project, right?
Protecting Highway 75 from Winnipeg to the United States border to interstate flood-protection standards; rebuilding the intersection of Lagimodiere and Perimeter Highway into a modern interchange with no traffic lights; and building an active transportation corridor so that cyclists can travel to Birds Hill Park without crossing the Perimeter Highway.
I mean, certainly, the intersection at Lagimodiere and Perimeter Highway–that was announced several times, but it was the previous government that actually started moving the earth there and got it done because had we not started doing it at that time, what would be the status of that project right now? It would have been a–just a forgotten project; it would not be done.
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We are also rebuilding the Trans-Canada Highway from Ontario to Saskatchewan to higher standards, upgrading the Westman major US trade PTH 10 to help increase trade and tourism to Brandon. Certainly, Brandon is an area that this government has just totally ignored; you'd hardly think they had any voter support there whatsoever. They're not responding to anything in Brandon.
Reconstructing the south Perimeter Highway, including new diamond interchanges to replace traffic lights. Well, that's all been put on hold. That's all been–that'll never be done as long as any Conservatives are over on that side. Upgrading PTH 9 from Winnipeg to Winnipeg Beach; rebuilding Highway 6, Winnipeg's connection to the North; continuing our work on the east-side road network to connect remote communities. Our infrastructure plan would have created 58,000–[interjection] Well, members wants to talk about the election. I'll tell you, if you were to redo it, if the member would like to have a redo on that election, I think we'd be ready. I would invite–
Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. Order.
Just want to make sure everybody's respectful and when the person is talking–the member's talking.
Mr. Maloway: Well, I find them all respectful and I'm really feeling good about this.
I really encourage them to get in your car–get in your car, and come on down to Henderson Highway. Feel free to knock on some doors and see what people want–you know, have to say to you, all right? And don't identify you as–yourselves as one of my friends or a member of the NDP. Make sure you tell them you're Conservative MLAs, and then come back and report back what they have to say to you.
So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, our infrastructure plan would have created 58,900 jobs. It boosted the economy by $6.3 billion, a plan the Conservatives don't support and certainly won't implement.
Investing in core infrastructure creates good jobs and grows the economy. The infrastructure mess left by the Filmon government has taken a long time to fix and, you know, I'm going back to Sterling Lyon, right? And Filmon government–but the fact of the matter is these projects just keep putting off, being put off.
The–we created the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund to support Manitoba First Nation business proposals that are economically viable. This provides opportunities for new entrepreneurs to create good jobs across Manitoba. We started a Winnipeg regeneration society–strategy, sorry–to help key indigenous organizations in Winnipeg focus on indigenous capacity building; it helps train the next generation of workers for the good jobs of tomorrow. That's a very key component of our approach, which is not part of theirs.
Downtown renewal and inner city resiliency, it ensures downtown Winnipeg grows with economic opportunities for everyone. And student mentorship and indigenous role model tutorship which uses the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre to help keep our young people focused on teams and sports, out of gangs, getting them ready for good jobs in our growing economy.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the 200 megawatt Wuskwatim generating station was the first generating station to be built in Manitoba in nearly two decades. If you quaff the hydro projects–you know, just except the ones in the Pointe du Bois area–but all modern ones with the exception of the project by the Duff Roblin government, every single project was done by the NDP, you know? And, as soon as there's a break in the government, we go back to the Conservatives, all of a sudden: mothballed, you know?
And they, you know–they used to talk about the spot market. When we were in government, they were in opposition, and they would be complaining about spot market prices. I don't even think they understand–understood what the spot market was all about. But the fact of the matter is that these–if you were building condominiums or any kind of–yes, condominium is a good example. Before you can get the financing for the project, you have to presell. You have to presell units, enough units to make the operation viable, and still, after doing all of that, your project can still run into trouble.
Well, what Manitoba does is actually presells the power before we build these generating stations. And so we have–we are–have Hydro on a firm footing.
The spot market is just basically the extra power that would be–when the water's going over the dam, it's just going to be wasted. We take that power and we sell it into a spot market. And better to have 3 cents or 5 cents per kilowatt hour of power and the spot market than to get nothing, because that's what you would have if you simply let the water go over the dam without selling it. That's apples and oranges. They're two different issues. But, in opposition, these guys thought they were very clever in trying to promote the idea that somehow we were building dams based on spot-market returns, right, which, you know, I mean, I don't know why they would get away with that, but for some reason, they managed to for some time. Sometimes you just can't explain why these things happen.
