LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The House met at 10 a.m.

The Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom, and know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and the welfare of all our people. Amen.

      We acknowledge we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory and that Manitoba is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline, Nehethowuk nations. We acknowledge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis. We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit. We respect the spirit and intent of treaties and treaty making and remain committed to working in partner­ship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.

      Please be seated.

      Hon­our­able gov­ern­ment–

ORDERS OF THE DAY

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Can you please call Bill 223, Indigenous veterans day, for second reading debate this morning.

Second Readings–Public Bills

Bill 223–The Indigenous Veterans Day Act
(Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended)

The Speaker: It has been announced that we will now call Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) for second reading.

MLA David Pankratz (Waverley): I move, seconded by the member from The Pas‑Kameesak, that Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act (Com­memo­ra­tion of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended), be now read a second time and be referred to a com­mit­tee of this House.

Motion presented.

MLA Pankratz: It is such a profound honour to stand before the Chamber today as we work to formalize Indigenous Veterans Day on November 8th here in Manitoba.

      This bill does more than just recog­nize a date,  though. It serves as a tribute to the countless Indigenous veterans who've shown an unwavering com­­mit­ment to Canada and to our collective freedoms.

      Indigenous Veterans Day is already recog­nized in  spirit following the historic reso­lu­tion brought forward in Manitoba, but by enshrining it in law, we reaffirm our commit­ment to honour those who have sacrificed so much.

      Today we look to our shared history with a huge amount of respect and admiration. This day represents the in­cred­ible courage, sacrifice and unity shown by Indigenous service members across gen­era­tions. And with this bill, we pay tribute to those who stood shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Canadians, defending freedoms both here and abroad, often at a great personal cost.

      Now, through­out history, Indigenous veterans have been a crucial part of Canada's military, con­tributing to battles and mission that have shaped our nation's legacy. They've stood on the front lines, willing to give every­thing for a country that, at times, failed to offer them the same freedoms here at home. Many Indigenous veterans returned to find them­selves unjustly denied the benefits, support and recog­nition that were readily available to their non‑Indigenous counterparts. Yet, despite these systemic barriers, their commitment to this country and to the ideals of freedom and unity remained steadfast.

      This bill honours their resilience and their sacrifices. Their con­tri­bu­tions have been invaluable, not only in terms of their bravery on the battlefield, but in strengthening the bonds of unity that hold our province and country together.

      And I want to take a moment just to share a story that really illustrates that spirit of unity. You know, I had the honour of attending the memorial for Austin  Lathlin‑Bercier, who's a young man from Opaskwayak Cree Nation who died in the line of duty while serving in Ukraine. And one of the articles that I read about Austin had a powerful quote from his mother, actually. And it was that he said, as soon as he joined, he felt like it was a family right away, it didn't matter where they came from.

      And this really simple statement, I think, captures what Indigenous veterans day is about: it's honouring, again, that unity, the courage and the family‑like bonds that service creates.

      Now, Austin's con­tri­bu­tions remind us that freedom comes with a price. These men and women paid that price, often fighting in conflicts far from home, yet their service ensured a legacy of freedom and demo­cracy that we enjoy here today. Indigenous veterans day provides us with an op­por­tun­ity to reflect on the sacrifices made by these veterans and to express our deepest gratitude for their role in securing our shared freedoms.

      In bringing forward this bill, I absolutely stand on  the shoulders of those who have advocated for Indigenous veterans day long before this moment. The 1993 reso­lu­tion and the first com­memo­ra­tion of that day in 1994 for our province was a milestone that was achieved through the dedi­cation of many advocates, one of whom, Randi Gage, joins us here today. And I'm so happy that she's present with us. She was instrumental in creating a space to formally remember and honour Indigenous service members. And we're here today because of their vision and dedi­cation.

      Now, through this bill–again, we honour not only those who served, but those have continually fought to ensure their legacy is recog­nized. And edu­ca­tion is a core element of what we hope to accomplish through this formal recog­nition. The story of figures like Tommy Prince, from Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, provides a powerful example to guide that under­standing.

      Now, Prince's service and story are often used to shed light on the role of Indigenous military con­tri­bu­tions, helping us understand the greater challenges they faced both on the battlefield and upon returning home. Now, while many educators across Manitoba are already doing in­cred­ible work to bring the stories of Indigenous veterans into classrooms, this bill will only strengthen those efforts.

      By creating a formal Indigenous veterans day, we  reinforce the importance of these stories and support educators in fostering awareness and respect among future gen­era­tions. And this isn't just about remembrance, it's about under­standing and acknow­ledging the whole history of our nation, including the sacrifices Indigenous veterans made to protect it despite the challenges they faced.

      Now, as we gather here to mark this im­por­tant step, I also want to acknowledge the presence of a few fantastic folks who've joined us here: we do have Grand Chief Garrison Settee; we have interim Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy; Minister Jack Park, Minister Shawn Nault, from MMF. And I believe Chief Bluesky is here as well.

      And they're also joined by a number of leaders within the military com­mu­nity, and I didn't have a list, and I think I can see up that high, but I see General  Chris McKenna up there, a commander at NORAD. I also see Mr. Cousineau is up there, yes, from 17  Wing. And we have also John Dawson, who just changed over to the Rifles from serving as the RSM for the Camerons.

* (10:10)

      So I just wanted to acknowledge quickly that your presence here is just so in­cred­ibly powerful and sort of a reminder of that unity that this day is going to represent and also of the collective commit­ments of the many com­mu­nities that are going to share in recog­nizing Indigenous veterans. So thank you again for your attendance today and for your guidance and dedi­cation to seeing this day recog­nized in law.

      I'm also really grateful to young leaders in the com­mu­nity, like Justin Woodcock, who I had the chance to speak with at length about this. And that began at the actual memorial for Austin Lathlin‑Bercier, and we've had a bunch of great con­ver­sa­tions about how this bill can really be meaningful for a lot of folks.

      And then I also have to acknowledge the late Grand Chief Cathy Merrick. And I still remember the hug she gave me at Austin Lathlin‑Bercier's memorial and the con­ver­sa­tion that we had about this bill specifically. And it is just such a huge loss to the community that she's not here with us today, and I really ap­pre­ciated every­thing that she con­tri­bu­ted as I did this work over the summer.

      I also want to just acknowledge, generally, currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are also here in the gallery and who are here to show their support.

      So as we esta­blish Indigenous veterans day in law, I really encourage Manitobans to join us in honouring the service and sacrifices of Indigenous veterans and currently serving members. November 8th provides a moment to pause, to come together as com­mu­nities and to recog­nize the con­tri­bu­tions of Indigenous service members.

      And this bill calls upon us to not only remember those sacrifices again, but to also engage our com­mu­nities in meaningful ways. And so I would also encourage com­mu­nities as they, maybe, become more aware of this day, to create commemorative events on November 8th that honour the stories, sacrifices and legacies of Indigenous veterans. Now, these gatherings could be a space to share stories, reflect on their con­tri­bu­tions and foster more unity among com­mu­nity members.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, this bill is about more than words or dates on a calendar. It's about honouring the real costs of freedom in our province and country, and the profound sacrifices made by Indigenous veterans. It's about, sort of, uniting our gratitude to paying tribute to the family of services members who have defended this country across gen­era­tions, and by enshrining Indigenous veterans day in law, we give these veterans and their families the respect they've long deserved.

      So again, I'm reminded of Austin Lathlin‑Bercier's mother, who said that from the moment he joined, he felt like he had found family; didn't matter where they came from.

      This bill honours that bond of service and sacrifice. It transcends back­grounds and unites all of us. And Indigenous veterans have stood for Canada time and again, protecting the freedoms we hold so dear.

      So today, I hope we can all come together and vote in favour of moving this bill very quickly through to solidify our show of solidarity with Indigenous veterans across our province.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Questions

The Speaker: A question period of up to 10 minutes will be held. Questions may be addressed to the sponsoring member by any member in the following sequence: first question to be asked by a member from another party; this is to be followed by a rotation between the parties; and each independent member may ask one question. And no question or answer may exceed 45 seconds.

      The floor is now open for questions.

Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): I'd like to thank the member from Waverley for bringing this im­por­tant bill forward. Recog­nizing the importance of our Indigenous partners in the military is very im­por­tant to do.

      Can the member please expand a little bit more on who was consulted in the drafting of this bill?

MLA David Pankratz (Waverley): Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much for that question.

      You know, from the very outset, it was so im­por­tant to me to make sure that this was coming from com­mu­nity and from the people directly involved. So it's a pretty extensive con­sul­ta­tion process, but I do think it's im­por­tant for me to actually name the folks that I spoke to.

      So Wanbdi Wakita was a really im­por­tant con­tributor to this work. He's a veteran. He's the current grandfather-in-residence at U of M.

      I spoke to Elder Barbara Nepinak, who had a lot of great inputs into the con­ver­sa­tion with this bill.

      Lieutenant-Colonel Jon Baker was another one that I spoke to–former CO with the Camerons, and he does a lot of work with northern health, so he had a real connection to this work.

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Eric Redhead (Thompson): First of all, I want to thank my colleague for bringing this very, very im­por­tant bill forward.

      Manitoba was one of the first provinces in Canada to celebrate Indigenous Veterans Day and has com­memorated their con­tri­bu­tions ever since. Services are held every year to remember their bravery and sacrifices.

      My question to my colleague is: How will they be partici­pating in Indigenous Veterans Day this year?

MLA Pankratz: Thanks for that fantastic question. I want to answer it very quickly so I can speak to a few more of the people that I talked to.

      So I'm really looking forward to joining Randi Gage, actually, and her crew in Riverton for the Indigenous Veterans Day com­memo­ra­tion that they do out there, and it's going to be a wonderful event.

      So I also had the op­por­tun­ity to speak to Chief Warrant Officer Joel Pederson, who's actually the first First Nations person to hold the role of brigade sergeant major, which is absolutely wonderful.

      As I mentioned, Randi Gage has been a huge contributor to this work and was part of the original work, as well, that was done in the '90s.

      Justin Woodcock from Southern Chiefs' Organi­zation–so he is actually the First Nations veterans' co‑ordinator and relentless advocate for veterans in the Indigenous com­mu­nity, who's been fantastic.

