LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Thursday, November 7, 2024

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

The Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone.

      Please be seated.

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): Hon­our­able Speaker, could you please canvas the House to see if there is leave to 'expediate' con­sid­era­tion of Bill 41, The Prov­incial Court Amend­ment Act; Bill 221, The Earlier Screening for Breast Cancer Act; and Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act (Com­memo­ra­tion of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) today as follows:

      At the top of orders of the day, the House will consider second reading of Bill 41 with the following limited debate provisions to apply:

First, the Minister of Justice may speak for up to five minutes;

Then a question period may be held, in accordance with subrule 137(5);

Next a member from the official op­posi­tion may speak up–for up to five minutes;

Lastly, each in­de­pen­dent member may speak for up to 5 minutes; and

            The Speaker shall then put the question.

      Once Bill 41 passes second reading, bills 41, 221 and 223 shall be imme­diately referred to the Commit­tee of the Whole. Once the Com­mit­tee of the Whole rises and the Chairperson reports back to the House, the House will imme­diately consider concurrence and third reading of bills 41, 221 and 223.

The following limited debate provisions will apply to Bill 41:

First, the bill sponsor may speak for up to five minutes;

Next, a member of the official op­posi­tion may speak for up to five minutes;

Lastly, each in­de­pen­dent member may speak for up to five minutes; and

                  The Speaker shall then put the question.

The following limited debate provisions will apply to bill 221 and 223:

First, the sponsor may speak for up to five minutes;

Next, a member from another recog­nized party may speak for up to five minutes;

Lastly, each in­de­pen­dent may speak for up to five minutes, and

                  The Speaker shall then put the question.

      The House will not see the clock until all the House busi­ness outlined in this request has been completed.

The Speaker: Is there leave for the House to consider bills 41, 221 and 223 as described by the Official Opposi­tion House Leader.

      Is there leave?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

An Honourable Member: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

      Leave has been denied.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

The Speaker: Intro­duction of bills?

      Committee reports?

Tabling of Reports

Hon. Renée Cable (Minister of Advanced Education and Training): I am pleased to table the annual reports for the year ending June 30, 2024, for Assiniboine college and Manitoba In­sti­tute of Trades and Tech­no­lo­gy.

The Speaker: Further tabling of reports?

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I am pleased to rise today and table the Public Service Group Insurance Fund benefit summary, auditor's report and financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2024.

The Speaker: Further tabling of reports?

Ministerial Statements

Remembrance Day

Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Honourable Speaker, I rise today in honour of Remembrance Day.

      Our government joins Manitobans in paying respect and remembrance to our brave veterans, our fallen soldiers and to those who are serving in the Armed Forces today. Their sacrifice and service has given all of us, as Canadians and Manitobans, a great gift, one that can never truly be repaid, but one for which we offer our undying gratitude. They fought for demo­cracy, for peace, for freedom, for a country that up­holds these values, and for all people to build a good life here and abroad.

      Generations of Manitobans who came before us answered Canada's call to fight for these values. At Vimy Ridge, Kapyong, Kandahar and in so many other places, they faced the danger and gave their blood, sweat and tears.

      I think, too, of Juno Beach. Earlier this year, our Premier (Mr. Kinew) and the special envoy for military affairs joined surviving veterans to honour their bravery at a ceremony with our allies in Normandy. They honoured the brave young soldiers, who, 80 years ago, marched up the beach and came face to face with fascism and sought to defend our freedoms.

      At this ceremony, they stood with Manitoban veterans like Jim Parks. They stood together on that same beach to honour the bravery those young men showed and the victory that they won for all of us.

      And when MLA Pankratz expressed his deepest thank you–

The Speaker: Order, please.

      Just a reminder, we can't use someone's name. You have to use their con­stit­uency name or min­is­terial name.

Mr. Wiebe: And when the member for Waverley (MLA Pankratz) expressed his deepest thank you for their sacrifice defending our freedoms, their simple but profound reply was, you're welcome, enjoy it.

      These veterans' heroism echoes through the cor­ridors of this building, in the honour rolls and books of remembrance that adorn the halls. A reminder to all of us that our work is made possible by the sacrifice of these men and women who served our country.

      I also want to acknowledge that tomorrow, November 8, is national Aboriginal Veterans Day. Thousands of Indigenous people from Manitoba and coast to coast served our country with bravery and distinction.

      I think today of Sergeant Tommy Prince from Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, who fought courageously in Europe and Korea but who faced rejection and discrimination instead of the hero's welcome he deserved.

      We honour him and all of his Indigenous comrades in arms who were denied the recognition they deserved in their own lifetimes but whose service will never be forgotten. That is the promise that we must offer to veterans past, present: to never forget. Not just once a year, but all year round.

      When we vote in this place, here in the people's building, let us remember the soldiers, sailors, the air‑men and -women whose sacrifice makes this very act possible.

      Let's also remember the costs of war. Let's remember those who after serving came home with wounds both visible and invisible. Our solemn pledge must be that no one who serves our country and comes back with mental or physical injuries is ever left behind, that the love of a grateful province and country is expressed by providing the support that veterans need to heal.

      And let's remember to pass on their stories, particularly as the stories of veterans who served in World War I, World War II and the Korean War increasingly fade from living memory.

      It's our generation's duty to ensure the future generations know the–and understand these stories, that they live on through the ages, that young people who fought in Flanders Fields or to liberate Holland endure forever in our collective memory.

      These young people paid the price of admission for every Canadian, no matter who you are or where you come from, to be a part of this great country. For this, we thank them. And we remember them.

      Today and on November 11, I encourage every Manitoban to do the same and to know that we must never take those hard-fought and those hard-won ideals–freedom, peace and democracy–for granted.

      Lest we forget.

      I ask, Hon­our­able Speaker, that we observe a moment of silence after the last speaker to this members' statement.

The Speaker: Is there leave for a moment of silence after the last speaker has spoken to this? [Agreed]

Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): Today, I rise to encourage us all to pause and honour the brave Canadians of our Armed Forces who have served in the past and are serving our nation today with extra­ordinary courage and commit­ment.

      I'd like to begin by sharing a few personal stories. For those that don't know, I was raised in a military family. I spent the first 16 years of my life being part of a military family, the first three and a half years of my life deployed to Germany with my father, and I had an absentee father for serving in the military for six months while he served in Egypt, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, as well as his deployment to European nations under the NATO banner.

* (13:40)

      Generations of men and women have answered the call to protect not only our freedoms, but to stand for justice and peace across the world. Their sacrifices remind us of the true cost of the peace that we must cherish, today and always.

      Tomorrow I will be attending a service in Brandon for Indigenous Veterans Day, and would like to also remember the sacrifices and the services of our Indigenous veterans.

      Throughout history, Canadians have stood resilience in the face of adversity, whether in the fields of Europe, the skies of Korea or on peacekeeping missions around the world. Their dedication and selflessness reflect Canada's defining commitment to freedom and the protection of human rights. We owe them a debt that can never really be fully paid, but one that we must strive to honour every day by upholding the values for which they fought.

      For it was on November 11 at 11 a.m. in 1918, the world marked the moment when armies ceased fighting in the First World War. It is now a time we recognize the memory of those who served, by honouring the over 100,000 Canadian soldiers who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars to protect our way of life as we have today.

      As Veterans Affairs Canada urges, we must carry forward their legacy, passing the torch of remembrance to future generations. Wearing a poppy and observing two minutes of silence may seem like a small gesture, but they hold profound meaning. These acts of grati­tude and reverence reflect our acknowledgment of the sacrifices, our promise to remember and our shared commitment to a more peaceful world. Let us hold their memories close to our hearts, not only on November 11, but throughout the year.

      They gave their lives for our future. May we honour their sacrifices by never taking our freedoms for granted. To quote the poem entitled, For the Fallen, by Laurence Binyon: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not worry them–weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

      As we reflect on the sacrifices of the past, we also extend our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women who currently serve in our Armed Forces. Your dedication, your resilience and unwavering commit­ment to safeguarding our values inspires us all. Every day, you uphold the legacy of those who came before you, standing watch over our freedom and peace with courage and with honour. We thank you for your service, your strength, and your sacrifice.

      Lest we forget.

The Speaker: If you'd all rise for a moment of silence.

A moment of silence was observed.

Introduction of Guests

The Speaker: Before moving on, there are some guests in the gallery that I would like to take a moment to introduce.

      We have seated in the public gallery from Children of the Earth High School 61 grade 10 students under the direction of Michelle Arnaud and Tyler Neapew. They're guests of the hon­our­able member for Point Douglas (Ms. Smith), and we welcome you all here today.

Members' Statements

Winnipegosis Historical Society

Hon. Ron Kostyshyn (Minister of Agriculture): Today, I'm proud to recog­nize the Winnipegosis Historical Society. This volunteer group collects and preserves human and natural history in Winnipegosis, Mossey River Municipality and surrounding areas.

      The group is led by Jo Bunka, a retired teacher who has served on the board since 1987. Jo is the president and a volunteer. They've–oversee summer staff, apply for grants and research for more information.

      Winnipegosis Historical Society has established two award‑winning museums. The Winnipegosis Museum features over 90 displays of unique things in the area. The collection reflects the lifestyles of First Peoples and later settlers. The Medd House, a historical Winnipegosis home, offers a glimpse into the early Manitoba health‑care system.

      The society has a strong part­ner­ship, including the Mossey River Municipality, the Little Muddy Waters Métis Local and local businesses, schools and communities.

      Volunteers fundraise and co‑ordinate events and preserve history. This work is vital to the identity of Winnipegosis.

      Thank you to these dedicated volunteers, and I'm pleased to recog­nize two volunteers that are in attendance today, Brian and Diane Tumak of Winnipegosis.

      But I also request the names of those involved in the historical society be added to Hansard, and the board members include Jo Bunka, Faye Adam, Ruth Wright, Aileen Rosteski, Terry Wood, Loretta Dyck, Alice Sahulka, Linda Barsewsky, Diane Tumak and Ernest Clarkson.

      Thank you so much.

Winnipegosis Historical Society board members: Faye Adam, Linda Barsewsky, Jo Bunka, Ernest Clarkson, Loretta Dyck, Aileen Rosteski, Alice Sahulka, Brian Tumak, Terry Wood, Ruth Wright

Darlingford War Memorial

Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Turtle Mountain): Hon­our­able Speaker, as we are all aware, it is the commit­ment of volunteers who give their time and their efforts to keep history alive throughout our province.

      I am proud that I have many such sites and many such volunteers in my con­stit­uency of Turtle Mountain. And today being the last day we're here gathered before the Remembrance Day, I would like to recog­nize the Darlingford war memorial and the volunteers that ensure that we don't forget.

      Over 100 years ago, a local farmer donated land so that the memorial could be built within sight of the local school so that the schoolchildren could see the words, least we forget, in their daily lives.

      In 1992, the memorial was declared a provincial heritage site, and today, the condition and the structure and the surrounding grounds speak volumes of the dedication of the local community. According to the Manitoba Historical Society, this memorial is the only free-standing memorial building in all of Manitoba with its sole function of 'commenamorating' the war dead.

      This summer, I would–had the pleasure of joining the local residents while they were celebrating the town's 125th anniversary, where the population of Darlingford quadrupled for the weekend. When I had the opportunity to see the memorial for the first time, it looked like a building that you would see in Europe with the artistic design and its multi‑coloured brick structure.

      The memorial grounds are meticulously maintained by the committee and dedicated community members, and on behalf of all Manitobans, I want to thank them for the–preserving this, our history.

      Honourable Speaker, I would like to commend all the volunteers and the community of Darlingford on their amazing efforts to keep the memory alive of our fallen soldiers.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Rob Iversen

MLA Mintu Sandhu (The Maples): Honourable Speaker, today I rise to recognize Rob Iversen, who is a valuable team member at my local Superstore.

      Rob began his journey with SCE Lifeworks through project SEARCH, a secondary school-to-work program for students with intellectual disabilities. Rob's willingness to develop meaningful skills was evident, completing his program with a solid foundation to confidently enter any workforce.

* (13:50)

      During his year with project research, Rob completed rotations at the civil service commission, Justice HR, Manitoba Hydro's commissioning depart­ment and family and service labour.

      After graduating, Rob joined SCE Lifeworks' Supported Employment Services, where an employment consultant helped him pursue different jobs. Rob worked in the civil service commission, Best Western Plus and Safeway, and even he worked during–worked as a front‑line worker during the pandemic.

      Now he has a permanent position at Superstore, travelling long distances through our Manitoba weather. Rob recently participated in take your MLA to work, guiding me through his work at his store for Disability Employment Awareness Month. We champion programs like this so that folks like Rob can live a dignified life.

      Rob Iversen is so dedicated that he chose to go to work instead of joining us here in the gallery today.

      Please join me in celebrating Rob, SCE Lifeworks Manitoba Lana Hamilton, manager, Supported Employment Services and Kailey Bilodeau, team lead, for their hard work and dedication to our community.

Remembrance Day

Mr. Obby Khan (Fort Whyte): Hon­our­able Speaker, for over 100 years in this Chamber, elected representatives have come to share the hopes and aspirations of Manitobans. People of various back­grounds and experiences representing different political parties have had the opportunity to come here to freely express themselves and participate in our democracy.

      That freedom is cherished. But it has not been free. It comes at a cost. This Remembrance Day, we will again have the chance to remember the Manitobans and pause to reflect and to be grateful.

      We will remember the men and women who have served this great country in the past, and who do so today, so that we can participate in a democracy so that our children, and their children, can know the freedom we have been blessed with.

      Most often this sacrifice has been made by young Manitobans. Some of them have been immortalized: Frederick Hall, Lionel Clarke, Robert Shankland. We remember them through Valour Road. We honour them and many more with medals of bravery and a moment of silence.

      Most of those that have sacrificed for our freedom will never know us. But they served because they believed in the rights of generations of people they would never know, to live in freedom. That is their greatest legacy.

      Most of us can truly not understand the courage it takes to offer one's life for the freedom of others. That takes a special kind of person, a special kind of courage. And those Manitobans and Canadians who have served in our Armed Forces, and who do so today, are worthy of honouring. They are worthy of remembering.

      On November 11, Remembrance Day, at the 11th hour, let us all be still. Let us all reflect. Let us all remember the sacrifices made by others, so that we can live in the greatest country in the world.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, I ask for us in the Chamber to rise today for a moment of silence to show respect and honour all of those that have served and sacrificed so much for this great country.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Students Offering Support

MLA Eric Redhead (Thompson): Today, I'm honoured to recognize the remarkable contributions of Students Offering Support, or SOS, a student‑led group of 15 committed youth from grades 9 to 12 at R.D. Parker Collegiate in Thompson.

      Founded over a decade ago as a student extension of the Hope North suicide prevention network, SOS has continued its mission to promote mental wellness even after Hope North was disbanded. This dedicated group stands as a testament to the power of youth advocacy in mental health, striving to make a dif­ference through empathy and action. They are now connected with Jack.org, a national organization that brings together high school and university advocates to combat mental health stigma and empower youth across Canada.