Now, it's the first generating station to be built in North America in partnership with First Nations people, making Hydro a world leader in sustainability community economic development. We ensured, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that indigenous communities and people benefit from our Hydro projects. Hydro has increased their Aboriginal employment rates to 18 per cent–18 per cent in the–corporate-wide, and 46 per cent in the North. And I don't know what those figures would be like back in the Schreyer days or before Schreyer, but I'm making assumptions that it was way, way lower than that, you know, and so we are certainly headed in the right direction.
The job losses that this bill leads to will be a huge blow to families in the North and rural Manitoba. They will add to northern and rural families' mounting concerns that the 'pallis'–the government, pardon me–is cutting off their access to quality health care, clear that they're doing that; freezing their wages; ignoring their economy; and making education less affordable.
The government has made primary health care less accessible. It's cancelled plans for a primary-care clinic in The Pas and a Northern Consultation Clinic in Thompson. It's clawed back a program that incentivized doctors to practise in rural communities. And, you know, and now we're talking about imposed millions of dollars in cuts to the northern regional health authority, and the issue, you know, today and yesterday, the other day, was that the argument about whether the government is clawing back the travel subsidy for family and friends of patients who have to fly to the North to Winnipeg for treatment. And that seems to be a little bit up in the air, but it's very clear that something's actually happening here, that they are–there are some cutbacks and the funding is not going to be provided in the way that it was before. And perhaps they're going to change the procedure. So, in the past, you–now it'll be, like, just total life and death before you can qualify as a–get a travel subsidy for a family member to attend with the injured person.
Instead of investing in innovative community health-care solutions that increase access to primary care, the Premier's (Mr. Pallister) ordered deep cuts to services that families and seniors depend on.
This government has made education less affordable. They're hiking up post-secondary institution rates up 7 per cent. They're clawing back tuition education credits that help students pay off student loan debt, buy a house, pay for training or start a family.
I mean, they've only been here a year and already all this stuff is happening.
And those members, like, they saw some good days, you know, in the aftermath of the election they were all excited, they were really excited about being new MLAs, you know, go to Folklorama and have a drink, and wow, this job's really good, right. Now they're starting to see the other side. They're seeing all the pain and suffering they inflicted on us over the last few years.
An Honourable Member: No, you did that to yourselves.
Mr. Maloway: We did it to ourselves, yes. Well, the member for St. James (Mr. Johnston) said. Yes, we did inflict a lot of the pain and suffering on ourselves over the last few years. But the fact of the matter is, you have to admit, to the member for St. James, that that's all self-inflicted right now, what you're seeing here, the cuts to the ERs and stuff like that. There's nothing that we have done here. All that pain and suffering is being inflicted by one person over there, and they know who that is.
* (15:30)
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.
I just want to remind the member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway) just to make sure that he directs the conversation to the Chair.
Mr. Maloway: Well, thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And I know that rule, and I do follow it a lot, but I do hear–I do hear–so much comments, right? And it's just natural to want to, you know–like, you know, when you take your dog out for a walk, somebody calls the dog; the dog stops and looks in the direction where the comments are coming from, right?
So–but let me get back, Mr. Deputy Speaker, to my question at hand here. And they jeopardized Manitoba's affordability advantage, and we see that right now with hydro rates going up. University tuition must be affordable and accessible to all students and families in Manitoba so that we can grow our economy with a skilled workforce of the future. The Premier's (Mr. Pallister) wage freeze, coupled with 7 per cent hike in tuition, will have a devastating effect on parents and students who are currently paying tuition fees or saving up. It'll be a–it'll hit low-income students and families the hardest. The Premier's wage freeze will discourage university graduates from joining the public sector and could force them to leave the province to find work.
This government has launched an attack on workers. They certainly brought in public sector wage freeze, refused to consult with workers and families. They've imposed bargaining unit reorganization legislation without any consultation from labour.
It's like they're deliberately creating chaos, you know, just deliberate. They just throwing stuff altogether in a–but there's a plan. There's a plan, for sure. Even though they might not know what the plan is, somebody over there knows there is a plan and knows what it is.
They broke their promise to protect and invest in front-line workers and ignored their responsibility to respect Manitoba workers' rights to negotiate in good faith.
Our NDP team has a vision for the North, smart, strategic investments in infrastructure, health care and education to create good jobs and make the North an even better place to live and raise a family. In fact, it's been pointed out that the members opposite pretty much barely know where the North is. Certainly don't know where it starts anyway. They think, you know, Portage and Main is probably the demarcation line; anything north–[interjection]
An Honourable Member: Manitoba Club.
Mr. Maloway: Yes, anything north of Portage would be considered the North.