      Chief Warrant Officer John Dawson, who's now the RSM for the Rifles, was a–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Bob Lagassé (Dawson Trail): I'd like to thank the member for Waverley (MLA Pankratz) for bringing this legis­lation forward today.

      As he continues to run out of time in his answer, I'd like him to continue to elaborate who he's con­sulted with on this legis­lation.

MLA Pankratz: Yes, I really ap­pre­ciate you giving me the op­por­tun­ity to continue because it really is im­por­tant, again, to speak about the number of people that I had the op­por­tun­ity to sit down with.

      I also spoke with Colonel David Cronk, who's the commander at Shilo. He had a lot of fantastic input in terms of what his members thought about some of this work that we're doing and how sup­port­ive they were, as well.

      And just this past Friday, along with the member of Seine River, I met with SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, who was fantastic and sup­port­ive and actually provided some inputs into some of the words that I shared today.

      Then I also was speaking to a number of educators, to elders in the com­mu­nity beyond this, CAF members generally who are currently serving and–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Redhead: The NDP gov­ern­ment has promised to listen to all Manitobans.

      Indigenous Manitobans made great sacrifices, all to preserve our freedoms and fun­da­mental rights.

      My question to my colleague is: What does Indigenous Veterans Day mean to them?

MLA Pankratz: So I think the best way for me to do this is just to quickly share a story from this past June.

      I know a lot of folks here have heard it a number of times, but I had the honour of travelling to D‑Day com­memo­ra­tions in France with the Premier (Mr. Kinew). And we were walking around at Bény‑sur‑Mer the cemetery, and we ended up bumping into, actually, a young group of Indigenous students from Manitoba who were there looking for relatives who had fought.

      And it was in­cred­ible–there were a huge group of 15‑year‑olds in tears, crying at these graves, and the Premier walked up and it was this moment where they turned around and all of a sudden, the Premier of Manitoba was standing there in front of them. And, you know, tears kept flowing more, and he told this really beautiful story of how they are students now looking at this gravesite–they can say that their–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      The hon­our­able member for Selkirk (Mr. Perchotte)–sorry. The hon­our­able member for Portage la Prairie.

MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Thank you to the hon­our­able member from Waverley for bringing this forward.

      One of the questions that I have is: Will there be edu­ca­tional support in the classrooms to inform our  children about the importance of Indigenous 'veteranerans' day?

MLA Pankratz: It's a fantastic question. I mean, we–our caucus is filled with educators. That's such an im­por­tant part of the work that we're doing as a gov­ern­ment here in Manitoba. And so, by enshrining this in law, ultimately, we get to support further the in­cred­ible work that educators are doing in Manitoba already.

* (10:20)

      So yes, I mean, there will be work that we do in terms of reaching out to educators to see if there are resources that we can provide. Obviously, we know we can't provide funds within a private members' bill, but I will certainly be consulting and speaking with the many educators in our caucus to make sure that that infor­ma­tion is received.

MLA Redhead: Our gov­ern­ment has promised to advance recon­ciliation within the province. By remembering the con­tri­bu­tions of Indigenous veterans, we continue to integrate recon­ciliation into our daily lives.

      My question for my colleague is, how will we continue to support Indigenous veterans in Manitoba?

MLA Pankratz: Thank you for the question.

      I apologize, because I keep running out of time, because there are so many things that I'd love to chat about here today.

      You know, and I was telling this story about our Premier (Mr. Kinew) speaking to those students. Part of this work has to be edu­ca­tion, right, and the late Hon­our­able Murray Sinclair said it: edu­ca­tion got us into this mess, it's going to get us out of it. Right? So the more that we can do in terms of speaking to our young people and bringing things forward that actually shine light on our history, whether that's negative or positive, is always going to be a good thing in my mind.

      And so, as a gov­ern­ment, as a caucus, I know that we're going to continue to–bringing forward legis­lation and bills that support that work.

Mr. Perchotte: To the member opposite, how does this law ensure that the Indigenous veterans and their families receive the proper support and services they require from the prov­incial gov­ern­ment?

MLA Pankratz: Thanks for that question.

      You know, ultimately, a private member's bill can't effect that in that way spe­cific­ally. It's more of a symbolism. But that being said, as a gov­ern­ment, we have been taking steps to ensure that Indigenous com­mu­nities are receiving good health care, good edu­ca­tion. We intro­duced a uni­ver­sal nutrition program, which is also helping with the com­mu­nity.

      So there are a number of things that we can effect through bills. This one spe­cific­ally is a private member's bill. I believe we'll just bring more aware­ness to the day. Although, as you know, and as I said to the member from Portage, we can't attach any sort of funds to a private member's bill. So that won't be spe­cific­ally coming from this legis­lation.

MLA Redhead: This day is to–this day is a day to remember the truth about the courage, bravery and sacrifices our Indigenous veterans have made. All Manitobans deserve to know these truths.

      My question for my colleague is: How will remembering this day let Manitobans learn about Indigenous veterans and their con­tri­bu­tions to our province and country?

MLA Pankratz: Thanks for that question.

      I do just want to quickly finish that story with our Premier, where he was with these students and he  basically told them all–and I'm very much paraphrasing–that their relatives paid the price of admission in this country and they should feel that they are a part of Canada just like anybody else.

      And it was moments like that, and–I'll be completely honest, I've got goosebumps right now, because it was a moment where I was standing there in this space, this hallowed space where veterans from all walks of life had served and died and were buried there. And now we had these young people from Manitoba who are given this new op­por­tun­ity to have  a new perspective on what it is that they can accomplish in this world, in this country.

      And I very much look forward to continuing to bring forward, as I said before, legis­lation–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Lagassé: Once again, thank you to the member for bringing forward this legis­lation.

      Can he talk a bit more of–about some of the roles that our Indigenous veterans have played in fighting for our freedom?

MLA Pankratz: Thank you for that question. I very much ap­pre­ciate that.

      You know, there is–it's a difficult question to talk about when we say, you know, we're going to talk about the history, because a lot of folks in World War I, Indigenous veterans from World War I, World War II, were actually not afforded a lot of the same rights that other Canadians had. And then they went and fought in the war anyway, for our freedoms here. And so, you know, that's a big part of what we're talking about with this bill.

      I mentioned Tommy Prince as a spectacular example of someone who was actually awarded a number of medals for valiant service and then later on came back and did not receive the same treatment as some of his brothers and sisters that he fought with.

      And so I'm hoping that, with this bill, we can continue to speak–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      And the time for questions has also expired.

Debate

The Speaker: The floor is now open for debate.

Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): Thank you to the members in our gallery for attending today. Your presence means a lot here today.

      My career in the military ended 35 years ago, but I'm brought back to the day when I decided to enlist. The decision to stand up and represent your country, to stand up and join the Canadian Armed Forces, is not for everybody, and there's a lot of decisions to be made and lot of things to weigh as to where you want your career to go. Means time away from your family, sacrifice, walking away from your friends and developing a new brotherhood of family within that military.

      A fair amount of testing is done before you can enter into the military, both academic as well as physical testing. And when you take a look at the Armed Forces and the careers that they offer, and we have–I have family members who have become lieutenant colonels in the military serving their whole life, and now part of NATO. It's an in­cred­ible journey that they have. They had the ability to go all over the world and be members repre­sen­ting the Canadian military.

      And the Canadian military is honoured around the world for our peacekeeping, it's–for our training. We've had many different nations come here for training that are provided across our great country. And as people take a look at joining the military, you don't often know this, but it's not an easy pass that you just get in and you finish your basic training and you go on. It's high, rigorous standards that are done.

      And the member from Waverley talked about one of our most famous people, the Indigenous military of–sorry, of Thomas Prince. Thomas Prince was born in my con­stit­uency of Petersfield. He is very well known in the Selkirk area, St. Andrews area, Scanterbury. He is truly a hero. But I was shocked to discover that he applied several times to join the Canadian military and was rejected–rejected over and over and over again. And a large part of that is discrimination, because he was Indigenous.

      And it was only just before the early days of the Second World War that he was accepted, and thank goodness for that, because he made a huge difference for the Canadian military in fighting for what was right. He became an expert marksman. He went on to have 11 medals bestowed for his level of bravery and courage that he showed through­out his career. And there's many, many, many Indigenous war heroes like Mr. Prince.

      But what about the ones that were rejected? The ones that were turned away simply because of racism? These are people who had to make the decision to leave their families to go fight for a country they believed in, and that country turned them away.

      Thank goodness that, for Mr. Prince, that didn't happen. Thank goodness for Canada, and thank good­ness for every member of our province that he represented the future as valiantly as he did. He went on to have a most distinguished career, and one of the things that he had said–and I'll take a look here–is that he was always striving to gain back the respect the Indigenous people should've always had. He was always striving to show the world that the Indigenous people were just as good as any white soldier was.

* (10:30)

      And he proved that over and over, and over and over again, that his excellence and valour wasn't measured by race; it was by the person that was–as a soldier. He moved mountains to show the world what he can do.

      But yet, back in Canada, after he left military service, he again found that he was at the receiving end of racism. He had started a busi­ness which failed while he was away fighting for the Indigenous rights of the people. And when he came back, he realized that he needed to do what he was very good at. He re‑enlisted in the military.

      And it was very sad to find out that in 1977, upon his death, there wasn't a lot of support for him, a true Canadian hero. A true member of our elite military force was some­what forgotten.

      And this bill today says that that is not permitted, that we must look at our Indigenous people and make sure they are registered–

An Honourable Member: Oh my God, they're not our Indigenous. We're not our Indigenous. They don't belong to you.

Mr. Perchotte: They're a part of Canada. [interjection]

The Speaker: The hon­our­able member for Selkirk has the floor.

Mr. Perchotte: Where I come from, we're all brothers and sisters, so they're all part of my family. So when I talk to our Indigenous people in Selkirk, they are part of my brothers and sisterhood. The–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

      We may disagree with what the member is saying and people will have the op­por­tun­ity to put their comments on the record, but hollering across the floor isn't going to fix anything or solve anything.

Mr. Perchotte: While I was in the military and the people that chose to make that their career, and the people coming from all different areas of our provinces, areas of Canada, from coast to coast, all had a very similar story that they wanted to make Canada better. They wanted to move forward and show that they were more than the individuals that they are, that they are collectively a group that would stand for some­thing, stand for the rights of everybody in Canada, stand for freedom, stand for the ability for nations to succeed, and stand in the face of adversity.