      One of SOS's most notable projects this year was inspired by a social media post from Manitoba Keewatinook [phonetic] Okimakanak. MKO reached out to the community for donations of gently used winter jackets for their Wellbriety Centre in Thompson, which provides holistic care for individuals facing addictions, trauma and homelessness.

      Understanding that basic needs are foundational to mental wellness, SOS took action, organizing a winter clothes drive within their school. The response was over­whelming, Hon­our­able Speaker. They collected over 40 jackets, 86 hats, 20 hoodies and additional bags of mitts, scarves, socks, ski pants and footwear. Their compassionate response shows their under­standing of community and the importance of dignity and warmth for those in need.

      But SOS's efforts don't stop there. They are also running a food drive to support both the Wellbriety Centre and the Thompson Senior Community Resource Council's food hamper program. Additionally, they contribute to a birthday box program that provides party supplies to youth in remote northern com­munities, ensuring every child has a chance to celebrate.

      Please join me in commending SOS for their impact­ful work and dedication to building a com­pas­sion­ate, supportive com­mu­nity in Manitoba.

      Ekosi, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: The member for Fort Whyte (Mr. Khan) did ask for another moment of silence.

      Is there leave for us to rise once more to honour our veterans? [Agreed]

A moment of silence was observed.

Oral Questions

Crime and Public Safety
Concern for Gov­ern­ment Approach

Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Leader of the Official Opposition): We are here today in this demo­cratic in­sti­tution because of the sacrifice of so many men and women who paid the ultramate–ultimate price for our freedom. And on this upcoming remembrance week, we need to thank a veteran, not just this coming week, but each and every day that we have here in this great province of ours.

      As well, Hon­our­able Speaker, this coming weekend, this weekend, this Saturday, Blue Bombers are poised to take the western final in front of a sold‑out crowd: go, Bombers, go.

      Well, let's now get, Hon­our­able Speaker, to the question at hand: the out‑of‑control random violence plaguing our com­mu­nities, and Manitobans get a boiler­plate answer from this Premier (Mr. Kinew). He turns to his left, pats his Justice Minister on the head and says, you're doing a great job.

      Well, Hon­our­able Speaker, the senior assaulted, car-jacked and run over would disagree. The bus driver begging not to get shot–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Deputy Premier): You know, I think all members of this House recog­nize that we get to do the work that we do thanks to veterans, thanks to folks who literally lay their lives on the line so that our country could be a democratic society and that we are able to enjoy the freedoms and privileges that we have, and the respon­si­bilities, as well, that we have.

      And so I would encourage all Manitobans across the province to not only wear the poppies that we are so proud to wear, but to get out and support your local legions. To, in some way, shape or form, take your own op­por­tun­ity to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian, to be in Manitoba and enjoy the freedoms that folks make many sacrifices for us to have, and to do that–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question.

Mr. Ewasko: So let's try this again, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      Manitobans have never seen a gov­ern­ment that is even more oblivious to the crisis around them.

* (14:00)

      Every day, another Manitoban is a victim of random, unprovoked crime, and every day, this Premier talks about his gas tax. He tells Manitobans to have a Happy Meal and shut up. Happy Meals aren't cutting it. Happy Meals aren't stopping copper thefts. Happy Meals aren't stopping employees from being threatened, and Happy Meals aren't stopping transit from becoming the Wild West.

      Inner City Alive's executive director says if we don't get ahead of this thing, it's going to get much worse.

      How much more–how much worse does it have to take before this Premier wakes up and admits that he has failed Manitobans on com­mu­nity safety, Honour­able Speaker?

MLA Asagwara: Hon­our­able Speaker–and I say this as a former athlete myself–we, on this side of the House, are thrilled to wish the Bombers all the best on Saturday as they represent all of us in the western finals.

      On this side of the House, we take public safety very, very seriously. We want for all Manitobans no matter where they live to be safe and feel safe in their com­mu­nities. We do recog­nize that, over seven and a half years of a previous Heather Stefanson gov­ern­ment, there's a lot of work to do in order to move public safety in ongoing good direction. We've made a lot of invest­ments to fix the damage done in terms of public safety by the previous administration, and we're com­mitted to doing that work so that Manitobans can go enjoy things like Bomber games safely in our province.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Mr. Ewasko: Hon­our­able Speaker, I quote: Everyone has become a target. This is the view of the North End business chair.

      When a courier's bear-sprayed and robbed in St. Johns, we hear silence; nothing from the MLA for St. Johns. When a store is robbed at gunpoint in Point Douglas, we hear nothing from the MLA for Point Douglas. Hon­our­able Speaker, when seniors are randomly stabbed in Union Station, we hear nothing from their MLA.

      Manitobans deserve more than silence and talking points, Hon­our­able Speaker. Silence and talking points have not prevented a single violent incident under this Kinew gov­ern­ment.

      Why, instead of protecting Manitobans, has this failed gov­ern­ment instead made them all targets, Honour­able Speaker?

MLA Asagwara: Hon­our­able Speaker, on that side of the House, they are very, very well practiced in making people targets. Just look at their most recent election campaign where they targeted trans kids and the families of victims, murder victims in this pro­vince, some­thing that is condemned wholly by members of parliaments across the country and internationally.

      On this side of the House, we are focused on making invest­ments that keep people safer, which is exactly what we've done. We've invested in security op­por­tun­ities, rebates so that busi­nesses can take steps to keep other busi­nesses safer, so that folks can keep their homes safer. We're investing in foot patrols being increased in core areas of our com­mu­nities. We're doing the work of making com­mu­nities safer.

      We know there's much more to do–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Early Screening for Breast Cancer
Request to Pass Bill 221

Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): Today is the NDP's last chance to do the right thing for Manitoba women. They could set their toxic partisanship aside, pass The Earlier Screening for Breast Cancer Act and be account­able for their own promises.

      Bill 221 would not only legis­late a firm timeline to lower the screening age, but would also ensure annual reporting on mammogram numbers, an essential accountability measure.

      Why is this NDP gov­ern­ment so afraid to legis­late a timeline that they them­selves told Manitobans they could meet? Is it because, deep down, the NDP has no in­ten­tion of meeting this promise, or are they just unwilling to accept this level of accountability?

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): Hon­our­able Speaker, on this side of the House, we listen to the women across this province who tell us what their needs are when it comes to health care, which is why we have made invest­ments in boosting capacity when it comes to women's health care across Manitoba.

      We've made invest­ments to make sure that women and those who need it can get free birth control here in our own province. And we have made invest­ments to make sure there's more people on the front lines of the health-care system to deliver quality health care to women across Manitoba. And yes, we've taken steps to actively lower the screening age–breast cancer screening age for women.

      Now if that member looks to her right and her left, she'll find people who actually voted against those initiatives. If she looks to her row behind her and the one further back, they voted against those initiatives. Will she answer for that?

The Speaker: Member's time is expired.

      The honourable member for Roblin, on a supple­mentary question.

Mrs. Cook: I want to share Shannon Coates' story, which I'll table for the minister to read. Shannon was diagnosed with aggressive stage 3 breast cancer at age 42. She has since endured 16 rounds of chemo­therapy, a double mastectomy and countless painful side-effects. Thankfully, Shannon is still with us today.

      Women like Shannon are exactly the reason that Manitoba women deserve the assurance that the breast cancer screening age will be lowered with a firm deadline. Earlier screening saves lives. The NDP should not be afraid to fully commit to Manitoba women.

      Will they do the right thing and pass Bill 221 today?

MLA Asagwara: Hon­our­able Speaker, our gov­ern­ment has been listening to women like Shannon each and every day and we will continue to, which is why we have lowered the breast screening age here in Manitoba.

      But what happened for seven and a half years under the previous gov­ern­ment? Why is it our health-care system is in the state that it is? Why is it that women's health care was set decades back? Why is it, Hon­our­able Speaker?

      Well, it's because the PCs under Heather Stefanson cut women's health care for seven and a half years in a row. That is a shameful record that has hurt women across this province; she needs to answer for it.

The Speaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Mrs. Cook: The NDP has re­peat­edly claimed to be open to col­lab­o­ration, but their actions tell a different story.

      In the middle of debate on Bill 221, they threw together a press conference at the last minute to claim they were now able to meet a new deadline that two weeks earlier they said they couldn't meet. It's clear their intent was simply to make Bill 221 go away.

      The NDP must understand, if they choose not to be held accountable, if they don't live up to their pro­mise, women will die needlessly of a late breast cancer diagnosis. This is the last chance for this minis­ter to do the right thing.

      How much are their words worth if they refuse to pass a bill that would protect and save women's lives in Manitoba?

MLA Asagwara: On this side of the House, we believe that all women across this province deserve the best access to health care, which is why we have invested in making sure that we have more access to women's health-care services in this province: free access to birth control; we're investing in more mammo­graphers doing breast cancer screening; we're actively lowering the breast screening age.

      On that side of the House, they closed the Mature Women's health centre, the very place women would go to get those–that infor­ma­tion for their breast health earlier. They cut mobile breast cancer screening multiple times. They attacked women's health care for years.

      And now they're trying to cut corners and pretend they care about women's health. On this side of the House, we're taking real action for women because we stand with women. We'll do it every single day of every single year we're working for you–

The Speaker: Member's time is expired.

Child Pro­tec­tion Investigation
Con­stit­uent Concern

Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): Hon­our­able Speaker, quote: As the Minister of Families, you're respon­si­ble for helping all Manitobans access the services and supports they need to thrive. End quote. This was the mandate given to the MLA for St. Johns, a mandate she has utterly failed.

      When Myah-Lee Gratton called this minister for help accessing services and supports she needed, she was ignored. And the result was tragedy. When Pat McNorgan called this minister for help accessing services and supports for a small child living in a homeless camp, they were ignored. I table this article for the minister.

      If witnessing three homeless adults, and I quote, openly injecting drugs while the child played around them, isn't enough to get the minister to answer the phone, then what will?

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Minister of Families): Manitobans, all Manitobans have a duty to ensure that we are acting in the best way for all children.

* (14:10)

      I want to thank folks who took that duty seriously and called in to our CFS partners. All pro­tec­tion orders are always investigated, Hon­our­able Speaker, no matter where they happen or when they happen. And I think that it's im­por­tant to understand this incident was investigated and CFS supports were offered and also checked in afterwards.

The Speaker: The hon­our­able member for Midland, on a sup­ple­mentary question.

Mrs. Stone: These are very serious situations that have occurred under this minister's watch. From the article I tabled earlier, quote: It is such a shame that the agencies could not have helped this child. She, like so many others, have fallen through the cracks. Pat McNorgan is simply a concerned citizen, and it's unfor­tunate that the minister doesn't share their concerns.

      This minister has a pattern of hiding in­vesti­gations that her de­part­ment has under­taken from the public, and so I ask the minister: Will she release the recom­men­dations from her in­vesti­gation?

MLA Fontaine: The member opposite has to be clear. Either she's indicating I'm not investigating and I'm not doing my job, and now she's saying that I am investigating and I'm not releasing those reports. She needs to make up her mind on that.

      Let me just reiterate for members opposite, including the critic: All in­vesti­gate–all matters are investigated by CFS partners, including this latest incident. And I want to say again, so that folks hear me, that supports were offered, and there was follow-up from a con­cerned citizen who brought forward concerns. That was imme­diately investigated, literally within hours.

The Speaker: The hon­our­able member for Midland, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Mrs. Stone: Can the Minister of Families assure Manitobans that as of November 7, 2024, there are no underage children living in homeless encampments?

MLA Fontaine: From day one, our gov­ern­ment has prioritized the pro­tec­tions of Manitoba children and youth. Our de­part­ment is working every single day to put in place pre­ven­tative resources, wraparound supports and the measures that we need to put pro­tec­tions for children and youth. We've invested $420 million into child welfare.

      One of the things that members opposite don't get is that it's their former failed gov­ern­ment that dissolved the Healthy Child Com­mit­tee of Cabinet. They don't have a leg to stand on when it talks–when they're talking about trying to care about children.

      They didn't care then, and they certainly don't care now.

Regula­tory Changes to Teaching Standards
Concern for Student Outcomes

Mr. Grant Jackson (Spruce Woods): Parents in Manitoba and edu­ca­tional leaders have reacted quite rightly with shock and disbelief that the minister's solution to addressing a staffing crisis in teachers is to remove all standards for those pursuing a career in edu­ca­tion at the uni­ver­sity level.

      Not only did she remove the 30-credit-hour major teachable and the 18-hour minor credit teachable, she reduced and removed the six-credit-hour require­ments for math, science, one of Canada's official languages, history and geography. And she was quite proud to suggest–or, quite loud in suggesting that she was proud to do so.

      So how is this going to improve Manitoba student out­comes?

Hon. Tracy Schmidt (Acting Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning): Our gov­ern­ment is absolutely proud of these regula­tory amend­ments that we've put forward.

      It's unfor­tunate that the member opposite doesn't seem to understand the regula­tions that were put for­ward and how that they are going to help teachers–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Schmidt: –and students in Manitoba.

      What the truth is, Hon­our­able Speaker, is that under the PCs, there was a huge increase in uncertified teachers, parti­cularly in rural and northern areas. For seven and a half years, the PCs did absolutely nothing to help schools and school divisions address the issue of teacher shortages in this province. That happened under their watch. They cut operational funding; they attacked students in the classrooms.

      And on this side of the House, we're doing the work that's going to support teachers and students reach the math out­comes and other out­comes that they're looking for.

      We know that the best–

The Speaker: Order.

      Member's time has expired.

      And I would ask the op­posi­tion bench to please calm down. I can't hear what's being said when you're all heckling, so please tone it down.

Mr. Jackson: I'm glad the minister is doubling down on this commit­ment, but I don't think that's going to go over very well with Manitoba parents.

      It's typical NDP: make a large promise, fail to deliver and then lower standards to attempt to save face.

      We saw it with paramedics. When they com­mitted to hiring more paramedics, couldn't do so and then, so earlier this summer, removed the require­ment for paramedic students to study anatomy and physio­logy as part of their pro­gram­ming, because why would you want a paramedic who's taken an anatomy class to be servicing Manitoba patients?

      So why is this NDP gov­ern­ment intent on imple­men­ting the lowest pro­fes­sional standards nationwide for teachers and paramedics?

MLA Schmidt: Hon­our­able Speaker, once again the member opposite is incorrect, and once again members opposite continue their pattern of disrespect towards teachers and pro­fes­sionals in this province.

      On this side of the House, we are so proud of the pro­fes­sional standards. We know that we have the best teachers in the country here in Manitoba. We have sup­port for these regula­tory amend­ments that were done in con­sul­ta­tion with, and let me list them. The Council of Deans of Edu­ca­tion of Manitoba, the deans of the bachelor of edu­ca­tion programs here in Manitoba, support these changes. They are the experts and we will listen to them. We also listened to the Manitoba Aboriginal Languages Strategy. We listened to the Manitoba Teachers' Society, who are fully on board with these changes–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired. [interjection]

      Order. Order.