We made steady progress growing tourism. Mineral exploration, hydro development and a thriving industry are contributing to good jobs that Manitobans can say work and raise families in the North. And, you know, that's–the testament to that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is very clear: the fact that the NDP won election after election. People could see that they were getting good results from the government. And I don't think people are comfortable with governments that hop all over the place and give out sorts of–lots of conflicting messages, and that's what this government's certainly doing.
We want northern Manitobans to have access to training to get the skills they need to take advantage of those opportunities. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, investments in roads and bridges and building the economy with good jobs, that's how we're going to make a life better for northern Manitobans.
We support keeping the Port of Churchill open. You hear nothing from the Conservatives about the Port of Churchill in terms of trying to get it open, working and providing jobs and hope to the people in the local communities. This port, the Port of Churchill, is strategically positioned to become an Arctic gateway. I remember a time when the ships couldn't come into Churchill. And why could they not? Because of liability insurance. And these contracts are all signed in London, England; the reinsurance contracts are signed on January 1st, I think it is, every year. And the premier at the time, Howard Pawley, went to London and he interceded and he got results, and they changed–they gave the insurance–the reinsurers gave a bit on the shipping rules, and we allowed ships to, because of that, to be–to go to that port. They would be insured for going to Churchill.
So, if we're going to try to get this port positioned to become an Arctic gateway and a shipping hub to world markets, we're going to have–such as India and other places–we're going to have to do something about that. You know, I mean, all you have to do is look at the Russian ports. You can google that and you will find that there's all sorts of ports. Like, why do we have this one port, Churchill, sitting at that latitude, but yet you google the same latitude for Russian ports and you see dozens of them? So how is it that they can construct a port at that far north, make it functional, make it economically viable for over a large number of years? I ask the member for Rossmere (Mr. Micklefield): Why is that? You know, so this is something that they should be looking at. But, no, they don't care about it. It's not, you know–it's north of Portage and Main and they don't really care about that.
We provided training for hard‑working northern Manitobans to upgrade skills and adapt to new technologies and, you know, they–there's just a general–a difference of approach in the governments. I mean, that isn't going change. It's no surprise that the Conservative government, you know, focus more on southern Manitoba. They don't really have much of an interest in the North; it's not historically where their voter base has been, so, you know, we understand that. We don't expect that they're going to change overnight but at least have some, you know, understanding of the problems that people are dealing with in those areas.
And, I mean, there was a reason why the government of the day set up ESRA the way it was. They had the community benefit agreements, they had adopted a totally different approach to get local people involved in these projects and, yes, it's possible that there's going to be a little bit of an added cost when you're training new people. You're not just–you bring them all in from Winnipeg, they're already trained, so you're going to have a little bit of extra added start‑up costs to train the people. But, I mean, don't go and misrepresent the situation by–when you say, well, we spent, you know, $50 million and we–or, sorry, we got 50 miles of road and we spent a gazillion for that 50 miles. And then they–what do they conveniently do? Well, they conveniently don't report all the bridges that were in the quote. I mean, when that amount of money was spent on building these roads, it included more than these 50 miles that the minister is, you know, talking about. It included all the bridges and so on.
So, you know, it's–he's talking about cherry-picking to make his argument so that he can–[interjection]–yes, so he can try to win his argument in the Legislature here. But, at the end of the day, none of that is helping solve the problem and the–and that is the construction and connecting these communities in the North with proper roads and leaving trained people in the area who can use their skills that they develop into more and, you know, better facilities for their area. In other words, trying to develop the area rather than just taking things out of there, trying to put some things back–
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member's time is up.
Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake): Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Please, please hold the applause.
Well, I can't remember as far back as the member from Elmwood there, and to the Sterling Lyon days, but I do remember just over a year ago, on April 19th, Manitobans decided rather forcefully that we needed a new government going in a new direction. And included in that new direction was an election promise made by this government, Madam–Mr. Deputy Speaker. That promise was to repeal the East Side Road Authority. I wholeheartedly support that decision.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the east-side road project was intended to provide isolated communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg with an all‑season road. This project included a mandate to expand the capacity of the floodway, construct the east-side road and maximize benefits of the road and floodway for communities in the area.
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In March of 2014, the floodway expansion aspect to the project was completed, and the focus now turned to the all-season road. The project was estimated to cost approximately $3 billion over 30 years. As we all know, the East Side Road Authority, or ESRA, as we often call it, has undergone an Auditor General report. Some of the 2016 Auditor General report objectives were to examine the management of ESRA's Aboriginal engagement strategies, specifically targeting the obligations and accountability requirements of the community benefit agreements within it.