      And shocking to find, the Indigenous popu­la­tion found it very difficult not only to get into service, but when they were in service, that they also faced racism on a daily basis. They found it difficult to move forward. And as I mentioned earlier, what about the ones who didn't get the op­por­tun­ity? What did Canada miss out from those potential soldiers who never got the call for service, who never got to take up arms and work with fellow brothers and sisters in the military to make sure that Canada was forefront in their minds and their families' minds?

      And I've met several people who were the pride of the reserve when they got there. There was stories done on them. Several members were coming in: one parti­cular member was looking to become a helicopter pilot and through­out basic training and further training he was followed by more com­muni­cations people and media as to how his career was developing.

      Now it's been 35 years, I don't know if that member is still in the forces or not, but I would hope that they had a tre­men­dous career, as well as–the same as the careers of my family members, my grandfather, my cousins.

      I say to all people in the province that recog­nizing our Indigenous veterans is a great thing. I can't wait for this bill to be passed, and I want to thank the member for bringing this forward.

      Thank you.

MLA Billie Cross (Seine River): I am very proud to rise today to speak in favour of this bill. I had a plan of how I was going to–the way I was going to do this, this morning, but it's changed, and in a good way. I think we're all ex­per­iencing a teachable moment here. So I really hope members opposite pay attention, get off their phones and take an op­por­tun­ity to learn some­thing.

      I'd like to begin by thanking my colleague, the MLA for Waverley, for putting in the work to educate himself about the true history of Canada and the true ex­per­iences of Indigenous veterans. So I want to thank you for that–doing that work. It means every­thing to me. And I know it means very, very much to the folks here that are Indigenous. And I also would like to take this op­por­tun­ity to thank the Indigenous leadership and military leadership that's present here today. Thank you so much for being here and supporting my colleague's bill.

      So as questions were being asked this morning, as the member from Selkirk stood up and spoke, one thing I might–I'm saying this with all due respect–the member opposite should maybe prepare his words more carefully. He doesn't even realize that what he is saying is offensive. And I know that he doesn't do it in an intentional way, which is exactly why we need legis­lation like this to pass this morning, so that folks can educate them­selves on the language that they use that is inappropriate.

      I am an Indigenous person. There are Indigenous people in this room. And I can assure you, I am not yours or yours or yours. And I can assure you, the folks above you agree with me. Now, when you use language–when you use possessive language, it is a micro‑aggression. Folks on the opposite would really benefit from taking some anti‑racist, anti‑oppressive training, so that when they stand up to represent their  con­stit­uents who are both Indigenous and non‑Indigenous, they do it in a respectful manner.

      I am horrified by some of the things that were said this morning. Using the word our–our Indigenous people–is totally inappropriate. It's like me saying our white, old people. I would never say that, because I don't own anybody. I don't possess human beings.

      And so they can heckle me and they can disagree–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order, please.

      I just caution members about when they disagree with what's being said that they still should not be hollering across the Chamber. And I would caution the members very strongly to not be doing that while the member is speaking.

MLA Cross: I am not trying to be disrespectful. But I am very disappointed to hear the language that was–is being used here this morning. It shows a lack of edu­ca­tion. It shows a lack of under­standing. Just because you know an Indigenous person doesn't mean you understand their lived experiences. And you do not get to refer to them in a possessive tense, which is one of the problems that we've had in this country for far too long.

      We have a country built on colonial values and systems that we are trying to move away from those colonial norms. And so we must understand that when a member says things like I am so shocked that they ex­per­ience racism; it is shocking that they were not allowed to partici­pate or volunteer or be accepted. And language like he went back to doing the work he was good at, is just disappointing, when we're talking about one of our greatest military heroes in this country.

      And let me be clear, this is a person who served–who himself–family members would have went to a resi­den­tial school. We have members that serve that their children were probably sitting in resi­den­tial schools while they were performing military service. And those things are due to Canadian gov­ern­ment policy. Policies that were meant to harm Indigenous people, to strip them of their identity, to bring them into mainstream.

* (10:40)

      Member opposite probably doesn't understand that when veterans were denied their rights as any other–Indigenous veterans, I'm talking about–when they were denied the same rights as non‑Indigenous veterans, that was due to gov­ern­ment policy and forced enfranchisement. If you wanted to have your benefits, then you'd better give up your Indigenous identity and become a Canadian and enfranchise into the mainstream.

      What this bill will do today is signal and send a message to everyone that we respect all veterans, Indigenous veterans as well.

      And it's disappointing to see members across chatting and laughing–very disappointing. Especially a member who had the audacity, weeks ago, to stand up and call us bullies because we didn't agree about his belief system where he doesn't include everyone. So maybe members opposite should sit and be respectful for a change. We've had far too much of this in this country and in this space.

      As a teacher–and hopefully the members opposite pay attention, because they asked this question–as a teacher, this Friday is Indigenous Veterans Day. Monday is a holiday, which is Remembrance Day. I guarantee you that every school in Winnipeg is recog­nizing Remembrance Day and Indigenous Veterans Day on Friday. And I know that because I worked in about 20 different schools in this province and in this city. And in the last few years of my teaching career, I was an Indigenous educator that looked after 16 schools. And every single one of those schools partici­pated in Indigenous Veterans Day.

      The work is already being done thanks to Randi Gage, thanks to folks who brought this forward a long, long time ago. And it has taken far too long for this Legislature to recog­nize this officially.

      In closing, what I'd like to say to the members opposite: this isn't a partisan issue. I want to remind everyone, including people from–Manitobans right across the province, the members of the PC Party were all elected under a campaign–they all took their seats knowing that they were elected by people who agreed with their horrific campaign that involved racist tropes against Indigenous people and trans kids.

      Now here's your op­por­tun­ity to run away from your record, to maybe redeem yourself and partici­pate in truth and recon­ciliation in a meaningful way. Don't talk this bill out this morning. Vote yes and let it pass.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

MLA Bob Lagassé (Dawson Trail): Good morning. Today I rise to speak to Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act.

      This bill's passing would mean the eighth day of  November of every year would be dedi­cated to remembering and ap­pre­cia­ting and thanking the Indigenous veterans that have served in the Canadian military.

      I'd like to thank again the member for Waverley (MLA Pankratz), once again, for bringing this bill forward in the House. The member for Waverley mentioned the first Indigenous Veterans Day took place across Canada on November 8, 1993, and our Province was the first to recog­nize Aboriginal Veterans Day on November 8, 1994. It was a unanimous decision in this House on the private members' reso­lu­tion that brought this forward.

      I'm pleased now that it has come before the House and that the member for Waverley is putting forward this bill formally, to recog­nize this most im­por­tant day.

      Bill 227 is a bill that recognizes First Nation, Inuit and Red River Métis veterans and the recog­nition that they deserve. It is a day where we will acknowledge the sacrifice, the courage, the heroism that each one of the Indigenous veterans gave to protect our rights and freedoms.

      November 8th will also be some­what of a sombre day for many people, for many reasons. It is esti­mated that as many as 12,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit people served in the wars of the 20th and–century, and at least 500 of them lost their lives. During the Second World War, 125 Indigenous Manitobans lost their lives.

      Let's also remember that some Indigenous veterans volunteered to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces when they were being denied fun­da­mental rights such as the right to vote. And despite the sacrifice these Indigenous veterans were willing to take, they were not always welcome and treated as heroes when they returned home, and many returned home to nothing. Some were forced to give up their Treaty status, some where not eligible for land grants that were offered to non‑Indigenous soldiers, and others were denied jobs and access to benefits and support programs for veterans.

      Bill 227, Indigenous veterans day, is a step toward showing ap­pre­cia­tion for the sacrifices made and is a step towards all of us acknowledging the dark history. Our Indigenous veterans deserve this day.

      Our First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Manitoba have always played a part in the interest and defence of Canada. There's a long and proud tradition of military service in our country. There are many valuable skills Indigenous people brought with them when they answered the call of duty. The patience, the style and the marksmanship were all traits and–that strengthened the Canadian military.

      Not only did the Indigenous shoulders–soldiers show up for service with skills unmatched at home by their families–at home from their families, their families con­tri­bu­ted immensely by means of donating food, clothing and large sums of money, and allowing access to portions of their reserves for construction of airports and defence installation.

      As written on Bill 223, Indigenous veterans day, and I quote, Indigenous veterans day will provide an op­por­tun­ity to recog­nize the con­tri­bu­tions and sacrifices of Indigenous veterans and sig­ni­fi­cant–and the sig­ni­fi­cant obstacles and prejudices that they had to endure and overcome.

      I find it of the utmost importance to remember some of our Indigenous veterans, and I'll just name a few. Chief George Myran was from Long Plain First Nation; Private Arthur Meeches was from  the Long Plain First Nation; Warrant Officer Julian Houle from the Ebb and Flow First Nation; Vince Henderson, a member of the Pinaymootang First Nation; Lionel Daniels from Peguis First Nation; Herbert Daniels from Long Plain First Nation. Alfred  Chartrand from Skownan First Nation; Norman Thomas Beauchamp from Long Plain First Nation. Donald R. Catcheway from Skownan First Nation; Daniel Black, a member of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation; Corporal Melvin Swan, Lake Manitoba–of Lake Manitoba First Nation. Elliot Ratt from Peguis First Nation; Rufus Prince from Long Plain First Nation; Michael Pashe, born in Old Sioux Village; Randi Susan Gage, an Ojibway woman, from Winnipeg, Manitoba; Sargent Donald Vernon Houle from Sandy Bay First Nation; Felix Ambrose Fontaine, born in Sagkeeng First Nation; Leon Xavier Fontaine, born in Sagkeeng First Nation; Mervin Clarke from Hollow Water First Nation; Tommy George Prince from Brokenhead First Nation.

      In Winnipeg, there is Sergeant Tommy Prince–Sergeant Prince Tommy–sorry, excuse me. In Winnipeg, there is a Sergeant Tommy Prince memorial that is dedi­cated to the memory of Sergeant Tommy Prince. Sergeant Tommy Prince is one of the Canada's most decorated Indigenous war veterans. He was awarded a total of 11 medals for his service. He fought in the Second World War and the Korean War. He was also deployed in the Battle of Kapyong, which his battalion was subsequently awarded the United States president unit citation for its distinguished service. Other awards included the military medal of America, Silver Star for gallantry; Korean medal; United Nations service medal and the Canadian service medal.