      I would caution the minister about hollering across the way when her time to answer her question is done.

Mr. Jackson: I'm sorry to hear the minister is so angry about these questions, but Manitoba parents have reached out to all of us, and I've–know they've reached out to them, because they've cc'd me on their emails, very concerned about these regula­tory changes that the minister is making.

      They will make us the lowest standard of edu­ca­tion require­ments in the country, and Manitobans want to understand–we respect the teachers that are teach­ing in our system right now, but this is lowering the standard to less than those teachers who are practising edu­ca­tion had to achieve.

      So why doesn't this minister think that teachers should have to have taken math, science, history and an official language in order to be able to teach those same subjects to Manitoba students?

MLA Schmidt: Hon­our­able Speaker, we know that the best way to improve math and other out­comes here in Manitoba is to make sure that students have more one-to-one time with their teachers.

      And that's why we are so proud to have hired more than 630 educators here in Manitoba. Educators were leaving the system under their watch, we are bringing them back. It is that side of the House, Hon­our­able Speaker, that cut the legis­lation that demanded small class sizes, making class sizes increase and decreasing the amount of time that students had with their teachers.

      On this side of the House, we are investing a $30‑million historic invest­ment in the uni­ver­sal school nutrition program. That is how you improve edu­ca­tional outcomes here in Manitoba, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Discarded Needles in Swan River
Safe Disposal Inquiry

Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): Earlier this week, the minister was tripping all over herself, claiming credit for the crack commando com­mit­tee tasked with cleaning up the sea of syringes in the Swan River area.

      But yesterday she tried to walk back on this owner­­ship of these com­mit­tees so fast that it gave the members whiplash. Typical of the NDP, the minister told Manitobans that she wants the credit but none of the con­se­quences.

      So we'll try again: Of the half a million needles that this minister has distributed in Swan River, a popu­la­tion of only 4,000, how many have been safely disposed of–20 per cent, 5 per cent or zero?

Hon. Bernadette Smith (Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness): You know what, I want to thank those folks that are on the front lines, doing the work and provi­ding harm reduction services, health-care services, to those that need the support that they need.

* (14:20)

      Unlike members opposite who turned a blind eye day after day, allowed folks in Manitoba to lose their lives. These are Manitobans. These are folks that they represented, that they refused to represent.

      We won't take that approach. Harm reduction is about supporting people, helping them to get the care that they need. That means health care. These folks don't understand what harm reduction means. Folks in Swan River, when I met with the mayor and council and the reeve, they understand that it means provi­ding care and meeting them where they at.

      So–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Mr. Balcaen: The minister says she put on her steel-toed boots and waded through the sea of syringes littering daycares, playgrounds, sidewalks, parks and many public spaces in Swan River. Manitobans can see that this minister's priorities, when she can rattle off the fact that she's distributed needles in town of only 4,000 people, but has zero clue of how many have been safely disposed of.

      Will the minister make use of the upcoming con­stit­uency week to learn her file and bring answers instead–a baffle bag into this Chamber when it comes to the crisis that's been created.

Ms. Smith: Well, I find it hard to believe that he was a former police chief, and he was there to serve and protect Manitobans. What did he do on that side? Crime went up over 12 per cent under their watch in 2021. Crime went up over 2022, 20 per cent, 22 per cent.

      They gave out 200,000 needles in 2020 without any disposal plan. In 2022, they gave out 300,000 needles in Swan River without any disposal plan.

      We have a plan. Unlike members opposite, we're working with the com­mu­nity. We are working with our service delivery organi­zations–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Mr. Balcaen: While this Chamber can often be overly partisan, I believe everyone should be properly attired before handling used and dirty needles. So in the interest of 'non-partimanship,' can the member–or, the minister assure this House that she wore puncture-resistant gloves while personally picking up needles in Swan River? And does she prefer the CUT-X coated, cut-resistant gloves with the nitrile coating on the palms or the grip cutter abrasion–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Balcaen: –puncture and hypodermic needle-resistant–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Balcaen: –gloves made with Alycore, and will these be distributed to the crack com­mit­tee?

Ms. Smith: It's pretty sad that a man on that side will tell a woman on this side what they should and shouldn't wear. I'm sorry, but the dark age of that gov­ern­ment on that side telling any of us what we should do in Manitoba are done.

      That's why those members are sitting on that side, because they refused to listen to Manitobans. We've listened to Manitobans and we've invested in support for addiction supports.

The Speaker: Member's time has expired. [interjection]

      Order.

Intersection of Highways 8 and 67
Status of Safety Upgrades

Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): Last week, I asked the minister to implement requests from the RM of St. Andrews for basic public safety im­prove­ments for  the intersection of highways 8 and 67. The fire chief called for lights for the stop signs as well as intersection-ahead signs.

      Road safety is a concern we all share, so I ask the minister: What is the status of these basic upgrades?

Hon. Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure): I ap­pre­ciate having a question about infra­structure, and it was a very specific question, so I would recom­mend that the minister reach out to the de­part­ment for specific details.

      I also have made it very clear–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Naylor: –there are 1,000 infra­structure projects in the works right now, and the up‑to-date details for all of them are available online, as we speak.

      I am so proud of the work that's happening in this de­part­ment. All that side of the House did was cut, slash and burn. We're here to build Manitoba.

The Speaker: The honourable member for Selkirk, on a supplementary question.

Mr. Perchotte: Hon­our­able Speaker, last week, I spoke to the minister in this House about that specific intersection. She said she would meet with her team to discuss it. Did she meet with her team to discuss wiring up a light and digging a hole?

      If it's a matter of manpower, I will gladly work with the minister to co-ordinate a couple of volunteers to get the job done. She just has to provide the sign and the light and we will take care of the respon­si­bility.

      Is she committed to installing these safety devices–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Perchotte: –today? [interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Naylor: This is a really good time to mention there's a lot of womanpower in the minister's office for Trans­por­tation and Infra­structure.

      There's a lot of womenpower in the de­part­ment as well. We tend to call it labour workers. We don't need to use old-fashioned, misogynist language to talk about the workers that do our work. We have engineers across the spectrum of gender. [interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Naylor: We have road workers that do this work for us and our de­part­ment, and I'm so proud of the work that they are doing to build this province, despite all the cuts–

The Speaker: The member's time has expired.  [interjection]

      Order.

Mr. Perchotte: Hon­our­able Speaker, I met with the minister many, many months ago and asked for these im­prove­ments. The RM wrote her directly and asked for the im­prove­ments. The local experts on the ground that have to respond to the accidents at this inter­section have made it clear that they need a light; they need signs; they need a passing lane. Two out of the three can be done quickly. I'm offering to help.

      Will she commit today to this imme­diate installation or is their talk of road safety just that, just talk?

MLA Naylor: We have requests from–I've met with over a hundred munici­palities. We–and First Nations. We weigh these requests out as a de­part­ment. We look at the most imme­diate safety needs. We have stood up the road safety unit that is helping address safety issues across the entire 96,000 kilometres of highway infra­structure, and we create priorities based on–also recom­men­dations from the blue-ribbon panel.

      A lot of im­por­tant work is happening in the de­part­ment after coming into a de­part­ment that was at 30 per cent–[interjection]

The Speaker: The hon­our­able–Order, please.

      The hon­our­able member for Swan River (Mr. Wowchuk) and Portage la Prairie (MLA Bereza) will come to order.

MLA Naylor: We were at a 30 per cent vacancy rate in this de­part­ment with budgets that were slashed and burned for years. So we are doing the work of standing up this de­part­ment and getting the province built.

Health-Care Workers
Hiring Update

MLA Jelynn

Dela Cruz

 (Radisson): Hon­our­able Speaker, we are still dealing with the mess the failed Stefanson gov­ern­ment made in health care. They reduced capacity, closed emergency rooms, fired doctors and nurses and in­ten­tionally curated a crisis before, during and after the global pandemic first hit.

      Well, Hon­our­able Speaker, it is a new day here in Manitoba. Manitobans elected our gov­ern­ment to fix the mess created by members opposite's disregard for people across our great province who rely on health care.

* (14:30)

      Hon­our­able Speaker, can the Minister of Health please update the House on the health human resource progress we've made in just the first year of our NDP gov­ern­ment?

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): I'd like to thank my colleague for Radisson for that really great question.

      Manitobans gave us a clear direction to fix the health-care mess left by the Heather Stefanson gov­ern­ment, and I'm proud to say that we've hired a net new 873 health-care workers, the frontlines of our health-care system. This includes 304 nurses, 290 health-care aides, 116 doctors, 80 allied health-care pro­fes­sionals and 61 medical residents. We've had training seats across professions to build capacity. Under  the PCs, we lost 500 nurses. We are taking an approach of care and compassion, and we are on our way to hire a net new 1,000 health-care workers.

      There's still work to do, and we're going to get it done, but where the PCs cut, we're building. Where Manitobans couldn't count on them, they can count on us–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

Icy Road Conditions
Funding for Sanding and Maintenance

Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): It concerns me that I even need to ask this question, but this week, there have been three separate multi-vehicle collisions due to road con­di­tions, and tragically, a man died yesterday.

      All Manitobans' hearts go out to the family and the com­mu­nity. No Manitoban should have to worry about road safety, especially on major traffic routes.

      I have talked about the cuts to the road maintenance budget often with the minister, so I ask her today: Will she allocate additional funding for pre­ven­tative maintenance and sanding crews to ensure that all Manitobans can return safely to their families?

Hon. Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure): I thank the member opposite for that question, and I also send my con­dol­ences to the family of anyone who's been involved in any of the col­lisions. I know there's been a couple over the last couple of days, and there is a fatal collision, and that is always a tragedy on our highways, so I send my deepest con­dol­ences to the families.

      Safety is a core focus of our de­part­ment and of our gov­ern­ment. Our new road safety unit which was just stood up this year since January is now–was sent out to–well, whenever there's a fatality on the highway, they are sent out to in­vesti­gate within hours, so that did take place. And as I told the member yesterday–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      The honourable member for La Vérendrye, on a supplementary question.

Mr. Narth: Icy road con­di­tions are an unfor­tunate reality in late fall, and snow is just around the corner. We as legis­lators can ensure that the necessary resources are allocated for safe travel. With two multi-vehicle accidents yesterday and another Tuesday morning, more must be done.

      I ask the minister: What is the status of her 24‑hour pilot project that was included in budget '24, and why are sanding trucks only going out after these devastating accidents occur?

MLA Naylor: I'm grateful for the op­por­tun­ity to cor­rect the record; the member opposite is greatly mistaken. In each situation, the roads had been inspected prior to the collisions. The inspections start at 4 a.m. With the fatality, the sanding took place about an hour before the collision took place, so our crews are very hard-working crews, we're out doing this work at 4 a.m. and onwards this morning.

      But these are rapidly changing con­di­tions. We all know that things can change, we encourage Manitobans to use 511 and also to drive to the road con­di­tions and to remember–

The Speaker: Time has expired.

      The honourable member for La Vérendrye, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Mr. Narth: I don't think any Manitobans buy that response, and it's very con­cern­ing that, in -4 con­di­tions, an hour after sanding trucks go out, that it would be that icy.

      Manitobans need to know what the minister is going to change imme­diately to reprioritize safety. Right now, we are dealing with icy roads only in the early mornings and over­night, but we know how quickly the seasons change at the drop of a hat in Manitoba. Nineteen vehicles piled up on Highway 59, and the truck and semi both ended up underwater in a ditch in another situation. No Manitoban's morning commute should include this.

      What has the minister done this week to ensure Manitobans–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Naylor: The previous gov­ern­ment was in­cred­ibly disrespective–disrespectful of the public service. They were in­cred­ibly harmful to the public service. They caused people to quit. They would not fill vacancies.

      We are treating the public service with respect. And today, that MLA basically said the team is lying–the crews are lying. They are not.

      On November 6, crews were out at 4 a.m. salting–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

MLA Naylor: –and sanding bridge decks and inter­sections. All bridge decks and intersections around Winnipeg were salted or sanded by 5:30 a.m.

      Thank you.

Labour Legislation
Con­sul­ta­tion Concerns

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): Yesterday, I asked the Minister of Labour and Immigration about some comments that she put on the record in the House about how union member­ship is an acceptable sub­stitute to a robust Em­ploy­ment Standards de­part­ment. Instead, she spent great lengths rambling and seemed to say the quiet part loud.

      These union bosses have extra­ordin­ary access to this minister, and in her own words, she has a very close friendship with them, and regular Manitobans have to follow due process.

      Why does being the minister's friend get preferential access to gov­ern­ment legis­lation?

Hon. Malaya Marcelino (Minister of Labour and Immigration): You know, it's really–almost really very perplexing if you are just a stranger looking out–into this situation for why members opposite just demonize workers and their democratically elected leaders. Why, when unions and workers have been respon­si­ble for the advancement of many types of human rights across our country and even across the world.

      I would ask the member to maybe try to study some history about human rights advancement and see the role that unions have traditionally had in this, because workers–

The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

      And the time for question period has also expired.

* * *

Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Acting Official Opposition House Leader): Could you please canvass the House to see if there is leave to expedite con­sid­era­tion of Bill 41, The Prov­incial Court Amend­ment Act; Bill 221, The Earlier Screening for Breast Cancer Act; and Bill 223, The Indigenous Veterans Day Act (Commemo­ra­tion of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) today, as follows:

1.   At the top of orders of the day, the House will consider second reading of Bill 41, with the following limited debate provisions to apply:

      (a)  First, the Minister of Justice may speak for up to five minutes;

      (b)  Then a question period may be held in accordance with subrule 137(5);

      (c)  Next, a member from the official op­posi­tion may speak for up to five minutes;

      (d)  Lastly, each in­de­pen­dent member may speak for up to five minutes; and

      (e)  The Speaker shall then put the question;

2.   Once Bill 41 passes second reading, Bills 41, 221 and 223 shall be imme­diately referred to the Com­mit­tee of the Whole.

3.   Once the Com­mit­tee of the Whole rises and the chairperson reports back to the House, the House will imme­diately consider concurrence and third reading of Bills 41, 221 and 223.

      (a)  The following limited debate provisions will apply to Bill 41:

            i.    First, the bill sponsor may speak for up to five minutes;

            ii.   Next, a member from the official op­posi­tion may speak for up to five minutes;

            iii.  Lastly, each in­de­pen­dent member may speak for up to five minutes; and

            iv.  The Speaker shall then put the question;

      (b)  The following limited debate provisions will apply to Bill 221 and 223:

            i.    First, the bill sponsor may speak for up to five minutes;

            ii.   Next, a member from another recog­nized party may speak for up to five minutes;

            iii.  Lastly, each in­de­pen­dent member may speak for up to five minutes; and

* (14:40)

            iv.  The House will not see the clock until all the House busi­ness outlined in this request has been completed.

The Speaker: Is there leave to follow the leave request that the member for Roblin (Mrs. Cook) just requested?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: Leave has been denied.

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Speaker, on House busi­ness.

The Speaker: Hon­our­able Gov­ern­ment House Leader, on House busi­ness.