The Auditor General found that the implementation of the Aboriginal Engagement Strategy was not sufficient and we should have–and should have been strengthened. Measurable objectives for the Aboriginal Engagement Strategy were not apparent. Targets within–to measure were missing, but the–essential for management and identification of weakness.
Ultimately, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Aboriginal Engagement Strategy was a failure. Here's a quote from the Auditor General report: ESRA has not set measurable objectives for its Aboriginal Engagement Strategy and, as a result, it is not able to measure progress against targets. That was on page 2.
It's not possible to list the Auditor General's–all of the Auditor General's findings in my allotted time, however, here's a highlighted reel of sorts.
On community benefit agreements and their obligations: The effectiveness of mentoring and training activities was not measured by the East Side Road Authority, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Community benefit agreements within the Aboriginal Engagement Strategy required ESRA to provide mentoring and training to First Nation community members. The former NDP government did not recognize the importance of training. I feel it is similar to the age-old saying: Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.
I can attest to the value of hands-on training. I was personally involved in such a project not too many years ago, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and when the terms education or hands-on training were thrown around, I would expect to see something substantially better than what the NDP East Side Road Authority had put out.
I was employed by Red River College as an instructor for an Aboriginal heavy equipment training course. We–two other instructors and myself, educated 18 students–and by students I mean people of all ages and gender. There were classroom training with theory, job-site planning, mechanical servicing, basic mathematics for shooting elevations on a construction site; training on how to operate a laser; how to assemble specific types of culverts, road slopes, safe excavation guidelines, workplace health and safety, and it goes on.
Each student logged hundreds of hours on packers, dozers, graders, loaders, Cat and Scraper, buggies, hydraulic excavators, picker trucks, and much, much more. In short, the students were taught tricks of the trade, or so to speak, and when they graduated, they knew how to safely install culverts, excavate around telephone lines, excavate pipeline ditch, drainage ditches, strip topsoil with a dozer, backfill and excavate basements, grade a road with a grader, layout and survey a small project. These students were ready to take on a job of their own in their own community after graduating.
Unlike the failed NDP community benefit agreements, these students could actually take on a job anywhere in the country, Mr. Deputy Speaker. That is something that I'm extremely proud of. I'd like to highlight the failed community benefit agreements that the NDP's East Side Road Authority initiated.
The NDP told Manitobans they were giving people an opportunity to learn trades and apprenticeship programs in communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.
The residents of the east side tell a whole different story. Here is something from the media in regards to First Nation comments on the NDP's East Side Road Authority. They accused the Authority of not offering meaningful skills training beyond the first aid courses and certification on how to operate a chain saw. All that people were given were shovels to dig holes.
We know how to dig holes, we've been doing it all our lives. That quote came from Steve Berens, a band councillor with the Berens River First Nation. And he continues to say dollars were never really given to First Nations to provide proper training. So let me refer to another quote from page six of the Auditor General report: the Aboriginal engagement strategy represents 35 per cent of the overall construction cost of the project.
So let's now look at the rough overall costs of the projects to-date. The NDP East Side Road Authority spent nearly a half a billion–$500 million–and semi-completed 88 kilometres of road. A half a billion and 88 kilometres of road built. Madam Speaker, that's exactly why Manitoba Infrastructure is taking back control of this debacle.
The NDP ignored red flags and put up their political interest ahead of public interest. Between January 18, 2016, and just a day before the pre‑election blackout period, for a seven week period following that January 18, the NDP East Side Road Authority pursued additional agreements worth nearly $160 million. That's $160 million worth of NDP East Side Road Authority vote buying, mere weeks before the–last year's provincial election–exceeded the entire value of the agreements that the NDP East Side Road Authority signed between August of 2009 and August of 2015 of $153 million.
So let me say that again, Mr. Deputy Speaker: $160 million spent on vote buying agreements mere weeks before the election, totaled more than the previous six years combined at $153 million.
The Auditor General asked about the status of the equipment maintenance programs, and for the five community corporations within their sample, they were provided with 41 equipment assessments. Twenty-one of the 41 assessments indicated the equipment was either inoperable or unsafe–that parts were needed. Despite these negative assessments, they continued on.
But I see my time is running short here, and I want to commend the member for Kewatinook for being passionate for an all-weather road on the east side. And we feel the same way, but we're going to do it under Infrastructure where the money can be spent more efficiently. We are in the business of building roads, not building bureaucracy.
I'd like to thank you for allowing me to put some words on the record and hopefully everybody supports this bill.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): It was very good to hear the minister say that MIT can do roads cheaper. I hope to–I then expect the rest of my east-side road in this term. I look forward to the updates promised by the minister. Perhaps with the savings, we can now expect pavement on our roads.