      Bill 223, Indigenous veterans day, recognizes those like the individuals listed above: the ones we lost during battle, the ones who returned but are no longer with us, the ones who are served and are still with us, and the ones who are currently serving.

      History shows that Indigenous veterans have served in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 19–I  mean, in 1759, and more than 4,000 Indigenous served during the First World War from 1914 to 1918. In September 1939, the Second World War began. By March 1940, most–more than 100 Indigenous people volunteered, and by the end of the conflict, there were over 3,000 First Nation members, as well, an unknown of Métis and Inuit recruits.

* (10:50)

      As a Métis man, I am honoured to stand here today and put a few words on the record for Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act. I would also like to thank the member, once again–for Waverley, for bringing forward this bill, and I'm happy to support the member on the passing of this bill.

      We should all use this time to reflect on the commit­ment and courage our Indigenous veterans–of our Indigenous veterans, and to remember those sacrifices–those who sacrificed their lives for our peace of mind and our freedom.

Some Honourable Members: Question.

The Speaker: My mistake. I'm sorry.

Introduction of Guests

The Speaker: Before recog­nizing the next speaker, I have some guests in the gallery I'd like to intro­duce.

      We have 20 grade 3 and 4 students from Gladstone School in the con­stit­uency of Fort Rouge, and they're only here for a short time, so please join me in welcoming them to our Chamber.

* * *

The Speaker: The hon­our­able Minister of Families.

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Minister of Families): I just want to get up and say a couple of–put a couple of words on the record this morning in respect of my colleague's really im­por­tant private members' bill, and offer my support on this bill passing second reading this morning.

      First and foremost, I want to acknowledge all of our relatives that are in the gallery today, and a parti­cular acknowledgement of Gage for all of the hard work that she's done over the years. Her and I have known each other for, I don't know, 25, 30 years–and I've always had an enormous amount of respect for her and I want to acknowledge her in the House today for all of the work that she's done. And to each and every one of you that are in the gallery. Miigwech for being here.

      I don't want to take up too much time so that we can allow a vote on this second reading of this bill. I just wanted to get up this morning to acknowledge my grandfather.

      My grandfather, Henry Charles Fontaine, who I  have spoken about a couple of times in this Chamber, was a member of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. I've shared that my grandfather was 16 when he was released from the Fort Alexander resi­den­tial school in our reserve in Sagkeeng, and my grandfather was 17 when he enlisted. And from what we've been told, he lied on his application or whoever he spoke to and said he was 18–but actually, he was only 17 and he enlisted very soon after leaving resi­den­tial school.

      And he shares this story–he shared this story with us that the day that he was leaving Sagkeeng to be–to go out, he went to the resi­den­tial school to be able to say goodbye to his siblings. And the priest at the school told him he wasn't allowed to say goodbye to his siblings, one of whom was only five–she had just started resi­den­tial school.

      My grandfather was actually on the second wave of D‑Day and, very soon, was captured by the Nazis. And for our family, we have a really, really hard time talking about it because he only would've been, like, 18, and I just can't even imagine my own sons. And the story is that he was running and running and running for miles and kilometres to try and escape the Nazis, and he was captured by the Nazis.

      And in September 29 of 1944, my great‑grandmother, Elizabeth [phonetic] Fontaine, received this notice, and it says–it was sent to her and it said: the minister of National Defence now wishes to inform you that infor­ma­tion has been received through indirect channels that H1168 Private Henry Charles Fontaine, previously reported missing, is now a prisoner of war at Stalag VIII B–prisoner of war.

      And this is what we're talking about here today, to ensure that Indigenous veterans are given their due recog­nition–and that's why this bill is so im­por­tant.

      So much of Indigenous people's con­tri­bu­tions to the freedoms that we enjoy here in Canada have gone unnoticed, unacknowledged. And today is a day that in Manitoba we can rectify that.

      For the members opposite who get in–get up in this House, day in and day out, and say that they believe in recon­ciliation or they believe in the respect of Indigenous peoples, here is a day to actually action it. It's not enough anymore in 2024 to say I believe in recon­ciliation but not action that language.

      So, in honour of my grandfather, in honour of all of the folks that are in the Chamber, in honour of all of our relatives who were never given their due, I hope that members opposite will stand up in the House and unanimously pass this bill to second reading.

      Miigwech.

MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Thank you very much for giving me the op­por­tun­ity to speak on this today. Thank you to the member from Waverley for bringing this im­por­tant act forward.

      The Indigenous Veterans Day Act is an im­por­tant legis­lative recog­nition of Indigenous veterans in Canada. Observed on November 8th, it honours the Indigenous men and women who served in various conflicts, protecting freedoms and values Canadians cherish today.

      This act amends The Com­memo­ra­tion of Days, Weeks and Months Act to create a designated day that recognizes Indigenous con­tri­bu­tions to the Armed Forces. While many Indigenous veterans served with valour and distinction, their con­tri­bu­tions often went unrecognized for years. Indigenous veterans day helps rectify this by offering specific day for Canadians to remember and honour their sacrifices.

      I just wanted to mention today, I wanted to say the names and recog­nize two members from the com­mu­nity–from the con­stit­uency that I represent.

      Michael Pashe: He was born in Old Sioux Village and was a Canadian–in the Canadian Army from 1944 to 1946. Before his army service, he attended a resi­den­tial school. For his service, he received the France and Germany star medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp for his service.

      He later went on to be chief of Dakota Tipi First Nation in 1970. Michael Pashe was seen in a power­ful voice and a role model for Dakota nations in Manitoba.

      I also want to recog­nize Rufus Prince, who was a Second World War veteran.

      Thank you so much, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Some Hon­our­able Members: Question.

The Speaker: Is the House ready for the question?

      The question before the House is second reading of Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act (Commemo­ra­tion of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended).

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): Yes, I would request a recorded vote, please.

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been requested.

      In accordance with rule 24(7), a division requested during private members' hour must be deferred to private members' hour the following Thursday. The deferred vote shall take place at 11:55 a.m. on Thursday and shall not be further deferred.

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Is it the will of the House to call it 11 a.m.?

The Speaker: Is it the will of the House to call it 11 a.m.? [Agreed]

Resolutions

Res. 27–National Youth Climate Corps

The Speaker: The hour being 11 a.m., it's now time for private members' reso­lu­tions.

      The private members' reso­lu­tion before us this morning is reso­lu­tion 27, National Youth Climate Corps, brought forward by the hon­our­able member for Lagimodière.

Mr. Tyler Blashko (Lagimodière): I move, seconded by the member for Radisson (MLA Dela Cruz),

WHEREAS climate change is an existential threat that should be taken seriously by all levels of government; and

WHEREAS climate change is already impacting Manitobans today with rising temperatures, extreme weather events, wildfires, and other threats to the air, water, and land; and

WHEREAS Manitoba has historically been a leader in supporting green jobs, such as through the 97% renewable electricity grid; and

WHEREAS encouraging youth and young adults to pursue opportunities in the low-carbon economy will be essential in doing the province's part to combat climate change; and

WHEREAS support from the Federal Government is critical to boost the availability of sus­tain­able jobs for young Manitobans; and

WHEREAS young Canadians have historically shown tremendous leadership during times of uncertainty and are now calling for the opportunity to work to address the climate crisis; and

WHEREAS many young Manitobans want to work in green jobs, but do not see an outlet available for their effort and enthusiasm; and

WHEREAS youth across Canada have been cam­paigning for the creation of a National Youth Climate Corps; and

WHEREAS a Youth Climate Corps would fund thousands of both climate mitigation and adaptation jobs that will help communities prepare for, respond to, and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change; and

WHEREAS a Youth Climate Corps would bolster Manitoba's mitigation and adaptation capacity, empower young people to enter green careers, and lead the low-carbon economy into the future.

      THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba be urged to call upon the federal gov­ern­ment to support the work of the National Youth Climate Corps.

* (11:00)

Motion presented.

Mr. Blashko: I'm very lucky to stand in this Chamber and speak to not only one of the most pressing concerns of our time but also an im­por­tant part of the solution to that problem. The climate crisis overlays every­thing. We see rising temperatures, air pollution, floods in Spain, hurricanes on the east coast and wildfires right here in Manitoba.

      After seven and a half years of climate inaction from the former PC gov­ern­ment, our NDP gov­ern­ment is committed to protecting our lands and waters for Manitobans. Youth here in Manitoba and across the country are ready and willing to do their part to address climate change.

      I need to thank the grassroots activists who met with members of our caucus and are joining us today in the gallery. Young people recog­nize the urgency of this work and see their future successes intertwined with how seriously we collectively take the threat of climate change.

      A Youth Climate Corps would provide green jobs that prepare the workforce for a net-zero carbon emission economy. Youth would be trained in emergency response, strengthening com­mu­nity infra­structure and greenhouse gas mitigation. A national Youth Climate Corps program would fund thousands of well‑paying green jobs, boosting the economy. This is why we urge the federal gov­ern­ment to support the national Youth Climate Corps.

MLA Robert Loiselle, Acting Speaker, in the Chair

      So I come from a back­ground of edu­ca­tion, I work with young people, and one of the frameworks we often used, and it's probably familiar to some in the Chamber today, is the Circle of Courage. And I think it's relevant to this context and to this reso­lu­tion we're talking about, because I think it will take a great amount of courage for us to meet this moment and for youth to play their role, and clearly they want to play this role, so I thank them for that.

      The Circle of Courage is a way to look at how we can be suc­cess­ful, how we can meet the moment and how we can support those in our com­mu­nity to do the best they can. And while I used it with students, I think it's applicable to me in my life and probably members in the Chamber as well.

