LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF
Friday, March 5, 1993
The House met
at 10 a.m.
PRAYERS
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
Bill 14‑The Personal Property Security and Consequential
Amendments Act
Hon. James McCrae
(Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr.
Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness),
that Bill 14, The Personal Property Security and Consequential Amendments Act
(Loi concernant les suretes relatives aux biens personnels et apportant des
modifications correlatives a d'autres lois), be introduced and that the same be
now received and read a first time.
His Honour the
Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of this bill,
recommends it to the House.
Mr. Speaker, I
would like to table the message from the Lieutenant‑Governor.
Motion agreed
to.
Bill 15‑The Boxing and Wrestling Commission Act
Hon. Jim
Ernst (Minister of Urban Affairs): Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of
Industry, Trade and Tourism (Mr. Stefanson), I move, seconded by the Minister
of Government Services (Mr. Ducharme), that Bill 15, The Boxing and Wrestling
Commission Act; Loi sur la Commission de la boxe et de la lutte, be introduced
and that the same be now received and read a first time.
His Honour the
Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of this bill,
recommends it to the House.
Motion agreed
to.
Mr.
Speaker: The minister has also tabled a message.
Bill 16‑The Public Schools Amendment Act
Hon. Clayton
Manness (Minister of Finance): Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Education (Mrs.
Vodrey), I move, seconded by the Minister of Justice (Mr. McCrae), that Bill
16, The Public Schools Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur les ecoles publiques),
be introduced and that the same now be received and read a first time.
Motion agreed
to.
* (1005)
Bill 17‑The Crown Lands Amendment Act
Hon. Harry
Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to move, seconded by the Minister of
Labour (Mr. Praznik), that Bill 17, The Crown Lands Amendment Act (Loi
modifiant la Loi sur les terres domaniales), be introduced and that the same be
now received and read a first time.
Motion agreed
to.
ORAL QUESTION PERIOD
Apotex Inc.
Plant Status
Mr. Gary Doer
(Leader of the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, my question is to the First
Minister.
Mr. Speaker, on
April 27, 1992, the Premier stated that we are very happy to see Apotex moving
ahead with a state‑of‑the‑art, high‑tech project. Commented Premier Filmon, while unveiling the
artist's rendering of the new facilities, it will be very positive for
We, too, were
pleased with the announcement of the project in
Can the Premier
explain to the people of
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): Mr.
Speaker, I, too, was surprised to hear the tenor of the news report. In checking into it this is not an
announcement of a new expansion. This is
one that has been constructed. In fact,
what was announced was the ribbon cutting, so the investment commitment was
made a couple of years ago and the official opening took place, or is taking
place at the present time.
As the member
knows full well, this government was very instrumental in attracting Apotex to
Mr. Doer: Mr. Speaker, the Premier
stated that the announcement this week was the continuation of an investment
announcement that was made a couple of years ago. We are dealing with a company that is dealing
with generic drugs. We all agree, and
certainly we have disagreed with the federal Conservative government from Day
One on their generic drug policy and their patent drug legislation. We have not waivered for one moment on that,
and we support the government's position at the legislative committee, the
parliamentary committee on that issue.
Can the Premier
indicate to the people of
Mr. Filmon: As the member should
know, that decision is made by the company, not by this provincial government.
This provincial
government obviously worked very diligently. Dr. Sherman has said publicly that
they would not be here were it not for the efforts of this provincial
government and the competitive environment that we have put in place vis‑a‑vis
business starts in this province.
The issue that
they have is one of legislation preventing them from producing the particular
product that was intended to be produced in this plant. That is the issue that they are still
fighting with
If that can be
resolved to their satisfaction, then presumably they will carry on with this
plant, but they are, of course, becoming very, very political and intending to
be involved in the next federal campaign to try, through the campaign, to
convince all of the parties of
* (1010)
Mr. Doer: Mr. Speaker, I would
point out to the Premier that the federal Conservative party intends on
entrenching this legislation in the NAFTA trade agreement, in part of their
continental trade agreement, which they plan on passing in the House of Commons
prior to the next federal election, unfortunately.
Course Cancellations
Mr. Gary Doer
(Leader of the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, a final question to the
Premier. We were quite shocked yesterday
to hear the Minister of Education (Mrs. Vodrey), in her defence of cutting
courses on telecommunications in terms of the province, indicate the number of
jobs each student was able to obtain following the labour market demand for
each of these courses‑‑the cancellation of these courses was based
on the future jobs in telecommunications.
The Speech from
the Throne in 1992, the Premier states:
My government has taken several steps to strengthen the information in
the telecommunication industry.