MLA Fontaine: Could you please canvass the House for leave to allow for the following:

      (1) For the House to not see the clock until the question has been put on concurrence and third reading of the following bills, and to have the bills considered in the following order: Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and Other Amend­ments); Bill 39, The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act; and Bill 37, The Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2024. Debate on these bills will follow the limited debate provisions for designated bills as set out in subrule 2(20).

      (2) The bells shall ring for a maximum of five minutes on any request for a recorded division on concurrence and third reading of these bills, with the exception of Bill 37.

The Speaker: Is there leave for the–us not to see the clock until the questions on concurrence and third reading have been put on bills 38, 39 and 37, with limited debate, and have five‑minute bells on all recorded votes except Bill 37?

      Is there leave? [Agreed]

      Grievances–or, sorry, petitions.

Petitions

Breast Screening

Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): I wish to present the following petition to the Legis­lative Assembly.

      The back­ground to this petition is as follows:

      Due to evolving scientific evidence, the Canadian Cancer Society is now urging all provinces and ter­ritories to lower the starting age for breast screening to 40.

      (2) Based off 2023 treatment standards, it is esti­mated that screening women annually for breast cancer starting at age 40 will save the Canadian health-care system $460 million annually.

      (3) After non‑melanoma skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Canadian women. One in eight Canadian women will be diag­nosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and one in 36 will die from it. This is 30,500 diagnoses and 5,500 deaths every year, and 84 diagnoses and 15 deaths every day.

      (4) Early detection of breast cancer will lead to better out­comes in patients, with better odds of sur­vival and less severe cases. Women in their 40s who have access to mammograms have a 44 per cent lower mortality rate from breast cancer than those who don't receive screening.

      (5) Every other province and territory in Canada has already lowered the breast cancer screening age, or announced their in­ten­tion to do so. Other provinces in Canada have already commenced the work of expanding screening programs and hiring additional technologists into their public health‑care system.

      (6) Manitoba is currently behind the rest of the country and has no formal plan to increase its screening capacity or lower the breast cancer screening age.

      (7) Lowering the breast cancer screening age to 40 in Manitoba will reduce long‑term costs to the health‑care system because cancers that are caught earlier are typically less complicated to treat.

      We petition the Legis­lative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

      To urge the prov­incial gov­ern­ment to imme­diately put forward a plan to increase breast cancer screening capacity and lower the breast cancer screening age to 40.

      And this petition has been signed by Sabrina Buffie, Sylvie Shearer, Amanda Brooking and many, many other Manitobans.

 The Speaker: Further petitions?

Grievances

Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): I am happy to rise today and bring my grievance forward to this House.

      This is a sacred and hollowed hall. This is the seat of our demo­cracy. The rights which bring us here were forged and anointed with the blood of our veterans. It's a quote directly from the First Minister.

      Further, this quote came from the First Minister: The thing we do not do on this side of the House is try to make it personal. When you know you're losing an argument, when you try to make it personal. Stick to the facts, stick to the issues; that's the path of winning in life. That's from Hansard, Hon­our­able Speaker, by the First Minister.

      So why is it–why is it–that any time a member brings up some­thing in this House from our side, there is name‑calling, there is relentless heckling, there is, you know, words put on here that are hurtful, that are slanderous, that are derogatory?

      Hon­our­able Speaker, you yourself have brought forward a request multiple times to make sure that decorum in this House is followed. Yet, day after day, members are subject to this.

      I'd like to read a definition for part of my grievance, Hon­our­able Speaker. Hypocrisy: the practice of claim­ing to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behaviour does not conform. There's also a much more simple one that I'll read out for the NDP: a feigning to be what one is not, or to believe what one does not.

      I bring this forward as the utter hypocrisy that I'm seeing from this side of the House is unbelievable, Hon­our­able Speaker. You know what, I've got broad shoulders and I've been called lots worse by better people; I'm okay with that. I will take the hits so that they don't have to within their own caucus. I'll make sure that I stand here and take the hurls and the insults that are thrown my way.

      It's not only me, and that's why I bring this for­ward, Hon­our­able Speaker. The amount of slander and name‑calling that comes to the members across here is absolutely shameful. So, you know, I will table for this House an example; even on TikTak [phonetic] some­thing was put out that says the sexism and outright misogyny is vile, and they name the member from Fort Wryte [phonetic]–Whyte and the member for–

Some Honourable Members: Midland.

Mr. Balcaen: Yes, sorry, Midland. I'm sorry. So they name this and make the claim of being sexist and outright misogynistic.

      I'll go back to the–I will go back to the Premier's (Mr. Kinew) own words, Hon­our­able Speaker, that one thing we do not do on this side of the House is try to make it personal. Well, I found that every­thing has been personal, and I will talk about even today, being called out with a distinguished career with the Brandon Police Service, 33 years having numer­ous citations, and then being questioned about being a police officer and they can't believe that I would bring up questions.

      As a matter of fact, today I even heard the fact that I was calling on a woman for being a man and I can't do that. So I ask, Hon­our­able Speaker, how am I to do my job in this Chamber if I can't ask hard questions? When I ask hard questions of members, it doesn't matter if they're male members or female members, but they're trying to make sure that whenever I ask a question, that I'm ridiculed or somehow demeaned because I'm asking it from a female.

      So I'm wondering, as a man, can I not ask any of the female ministers a question? Or am I only allowed to question the Premier (Mr. Kinew), the Minister of Justice (Mr. Wiebe), the–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order, please.

      The member from Brandon West has the floor and while some people may not like what he has to say, he does have the right to have his grievance heard.

* (14:50)

Mr. Balcaen: I ap­pre­ciate that.

      And I read out the definition of hypocrisy because it really resonated with me. On Tuesday, when I was leaving the Chamber, again, derogatory comments were thrown to me from the member from Seine River. As I was walking out of this Chamber, I was called disgusting, I was called misogynistic.

      I listen to stuff across the floor being hurled this way, not only to me to, again, to many of the members here, Hon­our­able Speaker, and it is deplorable. It is. I've set a policy of making sure that I will hammer down on policies and processes, but I don't make it personal.

      You know what? I ask hard questions, and some­times the hard questions are difficult for people–[interjection]

The Speaker: The member for Roblin (Mrs. Cook) will come to order as well.

Mr. Balcaen: –to answer, and therefore, they get upset about this, and I understand it's because–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order, please.

      Member for St. Johns (MLA Fontaine) will come to order. The member for Roblin will come to order.

Mr. Balcaen: So, on–in Hansard, you know, we look at the fact that these words are captured, and again, I was called misogynistic and vile for asking a simple question.

      And I didn't know, Hon­our­able Speaker, that getting labelled that way for asking questions within the House was part of what we accept and why it would be put on the record here.

      Again, we talk about the heckling that's going on and the shouting and the yelling, Hon­our­able Speaker. I invite the media to be here and take a look at what is happening, because when they're up here taking a look at–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Balcaen: –what is happening, they can see what is being said not just–[interjection]

The Speaker: Order.

Mr. Balcaen: I know our leader has asked the same thing. Have the media here. Take a look at what is being said, get it on the record so that they can hear and see what is actually taking place.

      So, Hon­our­able Speaker, with that, I thank you for the time, and I hope that the decorum becomes much better.

      Thank you. [interjection]

The Speaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Speaker's Statement

The Speaker: I have a statement for the House. [interjection]

      Order, please.

      The House is expected to adjourn later today for Remembrance Day break week. During this time, the Chamber will be in use by the Franco‑Canadian youth parliament of the north and west.

      We ask–I would ask folks to remove all the con­tents from your desks before you leave the Chamber. Please recycle as much of this 'masterial' as possible. Please note the big blue bins here inside the Chamber are designated for recycling copies of Hansard only. [interjection] Order, please.

      Please note the big blue bins here inside the Chamber are designated for recycling copies of Hansard only, as these can be reused by Hansard and the Legis­lative Library. Any other material you would like to recycle may be placed in the larger recycling containers in both the message rooms located just outside of the Chamber.

      Thank you.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

(Continued)

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

The Speaker: As previously agreed, we will now begin concurrence and third reading of bills 38, 39 and 37, with limited debate and have five‑minute bells on all recorded 'botes'–votes except Bill 37.

Concurrence and Third Readings

Bill 38–An Act Respecting Child and Family Services
(Indigenous Jurisdiction and Other Amendments)

The Speaker: Therefore, we will now begin concurrence and third reading on Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and Other Amend­ments).

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Minister of Families): I move, seconded by the Minister of Justice (Mr. Wiebe), that Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and Other Amend­ments), reported from the Standing Com­mit­tee on Social and Economic Dev­elop­ment, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.

The Speaker: Been moved by the hon­our­able Minister of Families, seconded by the honourable Minister of Justice, that Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services, Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and–[interjection]

      Order, please. For the last time today, I hope, to have to warn members that when the Speaker is standing and when the Speaker is talking, he's to be heard in silence. I hope you all understand that.

Motion presented.

MLA Fontaine: I'm very pleased to rise today for the third reading of Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and Other Amend­ments).

      This is a historic piece of legis­lation. This paves the way legislatively in Manitoba, for once and for all, decolonizing child welfare. This is a historic day, once Bill 38 receives royal assent, that we now have the legislative means to ensure that we are moving towards the path of juris­dic­tion and decolonizing child welfare and ensuring that children are in their–with their families, in their com­mu­nities, in their nations, being raised by their families, being raised in their culture and their traditions, being raised in their language, being raised on their lands.

      I don't know if many people can truly ap­pre­ciate how im­por­tant this legis­lation is today. When we look at the colonial history of Canada, that has more often than not been waged on the bodies of children, of Indigenous children: first, by way of resi­den­tial schools, then by the '60s scoop, and then, as most would suggest, the continuation in child welfare.

      I'm so proud to be a part of a gov­ern­ment that is actively pursuing this path, that's actively pursuing decolonizing child welfare and reinstating where the welfare of our children should have always been, that had always been for thousands of years and many, many, many gen­era­tions. It always rested with our people, in our territories, in our lands, with our grand­mothers, with our mothers, with our aunties, with our fathers. We have always known how to care for our children. And today rights that wrong or is at least the begin­ning steps of righting that wrong.

      I want to say a profound miigwech to all of the folks that have contributed to these legis­lative changes–of course, my team in Families. I say it all the time: I have some of the most extra­ordin­ary team members, and I'm so honoured to be the minister respon­si­ble to work alongside such a dedi­cated, smart and com­mitted individuals in advancing juris­dic­tion and decolonizing child welfare.

      I want to acknowledge the leadership, all of our Indigenous leadership, that have also provided their insight and their recom­men­dations, and ultimately, finally, their approval of the changes that are here before us today.

* (15:00)

      I want to acknowledge the technicians' table. There is a technicians' table that works on legis­lative changes and policy and regula­tion frameworks, that provide their expertise in the changes that gov­ern­ment should and must be doing, and those changes are reflected in these legis­lative amend­ments here today. And so I acknowledge each and every one of those members that are at that technicians' table.

      I want to acknowledge and say miigwech to all of the mothers and grandmothers and aunties who have fought to decolonize child welfare. For as long as I've been doing this work, not necessarily as the Minister of Families but as an Indigenous woman in the com­mu­nity, fighting for our rights including changes to child welfare, it has always been led by women. It's always been led by our matriarchs and our grand­mothers and our elders that have sought to decolonize child welfare and bring our children home where they rightfully belong.

      And so today, I say a profound miigwech to each and every one of those phenomenal women, including our own special adviser on Indigenous women's issues, Cora Morgan. Cora Morgan was the family advocate at AMC's First Nations Family Advocate Office for seven years, and her and her amazing team did phenomenal work at reunifying families and bringing families together. And also did work, spiritual and cultural work, here on the grounds of the Manitoba Legis­lative Assembly back in October of 2020, when the former gov­ern­ment sought to legis­late the rights of Indigenous children away.

      They set up camp, and for weeks on end, had individuals that fasted. In fact, I was one of the individuals that fasted alongside one of our colleagues as well. And they provided that cultural and that spiritual foundation to be able to do this work in a good way. And so I acknowledge Cora Morgan and her former team at the AMC's First Nations families' advocate.

      Finally, I want to dedicate Bill 38 to Indigenous children who formally were in care, who are currently in care and to children that will inevitably come into care as well. I want to dedicate this to those children. These legis­lative changes, this legis­lative framework is in honour of you. It's in honour of your journey, it's in honour of every­thing that you've been through, but it's also in honour of a path forward.

      Our gov­ern­ment has a sacred commit­ment to you to do all that we can to ensure that these systems aren't needed; that our families are healthy, that our families are thriving, that our families are together, that our families know and see how beautiful and strong and loving that they are, and that the next gen­era­tion of children, Indigenous children, grow up in our strength as Indigenous peoples.

      I always talk about that our people, our children, our women deserve every­thing good; every­thing good that these lands have to offer everybody else, our people deserve nothing but the best. Our children deserve nothing but the best. They deserve to be loved and to be safe and to be seen, and they deserve to be with their families in their com­mu­nities and in their nations.

      And so I dedicate Bill 38 to you and to the future children of our province. And my solemn commit­ment and my sacred respon­si­bility is to ensure, as minister respon­si­ble, is to ensure that I'm doing every­thing that I can possibly can to ensure that that is the path forward here for Manitoba.

      Miigwech.

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): A priority of every Manitoban and all levels of gov­ern­ment should be the well‑being of our children. We should all be committed to 'transforning'–transforming any system to adapt to the changes in our society; ensuring that all children are well taken care of; that they are safe and that these systems not only work with the children, but also the families.

      Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and Other Amend­ments) seeks to address critical issues surrounding child and family services, parti­cularly in relation to Indigenous com­mu­nities.

      Bill 38 is very sig­ni­fi­cant in the way that it con­tinues the work that was started in the–and in progress under the former Progressive Conservative gov­ern­ment.

      In May of 2022, the PCs' family minister at the time, intro­duced amend­ments to the CFS act to ensure the transition of child and family services from prov­incial CFS agencies to Indigenous governing bodies.

      In the spring of 2023, the PC gov­ern­ment at the time, intro­duced a second set of amend­ments to con­tinue to facilitate and–the co‑ordination agree­ments and legis­lation that was needed for the devolution of CFS care.

      The PC gov­ern­ment also oversaw the historic signing of the first co-ordination agree­ment and transfer for Peguis First Nation in 2023 as part of a commit­ment to recon­ciliation and transforming the child wel­fare system by supporting Indigenous juris­dic­tion for child and family services.

      This included juris­dic­tion of intake services, after hours services, early inter­ven­tion services for members who live on and off reserve. The legis­lation has a focus on prevention so families can receive support to remain together and also access to culture and com­mu­nity.

      Our former gov­ern­ment, with former Families minister Squires, were part of historic signing of the first co­-ordination agree­ment and again, oversaw this transfer of CFS to Indigenous governing bodies.