      So the Circle of Courage involves four quadrants: belonging, which, for me, belonging in this context is us saying, you have a place in solving this problem, this issue of climate change, youth have a role and they're wanting to engage in it; the second quadrant would be in­de­pen­dence, where they are given the space to engage in this topic, whether it's ap­prentice­ships, whether it's internships; and then it's mastery, really fine-tuning those skills that they can use towards really addressing climate change with their parti­cular passions and talents; and the fourth–and, honestly, it's the most im­por­tant for me–is the concept of generosity, of giving back to com­mu­nity, and I think that's what the Youth Climate Corps is really about. It's about service, it's about youth wanting to play that active role and contribute in addressing this issue.

      So Manitobans are well positioned to take on this challenge and embrace the Youth Climate Corps. Our gov­ern­ment is creating more blue‑collar jobs and em­pha­sizing our clean energy economy through strategic invest­ments in clean tech­no­lo­gies, sus­tain­able energy and critical mineral dev­elop­ment. One year into our mandate, there are im­por­tant invest­ments to point to that align with the vision of the Youth Climate Corps.

      So let's talk about geothermal. We're developing a clean heat strategy that includes geothermal for new and existing homes. We are prioritizing heat pumps for home heating and exploring district geothermal energy systems.

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, I'd love to talk a little bit about Lake Winnipeg. We understand the ecological importance of Lake Winnipeg to the lifeways of Manitobans. We are strengthening The Environ­ment Act to look at how mechanisms like fines can be used to intervene sooner when problems arise. We also recently imple­mented Manitoba's first-ever formal nutrient target regula­tion for Lake Winnipeg and its tributaries.

      Let's talk about green manu­facturing jobs. Our NDP gov­ern­ment helps support the creation of 400 low‑carbon manufacturing jobs at New Flyer Industries. Hon­our­able Speaker, this supports their all‑Canadian‑build facility to manufacture, finish and service zero emission buses in Canada, for the Canadian market and esta­blish a national heavy equip­ment vehicle innovation centre of excellence.

      I'm really excited to talk about wind energy. For the first time in the province's history, the Manitoba Affordable Energy Plan solidifies gov­ern­ment policy to include Indigenous‑owned utilities scale wind energy gen­era­tion. I want us to take a moment and appre­ciate that future.

      Indigenous gov­ern­ments will be building green energy infra­structure at a scale where our prov­incial gov­ern­ment would acquire meaningful amounts of energy from these Indigenous‑owned utilities.

      This is a gov­ern­ment-to-gov­ern­ment part­ner­ship that benefits all Manitobans and is an im­por­tant piece of economic recon­ciliation.

      I'd also love to talk about the Seal River Watershed Alliance. The Seal River Watershed is one of our largest ecological pristine watersheds. The Indigenous‑led alliance has been working towards having the watershed recog­nized as an Indigenous protected land. This is an im­por­tant part of our commit­ment to preserve 30 per cent of Manitoba's lands and waters by 2030.

      All of these projects that I've listed are prime examples of where a green economy can flourish and a Youth Climate Corps would enhance. Ultimately, all of these pieces lead to good, green jobs and a future for Manitoba's youth, where they want to stay and build their lives right here in Manitoba. And isn't that what we all want? To help build a com­mu­nity and province where people want to stay and they can see them­selves being suc­cess­ful over the long term?

      Manitobans now have a gov­ern­ment actively partnering with other levels of gov­ern­ment, com­mu­nity organi­zations and researchers coming together to build Manitoba–a Manitoba for all of us and those that will come after us. Whether it's $10 million to support Manitoba's emission reduction commit­ments under the pan-Canadian framework on growth and climate change or $10 million for waste water infra­structure in Winnipeg, our NDP gov­ern­ment is a willing partner and is looking to work for a green future that meets all of our needs.

      Manitobans are on the other side of seven and a half dark years for the environ­ment, under the former PC gov­ern­ment. They slashed the environ­ment and climate de­part­ment, defunded environ­mental organi­zations and cut environ­mental testing and monitoring. All of us in this Chamber know of a flood, drought, wildfire or other extreme weather event that has impacted our com­mu­nities.

      Imagine having enthusiastic young workers present, working to mitigate that damage, reaching out to isolated community members. These are–these aren't unskilled jobs, and for the record, there are no unskilled jobs–all jobs are skilled.

      Youth will be building infra­structure, developing com­mu­nity plans, applying scientific research, deepening their under­standing of Indigenous ways of knowing and parts of teams responding to weather emergencies.

      These are all experiences and skills that will serve them and their com­mu­nities in the future, whether they go to–whether they go on to further their studies, remain in public service or enter private industry.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, while there is clearly con­crete projects and change that will happen through the Youth Climate Corps, there's also an intangible aspect to this. This is an op­por­tun­ity to move from a state of anxiety to agency.

      Many folks, but young people parti­cularly, are unsure what the future holds for them. This is impacting where they choose to live, if they study, whether they have kids. Moving past the anxiety and the over­whelming feeling that can come from living in the current climate realities and having a place to put that energy to play a part–of being–to play a part in being solution‑focused. That can be life‑changing.

      Me and my colleague from Riel had an op­por­tun­ity to join a celebration at a local United Church a few weeks ago. The local com­mu­nity there, 18 months ago they decided they were going to do what they could. So they entered onto this pathway of geothermal heating. And so after 18 months, they were able to say that they will be fossil‑fuel free in the coming weeks.

      And it was a great celebration. And they recog­nize that this one initiative wasn't going to change the greater pathway that we're all on. But they did need to do what they could. They needed to be able to look to the young people in their lives and say, we took some­thing on. And they recog­nize the value of collective action.

      This is what the Youth Climate Corps is all about: unleashing the potential, the talents and the energy of youth to contribute to solving the wicked problems we're facing. It will take all of us doing what we can, and so I want to thank the members of the Youth Climate Corps Manitoba and everyone working to protect our environ­ment so that it can be enjoyed for future gen­era­tions.

* (11:10)

      I hope to see all of us enthusiastically support this reso­lu­tion for us here in the Chamber and for future gen­era­tions.

      Thank you, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker.

Questions

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): A question period of up to 10 minutes will be held, and questions may be addressed in the following sequence: the first question may be asked by a member from another party; any subsequent question must follow a rotation between parties; each independent member may ask one question. And no question or answer shall exceed 45 seconds.

      The floor is open for questions. [interjection] Yes, pardon.

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): Thank you to the member opposite for bringing forward this reso­lu­tion.

      And my question is: What does the member for Lagimodière consider a climate job, green career? And what skills are needed? And who will be teaching those skills to these young folks?

Mr. Tyler Blashko (Lagimodière): I thank the member opposite for the question.

      And the great thing about this initiative is how vast it could be. These could be jobs, like, for high school students part time, these could be jobs right out of high school, these could be ap­prentice­ships, these could be research part­ner­ships with uni­ver­sities, these could be ap­prentice­ships in the trades. There's great op­por­tun­ities, because the problem is so complicated, there's so many parts to the solution, so it'll involve jobs at all levels of skill and ex­per­ience.

MLA Mike Moyes (Riel): Ensuring that our environ­ment is protected so that future gen­era­tions can enjoy it is a priority for our gov­ern­ment. After seven and a half years of neglect, our prov­incial gov­ern­ment is resetting the relationship with environ­mental organi­zations, activists and experts.

      My question for my colleague is: What inspired you to bring this reso­lu­tion forward?

Mr. Blashko: There are many reasons the team and I brought this reso­lu­tion forward today, and I want to thank the member for Radisson (MLA Dela Cruz) for all her work on this reso­lu­tion.

      A sig­ni­fi­cant part of us bringing forward this reso­lu­tion is building bridges with grassroots activ­ists. Youth are very passionate about this issue, and so they brought forward solutions and we want to support these young people, these activists, these com­mu­nity members, and be a listening gov­ern­ment that is responsive to their needs.

Mr. Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): Can the member for Lagimodière tell the House today why the NDP gov­ern­ment cut $4 million from this year's Green Team budget? And can he also indicate to the House if the NDP gov­ern­ment will be restoring this funding in Budget 2025, put more youth back to work in green jobs right here in Manitoba?

Mr. Blashko: I thank the member opposite for that question.

      After seven and a half years of PC cuts, I believe we won't be taking any lessons from members opposite. We're restoring funding to an–im­por­tant environ­mental organi­zations, which I did not mention earlier, but there were many environ­mental organi­zations, com­mu­nity‑based experts, looking to make positive impacts on climate change, and their funding was pulled by former gov­ern­ment under the Heather Stefanson and her Cabinet and members. So we will take no lessons from them on this issue.

      Thank you, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker.

MLA Moyes: A key principle of our gov­ern­ment's energy policy is tied to the creation of green, sus­tain­able jobs. We see the value of green initiatives, as they're essential to Manitoba's economy.

      My question is, how is our gov­ern­ment creating more green jobs for Manitobans?

Mr. Blashko: I want to thank my colleague from Riel for the question.

      One of the cornerstones of building energy capacity here in Manitoba is ensuring that we put hard‑working Manitobans front and centre, so our affordable energy plan does just 'thas'–that, and it'll create more blue‑collar jobs in the next phase of energy transition. Already, we've supported the creation of 400 low‑carbon jobs at New Flyer Industries, and our plan will build off of this progress.

      And as I said earlier, isn't that what we want? Creating jobs, creating futures for young people, where they want to stay and they can stay in Manitoba, where they're earning a good living and contributing to their com­mu­nity and contributing to the future through these–

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): The member's time is expired.

Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Turtle Mountain): Can the member for Lagimodière (Mr. Blashko) say why the NDP cut the Building Sus­tain­able Com­mu­nities program in half to $12.5 million and then rebrand it? What, when–will the NDP restoring this funding back in two–and for the Budget 2025 and put more youth to–in jobs at work? It's im­por­tant that–Building Sustinable Com­mu­nities did provide a lot of youth em­ploy­ment in especially rural Manitoba.

Mr. Blashko: We're proud of the em­ploy­ment op­por­tun­ities we're putting forward for Manitobans. We have–we listed the New Flyer jobs.

      I'd like to talk more about the wind energy futures that exist here in Manitoba. There's exciting an­nounce­ments coming from the MMF, the Manitoba Métis Federation, about their wind energy cor­por­ation. And our gov­ern­ment is excited to put young people to work in this renewable energy sector alongside our Indigenous partners at the MMF.

      Thank you.