There are many critical aspects to consider when deciding on the fate of our roads that we are building along the east side of Lake Winnipeg. Climate change is quickly reducing the length of our winter road season and it's making it harder to ship much-needed goods and supplies to communities that rely on them. These roads are becoming increasingly more dangerous as the ice needed to support this road networks is unable to form as strongly as it once had.
All-season roads allow for communities to reduce their dependence on the ice road systems. Community members will be free to visit home and travel without having to rely upon air transportation. These roads will reduce the cost of living as food can now be–will–would be able to be transported in a cost-effective manner throughout the entire year instead of only during the winter months.
* (15:50)
We have been guaranteed from this government that the road to Berens River will be built by this fall. I am committed to holding this government accountable on behalf of that community, as well as all the rest of the indigenous communities who have been egregiously impacted by the previous government's false promises.
We need the rest of the roads in good time, not within decades. We will continue to press for local and indigenous workers and companies to be hired with meaningful employment strategies that provide skills, knowledge and tools that can be used elsewhere upon completion of the east-side road. Through the combined efforts of different levels of government–provincial, federal and indigenous–we will hopefully see our all-weather east-side roads be built and for our people to receive jobs that help our communities in the short term and, more importantly, for the long term.
We have seen before from ESRA that the previous jobs created very little and provided training of mediocre value to people living along the east-side communities. I'm sure many of us remember the scathing ESRA report from late last year. But while we read about the many issues that plagued ESRA, many of our communities had to live through them. I am still hopeful that the repeal of ESRA will provide a new signal to many of those living along the east side and provide new hope that our Province is willing to work with indigenous communities as equals and form mutual beneficial partnerships for all Manitobans. We must ensure that these issues do not rise again. Regardless, there are many that are going to be depending on these east–all–on the all-season roads, and they must be built as soon as possible.
The Manitoba Liberal Party will continue to monitor developments along the east side of Lake Winnipeg, and we will ensure the needs of all Manitobans are met. We believe this is important to continue and to ensure our communities are accessible through economic means, and we will continue to support this bill as we await this government's department, MIT, for the new plans for all-weather roads along the east-side road.
Thank you.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Any other speakers?
Is the House ready for the question?
Some Honourable Members: Question.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The question before the House is the concurrence and third reading of Bill 6, the Manitoba East Side Road Authority appeal act.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
Some Honourable Members: Agreed.
Some Honourable Members: No.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: I hear a no.
Voice Vote
Mr. Deputy Speaker: All those in favour of the motion, please say yea.
Some Honourable Members: Yea.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: All those opposed to the motion, please say nay.
Some Honourable Members: Nay.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: In my opinion, the Yeas have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. Jim Maloway (Official Opposition House Leader): Mr. Deputy Speaker, I would request a recorded vote.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: A recorded vote has been requested.
Call in the members.
* (16:00)
Recorded Vote
Mr. Deputy Speaker: The question before us is the voting on Bill 6, the Manitoba East Side Road Authority appeal act, concurrence of the–in the third reading.
Division
A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:
Yeas
Bindle, Clarke, Cox, Curry, Ewasko, Fielding, Fletcher, Friesen, Gerrard, Goertzen, Graydon, Guillemard, Helwer, Isleifson, Johnson, Johnston, Klassen, Lagassé, Lagimodiere, Lamoureux, Martin, Mayer, Michaleski, Micklefield, Morley-Lecomte, Nesbitt, Pallister, Pedersen, Reyes, Schuler, Smith, Smook, Squires, Stefanson, Teitsma, Wharton, Wishart, Wowchuk.
Nays
Allum, Altemeyer, Fontaine, Kinew, Lindsey, Maloway, Marcelino (Logan), Marcelino (Tyndall Park), Saran, Selinger, Swan, Wiebe.
Deputy Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Yeas 38, Nays 12.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: I declare the motion carried.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: We will continue with concurrence and third reading of government bills, Bill 10, The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Amendment Act.
Hon. Ian Wishart (Minister of Education and Training): I move, seconded by the Minister of Infrastructure (Mr. Pedersen), that Bill 10, The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Amendment Act, be reported from the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development, be concurred in and be now read for the third time.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: It has been moved by the honourable member for Education and Training, and seconded by the Minister of Infrastructure, that Bill 10, The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Amendment Act, be reported from the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development, be concurred in and be now read for the third time and passed.