      The amend­ments that were started by the PC gov­ern­ment supported this continuing co‑ordination and at the same time, ensured the safety of children. And again, that's what we all strive for. During and through­­out any transition such as this, it is im­por­tant to ensure that children and youth in care remain supported and that not one of them falls through the cracks. They must be heard. Families must be heard and they must be continued to be supported.

      It's essential to recog­nize the complexities and the sensitivities involved in child welfare, especially when it intersects with Indigenous rights and gov­ern­ance. Bill 38 proposes to empower Indigenous com­mu­nities and is a sig­ni­fi­cant step toward recon­ciliation, self‑deter­min­ation, and acknowledges the unique cultural, historical and social context of Indigenous peoples, allowing them to make decisions the best–to best serve their children and their families.

      There will be challenges that lie ahead and this transition will require careful planning, adequate resources and ongoing col­lab­o­ration between Indigenous com­mu­nities and governing bodies. It is crucial that we ensure this change does not com­pro­mise the safety and well-being of these children which, of course, remains our shared priority.

      We must collectively explore how this legis­lation can be imple­mented effectively, and again, ensuring that it serves as a foundation for positive change, rather than a source of division.

      Let us commit to working together, fostering col­lab­o­ration and ensuring that the voices of those most affected by these changes are heard and valued in the process.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: Any other members wishing to speak?

      Hearing none, the question before the House then is concurrence and third reading of Bill 38, An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Juris­dic­tion and Other Amend­ments).

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

      The hon­our­able gov­ern­ment–no.

Concurrence and Third Readings–Amended Bills

Bill 39–The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act

* (15:10)

The Speaker: We will now, as previously agreed, move on to Bill 39, The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act, for concurrence and third reading.

Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I move, seconded by the Minister of Finance (MLA Sala), that Bill 39, The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act, as amended and reported from the Standing Com­mit­tee on Social and Economic Dev­elop­ment, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

Mr. Wiebe: I'm honoured to rise in the House for the third reading of Bill 39, The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act.

      Since we last debated this bill in this Chamber, we have witnessed yet more horrific crimes involv­ing the use of machetes. Just last Wednesday, a man was seriously injured when he was randomly attacked from behind by a machete and bear spray in St. Johns Park. I offer my heartfelt wishes to him for a full and speedy recovery.

Mr. Tyler Blashko, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair

      I want to speak directly to Manitobans who are alarmed by the machete violence that we have been seeing. These attacks, which have been both regular in their occurrence, have also been unpredictable in their nature. We're not powerless, though, in the face of this violence, and we will not succumb to fear. We will take back our streets. We will take back our parks, our buses, our shops and our shared public spaces from the surge of machete violence.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, here's how we're going to start to get that done.

      First, we're going to move swiftly to draft regula­tions and proclaim this bill into law. I've instructed my de­part­ment to draw and push a start‑to‑finish plan for con­sul­ta­tions and proclamation of this bill in a matter of weeks. We'll need these restrictions now–not in six months, not in four months, but now. We will make sure to move to make them the law of this province as soon as possible, treating this issue with the urgency that it deserves. And once it's law, we will imme­diately work to inform retailers, both brick and mortar and online, of their new obligations.

      Secondly, we will redouble our efforts to convince the federal gov­ern­ment to expand the list of prohibitive 'weafon'–prohibited weapons, including the most danger­ous edged weapons on the market today. Just recently, Hon­our­able Speaker, I wrote to the federal minister, urging him to prohibit the most dangerous machetes and other long-bladed weapons, which serve no other purpose other than to inflict harm on others. We know other gov­ern­ments, including the Labour gov­ern­ment in the United Kingdom, has done this, and so now it's time for Canada to follow their lead.

      Third, we will need to do every­thing we can to prevent youth crime before it happens, including youth crime involv­ing machetes, knives and other bladed weapons. What causes a young person to pick up a machete and use it to threaten or harm innocent people? What happened in their life that has resulted in them choosing such a destructive path–destructive for those that they harm and also destructive, Hon­our­able Speaker, for themselves. There needs to be accountability for anyone who uses a machete, but equally as im­por­tant, we need to help youth get onto a better and healthier path before they ever pick up a machete in the first place.

      It means expanding recreational op­por­tun­ities for our underserved youth, some­thing that we heard directly from Sel Burrows, who spoke so eloquently about his ex­per­ience at com­mit­tee last week. It means investing in programs like our school nutrition pro­gram that will improve learning out­comes and ensure that our kids get the best possible start in life. And it means looking at examples in other juris­dic­tions that have suc­cess­fully brought down youth knife crime by treating it not just as a criminal justice issue, but as a public health issue.

      We'll have much more to say about these and other measures that we can take to help young people choose that better path very soon in our upcoming public safety strategy.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, the easy thing to do would be to throw up our hands, to give up, to surrender in despair, and maybe just ignore the problem and just hope that it goes away. But that's not how our gov­ern­ment operates. That's not how I operate. We'll do the hard work that needs to be done to get our neighbour­hoods free from the grip of machete violence. It won't be easy but it can and it must be done.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, let me add this: We're not done yet. Nothing is off the table when it comes to stopping edged weapons from being used to harm our neighbours. As we speak, my de­part­ment is reviewing further legis­lative or regula­tory measures that we can take to build on Bill 39 and put in place additional safeguards to stop the use of these weapons in Winnipeg and across the province.

      Bill 39 is just the begin­ning. It's not the end of our efforts to protect the public from machetes. It will make a real difference, but we can and we will do more. We're not powerless. We'll not hide away from the problem. Let's pass this bill. Together, let's keep working every day to keep our com­mu­nities safe and let's do every­thing we can to rid our province of this terrible scourge of machete violence.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): I will take very little time from the House today. I'd just like to speak and put a few words on the record.

      From the outset, our side of the House said that we would certainly support any bill that creates a safer Manitoba and safer streets that each and every one of us are out on every day, but also equally as im­por­tant, streets that our peace and police officers have to be out on every day and face people with machetes or long‑bladed weapons.

      So, as the minister said, this is the least we can do and it is the very least. This bill could have been much stronger. He's already talking about including additional regula­tions and making this bill stronger. That was brought forward by myself and my colleagues at com­mit­tee, where we could have looked at making this bill stronger. We could have worked col­lab­o­ratively. We could have worked collectively to do that.

      But instead, this minister decided to vote that down. So I will continue to advocate for safe streets in Manitoba. I will continue to advocate for safety of law en­force­ment and all people who will come against people carrying machetes or long‑bladed weapons.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): This gov­ern­ment is been rudderless when it comes to justice policy–completely reactive. We've seen no plan, no vision, no idea how to keep Manitobans safe. We've seen the Justice portfolio treated as an empty performative politics where the gov­ern­ment reacts to a negative headline and literally throws money at the problem in order to get the headline to disappear.

      But there's not much of a concern whether what they're proposing actually really works, whether it is a good use of tax dollars, whether it'd actually be effective in keeping people safe. So here we are again. After some horrific headlines, the gov­ern­ment is embar­rassed and brings this forward. It's clear that they haven't consulted on this issue; they haven't spoke to expert criminologists.

      And, you know, the solutions to these types of problems are well known. What's missing is the political will and the resources. They–it's clear that the gov­ern­ment copied the bear spray legis­lation, and of course bear spray and machetes are not the same thing; they're very different types of objects.

* (15:20)

      They're very different type of objects, and the notion somehow that you can regulate this problem away is naive. Bear spray is a chemical that has a half‑life, and by restricting the sale of it, eventually bear spray canisters expire, and you can actually control how many are in the com­mu­nity. They don't hang around for years and years and years.

      Unlike machete is–it's a tool and normally should be used as a tool. There are literally thousands of them already in our com­mu­nity and could be in somebody's basement, shed, garage for years. And so this legis­lation will not restrict their availability. It won't strict the sort of underground market for sales. And more clearly, now that most commerce is moving online, it's going to be very easy to bring in machetes from online retailers without ever having to go through this regime.

      So even if this was suc­cess­ful and it made it dif­ficult for a number of youth to get their hands on machetes, they will just move to another weapon. So this measure doesn't address the real issues, which is the root causes of why people feel the need to arm them­selves to begin with. And it doesn't address it. And there's no plan here. It's basically designed to fail. It's cynical politics. It's meant to show the media that the gov­ern­ment is doing some­thing.

      Now, with any type of sort of criminal epidemic, and we've had a number in Manitoba, there is sort of an 80‑20 rule, that 80 per cent of the problem is perpetuated by 20 per cent of the offenders. And it's not like Manitoba hasn't dealt with this before.

      In my career, 25 years in the justice field, and my colleague from Brandon West probably will remember this, there was an arson epidemic in Manitoba where young people were creating bin fires. And then there was a car theft problem where some youth were challenging each other to see how many cars they could steal in a night; some would get up to 14 cars in one night.

      And so in both of those situations, the gov­ern­ment actually created a task force. They brought in experts. They had wraparound services, so once the youth were actually apprehended because of increased en­force­ment, there was some­thing and some place for them to go and to work with that 20 per cent youth that were causing the problem.

      And we actually, as a com­mu­nity, worked together, and we actually saw results. And these sort of epidemics about–in specific crime areas would disappear.

      We're not seeing that approach with this gov­ern­ment. In fact, Scotland is probably the best example of a com­mu­nity that took a non‑punitive approach to these sort of criminal 'epinevics'. At one point, Scotland was considered the most violent country in the world. It had an epidemic of knife violence, and in 2005, they set up a violence reduction unit, and they started treating these type of epidemics as public health crisises, as public health emergencies, not as a punitive response that we're seeing today.

      So if you treat it like a disease, you treat the causes rather than the symptoms, and this bill very much treats symptoms.

      So police would work with teachers, social workers, health workers. They would basically identify who were that 20 per cent cohort, the high‑risk youth that were potentially being involved in gang activity, that were arming them­selves with 'knie'.

      They would meet these youth, and because they're not police, because they weren't having a punitive approach, they could actually have a dialogue with the youth, finding out why they were carrying knives, what type of myths they were sort of thinking about and why they did what they did. And they built trust with them. And they would challenge their kind of criminal thinking behaviours. They would challenge the culture of violence. And they would give them a phone number and basically say that if you want to call us for help, that would happen.

      And many young people did. And once they made that call, they would be offered housing; they would be offered relocation services to get away from gangs and negative influences; they would also be given em­ploy­ment and job training.

      So, with the full weight of gov­ern­ment, they didn't leave it to non‑profits, who were often underfunded and scrambling for funding. It was a whole‑of‑gov­ern­ment approach. It was fully funded by the gov­ern­ment with full wraparound services. They saw a sig­ni­fi­cant decline in knife violence and violence in general for young people in Scotland. So, that is the approach that Manitoba needs to take and we've had echoes of it in the past.

      So this bill really isn't about public safety. It's cynical. It's crass. It's about, you know, performative politics. And it is designed to fail and will fail.

      And this gov­ern­ment, unfor­tunately, has shown no interest in treating crime as a public health emergency. They will talk a good game, but they haven't shown up with any sort of real action. And until they do, Manitobans continue to be unsafe with this gov­ern­ment.

      Thank you, Deputy Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker: The question before the House is third–concurrence and third reading of Bill 39, The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act.

      Shall the motion pass? [Agreed]

Recorded Vote

Mr. Wiebe: A recorded vote, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker: A recorded vote has been requested. Call in the members.

* (15:30)

      Order.

      The five minutes provided for the ringing of the division bills has expired. I am directing that the bells be turned off and the House proceed to the vote.

      The question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 39, The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act.

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Balcaen, Bereza, Brar, Byram, Cable, Chen, Compton, Cook, Cross, Dela Cruz, Devgan, Ewasko, Fontaine, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, Kennedy, Khan, King, Kostyshyn, Lagassé, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Narth, Naylor, Nesbitt, Oxenham, Pankratz, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Simard, Stone, Wasyliw, Wharton, Wiebe, Wowchuk.

Deputy Clerk (Mr. Tim Abbott): Ayes 46, Nays 0.

The Deputy Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

Bill 37–The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2024

The Deputy Speaker: We will now move on to concurrence and third reading of Bill 37, The Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2024.

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, second by the Minister of Agri­cul­ture (Mr. Kostyshyn), that Bill 37, The Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2024; Loi d'exécution du budget de 2024 et modifiant diverses dispositions législatives en matière de fiscalité, as amended and reported from the Com­mit­tee of the Whole, be con­curred in and be now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

MLA Sala: I'm so pleased to rise today for the third reading of Bill 37, the budget imple­men­ta­tion and tax statutes act, 2024. This is the legis­lation that will implement our first budget. [interjection] That's right.

      Deputy Speaker, this is a budget that delivers on commit­ments we made to Manitobans. It includes 21 ways to save, big income tax relief for hard‑working taxpayers, the $1,500 homeowner affordability tax credit, gas tax cut and on and on–just an in­cred­ible focus on affordability. And I know so many Manitobans have been waiting so long for a gov­ern­ment that's finally ready to take action, and we're doing exactly that.

The Speaker in the Chair

      This budget also provides the funding we need to rebuild health care after many years of cuts from the members opposite. We're going to do exactly that through this BITSA bill and through our budget and, of course, we're going to continue to do the im­por­tant work of recruiting and training new staff. We pro­mised to bring online 100 new doctors, 210 nurses, 90 paramedics and 600 health‑care aides, and we are well on our way, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      Very proud of this budget because it delivers on the commit­ments we made to Manitobans. It speaks to their priorities–the priorities they sent us here to focus on. Looking forward to support from all members for this bill as we work to lower costs for Manitobans and rebuild health care.

      Thank you very much.

Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): The past year has shown the NDP's true agenda: to hide from Manitobans and avoid public accountability. As mentioned exten­sively through my remarks during second reading and Committee of the Whole, this is a $24‑billion omnibus bill that increases taxes on Manitobans, and where the NDP is undemocratically ramming through a long list of major legis­lative changes where Manitobans do not get a say at com­mit­tee.

      The NDP has given them­selves sweeping powers by allowing them to set fuel rates at the Cabinet table. We already know that the fuel tax is going up on January 1, yet while the NDP have been stringing Manitobans along at three months at a time with no long‑term affordability measures for Manitobans, they are not being trans­par­ent as to what the fuel tax will be on January 1. Manitobans could be looking at 14 cents, 21 cents, 28 cents; we don't know because it's now up to Cabinet to decide, and Manitobans do not get a say.

* (15:40)

      They've also given them­selves sweeping powers to raise hydro rates by 4 per cent annually despite the fact that Hydro them­selves only requested a 2 per cent rate increase earlier this year.

      The last time that the NDP were in power, they saddled Manitoba Hydro with $24 billion in debt and used Hydro as a slush fund for their out-of-control spending. Manitobans should expect the same from this gov­ern­ment and we are already starting to see it. They are making Manitoba Hydro less accountable to Manitobans and opening the door for higher hydro rates.

      The minister himself is on the record con­sistently criticizing, while in op­posi­tion, any increases to hydro rates, but now he himself is proposing as high as a 4 per cent annual rate increase at Manitoba Hydro, setting this himself and his Cabinet colleagues at the Cabinet table. This is a more than a little hypocritical.