MLA Moyes: Manitobans understand that we live in difficult times as it pertains to the environ­ment. From droughts to shorter winters, people can see the effects of climate change all around them. It's why our NDP gov­ern­ment's committed to action.

      My question for my colleague is: What are some of the environ­mental initiatives that our gov­ern­ment is committed to fulfilling?

Mr. Blashko: Manitobans want their gov­ern­ment to be part of creating climate solutions, and we're proud of that.

      In the year that we've had the honour of forming gov­ern­ment, we've made progress in our commit­ment to achieving net‑zero targets by 2050. This includes supporting a collection of climate and sus­tain­ability initiatives by restoring funding to environ­mental organi­zations that the PCs cut. These part­ner­ships are going to be integral as we move forward towards greenhouse gas emission reductions and other climate change adaptation programs.

      Thank you, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): The member for Red River North.

Mr. Jeff Wharton (Red River North): Thank you, hon­our­able acting–no, assist­ant Speaker–

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): Deputy.

Mr. Wharton: Thank you. Deputy Speaker–right.

      Question I have for the member and, again, I thank him for bringing this bill forward–or this reso­lu­tion forward. Programs like The Green Team that were cut by your gov­ern­ment, the NDP gov­ern­ment, provided more imme­diate proven op­por­tun­ities for youth to be involved in green jobs.

      Would the member consider, perhaps, maybe looking at building initial–or existing infra­structure, instead of creating an NDP boondoggle going forward?

Mr. Blashko: I'm happy to talk about green teams, actually, because it is a model for what a Youth Climate Corps could look like.

      There's all kinds of models used through­out Canada for getting young people into the job market–it's green teams; it's Canada Summer Jobs; it's also programs like Katimavik that have existed since the '70s. So there's all kinds of models that the federal gov­ern­ment can pull from to ensure that a Youth Climate Corps is meeting the needs in com­mu­nities.

MLA Moyes: We know that Manitobans will make the carbon‑friendly choice when it's affordable to do so.

      My question for my colleague is: How can we ensure that we're bringing Manitobans along as we transition to the low‑carbon economy?

* (11:20)

Mr. Blashko: Our gov­ern­ment is making historical part­ner­ships as our affordable energy plan formalizes into gov­ern­ment policy. Indigenous‑owned utility scale resource supplies through the creation of gov­ern­ment-to-gov­ern­ment part­ner­ships, as I mentioned earlier, with Indigenous nations, in wind gen­era­tion, with the MMF.

      This plan will benefit all Manitobans, and it will mean greener Manitoba jobs, building our energy capacity and helps to keep our rates low, because affordability is also an issue that we take very seriously as the gov­ern­ment of Manitoba.

Ms. Byram: We all know that spending deficits and debt are at an all‑time high here in Manitoba under this NDP gov­ern­ment, as well as the Liberal gov­ern­ment in Ottawa.

      Does this gov­ern­ment really need to be increasing bureaucracy and taxes for this new program?

Mr. Blashko: Thank you to the member opposite for that question.

      And I ap­pre­ciate how it is difficult for members opposite to really envision a world where gov­ern­ments invest in people, invest in youth. But that's some­thing that we're committed to.

      We see invest­ment paying off in the long term. Not only in terms of people's lifespan–like, if we–if I talk about, say, the prenatal benefit or the nutrition program, that'll pay off over the lifespan of someone and their families. But we're also talking about the climate, some­thing that we can impact in a very meaningful way for decades and centuries from now.

      So yes, we believe in investing in people and youth.

      Thank you, hon­our­able Deputy Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): The time for questions has expired.

Debate

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): The floor is now open for debate.

Mr. Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): Today I rise to express 'deef'–deep concerns about this NDP reso­lu­tion, which supports the formation of a national Youth Climate Corps, moved today by the MLA for Lagimodière.

      At face value, this proposal claims to create jobs for young Manitobans and address climate change, but I urge my colleagues to look beyond the surface. Beneath its idealistic promises lies a costly, dupli­cative and bureaucratic proposal with no clear plan for funding or measurable impact. This reso­lu­tion risks becoming a burden on Manitobans and their wallets, while ignoring esta­blished, effective programs that already support our youth in meaningful, green careers.

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, let's first address the corps proposal. The reso­lu­tion calls for the federal gov­ern­ment to create a national Youth Climate Corps, arguing that climate change is an urgent crisis that requires imme­diate action. We all agree that climate change is an issue of great importance. However, instead of building on suc­cess­ful existing programs, the NDP want to create an entirely new Crown cor­por­ation. This would come at an enormous cost, one that Manitobans will ultimately pay without a clear sense of the out­comes we're supposed to expect.

      The cost of similar initiatives has been staggering. Take, for example, the proposed US climate corps, which would require a massive $8‑billion budget to create 50,000 jobs. That's an average of $160,000 per job. Are we truly prepared to see similar costs here in Canada?

      Do we believe Manitobans want another expen­sive federal Crown cor­por­ation with such uncertain financial commitments?

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, I believe the answer is no. Manitobans cannot afford to foot the bill for yet another federally funded entity with vague objectives and an unclear path to success.

      Manitobans are already feeling the weight of high taxes, parti­cularly through the carbon tax, which dis­propor­tion­ately affects rural com­mu­nities, families and low‑income households. Adding a new Crown cor­por­ation to this equation will 'inetivably' drive costs higher, making life even more unaffordable.

      A majority of Canadians support action on climate, but not at the expense of everyday afford­ability. Manitobans should not be forced to choose between environ­mental action and their financial well‑being.

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, the federal NDP has yet to define what qualifies as, and I quote, climate job. Are we talking about wildfire fighting, trail maintenance, com­mu­nity cleanups or environ­mental edu­ca­tion? Without clear definitions, this Youth Climate Corps lacks direction. How can we expect to inspire youth and create genuine green job opportunities without a solid vision? Instead of clarity, all we have is a vague promise to, and I quote, do something. Manitobans deserve specifics, not slogans.

      Manitobans already have suc­cess­ful programs that provide youth with jobs in green industries, such  as the Green Team program. Yet, instead of supporting this esta­blished initiative, this NDP gov­ern­ment slashed its funding.

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, these actions have con­se­quences. Youth un­em­ploy­ment in Manitoba has climbed drastically from 9.9 per cent in June to 11.4 per cent in August, a direct result of these cuts.

      If the NDP genuinely cared about youth em­ploy­ment and climate action, why would they underfund programs that have a proven track record? Why are they, along with their federal cousins, pushing for a costly new federal program, when prov­incial solutions are readily available?

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, the very suc­cess­ful Progressive Conservative gov­ern­ment's Building Sus­tain­able Com­mu­nities program suffered similar treatment. Upon assuming office, the NDP gov­ern­ment promptly cut the program budget by half, choosing instead to rebrand it with a new name.

      These cuts directly impacted–directly impact Manitoba's youth and under­mine the Province's green initiatives. Instead of focusing on this new proposal, why aren't we reinvesting in these existing programs? Programs that are already familiar to our com­mu­nities and can be strengthened today without the need for a new federal Crown cor­por­ation.

      Let's head west and let's look to our neighbours in British Columbia who esta­blished a Youth Climate Corps with prov­incial funding. By partnering with local organi­zations and working their own prov­incial framework, they were able to expand job op­por­tun­ities without the creation of a federal bureaucracy. If the NDP is serious about green jobs and youth en­gage­ment, why haven't they pursued a similar approach here in Manitoba? Why are they relying solely on federal inter­ven­tion when local solutions could achieve these goals more efficiently?

      Another con­cern­ing aspect of this proposal is its potential to displace existing jobs, parti­cularly in Manitoba's natural resource sector. These industries are vital to our economy, and any initiative that threatens jobs in these areas risks undermining our province's stability. The proposal fails to address these potential impacts, and as a result, it raises serious questions about the NDP's regard for the working people of Manitoba. Our province cannot afford to pit green jobs against resource sector jobs, especially when both sectors are essential to our future.

      The NDP's failure to release a meaningful emissions reduction plan for Manitoba undermines the credibility of their climate promises. How can Manitoba trust a party that talks about climate leadership, yet fails to deliver concrete goals and actions? Before proposing new programs, the NDP should esta­blish clear emissions targets and outline a com­pre­hen­sive plan for achieving them. Manitobans deserve trans­par­ency, not empty promises. The NDP must show they are committed to real progress, not merely symbolic gestures.

      We all want to see Manitobans, parti­cularly our youth, benefit from stable, well‑paying jobs that contribute to sus­tain­able futures. But creating a new Crown cor­por­ation isn't the way to accomplish this. Rather than expanding gov­ern­ment bureaucracy, let's encourage private sector part­ner­ships. Many companies in Manitoba are already taking environ­mental action as part of their cor­por­ate respon­si­bility efforts. Instead of duplicating these efforts, let's support and expand them.

      For example, Efficiency Manitoba, the Canada Service Corps and the Green Team are all existing programs that have suc­cess­fully provided green job op­por­tun­ities for youth. Reinvesting in these initia­tives could imme­diately put young Manitobans at work while simultaneously advancing our climate goals. We must not forget that the simplest solutions are often the most effective.

* (11:30)

Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh.

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): Order. Order. Order. Order.

      Like to remind all members that I'd like to hear the debate that's going on this morning.

      The hon­our­able member for Riding Mountain (Mr. Nesbitt).

Mr. Nesbitt: Polling data indicates moderate support among younger Canadians for the idea of a climate corps. But this support lacks a contest–context of the financial burden it would place on taxpayers. Many may support the idea of climate action in principle, but are they prepared for the financial impact?

      Let's remember that 40 per cent of federal Conservative voters in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are opposed to this idea. As public servants, we owe it to Manitobans to approach climate solutions with fiscal respon­si­bility and to consider all voices, not just those who align with NDP ideology.

      Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, this Youth Climate Corps proposal is a misguided attempt to addressed–an im­por­tant issue. It risks raising taxes, displacing jobs and duplicating existing programs that have served Manitobans well. If the NDP is truly committed to climate action, they should 'focunus' on strengthening and expanding our current green initiatives rather than creating costly new bureaucracies.

      Let's be clear, climate change is a serious issue. But Manitobans deserve solutions that are respon­si­ble, sus­tain­able and affordable. We need targeted, thoughtful policies that work for all Manitobans without adding to their tax burden or risking jobs in key industries.