Is there any co‑ordinated
strategy between the alleged economic strategy of this government and the
alleged educational and training strategy of this government?
How can the
Premier allow courses to be cancelled in areas of the future for students when
the Premier is saying two months earlier that that is one of the future areas
of growth for the
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): It
may well be that the comments that were made were directed towards some of the
other courses. The reductions in intake were on several course areas. I understand they included commercial
cooking, refrigeration and air conditioning and industrial electronics, so I
would have to examine the comments and see whether they were to be applied to
those areas.
Course Cancellations
Ms. Jean
Friesen (Wolseley): Mr.
Speaker, in response to my question again yesterday on the cancellation of
telecommunications courses, the minister did argue that one of the factors was
the reduction of provision by the federal government and also the absence of
jobs.
Indeed, her own
tabled papers in this House,
Could the
minister or the Premier (Mr. Filmon), on her behalf, explain to us why there is
this confusion in the labour force strategy of this government.
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker, I will take that question as notice on behalf of
the minister.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Speaker, could I
then ask the Premier to explain why another course was cancelled, the bakery
course, when the most recent, I think last month's, publication of the Minister
of Education's (Mrs. Vodrey) department, published in conjunction with the
federal government‑‑which the minister also claims has reduced the
payments for courses at Red River College‑‑Prospects, a guide to
training and employment, says that chef/cook is the hottest job, one of the
hottest jobs of the '90s in Manitoba?
Could the
Premier explain, on her behalf, where is the plan in this government?
Mr. Filmon: Given the confusion
between the preamble and the punch line of the member for Wolseley, where she asks
about bakery courses and then refers to chef/cooks, Mr. Speaker, I would have
to take that as notice on behalf of the Minister of Education and Training to
sort out the confusion that appears to be in the mind of the member for
Wolseley.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Speaker, it is
perhaps not my place to comment on how long it has been since the Premier has
been in a kitchen, but I do believe that chefs have a‑‑[interjection]
* (1015)
Labour Force Development
Government Commitment
Ms. Jean
Friesen (Wolseley): Could the Premier tell us then whether this
lack of planning, this inability to produce a labour force strategy, the three‑year
delay in signing a labour force development agreement with the federal
government, is a deliberate political strategy, or does it have anything to do
with the loss of 1,300 jobs in the public service of Manitoba?
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): In
response to the latter part of that question, the answer is, no, Mr. Speaker.
I have to say,
in response to the preamble, that we have a sign on the fridge in our kitchen,
and it says: This is an equal
opportunity kitchen, help yourself.
Mr. Speaker,
with respect to the issue of the Canada‑Manitoba Labour Force Development
Agreement, I think the member knows quite well that that is an issue that we
are very, very concerned about. It was
one of the issues that I laid before the Prime Minister at a meeting that
gained a little bit of publicity back in December.
Mr. Speaker, we
have been working very diligently on that. In fact, the minister and I met with
a federal minister and raised the issue again about 10 days ago, and I will be
speaking with yet another federal minister and raising that particular issue
later today.
Francophone Schools
Governance Implementation
Mr. Neil
Gaudry (St. Boniface): Monsieur le president, ma question est pour
le premier ministre et ministre responsable des Services en francais.
Suite a la
decision de la Cour supreme rendue public hier, il n'y a plus d'equivoque
possible quant au droit des Francophones du Manitoba de gerer leurs propres
ecoles au travers d'une division scolaire autonome. La Cour supreme va aussi loin que de
souligner l'urgence pour le gouvernement du Manitoba de passer immediatement a
l'action et, Monsieur le president, permettez‑moi de citer un court
passage de la decision de la Cour, qui dit:
". . . les autorites manitobaines doivent, sans retard, mettre en
place un regime et un systeme qui permettront a la minorite francophone
d'exercer pleinement ses droits . . . ."
Et la Cour
supreme continue en disant, et je cite encore: "Le nombre possible
d'eleves de langue francaise justifie l'etablissement d'un conseil scolaire de
langue francaise autonome au
Monsieur le
president, ma question au premier ministre est la suivante: le premier ministre pourrait‑il
annoncer aujourd'hui dans cette Chambre si son gouvernement est pret a
respecter la decision de la Cour supreme en modifiant le mandat du comite
preside par l'honorable Alfred Monnin d'un mandat de consultation par un mandat
de mise en oeuvre de la gestion scolaire?
[Translation]
Mr. Speaker,
my question is for the Premier and Minister responsible for French Language
Services.