      In addition, the minister is completely breaking his election promise to freeze hydro rates. I've con­sistently asked him to put on the record if he will continue to put his words on the record and commit to this election promise, and he still has yet to do that.

      The broken promises and hypocrisy coming from this minister and the NDP gov­ern­ment is astounding. The NDP is taking another page out of the Greg Selinger playbook by saddling Manitobans with high hydro rates and Hydro's debt. Setting rates at the Cabinet table are sweeping powers that this minister has given himself and his Cabinet friends. There is no accountability from this NDP to Manitobans on their own hard-earned dollars.

      Rather than encouraging renewable energy invest­ment in Manitoba, the NDP is completely closing its door to the private sector to partner with Hydro and building more generating capacity. World-class energy projects are being started all over the world by the private sector, yet the NDP's own ideology is getting in the way of those jobs and those invest­ment dollars coming to Manitoba.

      This bill is a tax grab on Manitobans. The NDP is taxing Manitobans with their new property tax changes: $148 million in new taxes right from the pockets of Manitobans. The NDP are eliminating the school tax credit, edu­ca­tion property tax credit, renters tax credit, and replacing it with a single new rebate that will be erased by all of their school division tax increases.

      School taxes are going up by as much as 17 per cent in some com­mu­nities like my colleague the–from Morden-Winkler's con­stit­uents are facing right now. And they're eliminating the very tax credits that pro­vided the much-needed relief to all Manitobans regard­less of where they live.

      Manitoba is the only and last province in the country that still charges an edu­ca­tion property tax. Every other province has moved away from this out-of-touch, out-of-date tax grab and puts in sus­tain­able funding formulas like the PC gov­ern­ment was well on their way to do. Yet the NDP seem to be stuck in their ways and are bringing this back at higher rates.

      Any savings from the NDP's $1,500 so-called afford­ability credit will be completely wiped out with sig­ni­fi­cant increases in these school taxes. Middle-class Manitobans are being targeted with this NDP tax grab. Charging higher property taxes on families with homes with assessed values over $400,000 mean families in Waverley, Southdale, Lagimodière, River Heights, McPhillips, Seine River, Kirkfield Park, Kildonan-River East, to name a few, will all be paying higher taxes.

      According to the Winnipeg Real Estate Board, the average sale price for a detached home in Winnipeg in March was $417,102. When it comes to property tax, the amount of tax you pay depends on the tax rate and how much the gov­ern­ment says your house is worth. With the average home selling over $400,000, clearly this minister has put no thought into who his property tax increases will hurt. The result is Manitoba's middle class will be paying more in edu­ca­tion property taxes this year.

      But that's not all that middle-class Manitobans will be paying for. The NDP have made sig­ni­fi­cant changes to The Income Tax Act, where they're taxing doctors, engineers, small busi­nesses, farmers, nurses. The former PCs' indexed tax brackets increase the basic personal exemption to bring Manitoba in line with other provinces in this country. However, the NDP are now erasing all that good work. They're clawing back the basic personal amount for middle-class Manitobans and completely eliminating it for others.

      I've asked the minister numer­ous times on the record during 'qurpee', BITSA debate, com­mit­tee, how he came up with a BPA clawback thresholds, and he was unable to answer. I asked the minister how many Manitobans his tax grab will impact. He was unable to answer.

      The minister has 'semiously' picked these numbers out of thin air without any thought of how his tax grabs are going to hurt Manitobans. This bill takes more money away from Manitobans that we not only need to keep in Manitoba to keep the economy going, like engineers and small busi­nesses, but it's also a deterrent for all those individuals that we are trying to recruit from other juris­dic­tions, like doctors and nurses.

      The minister has put us now at a competitive disadvantage to other juris­dic­tions in Canada. The NDP have clearly no under­standing of what it takes to grow the economy. If they did, they would not be making sweeping tax changes that impact labour recruitment and private sector invest­ment in this province. This gov­ern­ment is burdening Manitobans with increases to taxes, increasing deficits, increasing borrowing and increasing debt on the backs of Manitobans.

      In their first year in office, they took a $373‑million surplus, turned it into a $200‑billion deficit. They gave them­selves $9 billion of borrowing powers, significantly more than in years prior; on the backs of high interest rates; they approved $710‑million special warrant with high interest rates; and are projecting an almost $1-billion deficit this year alone, despite transfers from the feds going up by almost $1 billion and interest rates coming down.

      I've asked the minister numer­ous times in the House what his plans are to return to balance, and he still refuses to give an answer. S&P Global indicated that it was possible to return to balance by 2026, yet the minister has no plans to return to balance and he is not even trying.

      Based on what we've seen over the past year, I question not only this minister's ability to return to balance, but his desire to even get the job done. Tackling fiscal problems with higher taxes is adding further to the cost-of-living challenges that many Manitobans are facing today. It'll drive up costs, inflation and overall people's ability to spend into the economy.

      Unfor­tunately, this BITSA bill does the exact oppo­site. It increases taxes, it creates an anti-busi­ness climate, it runs deficits and it increases Manitoba's overall debt and debt-servicing costs.

      But this bill is so much more than the NDP tax grab that I've spoken about. They are undemocratically ramming through major legis­lative changes on the back–that have been stapled to the back of this BITSA bill. These changes have absolutely nothing to do with the budget, sig­ni­fi­cant changes to labour legis­lation, environ­ment, seniors and even bringing back the NDP vote tax by increasing political subsidies to their own party.

      These are not major–minor changes, these are major legis­lative changes that the NDP is undemocratically forcing through and avoiding any sort of trans­par­ency and accountability to Manitobans. The demo­cratic pro­cess, as I have mentioned, allows for Manitobans to come to public com­mit­tee on non-finance bills and have their voices heard. The NDP knew these bills were going to be controversial and they knew there was going to be backlash from workers in the busi­ness com­mu­nity. They're seriously interfering in the economy and how the economy works, and as a result, there have been numer­ous concerns by the busi­ness com­mu­nity about these changes that the NDP is ramming and forcing through.

      They rushed this bill through so fast that the minister himself had to make five major amend­ments at the eleventh hour last week on their own bill. In response, the Chambers of Commerce said, these changes mean union rights trump individual rights. They said, and I will quote: This legis­lation even before the change really tips the scale in favour of organized labour, not necessarily in favour of workers them­selves.

      The NDP knew this bill and their last-minute amend­ments was only about supporting their union boss friends at the detriment of Manitoba workers. The NDP is clearly hiding from Manitobans, but Manitobans cannot be fooled.

      This is shameless, this is un­demo­cratic, this is not trans­par­ent and Manitobans deserve better from this NDP.

Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): I hate omnibus bills; they are terrible for accountability. And we really should have a practice here where we don't have to rely upon them.

      But that being said, you know, there is a saying that perfect is the enemy of good. There is enough good in this bill that I'm–I feel compelled to vote for it; however, I do want to high­light a couple significant issues with this bill.

      The first one, of course, is the ban on re­place­ment workers. The idea behind it is a noble one, that you have to even the bargaining positions between labour and manage­ment so that there is a good-faith pressure on both parties to come to the table and resolve their differences and actually work together and stop seeing each other as adversaries. And by doing that, you actually make a more efficient economy because there's less incentive to force a lockout or a strike, because both parties would lose equally and the manage­ment who has more power can't simply starve out their workers.

* (15:50)

      So this is an im­por­tant move in Manitoba. It actually will reduce the number of days that people are on strike, and it will make our economy more efficient. And I think it will do great things for a more col­lab­o­rative busi­ness culture in Manitoba, and we all need that, and these are all good things.

      The problem with this bill is that it's hypocritical, because the Premier (Mr. Kinew) inserted a loophole into this bill to allow what are called internal re­place­ment workers–or internal scabs, middle manage­ment–to actually take the job of a worker. And there's other juris­dic­tions that have this bill; we're by no means, you know, leading the pack here. We're very much following what other people are doing.

      The federal juris­dic­tion and Quebec ban internal re­place­ment workers. You cannot be a middle manager in those juris­dic­tions and take the job of a worker, and they have a clear law that prevents that from hap­pening, and it has the spirit of completely banning re­place­ment workers.

      So it is curious why this Premier–and it's this Premier alone who's inserted this loophole, and he did so without con­sul­ta­tion with the Manitoba NDP caucus. This is not some­thing that we've discussed or voted on. This was some­thing that was a uni­lateral decision of the Premier, and he has not explained himself. He has not been accountable. He has not come before the public and said why he believes that this loophole needs to exist.

      And I think that's deeply troubling, and so this gov­ern­ment now has this very contradictory bill that in one hand says, we got to ban re­place­ment workers, except if you're a very large cor­por­ation; you have an army of middle managers, then we think it's okay for you to do it. And there's never been explained why they're watering down their own bill, why they don't want to provide Manitobans with the full pro­tec­tion that they deserve. So that is definitely one of the problematic aspects of this BITSA bill.

      The second one, of course, is the gas tax holiday, and there's lots of reasons to be opposed to it, the first of which is that this is borrowed money. And it doesn't matter if you're a right-wing economist; doesn't matter if you're a left-wing economist. Any economist will tell you: You don't borrow money for a tax cut. That is absolutely fiscally reckless. You have to pay it back with interest. While it may not be the current members of the gov­ern­ment, it may be their children and grand­children who are eventually going to have to pay back the money that's involved in this.

      And we're talking about $340 million. You're pro­bably looking at tens of millions of dollars in interest, money that could have gone to build schools; money that could have gone to help rebuild our health-care system; money that could have gone to rebuild our crumbling infra­structure, or simply money to pay down the second largest deficit that Manitoba's had, and the largest non-COVID-related deficit in Manitoba's history. So there's lots that could have been done with that money.

      The second problem with the gas tax holiday is that it's fun­da­mentally unfair, that it doesn't help Manitobans and those that need it the most. Of that $340 million, $193 million goes to cor­por­ations and busi­nesses. That's 57 per cent of the total sum.

      These are busi­nesses that aren't asking for this relief or this help, and they're getting basically cor­por­ate welfare. And that's in­cred­ibly inefficient use of this money and doesn't go to any sort of economic efficiency. This will have no positive effect on our economy. It won't even be noticed.

      The remaining 43 per cent does go to consumers, but the average benefit is $15 a month. And if you talk to Manitobans and you say: You know what? We're going to give you $15 a month, but that means your child has to go to school literally in a hallway. They will tell you: Keep that 15 bucks; build me a new school.

      And that's sort of the disconnect with this gov­ern­ment, that because it's all about empty performative politics, it's all about sloganeering. It's missing the point of why we're here and who we're actually trying to help. Leaving aside the fact that there's no environ­mental agenda from this gov­ern­ment and, in fact, it's going to–we're taking a step back. You know, we're taking a step back when it comes to the environ­ment because we're making it cheaper to pollute.

      And keep in mind, transit fees keep going up. And many Manitobans don't drive. And now, in Winnipeg, it costs $7 for a round trip on the bus. So, you know, we don't seem to have a problem increasing the fees on people who don't drive, and we don't seem to be worried about their cost of living and whether they can afford to get by, and those are the people that need the help the most. And at $340 million, you could offer free transit for all of Winnipeg, all of Brandon, all of Selkirk, all of Thompson for multiple years. And that would actually create a dent. That would actually be some­thing real and effective in people's lives, and it would reach the people that need to be reached.

      According to Social Planning Council of Winnipeg if you took that $340 million, you could pull 60 per cent of Manitobans out of poverty–60 per cent. That's a choice. Poverty is a choice. This gov­ern­ment is making a policy decision to keep that many Manitobans in poverty in order to give a handful of Manitobans a $15 coupon off their gas, in order to give, you know, $190‑million worth of a gas tax holiday to busi­nesses that never even asked for it. And that just sort of speaks to the values of this Premier (Mr. Kinew) and his priorities and what he's concerned about.

      The two biggest issues facing Manitobans when it comes to the cost of living is housing and groceries, and this gov­ern­ment has been silent in this past year on both of them. It makes up almost 50 per cent of the cost-of-living increase, and there has been absolutely no gov­ern­ment response to either one of those issues.

      We do regulate food prices. We do it with milk. We have a milk board, and we control the price of milk, and milk was one of the only things at the grocery store that hasn't jumped up in price. And that's because we regulate it as a province. You can extend that to other Manitoba staples where our producers would get preferential treatment and they would be able to sell into our stores and you could have a com­mu­nity‑run board that monitors prices to make sure that producers get a fair price and that Manitobans can pay a fair price at the store.

      We are not having those discussions here. We are not talking about that. We are chasing around buying $340-million press releases, and it is not doing any Manitobans any favours. And again, it's–I've been watching with growing concern that it didn't take very long for this gov­ern­ment to really become detached from what Manitobans are really asking and needing from their gov­ern­ment.

      So thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: So the question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 37, the budget imple­men­ta­tion and tax structure amend­ment act, 2024–The Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2024.

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour of the motion passing, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: The hon­our­able–I hear a Nay.

      In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

Recorded Vote

MLA Sala: A recorded vote, please.

* (16:00)

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been called for. Please call in the members.

* (16:50)

      Order, please.

      The one hour provided for the ringing of the division bells has expired. I am directing the bells be turned off and the House proceed to the vote.

      The question before the House is concurrence and third reading of the Budget Imple­men­ta­tion and Tax Statutes Amend­ment Act, 2024.

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Asagwara, Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Cable, Chen, Compton, Cross, Dela Cruz, Devgan, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kinew, Kostyshyn, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Simard, Wasyliw, Wiebe.

Nays

Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Ewasko, Goertzen, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, Khan, King, Lagassé, Narth, Nesbitt, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Schuler, Stone, Wowchuk.

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 32, Nays 19.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

Concurrence and Third Readings

(Continued)

Bill 7–The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act

* (17:00)

The Speaker: We will now move on to concurrence and third reading of the designated bills, and we'll start with Bill 7, The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act.

      The hon­our­able–before I recog­nize the hon­our­able minister, we are now past 4 o'clock, so we'll follow the provisions as laid out for what happens after 4 o'clock.

Hon. Malaya Marcelino (Minister of Labour and Immigration): I move, seconded by the Minister of Trans­por­tation and Infra­structure and Consumer Pro­tec­tion and Gov­ern­ment Services (MLA Naylor) that Bill 7, The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act; Loi abrogeant la Loi sur les projets de construction dans le secteur public (appels d'offres), reported from the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Dev­elop­ment, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

MLA Marcelino: Hon­our­able Speaker, I'm pleased to rise for the third reading of Bill 7. I'm very happy to see this im­por­tant piece of legislation move through the approval process. This bill will repeal The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Act, removing the ban on project labour agree­ments in Manitoba.

      This will bring back the option to use a project labour agree­ment for public sector construction projects. The repeal of this ban will bring back good‑paying Manitoba jobs to public projects; promote local hiring reflective of our diverse popu­la­tion; build up the province with high‑quality construction; and protect Manitoba workers by ensuring workers are qualified and trained for the job.