      This is a time for unity and practical action, not divisive partisan initiatives. Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, Manitobans deserve a gov­ern­ment that prioritizes their well‑being and respects their hard‑earned dollars. Creating a national Youth Climate Corps may sound appealing but it is a costly distraction from the real work we need to do. If we want true climate action, let's start by restoring funding to programs that are already proven, supporting Manitoba's green workforce and building part­ner­ships that don't rely on yet another federal Crown cor­por­ation.

      Thank you.

MLA Jelynn

Dela Cruz

 (Radisson): Hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to rise today because I cannot stand to listen to somebody telling me, a young person, how young people can be put to work.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, there were questions raised by the other side about whether or not Manitobans can afford to take climate action. Now they say that Manitobans can't afford to take climate action. Well, Manitobans could not afford a gov­ern­ment that could not say the words climate change is real.

      I am grateful for my colleague, the hon­our­able member for Lagimodière (Mr. Blashko) for his willingness to champion this reso­lu­tion. It's because of him that today we have a chance to shine the spotlight on young people and the potential that rests within our gen­era­tion on the subject of climate change.

      The Youth Climate Corps is a national move­ment, a national movement that is waiting for elected officials like us to acknowledge–to acknow­ledge the work that they are doing and the work that they are leading, from the grassroots up, to fight climate change.

      And what is gov­ern­ment here for? Gov­ern­ment is here, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, to do the big things that we can't do alone. And one of those big things is tackling the climate crisis. Climate change is an issue of justice, of fairness and of equity. Those who have been–who have con­tri­bu­ted the least to its causes–the young, the poor, the marginalized–are those who will suffer the most.

      Young people in Manitoba have been raised to know no other context but climate change. All we know about nature has been deforestation, the threat to our lakes, the strain of our lungs, the destruction of  national–or natural ecosystems and declining biodiversity. Though I know that these things, though devastating, they're–they come with privilege. In other places of the world, young people face even more extreme con­se­quences of the climate crisis. It's a humanitarian issue, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker.

      Young people across the world are being stripped of their homes by floods and turned into refugees. Young people across the world are watching their siblings become a shell of what they used to be, because their food supply disintegrated into thin air. Young people like us have no choice but to take action. And so when members opposite say that Manitobans can't afford to take climate action, they don't know what they're talking about, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      They have not had to be displaced by the weather, by natural forces. They have not had to have their food supply stripped of them. And they have not had to listen to the stories of those who are immuno-compromised and what the weather and the changing tides in our atmosphere mean to them.

      History gives us a precedent. Young people in every gen­era­tion have historically stepped up to face the challenges of the world. Young people are known to put the work–put in the work to build a better future for those who come next. And young people find purpose in serving our com­mu­nities. We're ready to be put to work.

      During World War II, Canada's popu­la­tion was just over 11 million. Facing the rise of fascism and a global threat to demo­cracy, more than 1 million Canadians signed up to defend our freedom. About 64 per cent of those Canadians who enlisted during the second World War were under the age of 21.

      At the start of the COVID‑19 pandemic, it was young people who enlisted on the front lines in our hospitals, care homes and vac­cina­tion super sites. It was young people creating space for mental health. It was young people calling everyone in for the greater good.

      And in each of these occasions, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, young people weren't turned away when they wanted to help. So what makes the climate crisis any different?

      For decades, experts have been sounding the alarms of climate change. While the current efforts are sub­stan­tial, scientists, experts and many policy makers know that climate change solutions–the adaptation and mitigation efforts–they need to be expanded and imple­mented at a large scale. We need a massive under­taking to address the generational threat of climate change.

      And that's why gov­ern­ment is here. Like I said earlier, it exists to do the big things together that we can't do alone. And the Youth Climate Corps, once again, is just that. The Youth Climate Corps Program would fund thousands of climate mitigation and adaptation jobs, which would provide young Canadians with training and meaningful em­ploy­ment while building com­mu­nities' resilience to the effects of climate change, creating a more sus­tain­able economy and conserving and restoring natural ecosystems for future gen­era­tions.

      Polling among Canadian adults aged 18 to 35 who would be eligible for the program showed 84 per cent support or can accept a Youth Climate Corps Program; 65 per cent would consider enrolling for 2 years. And so, again, when members opposite say that this is isn't what Manitobans want, folks across the country are ready to hop on board.

      Young people across Manitoba, across Canada and across the world are calling for justice, for fairness, for equity. We are marching, we are boy­cotting, we are shouting at the tops of our lungs for gov­ern­ments and policy makers to take meaningful action to address climate change.

      Though, hon­our­able Speaker, not every­thing needs to be a tug of war. We have an op­por­tun­ity today for all members of this Legislature, regardless of your political stripes, to acknowledge climate change; to vote not with your bloc but with your conscience; to vote to allow young people to lead us down a path to a future where we too can live to your age; where we too can have things that we can still reap from the land; and where we too can play outside with our grandchildren.

      So, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, I urge members of this House to put young people to work. We may not have been around for every step of the problem, but we are eager and ready to be part of the solution.

      Thank you, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker.

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): I thank the member from Lagimodière for bringing this reso­lu­tion forward, the national Youth Climate Corps. And I also ap­pre­ciate the op­por­tun­ity to put a few words on the record in relation to this reso­lu­tion.

      I believe–or, I think the in­ten­tion behind this initiative is commendable, but it also is aimed at engaging our youth in climate action. However, I think the effects and the results of such a program really demand some careful examination.

      First and foremost, let's address the financial aspect that a Youth Climate Corps could impose on our com­mu­nities. Esta­blish­ing this program as a federally funded Crown Cor­por­ation is likely to incur sig­ni­fi­cant costs. This raises the critical question: Who will foot the bill?

      Without a clear funding plan, this only means 'impoing'–imposing higher taxes here on us in Manitoba, many of whom already struggle under an existing carbon tax. Is it fair to ask them to bear additional financial burdens for a program that lacks trans­par­ency and cost and deliverables?

* (11:40)

      Moreover, the pressing issue of youth em­ploy­ment in Manitoba cannot be overlooked. The NDP's decision to cut funding for existing programs, such as  the Green Teams, impacted youth em­ploy­ment negatively. Rather than creating new bureaucracy, why not reinvest in these proven programs that have already demon­strated their effectiveness in provi­ding young people with valuable jobs and ex­per­ience here in Manitoba?

      Expanding local initiatives not only preserves existing jobs, but also fosters a sense of com­mu­nity, respon­si­bility, without the un­neces­sary complexity of a federal program. The PC gov­ern­ment esta­blished Efficiency Manitoba, that of–which focused on energy efficiency and programs that led to job creation and skill dev­elop­ment by provi­ding op­por­tun­ities in the green sector. The PC gov­ern­ment also delivered the made-in-Manitoba climate action plan. What is the NDP plan for this?

      Additionally, the concept of what constitutes a climate job is ambiguous. Will roles in, let's say, wildfire fighting, trail maintenance or com­mu­nity beautification truly align with the goals of a Youth Climate Corps? If the primary objective is to equip young people with training and em­ploy­ment op­por­tun­ities, wouldn't it be more pragmatic to build upon existing programs rather than duplicating efforts like that of the Green Team and some of the projects and initiatives under that? The reality is there's already numer­ous avenues that the gov­ern­ment could go down.

      Furthermore, we must consider the potential displacement of workers in vital sectors of Manitoba's economy. A Youth Climate Corps could inadvertently take jobs away from individuals in natural resource industries, further exasperating economic challenges, and it's crucial to prioritize not just the creation of new jobs, but also safeguarding those that already exist, parti­cularly in sectors that are already under pressure.

      In light of these con­sid­era­tions, the NDP's actions raise questions about their commit­ment to youth employ­ment and financial accountability. If the gov­ern­ment truly prioritizes green jobs, we must hold them accountable for the cuts to effective programs that have historically supported youth here in our province. Instead of expanding on government bureaucracy, let's encourage partnerships with the private sector, where many Canadian corporations are already investing in environmental initiatives. This would only stimulate job creation but also promote corporate respon­si­bility toward climate goals.

      Again, the vision of a national Youth Climate Corps may appear appealing on the surface. The financial implications, potential job displacement and lack of clarity regarding its objectives render it an impractical solution. And we must advocate for the expansion of existing programs and the local initiatives that have a proven track record, rather than venturing into uncharted territory with a costly and duplicative federal program.

      Let's look a little deeper into the several aspects of esta­blish­ing a national youth corps, and let's talk about the financial implications a little bit more. The burden of a national Youth Climate Corps is one of the most pressing concerns. The costs associated with similar programs, like the American Climate Corps, raise serious questions about the sus­tain­ability of funding. The average cost per job will be high, and it's essential to critically assess whether tax­payers can shoulder such expenses. Higher taxes could disproportionately affect low- and middle-income families who are already grappling with rising living costs here in Manitoba.

      It's crucial to have a trans­par­ent and detailed funding strategy before con­sid­ering the launch of the new program, and we don't know what this looks like.

      Let's look at the youth un­em­ploy­ment. The recent spikes in youth un­em­ploy­ment in Manitoba serve as a stark reminder of the challenges facing young people today. The cuts to existing programs, such as Green Team–these cuts, thanks to the NDP gov­ern­ment, have already had con­se­quences, leading to increased un­em­ploy­ment rates during the summer months.

      Instead of creating a new initiative, reinvesting in these programs would provide imme­diate, tangible benefits to our young people here in Manitoba. These programs, like I said, have proven track records of provi­ding training and making them more viable to youth em­ploy­ment.

      Ambiguity of climate jobs–defining what qualifies as a climate job can be contentious. The vagueness surrounding this term can lead to incon­sistencies in what types of em­ploy­ment are offered through a Youth Climate Corps. What does that look like? What are they teaching? What skills are going to be learned?

      Will these roles in environ­ment edu­ca­tion or com­mu­nity beautification genuinely serve the overreach–the overarching goal of combatting climate change? We don't know. We don't know what that plan is. It's essential to clarify the intent and the nature of these roles to ensure that they will align with meaningful climate action, rather than offering generic positions that lack impact and open up for further con­se­quence.