* (16:10)
Mr. Wishart: This bill, we have seen a couple times already. It's fairly straightforward. I think we're all very familiar with MITT, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, a very reputable organization, a very strong part of our post‑secondary system. And one that we're very pleased to continue working with very closely.
They have a fairly unique situation in that they do secondary and post-secondary education both in the same institution. That provides them with some special abilities in terms of providing services to Manitobans. They do an awful lot of vocational work in the secondary side of things for a number of different institutions; some, of course, local school divisions; and also for the French school division in Manitoba, which doesn't have the same level of facilities available to it, and MITT fills a particular role for them in terms of offering to a wide range of students that attend French schools in Manitoba particular vocational training that would not probably be as viable in their own local schools.
So it is certainly a great pleasure that we help them do make the changes necessary, and really, what this bill amounts to is the opportunity to provide their board of governors with the ability to manage parking on their own site, that was an oversight in the bill when passed the first time, and I believe that was actually done back in 2014, and it was just an oversight at that point in time. And the second side of this, of course, is the ability to have approval process in place for any course changes.
And one of the other flexibilities and the advantage that they offer Manitoba is they can design courses to specific needs very, very quickly and so that they do fill in a lot of niches. So, when we have groups including some refugee groups that need particular–have particular training needs, they can fill that gap much more quickly than conventional institutions do, and the ability to run those through the ministry for approval so that we can approve the courses before they get them taught. It's certainly greatly appreciated.
So we see a lot of advantages to MITT and the unique nature therein, and this bill just provides them with these two extra bits of flexibility: one, of course, the parking oversight issue as I mentioned, something that probably should have been done the first time and got overlooked and now we would correct that, but the ability to get the course approvals done more quickly is something that I think will give them additional ability to provide the service.
And, as I have said, that they have performed a number of services in Manitoba. This is all part of our philosophy of making sure that all services are repaired in Manitoba, and fix the services that Manitobans need, and post-secondary education in particular, an area that we're very proud to focus in, make sure that we provide additional courses and a wider range of courses to Manitobans, post-secondary students, as we continue to support and, in fact, increase the amount of support available to post-secondary students through other programs like MSBI and the bursary program that we have put in place.
We're going to be, I think, surprised at how quickly students figure out the advantages of these two changes that we have made at MSBI and bursaries, and how many students we see take advantage of these types of programs and we certainly believe it'll encourage many more students to go on to post-secondary education. That's a very strong positive, both for the students and, of course, the province as a whole because we get a higher quality workforce, a better educated workforce, something that I think that we all agree that we should–we will benefit from and the students will benefit from. So it seems like a double win.
So I would certainly encourage members to support this particular bill, Bill 10. I think it is–though it is a modest bill in terms of the range of activities, it is something that will help strengthen, in particular, this one, the institution of MITT, which we value quite highly and believe is capable of being more valuable in the future. We will certainly work closely with them. They're the type of institution that we want to see in the future. They're very sensitive to labour market needs, and that certainly is something that we are focused on, making sure our post-second institutions are very well connected to labour market needs so that we are training people not just for a job, but for the jobs that are occurring, that there is a demand for and that will continue to grow in the future.
So I appreciate the opportunity to put a few words on the record about the value of this particular bill, and I would certainly encourage everyone [inaudible]
Thank you.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Fort Rouge): Pleased to rise to speak to the bill regarding the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology. I did just want to, as part of these remarks, acknowledge Paul Holden, who is the president for MITT and is going to be moving on to a new position at a private sector educational institution. He's shepherded MITT through a very excellent transition, starting to reach further upstream and help young people earlier on in their academic careers, and I think he's done a great job there, and I'm sure he'll do many other great things for our province over the future years of service. So I just wanted to put some words into the record to acknowledge him and to say he's done a good job.
In terms of the content of this bill, again, two main points, both of which, you know, I'm in agreement as being necessary changes. There is one aspect of this bill, which, you know, allows for the Department of Education to be able to have necessary review powers over MITT's, you know, adding and changing of programs at their institution, and I do think that that's a reasonable and necessary move so that system-wide planning can occur to help prepare young Manitobans for the jobs of the future in our province and also to ensure that there is, you know, good communication between government and this public institution.
Madam Speaker in the Chair
The second main point of this bill is to grant the authority, the legal standing for the institution to be able to charge parking fees on campus. It, you know, seems kind of strange that MITT can't currently do so, and, apparently, they're vulnerable to a–some sort of legal challenge if students were to challenge one of the parking tickets granted on campus. So, you know, just in the name of allowing the institution the proper jurisdiction to enforce parking on campus seems like a reasonable change, though, you know, as we'll see in one of the other bills we debate this afternoon, you know, having a legal standing to talk about, you know, necessary enforcement measures, you know, not always top of mind on the government side, depending on which bill we're talking about, though it does make sense in this one and proud to support that.