      The repeal also brings Manitoba back into align­ment with juris­dic­tions across North America, as the ban was the only one of its kind.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): I remember the day the minister intro­duced this bill, and I heard from con­stit­uents that very same day, and I've continued to hear many concerns since then. Concerns are many, but especially the fact that Bill 7 takes away the level playing field for all bidders in our province.

      It's crucial to recog­nize that non‑union workers and employers should not feel discouraged from partici­pating in gov­ern­ment projects simply because they would be compelled to pay union dues or join a union. Both unionized and non‑unionized workers deserve equal op­por­tun­ities.

      This legis­lation drives up project costs, and this will impact Manitobans. We will all have to pay for the inflated project costs.

      The NDP's ties to unions is evident, and Bill 7 takes away fairness for all workers and contractors. This principle of fairness is foundational to a thriving and equitable workforce. There was no thorough con­sul­ta­tion with both labour groups and employers that would ensure a balanced approach. In contrast, we have already seen criticism from contractor associations regarding the NDP's new bill.

      This raises an im­por­tant question again: Who exactly did the NDP consult with? This bill does not clearly reflect the values of all busi­ness and labour in our province. It is based on NDP ideology and union input, which is not a fair approach.

      And, in conclusion, I urge all of us here to consider the implications of the NDP's actions and to stand firm for the rights of all workers in Manitoba. Let us ensure that our policies promote fairness, op­por­tun­ity and respect for every individual regardless of their union status. This gov­ern­ment hears what they want to hear, but only from those who they choose to listen to and have very close friendships with.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: So the question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 7, The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act.

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: All those–I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour of adopting the motion, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

Recorded Vote

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): A recorded vote, please.

* (17:10)

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been called. Call in the members.

* (18:00)

      Order, please.

      The one hour provided for the ringing of the division bells has expired. I am directing the bells be turned off and the House proceed to the vote.

      The question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 7, The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act.

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Chen, Compton, Cross, Dela Cruz, Devgan, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kinew, Kostyshyn, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Simard, Smith, Wasyliw, Wiebe.

Nays

Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Ewasko, Goertzen, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, Khan, King, Lagassé, Narth, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Schuler, Stone, Wowchuk.

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 31, Nays 18.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

* (18:10)

Bill 9–The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act

The Speaker: We will now move on to Bill 9, the Em­ploy­ment Standards Codes Amend­ment Act, to move for concurrence and third reading.

Hon. Malaya Marcelino (Minister of Labour and Immigration): I move, seconded by the Minister of Finance (MLA Sala), that Bill 9, The Em­ploy­ment Standards Code Amend­ment Act, Loi modifiant le Code des normes d'emploi, reported from the Standing Commit­tee on Social and Economic Dev­elop­ment, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

MLA Marcelino: Hon­our­able Speaker, I'm pleased to rise for the third reading of Bill 9. I'm very happy to see this im­por­tant piece of legis­lation move through the approval process. This bill will extend the length of Manitoba's long‑term leave for serious illness and injury from 17 weeks to 27 weeks, to align with the maximum federal em­ploy­ment insurance benefits. These measures will protect workers' jobs while they take the time needed to focus on treatment and recovery.

      I would like to extend my appreciation to the Labour Management Review Com­mit­tee for their joint recommendation, and to the Canadian Cancer Society and Crohn's and Colitis Canada for their advocacy for these changes.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): Bill 9–The Em­ploy­ment Standards Code is amended to extend the length of leave for serious injury or illness from 17 weeks to 27 weeks. In Manitoba, approximately 90 per cent of workplaces fall under Manitoba Em­ploy­ment Standards Code. By matching the federal changes, Manitoba would be one of the first juris­dic­tions to do so.

      Stable and con­sistent em­ploy­ment is crucial for Manitobans. It allows individuals to provide for them­selves and their families, fostering a sense of security. We want all Manitobans to feel supported and assured that their jobs are protected during challenging times. Serious injuries and illnesses require adequate time to heal, often necessitating more than 17 weeks. While employees can certainly benefit from the extension of this time, it is vital that they make what is necessary–vital that they take what is necessary for their recovery journey, care and wellness plan.

      At this moment we are facing sig­ni­fi­cant pressures in our labour force. With staffing shortages impacting many sectors, we have to be mindful and cautious of the impact this could have for busi­ness and industries that are grappling with these challenges.

      I don't believe anyone wants to see those that are fighting serious illness or injury to face barriers and further stress. I do want to say the em­ploy­ment insurance program is an im­por­tant benefit to both employees and employers.

      In conclusion, it is essential that we balance both the needs of the employer and the employee. Together we can work towards a solution that supports all Manitobans who are faced with serious illness and injury without compromising stability of our work force.

      Thank you.

The Speaker: Any other members?

      Seeing none, the question before the House, then, is concurrence and third reading of Bill 9, The Employ­ment Standards Code Amend­ment Act.

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

An Honourable Member: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour of the motion, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: I believe the Ayes have it.

Recorded Vote

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): Recorded vote, please.

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been asked for, please call in the members.

* (18:20)

      The question before the House is concurrence and third reading on Bill 9, The Em­ploy­ment Standards Code Amend­ment Act.

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Balcaen, Bereza, Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Byram, Chen, Compton, Cook, Cross, Dela Cruz, Ewasko, Fontaine, Goertzen, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, Kennedy, Khan, King, Kostyshyn, Lagassé, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Narth, Naylor, Nesbitt, Oxenham, Pankratz, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Schuler, Simard, Smith, Wasyliw, Wiebe, Wowchuk.

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 47, Nays 0.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

Bill 16–The Regulatory Accountability Reporting Act and Amendments to The Statutes and Regulations Act

The Speaker: We will now move on to concurrence and third reading of Bill 16, The Regula­tory Accountability Reporting Act and Amend­ments to The Statutes and Regula­tions Act.

Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I move, seconded by the Minister for Families, that Bill 16, The Regula­tory Accountability Reporting Act and Amend­ments to The Statutes and Regula­tions Act, reported from the Standing Com­mit­tee on Justice, be concurred in and now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

Mr. Wiebe: I'm pleased to rise today and speak to Bill 16, The Regula­tory Accountability Reporting Act and Amend­ments to The Statutes and Regula­tions Act, at third reading.

* (18:30)

      With this bill, we are zeroing in on what really matters: cutting red tape and allowing civil servants to focus on delivering the programs and services that Manitobans rely on. The amend­ments we're discussing today will cut red tape, putting in place a new and improved framework for regula­tory accountability.

      The previous gov­ern­ment put their own ideology ahead of practicality. Instead of actually reducing red tape, their approach created reams and reams of new red tape by requiring civil servants to count each and every single regula­tion. They wasted thousands of hours of staff time and at the end of the day, failed to address regula­tory burden in any strategic way.

      We're taking a different approach, one that brings in–brings us in line with our prairie neighbours, Alberta and Saskatchewan. These gov­ern­ments have a different political stripe, but, Hon­our­able Speaker, a good idea is a good idea, and their approach to reporting on red tape reduction is worth imitating here in Manitoba.

      I invite members opposite to read Saskatchewan's regula­tory accountability reports. In them, you'll find real concrete initiatives that the province is taking to reduce the regula­tory burden on people, busi­nesses and service providers.

      And that's what this bill will do. We will continue to report annually on our progress when it comes to minimizing red tape. What we won't do is produce a report full of numbers for numbers' sake, which does little to show the public the actions we're taking to make gov­ern­ment more efficient and more effective.

      This bill brings forward amend­ments to provide an efficient and effective regula­tory accountability scheme for Manitobans, because our gov­ern­ment is com­mitted to regula­tory accountability. But this doesn't mean that we need a law in the books that imposes counting and offset require­ments on public servants, especially a law that has resulted in an over­whelming amount of internal red tape.

      I ask members opposite: Is it the best use of civil servants' time counting thousands upon thousands of regula­tions?

      Just to give it some contest–context, Hon­our­able Speaker, some 330 staff were involved in this busywork under the previous gov­ern­ment, not only in our depart­ments but our Crowns, including Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Public Insurance Cor­por­ation. These de­part­ments and their staff would now be free to focus on what matters most: delivering services to Manitobans, keeping people safe, provi­ding affordable power or auto insurance, and the list goes on. Con­straining their ability to do so is a clear act from the previous gov­ern­ment of disrespect.

      When members opposite were in gov­ern­ment, they didn't treat civil servants with the respect that they deserve. They trampled on their Charter right to collective bargaining, they froze their wages for years, they forced MPI and MBLL and Hydro workers onto the picket line during their tenure. And they imposed these counting require­ments not based on actually improving public services but based on their belief that gov­ern­ment is inherently a bad thing.

      All of these actions hurt not just civil servants and their families but the Manitobans who rely on the ser­vices that they provide. It was disrespectful both to civil servants and the people who they serve.

      On this side of the House, we respect our public servants. We value the work that they do each and every day to deliver programs and services that people rely on. And we want to support them in their crucial work, not hold them back.

      Finally, Hon­our­able Speaker, we're amending The Statutes and Regula­tions Act, and the process for con­sulting on proposed regula­tions will be done in a way that protects the vital role of public input while ensuring that im­por­tant regula­tions are enacted in a timely fashion. Our gov­ern­ment is committed to public con­sul­ta­tion which is why we're clarifying when con­sul­ta­tion is required, and when con­sul­ta­tion is required, the–an imple­men­ta­tion and ap­pro­priate minimum period for con­sul­ta­tion will be adhered to.

      We're striking the right balance, Hon­our­able Speaker, being a listening gov­ern­ment while ensuring that we're making laws in a timely manner. We're keeping what works, and we're stream­lining our processes, and we're giving the public service the freedom to focus squarely on the people of Manitoba.

      Our approach to reducing red tape is based on evi­dence, not ideology. It's based on making gov­ern­ment work better for people, not an obsession for–with numbers for numbers' sake.

      I look forward to passing Bill 16 today and esta­blish­ing a new common sense approach to regula­tory accountability, one that puts people–the people of this great province–first.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): I've had the op­por­tun­ity to speak on this bill a few times, but I want to make sure that Manitobans are clear on this, is that the Canadian Federation of In­de­pen­dent Busi­ness called our previous bill the gold standard–the gold standard–issuing the Golden Scissors Award to make sure that accountability was kept plain and simple, where it should be. And this gov­ern­ment made sure that accountability was there.

      Also, 330 employees that the minister states out doing this busywork–I'm sure others would take offence to that and know that the busywork was actually looking at cutting red tape and doing the two-for-one so that we made sure that the number of regula­tions was brought down so it wasn't so cumbersome on individuals within Manitoba.

      Those 330 employees, I imagine, as the minister stated, the busywork that they were doing, I would hope that they can now be redeployed to make sure that when bills are brought forward, they're done in proper manners and they don't have to be amended time and time again.

      So with those few words on the record, Hon­our­able Speaker, thank you for the op­por­tun­ity to speak.

The Speaker: The question before the House is the concurrence and third reading of Bill 16, The Regula­tory Accountability Reporting Act and Amend­ments to The Statutes and Regula­tions Act.

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the Chamber in favour of the motion, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

Recorded Vote

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): A recorded vote, please.

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been asked for. Call in the members.

* (18:40)

      Order, please.

      The question before the House is concurrence and third reading on Bill 16, The Regula­tory Accountability Reporting Act and Amend­ments to the Statutes and Regula­tions Act.

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Chen, Compton, Cross, Dela Cruz, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kostyshyn, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Simard, Smith, Wasyliw, Wiebe.

Nays

Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Ewasko, Goertzen, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, King, Lagassé, Narth, Nesbitt, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Schuler.

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 29, Nays 16.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

Concurrence and Third Readings–Amended Bills

(Continued)

Bill 21–The Public Schools Amendment Act

The Speaker: We will now move on to concurrence and third reading of Bill 21, The Public Schools Amendment Act.

Hon. Tracy Schmidt (Acting Minister of Edu­ca­tion and Early Child­hood Learning): I move, seconded by the Minister of Families (MLA Fontaine), that Bill 21, The Public Schools Amend­ment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les écoles publiques, as amended and reported from the Standing Com­mit­tee on Social and Economic Dev­elop­ment, be concurred in and now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

MLA Schmidt: I am so pleased to have the op­por­tun­ity to speak to Bill 21, The Public Schools Amend­ment Act.

      The purpose of this bill is to reduce barriers and improve access to school for children residing in Manitoba. It proposes amend­ments to The Public Schools Act to change the right-to-attend-school age from six to five years old and the compulsory school age from seven to six years old.

      These changes better align Manitoba with the rest of Canada and will come into effect for the school year next year. We anticipate that these changes will have a manageable impact on enrolment numbers, as the vast majority of children in Manitoba already start school at the age of five or six.

* (18:50)

      For reference, in 2024-2025, there were 13,611 grade 1 students, being of age six, and 14,097 grade 2 students, being of age seven: a difference of 486 students. So I think it's important to note that at least part of this enrolment increase could also be explained by increased immigration, so the impact is even likely to be–sorry, is–the impact is likely to be even less than 486 students for the next school year.

      That said, Hon­our­able Speaker, of course we will monitor the situation closely and commit to helping school divisions should they see any major increases in enrolment. We will also continue to build schools and improve the supports available to students in the classroom, whether that's through our historic uni­ver­sal nutrition program, our smaller class size initiatives, adding more educators into the classroom and much, much more.

      In addition, Bill 21 seeks to expand the definition of resident pupil. This will ensure that children are able to attend school in the division where they reside, as long as they are living with a respon­si­ble adult. This better recognizes the multitude of family and care arrangements in our province and prioritizes children being in school, regardless of who is caring for them.

      The amend­ments will also ensure temporary resi­dents' right to send their children into a public school. These amend­ments will contribute to a more equitable and inclusive public edu­ca­tion system and support the success of all Manitoba students.

      Hon­our­able Speaker, I was quite surprised and disappointed when the member from Spruce Woods voted against Bill 21 at the com­mit­tee stage. I really hope that the member and his party are not opposed to children having earlier access to edu­ca­tion in the com­munities that they call home. I urge everyone in this Chamber to support this bill.

      Thank you, merci and miigwech.

Mr. Grant Jackson (Spruce Woods): Thank you to my colleagues. You know, just to respond to a few items that the minister just said there.

      She knows, because I said it at first reading, second reading, com­mit­tee and I'm saying it again today: We are not opposed to this bill in principle. We support Manitoba modernizing and bringing our edu­ca­tion system in line with other provinces across the Prairies and the rest of Canada by lowering the age at which students have the right to go to school.

      But you have to have the space in schools for those students to go to. And right now this Edu­ca­tion Minister–acting Edu­ca­tion Minister–is managing a system that has students learning in libraries, in shops, in music rooms and in hallways. Basements and in–the worst of all–hallways.

      And so, you know, the minister–I flagged this question at second reading in the spring, and the minister has just now, in November, come up with a number and said 480 students, approximately, might be impacted by this legis­lation. Why that number wasn't known when they intro­duced the legis­lation, I have no idea why they hadn't done their homework on that. I have no idea why it took them six months to come up with that esti­mated number, but the reality is that's 24 classrooms, approximately speaking, if we're speaking in approximates, Hon­our­able Speaker.