Following the
Supreme Court decision released yesterday, there can no longer be any possible
doubt as to the right of
Mr. Speaker,
allow me to cite a short passage from the Court's decisions, which reads:
". . . the
The Supreme
Court continues: "The number of
potential French‑language students warrants the establishment of an
independent French‑language school board in
Mr. Speaker,
my question to the Premier is as follows:
Could the Premier announce today in this Chamber whether his government
is willing to respect the Supreme Court decision by amending the terms of
reference of the group chaired by the Honourable Alfred Monnin from a mandate
of consultation to a mandate of implementation of school governance?
[English]
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): Mr.
Speaker, I thank the member for his question.
I think he points out some of the frustrations that we as a government
have because we accepted the decision of the Supreme Court with respect to the
Mahe case when it came down and made a full commitment to implementation.
We continue to
acknowledge and be determined to implement the governance of French‑language
schools by the Francophone minority in our province. What we are talking about and what there
seems to be some disagreement about is how to implement it, because the
committee that is headed by former Chief Justice Alfred Monnin is indeed an
implementation committee, not a consultation committee, but in the process of
implementation, they must consult the people as to how this will affect them
and how it will be put in place.
The reality is
that we are taking students out of a public school education system and taking
buildings and facilities out of a public school education system and putting
them into a separate school system under the governance of the Francophone
minority. In order to do that, there
must be some consultation along the way to ensure that it is done in the best
possible way for all people concerned.
That is what the process is all about.
That is what the commitment is all about.
Nothing within
the Supreme Court judgment has indicated that we ought not to proceed, and we
are proceeding, Mr. Speaker. The
difficulty we have is that the Francophone minority parents' association is
unwilling to co‑operate and unwilling to appoint their people to the
committee. That is the only thing that
is delaying the process.
Mr. Gaudry: Ma question est pour le
premier ministre.
Monsieur le
president, il est bien connu que quand un gouvernement ne veut pas agir, il
consulte, il consulte. Le premier
ministre pourrait‑il dire a cette Chambre quand son gouvernement va
etablir un echeancier clair et precis afin d'indiquer aux Franco‑Manitobains
et aux Franco‑Manitobaines si, oui ou non, leurs enfants iront a l'ecole
de leur division scolaire de langue francaise, preferablement en 1993 ou au
plus tard en 1994?
[Translation]
My question
is for the Premier.
Mr. Speaker,
it is well known that when a government does not want to act, it consults and
consults. Could the Premier tell this
Chamber when his government is going to establish a clear and precise time
frame with a view to indicating to Franco‑Manitobans whether or not their
children will be going to a school in their French‑language school
division, preferably in 1993 or at the latest, 1994?
[English]
Mr. Filmon: Mr. Speaker, as we have
indicated before, because this process does take time to identify and separate
out the students and the facilities from their current circumstances and put
them under the aegis of a Francophone governance board, a separate board, in
order to do it in a way that it can be accomplished properly, the target is
that the elections will take place in September of this year and the students
and facilities will be moved by September of '94. The only thing that can prevent that from
happening is if we do not have the co‑operation of the Francophone
parents' association to accomplish that goal. We are committed to it. We have the time schedule set up, and it will
be done, provided there is any degree of co‑operation and willingness to
act on the situation.
We are willing
to act. It is not a matter of
consultation. It is a matter of implementation, and we want to go ahead with
it, Mr. Speaker. We implore the member,
with his influence on the Francophone minority, to get them to the table to
make sure that it happens.
* (1020)
Mr. Gaudry: Ma question est pour le
premier ministre.
La ministre de
l'Education, qui apparaissait hier aux nouvelles de la television de Radio‑Canada,
a semble indiquer qu'il n'etait pas question que les Francophones monopolisent
l'education en langue francaise au
Quelle
explication le premier ministre peut‑il donner a cette Chambre pour une
telle contradiction qui est en conflit total avec la decision de la Cour
supreme qui dit, et je cite: ". . .
l'etablissement d'un conseil scolaire de langue francaise autonome au
[Translation]
My question
is for the Premier.
The Minister
of Education (Mrs. Vodrey), who appeared on CBC television news yesterday,
seemed to be indicating that there was no question of Francophones onopolizing
French‑language education in
What
explanation can the Premier give to this Chamber for such a contradiction,
which is in total conflict with the Supreme Court decision which says: ". . . the establishment of an
independent French‑language school board in
[English]
Mr. Filmon: I in no way contradict the
text of the Supreme Court, Mr. Speaker.