Finally, I'd just like to say that, you know, MITT, I think, to me, represents a good model in how to reach upstream in the educational careers of young people in our province and be able to offer them the necessary skills and training, and it also offers retraining opportunities for people who are mid-career and need to add certain skills or designations and certifications in order to stay relevant in the job market. I think both of those things, Madam Speaker, will be important as we develop a jobs plan for Manitoba's future and ensure that people in our province can continue to adapt and have not just the good jobs and the good wages but also the sense of purpose, the sense of fulfillment that comes along with a full day's work and a job well done.
* (16:20)
And so, as a result, I think that MITT's work in bringing some of the trades earlier on into people's educational careers and bringing people who are finishing their high school careers onto a college campus as well as, you know, offering a hands-on and technical experience, are all excellent examples of what we need in this province.
So, with those few words on the record, Madam Speaker, I'd just like to say I will be voting in favour of this bill.
Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): We have given ample time for our Manitobans to give consideration to this bill. Any interested parties and/or representative of affected organizations have communicated with our offices, and so hearing no Manitoban objections, our Liberal caucus supports this bill to help the institute achieve its goals.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker: Is the House ready for the question?
Some Honourable Members: Question.
Madam Speaker: The question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 10, The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Amendment Act.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
Madam Speaker: We will now move to Bill 12, The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act.
Hon. Ian Wishart (Minister of Education and Training): I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Justice (Mrs. Stefanson)–sorry–that Bill 12, The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act, be reported from the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development, be concurred in and be now read for the third time.
Madam Speaker: It has been moved by the honourable Minister of Education, seconded by the honourable Minister of Justice, that The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act, reported from the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.
Mr. Wishart: Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to stand before the House today and speak to Bill 12, The Teachers' Pension Amendment Act. The purpose of the bill is to make important and long-overdue housekeeping amendments to the legislation which provides for the teachers' pensions here in Manitoba.
The Teachers Retirement Allowance Fund Board, TRAF board, has requested these changes for several years, and the previous administration never got around to doing it.
This bill will update The Teachers' Pensions Act to ensure constituent–consistency–sorry–with changes made a number of years ago in the pensions benefit act bringing it in line with the requirements that are stated there and also changes requested by the Canada Revenue Agency to ensure compliance with the federal Income Tax Act and housekeeping amendments as requested by the officer of the Auditor General. We also bring it–the bill in line with gender-neutral terminology to make sure that it is appropriate for this time.
The changes are technical in nature and allow the TRAF board the efficiency and effectively discharge their administrative duties under the act. Some of these changes include changes to the interest charged to reinstate refunded service; remove the requirement for the Auditor General to approve expenses of the board–that was a particularly onerous task for the Auditor General to pay attention to, and that was requested, of course, by the Office of the Auditor General, and then–and replace that with the current contractual indemnity with a statutory indemnity for board members and employees when performing their duties under the TPA in good faith. Expressly permit the board to delegate certain of their duties to a committee and–which, in particular, is the investment committee, and increase the membership of the investment committee from three to five members through the appointment of two external members based on investment expertise and experience. Enable the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council to appoint separate individuals as chair and chair of the investment committee in recognition of the increasing complexity and increasing workloads that is part of these roles, and expressly permit the board to rectify administrative errors by adjusting pensions, annuities or other benefits. Often these are very small in amount, and the process that we're required to go through now is very onerous. Increase the borrowing authority of the board in order to facilitate effective cash and risk management. They handle a lot of dollars and their borrowing authority is very minimal, and sometimes it's to the advantage to borrow dollars to–rather than cash out in certain investments. Permit the current practice of providing annual member statements within six months of the end of the teaching year. Enable but not require the Province to make additional contributions to Account B, which is part of the pension fund format which represents the Province's portion of the draft fund; recognize entitlements under The Teachers' Pensions Act for teachers employed by the faculty of education of the University College of the North so that they can be part of this pension program. Expressly provide the board with the flexibility to set the time frame for members to become employed by the Province and elect to continue as a teacher under The Teachers' Pensions Act so that people may actually take a different position and still be covered under this particular pension program. Make minor changes or corrections making references gender-neutral and repeal provisions that are no longer applicable.
The changes do not have any financial implications for the government. Most are being 'preporsed'–proposed in order to harmonize The Teachers' Pensions Act with The Pension Benefits Act and the federal Income Tax Act. It is important that this 'legitation'–legislation continue to be in compliance with these acts.