      Job displacement concerns: let's talk about that. It's another concern and is the potential for job displacement within critical sectors of Manitoba's economy. As the Youth Climate Corps would seek to employ young people in roles traditionally held by existing workers, there's risk of exasperating unem­ploy­ment in essential industries, like natural resources. This is 'parti­culary' con­cern­ing in a province where many families, again, depend on these sectors for their livelihoods. Policies should focus on enhancing job security for all workers while provi­ding op­por­tun­ities for the youth.

      Encouraging col­lab­o­ration with the private sector is a promising alter­na­tive to esta­blish­ing a federal program. Many cor­por­ations are already investing in environ­mental initiatives and sus­tain­ability projects. By leveraging these part­ner­ships, we can facilitate job creation with the need for additional gov­ern­ment  bureaucracy. This approach not only fosters innovation and respon­si­bility, but also utilizes the resources and expertise of the private sector to tackle climate challenges effectively.

      In summary, while the in­ten­tion behind a national Youth Climate Corps is admirable, the potential financial strain, the risk of job displacement and the ambiguity of job definitions high­light the need for more considered approach. By focusing on existing initiatives and fostering private sector part­ner­ships, we can create sus­tain­able job op­por­tun­ities for youth while maximizing the impact of our climate efforts. Engaging in dialogue about these issues will be crucial as we seek effective solutions for both our environ­ment and our young people.

      Finally, there is a need for greater accountability con­cern­ing the NDP's commit­ment to climate and action youth em­ploy­ment. A com­pre­hen­sive emissions reduction plan is essential before–

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): Order.

      The member's time has expired.

Mr. Jeff Wharton (Red River North): Again, I'd also like to thank the member from Lagimodière for bringing forward this reso­lu­tion today. Certainly gives us an op­por­tun­ity, on this side of the House, to also add some facts to the reso­lu­tion.

      We know that, in fact, the concept of youth corps was first pushed and promoted by environ­mental advocacy groups. And more recently, of course, left‑wing political parties have taken up the cause as a means to win electoral support from young voters. Shame on them for using this issue of climate change to try to woo young voters.

      We know that climate change is real, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker. We know that we need to move forward with concrete action to ensure that my grandchildren and their children will have a climate, they'll have the water, they'll have the air to breathe and they'll have every­thing that we enjoy today.

* (11:50)

      We need to work hard as elected officials to ensure that we do that. We know that jurisdictions like Alberta, Saskatchewan and BC does have a youth corps, but Alberta and Saskatchewan's NDP have been looking at this issue as well.

      So, maybe, collectively, we can work together on, perhaps, a new reso­lu­tion that will touch on other areas that need to be looked at like existing infra­structure, like we have right here in Manitoba. There's no doubt that the world is working towards a greener planet; however, here in Manitoba we need to look at more of a made-in-Manitoba plan for, not only our youth, but also all Manitobans to partici­pate in.

      And we know there are many op­por­tun­ities to do that. There are, however, matters to consider and again, with a Youth Climate Corps, the key con­sid­era­tion in–[interjection] Recycle that. Make sure you recycle that, Minister of Justice (MLA Wiebe). We also have key con­sid­era­tions in the esta­blish­ment–is the cost of such a program. And we know that climate change is not free. We need to invest in climate change. How it will be paid for and how many would it employ? We know that these are areas that we need to balance out.

      We know that the NDP have never had a plan, so we need to ensure that we're holding them to account when it comes to climate change because we know that when they were in power for 17 years, there was absolutely nothing done.

Our lakes, rivers and our climate itself, GHG–every aspect of climate was affected by–under the NDP; parti­cularly when they ran a bipole line 560 kilometres across western Manitoba where they could have run it straight down where Bipole I and II was. The emissions that are being emitted from that line alone are creating to our greenhouse gas emissions by tenfold. So, it's–shame on them. They think they have a clear path on climate change. They're wrong.

      It should also be noted, too, that the cost of a Youth Climate Corps will be sub­stan­tial and, at the same time, would definitely require very measurable deliverables and out­comes in a program–some that I've already discussed.

      For example, we know our neighbours to the south–and certainly, we wish the candidates all the best today, in the US. There's a federal election, as we all know there, today, and certainly it will be an interesting watch tonight, and I'm sure a lot of us will be tuned in to the out­comes of the federal election down in the US.

      We know that their proposed $8 billion in expenditures on a climate corps for 50,000 jobs and about $160,000 per job. Well, certainly, those are definitely good‑paying jobs. We also have to have a measured approach to the actual income and how we can make that $8 billion up if it's $5 billion in Manitoba or $2 billion in Manitoba; we need to ensure that that money's accessible.

      How do we raise that money? Well, partly, we need to grow the economy in a balanced way, too, to protect our environ­ment. We understand that on this side of the House and certainly, we'll pass that infor­ma­tion on to our colleagues on the gov­ern­ment's benches, as well.

      We know, here in Canada, it could be viewed that climate corps programs would lead to an increase in taxes to become a drag on the economy, slowing the economic growth. Again, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, there needs to be balance in any approach, whether it be on climate change or even just simply growing the economy. We know that there's effects on both sides, so we need to be very cognizant of those effects.

      I guess, here in Manitoba, as the NDP–again, through this reso­lu­tion, indicating its support for a continuing rise in carbon tax. We know that they floated a carbon tax in excess of–well in excess of even the federal levels that the Liberals are currently moving forward with now that are putting Manitobans in an in­cred­ible affordability concern.

Young families, single parents, you name it, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker, Manitobans are hurting. And we know we need to do more for Manitobans to ensure that not only is the climate going to be protected, but certainly, look at things on a more affordability aspect, as well, as we move forward with climate change.

      So, again, what defines climate jobs? And would–and what would come from that program, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker? How do we fight wildfires? Is that such–is that climate change? Well that's–we saw what happened in Jasper–holy mackerel, you know, that poor town and the folks around it burned down, essentially. I mean, three quarters of the town was gone due to a raging forest fire. We've seen them across Canada, we've seen them across North America and across the world.

      We know that there are more and more floods and, again, hurricanes. We know that hurricanes are becoming more powerful, we know that category 5 hurricanes are now hitting our–the North American continent–almost weekly here in North America.

      We know that, of course, it's noted that the NDP's objective to give young people training on job op­por­tun­ities. Several programs already exist in Manitoba. My colleagues have touched on a few of them today, and we also did in question period, too, as well, such as the Green Team.

      We know that Green Team is well esta­blished, we know that the infra­structure's in place, we know that com­mu­nities understand the benefits that Green Team members do. We know that they're good jobs. They build folks towards a brighter future. They give them the op­por­tun­ity to work within their com­mu­nities.

      And we also know that com­mu­nity leaders are very aware of the Green Team in parti­cular, and they know that the benefits that their com­mu­nity get during–parti­cularly during the summer, when the Green Team are very active.

      But growing that parti­cular initiative would be something that we would recom­mend. Certainly, I know the members opposite want to work together to ensure that Manitobans have a green–'creen'–pardon me, green, clean economy going forward, and certainly on this side of the House, we were doing that and will continue to do that, but we'll certainly continue to hold the NDP gov­ern­ment to account.

      We also heard today when the member from Lagimodière was talking about Seal River. Seal River, I had the privilege of meeting with on a number of occasions, and we worked towards ensuring that when the federal gov­ern­ment decided that they wanted to sign an MOU that we were at the table as a gov­ern­ment, as a PC gov­ern­ment. We were at the table supporting that reso­lu­tion to ensure that Seal River had a voice, parti­cularly in their com­mu­nity. [interjection]

      And I know the member–I know the Minister of Environment is heckling me, but that's only because the member–the minister has done nothing, has done absolutely nothing but just simply copy the legis­lation and the MOU that the federal gov­ern­ment had supplied, that we also supported.

      Certainly we know that that MOU is going to go a long way to support the folks at Seal River, and not only support them, but also that balanced approach that they want in–up in their com­mu­nity. Of course they want to protect the environ­ment, they want to protect wildlife, they want to protect forests and deforestation.

      We understand that, and that's why we were in a hundred per cent support of the MOU signed by the federal gov­ern­ment. We sat down at that table and actually signed on with them, and the Minister of Environ­ment says that we didn't do anything.

      So it's unfor­tunate that, you know, the NDP have a record of taking all the ideas and all of the legis­lation and all the policy that we have as Progressive Conservatives.

      We ap­pre­ciate that. Sometimes they put their own spin on the legis­lation, which totally destroys the legis­lation going forward because their ideology is focused on one thing and one thing only: them­selves, hon­our­able assist­ant deputy Speaker.

      We know that this side of the House is focused on ensuring that gen­era­tions to come will have the environ­ment and have a great province like we have, and we currently enjoy today. And we'll continue to push for more invest­ments in our prov­incial parks to ensure that they're there for gen­era­tions to come, hon­our­able assist­ant Deputy Speaker.

Introduction of Guests

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): Order.

      Before we resume debate, I'd just like to recog­nize 30 grade 9 students from Dufferin Christian School in the con­stit­uency of the member for Midland (Mrs. Stone).

* * *

Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Turtle Mountain): Hon­our­able Deputy Speaker, I want to put a few words on about the reso­lu­tion here.

      When it comes to this reso­lu­tion that the member for Lagimodière (Mr. Blashko) put forward, I have to say that it's just another bureaucracy that is going to be added to the programs–

The Acting Speaker (Robert Loiselle): Order.

      When this matter is again before the House, the hon­our­able member from Turtle Mountain will have 10 minutes remaining.

      The hour being 12 p.m., this House is recessed and stands recessed until 1:30 p.m.

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

CONTENTS

Vol. 83a

ORDERS OF THE DAY

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Second Readings–Public Bills

Bill 223–The Indigenous Veterans Day Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended)

Pankratz  3371

Questions

Perchotte  3373

Pankratz  3373

Redhead  3373

Lagassé  3374

Bereza  3374

Debate

Perchotte  3376

Cross 3377

Lagassé  3378

Fontaine  3380

Bereza  3381

Resolutions

Res. 27–National Youth Climate Corps

Blashko  3381

Questions

Byram   3384

Blashko  3384

Moyes 3384

Nesbitt 3384

Piwniuk  3385

Wharton  3385

Debate

Nesbitt 3386

Dela Cruz  3388

Byram   3389

Wharton  3391

Piwniuk  3393