      And is that minister building 24 classrooms? No, she's not. They cut the capital budget in edu­ca­tion by $100 million, they cancelled the nine new schools project. The only schools that were talked about in their budget were two, a couple of which is the one that the member for Steinbach's (Mr. Goertzen) already cut the ribbon on, that's built by our gov­ern­ment.

      Now lately, she's been saying they're building five new schools, again counting the one that the member for Steinbach's already cut the ribbon on and another two that were already planned by the previous gov­ern­ment and construction is under way.

      If this minister would build schools to ensure that these students have proper learning spaces, we would be gladly supporting this piece of legis­lation, but again, this NDP gov­ern­ment has got the cart before the horse, they haven't done their homework, they have no in­ten­tion of imple­men­ting it properly and they're failing Manitoba students.

      And so we will unfor­tunately be voting no and hope that this minister gets their de­part­ment moving, along with the procurement minister, and gets some schools built to ensure that these students have accurate and exceptional edu­ca­tional space, so that they can learn and succeed.

      Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: The question before the House is concurrence and third reading on Bill 21, The Public Schools Amend­ment Act.

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the Chamber in agree­ment with the motion, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: I believe the Ayes have it.

Recorded Vote

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): A recorded vote, please.

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been called. Please call in the members.

* (19:00)

      Order, please.

      The question before the House is concurrence and third reading of Bill 21, The Public Schools Amend­ment Act.

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Chen, Compton, Cross, Dela Cruz, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kostyshyn, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Smith, Wasyliw, Wiebe.

Nays

Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, King, Lagassé, Narth, Nesbitt, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Schuler.

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 27, Nays 14.

The Speaker: I declare the motion carried.

Concurrence Motion

The Speaker: We will now move on to Main Supply.

Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader):
I move, seconded by the Minister for Justice, that this House concur in the report of the Com­mit­tee of Supply respecting concurrence in all Supply reso­lu­tions relating to the Estimates of Expenditure for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025.

Motion presented.

The Speaker: And just as a reminder to all members, as we are past 4 o'clock, there is no debate on any of these.

      So, the–is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour of adopting the motion, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: The Ayes have it.

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): On division.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed, on division.

Supply Motion

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Minister for Economic Dev­elop­ment, Invest­ment, Trade and Natural Resources, that there be granted to His Majesty for the Public Service of the Province for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, out of the Consolidated Fund, the sums of $17,924,228,000, as set out in part A, Operating Expenditure; and $632,798,000, as set out in part B, Capital Invest­ment; and $562,214,000, as set out in part C, Loans and Guarantees; and $1,861,483,000, as set out in part D, Capital Invest­ment by Other Reporting Entities of the Estimates.

The Speaker: It's been moved by the hon­our­able Minister of Finance, seconded by the hon­our­able Minister of Economic Dev­elop­ment, Invest­ment, Trade and Natural Resources (Mr. Moses), that there be granted to His Majesty for the Public Service of the–

An Honourable Member: Dispense.

The Speaker: Dispense?

An Honourable Member: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

      It's been moved by the hon­our­able Minister of Finance, seconded by the hon­our­able Minister of Economic Dev­elop­ment, Invest­ment, Trade and Natural Resources, that there be granted to His Majesty for the Public Service of the Province for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, out of the Consolidated Fund, the sums of $17,924,228,000, as set out in part A, Operating Expenditure; and $632,798,000, as set out in part B, Capital Invest­ment; and $562,214,000, as set out in part C, Loans and Guarantees; and $1,861,483,000, as set out in part D, Capital Invest­ment by Other Reporting Entities of the Estimates.

      The hon­our­able Minister of Finance–[interjection]

      Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): On division, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: The amend­ment is accordingly passed, on division–the motion is accordingly passed, on division.

Introduction of Bills

Bill 43–The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Minister for Economic Dev­elop­ment, Invest­ment, Trade and Natural Resources, that Bill 43, The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024; Loi de 2024 portant affectation de crédits, be now read a first time and be ordered for second reading imme­diately.

Motion presented.

* (19:10)

The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): On division, please.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed, on division.

* * *

Second Readings

Bill 43–The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Minister of Economic Dev­elop­ment, Invest­ment, Trade and Natural Resources (Mr. Moses), that Bill 43, The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024; Loi de 2024 portant affectation de crédits, be now read a second time and be referred to Com­mit­tee of the Whole.

Motion presented.

The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: I believe the Ayes have it.

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): On division, please, Hon­our­able Speaker.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed, on division.

* * *

The Speaker: The House will now dissolve into Com­mit­tee of Supply, and we'll need a couple of seconds to get things set up for that.

Committee of the Whole

Bill 43–The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024

The Chairperson (Tyler Blashko): Order.

      The Com­mit­tee of the Whole will come to order to consider Bill 43, The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024. During the con­sid­era­tion of the bill–during the con­sid­era­tion of this bill, the enacting clause and the title are postponed until all other clauses have been con­sidered in their proper order.

      Clause 1–pass; clause 2–pass; clause 3–pass; clause 4–pass; clause 5–pass; clause 6–pass; clause 7–pass; clause 8–pass; clause 9–pass; clause 10–pass; schedule–pass; enacting clause–pass; title–pass.

      Shall the bill be reported?

Some Honourable Members: Yes.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Chairperson: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Chairperson: All those in favour, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Chairperson: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Chairperson: In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): A recorded vote please–sorry, no.

      On division, please.

The Chairperson: On division. So the bill will be reported, on division.

* * *

The Chairperson: That concludes the busi­ness before us.

      Com­mit­tee rise. Call in the Speaker.

IN SESSION

The Speaker: Order, please.

      We are now back in session.

Committee Report

Mr. Tyler

 Blashko

(Chairperson): Hon­our­able Speaker, the Com­mit­tee of the Whole has considered the following: Bill 43, The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024, and reports the same without amend­ment.

      I move, seconded by the hon­our­able member for Fort Richmond (MLA Chen), that the report of the com­mit­tee be received.

The Speaker: Been moved by the hon­our­able member for Lagimodière (Mr. Blashko), seconded by the hon­our­able member for Fort Richmond, that the Com­mit­tee of the Whole has considered the following: Bill 43, the ap­pro­priation act, and reports the same without amend­ment.

The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

      All those in the House in favour, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: We'll just back up a couple of steps.

      So, it's been moved by the hon­our­able member for Lagimodière (Mr. Blashko), seconded by the hon­our­able member for Fort Richmond, that the report of the com­mit­tee be received.

      It is the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in favour of adopting the motion in the House, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: In my opinion, the Ayes have it.

* (19:20)

Recorded Vote

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): Recorded vote, please.

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been asked for, please call in the members.

      Order, please.

      The question before the House is, shall the report of the com­mit­tee be received?

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Cable, Chen, Compton, Cross, Dela Cruz, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kinew, Kostyshyn, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Smith, Wasyliw, Wiebe.

Nays

Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Ewasko, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, King, Lagassé, Narth, Nesbitt, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Schuler

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 30, Nays 15.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

Concurrence and Third Readings

(Continued)

Bill 43–The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024

The Speaker: Now we'll move on to moving con­currence and third reading of the ap­pro­priation act.

Hon. Adrien Sala (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Premier (Mr. Kinew), that Bill 43, The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024; Loi de 2024 portant affectation de crédits, reported from the Com­mit­tee of the Whole, be concurred in and be now read for a third time and passed.

Motion presented.

The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some Honourable Members: Agreed.

Some Honourable Members: No.

The Speaker: I hear a no.

Voice Vote

The Speaker: All those in the House in favour, please say aye.

Some Honourable Members: Aye.

The Speaker: All those opposed, please say nay.

Some Honourable Members: Nay.

The Speaker: The Ayes have it.

Recorded Vote

Mr. Derek Johnson (Official Opposition House Leader): Recorded vote, please.

The Speaker: A recorded vote has been asked for. Please call in the members.

      The question before the House is the–Bill 43, The Ap­pro­priation Act, 2024, reported from the Com­mit­tee of the Whole, and the question is, shall it be con­curred in and be now read a third time and passed?

Division

A RECORDED VOTE was taken, the result being as follows:

Ayes

Blashko, Brar, Bushie, Cable, Chen, Compton, Cross, Dela Cruz, Fontaine, Kennedy, Kinew, Kostyshyn, Lathlin, Loiselle, Maloway, Marcelino, Moroz, Moses, Moyes, Naylor, Oxenham, Pankratz, Redhead, Sala, Sandhu, Schmidt, Schott, Smith, Wasyliw, Wiebe.

Nays

Balcaen, Bereza, Byram, Cook, Ewasko, Guenter, Jackson, Johnson, King, Lagassé, Narth, Nesbitt, Perchotte, Piwniuk, Schuler, Stone.

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): Ayes 30, Nays 16.

The Speaker: The motion is accordingly passed.

* * *

* (19:30)

The Speaker: So the next step is to prepare for royal assent, so we'll give a few moments for the Lieutenant Governor to arrive.

      In the meantime, I would remind members once again as we adjourn for the Remembrance Day break week that during this time the Chamber will be used by the Franco-Canadian youth parliament of the northwest, so I would ask everyone to kindly remove the contents of their desks before they leave the Chamber and please recycle as much of this material as possible.

      Please note that the big blue bins here inside the Chamber are designated for recycling copies of Hansard only, as these can be re-used by Hansard and the Legis­lative Library. Any other materials you would like to recycle may be placed in the larger recycling containers in both of the message rooms outside the Chamber.

      Thank you.

Royal Assent

Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms (Cam Steel): Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor.

* (19:40)

Her Honour Anita R. Neville, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Manitoba, having entered the House and being seated on the throne, The Hon­our­able Speaker addressed Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor in the following words:

The Speaker: Your Honour:

      The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba asks Your Honour to accept the following bill:

Clerk Assistant (Ms. Vanessa Gregg):

      Bill 43 – The Appropriation Act, 2024

; Loi de 2024 portant affectation de crédits

Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): In His Majesty's name, the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Manitoba thanks the Legis­lative Assembly and assents to this bill.

The Speaker: Your Honour:

      At this sitting of the Legislative Assembly–has passed certain bills that I would ask Your Honour to give assent to.

Clerk Assistant:

      Bill 7 – The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act

; Loi abrogeant la Loi sur les projets de construction dans le secteur public (appels d'offres)

      Bill 9 – The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act

; Loi modifiant le Code des normes d'emploi

      Bill 16 – The Regulatory Accountability Reporting Act and Amendments to The Statutes and Regulations Act

; Loi sur la remise de rapports relativement à la responsabilisation en matière de réglementation et modification de la Loi sur les textes législatifs et réglementaires

      Bill 21 – The Public Schools Amendment Act

; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les écoles publiques

      Bill 37 – The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2024

; Loi d'exécution du budget de 2024 et modifiant diverses dispositions législatives en matière de fiscalité

      Bill 38 – An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Jurisdiction and Other Amendments)

; Loi concernant les services à l'enfant et à la famille (champ de compétence autochtone et autres modifications)

      Bill 39 – The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act

; Loi sur la réglementation des armes à lame longue

      Bill 217 – The Men's Mental Health Awareness Week Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended)

; Loi sur la Semaine de sensibilisation à la santé mentale des hommes (modification de la Loi sur les journées, les semaines et les mois commémoratifs)

Clerk: In His Majesty's name, Her Honour assents to these bills.

Her Honour was then pleased to retire.

God Save the King was sung.

O Canada was sung.

* * *

The Speaker: Once again, I would remind members to empty your desks out if you have not already done so.

      The hour being some­what past 5 p.m., this House is adjourned and stands adjourned until Tuesday, November 19, 2024, or to the call of the Speaker.

      Enjoy the break week, everyone, and we'll see you in a week.

 

 


LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Thursday, November 7, 2024

CONTENTS

Vol. 85b

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Tabling of Reports

Cable  3475

Sala  3475

Ministerial Statements

Remembrance Day

Wiebe  3476

Balcaen  3477

Members' Statements

Winnipegosis Historical Society

Kostyshyn  3477

Darlingford War Memorial

Piwniuk  3478

Rob Iversen

Sandhu  3478

Remembrance Day

Khan  3479

Students Offering Support

Redhead  3479

Oral Questions

Crime and Public Safety

Ewasko  3480

Asagwara  3480

Early Screening for Breast Cancer

Cook  3481

Asagwara  3481

Child Protection Investigation

Stone  3482

Fontaine  3482

Regulatory Changes to Teaching Standards

Jackson  3483

Schmidt 3483

Discarded Needles in Swan River

Balcaen  3484

Smith  3484

Intersection of Highways 8 and 67

Perchotte  3485

Naylor 3485

Health-Care Workers

Dela Cruz  3486

Asagwara  3486

Icy Road Conditions

Narth  3486

Naylor 3486

Labour Legislation

Byram   3487

Marcelino  3487

Petitions

Breast Screening

Cook  3488

Grievances

Balcaen  3489

Speaker's Statement

Lindsey  3490

ORDERS OF THE DAY

(Continued)

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

Concurrence and Third Readings

Bill 38–An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Jurisdiction and Other Amendments)

Fontaine  3491

Byram   3492

Concurrence and Third Readings–Amended Bills

Bill 39–The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act

Wiebe  3493

Balcaen  3494

Wasyliw   3494

Bill 37–The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2024

Sala  3496

Stone  3496

Wasyliw   3498

Concurrence and Third Readings

(Continued)

Bill 7–The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act

Marcelino  3501

Byram   3501

Bill 9–The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act

Marcelino  3502

Byram   3502

Bill 16–The Regulatory Accountability Reporting Act and Amendments to The Statutes and Regulations Act

Wiebe  3503

Balcaen  3504

Concurrence and Third Readings–Amended Bills

(Continued)

Bill 21–The Public Schools Amendment Act

Schmidt 3505

Jackson  3506

Concurrence Motion

Fontaine  3507

Supply Motion

Sala  3507

Introduction of Bills

Bill 43–The Appropriation Act, 2024

Sala  3508

Second Readings

Bill 43–The Appropriation Act, 2024

Sala  3508

Committee of the Whole

Bill 43–The Appropriation Act, 2024  3508

Committee Report

Blashko  3509

Concurrence and Third Readings

(Continued)

Bill 43–The Appropriation Act, 2024

Sala  3510

Royal Assent

Bill 43 – The Appropriation Act, 2024  3510

Bill 7 – The Public Sector Construction Projects (Tendering) Repeal Act 3511

Bill 9 – The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act 3511

Bill 16 – The Regulatory Accountability Reporting Act and Amendments to The Statutes and Regulations Act 3511

Bill 21 – The Public Schools Amendment Act 3511

Bill 37 – The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2024  3511

Bill 38 – An Act Respecting Child and Family Services (Indigenous Jurisdiction and Other Amendments) 3511

Bill 39 – The Long-Bladed Weapon Control Act 3511

Bill 217 – The Men's Mental Health Awareness Week Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) 3511