With that, Madam Speaker, I would like to conclude my remarks, but I would be remiss if I didn't commend the board members of the draft board for the excellent work that they have done. It is a very complex process keeping this in good management and good condition, and we appreciate the extra work that they have done. It is financially very demanding, especially the investment side and the actuarial requirements of this pension board, and I know that they spent considerable time on it. And it is a complex issue that many people don't appreciate the level of detail going through, but it is something that is required to look after pension programs and make sure that they are there for people when they retire.
So, with those few remarks, I would appreciate good support for this bill.
Mr. Wab Kinew (Fort Rouge): It gives me pleasure to put a few words on the record here, almost as much pleasure as I had going through this bill line by line with the minister and his staff. That was quite a fun experience, given all the technical details and actuarial science that goes into anything pension-related.
This is a bill that has the support of the Manitoba Teachers' Society, the union representing teachers in this province. It also has the support, I believe, of the Retired Teachers' Association of Manitoba, who represent a good chunk of those teachers who've previously served the educational system in our province, and also, I believe, was designed on the advice of the teachers' retirement annuation fund, and seeing as how almost every group involved with the teachers is supportive, then, of course, you know, we're supportive as well.
Given the fact that we are Her Majesty's loyal opposition, however, we are always looking for ways to improve and, you know, add comment to the bill. So we did, I think, make two points, both in the committee process and, you know, points that I'd want to share with you here again, Madam Speaker, the first being that when we spoke to teachers, specifically with some of the retired teachers, the prospect of having their plans being changed from defined-benefit to defined-contribution plans was of great concern–big concern for their members that their pensions be secured and that the promise made to them at the time of their retirement be a promise kept.
Now, of course, we've discussed this many times. No changes under this act would actually foreshadow a change from a DB to a DC plan. However, I just merely put it on the record that this is an issue of great concern for teachers, and we will, of course, be raising that at any opportunity to ensure that those pension obligations are being fulfilled.
* (16:30)
The second point is that, you know, we'd offered an amendment about including in this bill the legal standing for the current appeal process that a teacher might use if there's ever some dispute on their pension payments. So the legal argument is almost the same as what we did with the MITT bill a moment ago where we had to give MITT the legal standing to be able to enforce, you know, the parking, and, then, so we brought basically the same thing. Why don't we add the legal standing for TRAF to be able to, you know, enforce the appeals provision? And we ended up not having the necessary support at the committee stage to be able to pass that amendment. But, you know, just another piece of advice that we thought we'd offer as, you know, due consideration to try and make sure that if we are to be revisiting teachers' pensions at this time, why not take everything into account.
So that said, I just want to close by thanking all the great teachers in our province who do the very important work of helping our young people, our sons, our daughters, our grandkids, nieces, nephews to reach their full potential and, of course, to ensure that those retired teachers who carried out that great service for previous generations of Manitobans are honoured by having their pensions fulfilled in a very fair and equitable fashion that we are, of course, willing to support this bill.
So, with that on the record, I say, miigwech, Madam Speaker.
Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): We have given ample time for our Manitobans to give consideration to this bill. All interested party–I'm copying the member, Mr. Wishart–sorry, I apologize for that–all interested parties and our representatives of affected organizations have communicated with our offices and so I only need to reiterate that RTAM, the group that rightfully owns this money has to ask for us to present that they want an appointed TRAF member to be selected from a list which RTAM will provide to them. And that the other ask is that their restricted surplus to go back to the hands that put it there in the first place.
With that, our Liberal caucus supports this bill, and a great big thank you to all the future past and present of Manitoba.
Miigwech, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker: Is the House ready for the question?
Some Honourable Members: Question.
Madam Speaker: The question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 12, The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]
I declare the motion carried.
Hon. Andrew Micklefield (Government House Leader): Madam Speaker, if you would canvass the House I believe you'll find there's agreement to call it 5 p.m.
Madam Speaker: Is there leave to call it 5 p.m.? [Agreed]
The hour being 5 p.m. then, the House is adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
CONTENTS
Bill 221–The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day Act
Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs
Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development
Standing Committee on Public Accounts
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
Remembering the Westray Mine Disaster
Promoting Aboriginal Student Success
Lac du Bonnet 100th Anniversary
F. Marcelino
T. Marcelino
Concordia Hospital Emergency Room
F. Marcelino
Concurrence and Third Readings
Bill 6–The Manitoba East Side Road Authority Repeal Act
Bill 10–The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology Amendment Act
Bill 12–The Teachers' Pensions Amendment Act