We have many, many lawyers who work on the constitutional issues on
behalf of this government. We have their
assessment and interpretation of what is a complex judgment but make some very,
very basic points, and that is that the principles of the province's proposal
respect both the Mahe decision and The Public Schools Act reference in this
particular case, that the decision reinforces that Section 23, parents are the
ultimate decision‑makers as to which system is best for their
children. It did not endorse a top‑down
approach being advocated by the FPCP.
FPCP had argued
for monopoly of a Francophone school board over all French‑language
instruction and facilities. The
reference at the Supreme Court clearly contemplates the possibility of parental
choice between systems, the Francophone board and the non‑Francophone
board. The only exclusive power is that
the Francophone school board will be under the exclusive control of the
minority Francophone community. That is
precisely what is provided for under our proposal, Mr. Speaker. We just want the Francophone minority to get
to the table to work with former Chief Justice Monnin to implement that
process.
* (1025)
Health Care System Reform
Impact on Employment
Mr. Dave
Chomiak (Kildonan): Mr.
Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.
If the
minister's multimillion‑dollar consultant is going to save $65 million
from the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital, as she proposes in
her proposal, and since 70 to 80 percent of the costs of those institutions
relate to personnel, will this not result in the loss of hundreds of jobs?
Can this
minister advise the House what his million‑dollar consultant has told him
regarding the potential loss of jobs at the Health Sciences and St. Boniface
centres?
Hon. Donald
Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I realize my honourable friend is
desperately trying to create an issue here.
As I have said
to my honourable friend, despite the fact that he has not had his information
correct when he came to Question Period yesterday and before‑‑I
accept that, because that seems to be the modus operandi.
Mr. Speaker, I
have indicated to my honourable friend that several things are in process. Approvals will follow if certain conditions
and satisfactions are realized between the government, and very important to
this equation, the two hospitals in question, namely St. Boniface and Health
Sciences Centre, that, I indicated to my honourable friend yesterday, should he
phone them, he would find that they are encouraging government to retain this
individual's service. In that regard,
they have had substantial discussions internally to their organizations with
their respective employee representatives.
Mr. Speaker, if
my honourable friend could switch to some real issues in health care reform
instead of trying to grab the glib headline, we would have a meaningful
discussion, and we could then maybe discuss some of the suggestions he might
want to‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Community-Based Services
Mr. Dave
Chomiak (Kildonan): Mr. Speaker, will the minister make a commitment and a guarantee
today that he will have in place community jobs, jobs in the community, to help
those patients who are going to be out there, I might add, by his own associate
deputy minister, medically unstable patients on occasion, who will be removed
and put into the community as a result of the loss of jobs and the
cutbacks. Will he guarantee today that
those jobs will be in place, those personnel will be in place prior to the
massive cuts that he is contemplating?
Hon. Donald
Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, my honourable friend's preamble
and question, of course is designed not to inform accurately but to raise
fears, because my honourable friend is talking about medically fragile
patients, hypothetical, third‑party repeats of statements that are made.
I have to tell
you that from time to time, I get somewhat slightly annoyed at the political
opportunism of the New Democrats in this province, because I looked forward to
a refreshing new approach with the change of critic. I looked forward to my honourable friend the
member for Kildonan sharing with us some of the ideas from New Democrat‑governed
provinces like B.C.,
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
Mr. Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, I suggest
the minister talk to his own associate deputy minister, Betty Havens, who said
on February 18‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Question, please.
Mr. Chomiak: ‑‑that
medically unstable people, as a result of reform, will be put in the community.
My final
supplementary to the minister, who has not talked to his own associate deputy
minister, who is negotiating a contract with
Mr. Orchard: Mr. Speaker, my
honourable friend might care to understand that one of the advantages of the
restructuring proposal that Dr. Curran has discussed with St. Boniface and with
Health Sciences Centre is that the level of patient care, the amount of time
that nurses can spend with patients delivering care within the facility, goes
up by a minimum in most cases, of 50 percent, which translates into better
patient care within the facility.
Mr. Speaker,
the management process and structural reform that has been tested in other
jurisdictions leads to not a decrease in the level of activity in any of these
hospitals, despite significant budgetary savings, it increases the amount of
time that caregivers get to spend with their patients, something that I think
nurses have wanted, patients have wanted and we want. The obvious missing ingredient is the NDP do
not want to care for people‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please.
School Divisions
Property Tax Cap
Mr. John
Plohman (Dauphin): Mr.
Speaker, two and a half weeks ago, the Minister of Education announced a
massive intrusion into the decision making of school boards by saying that she
would limit the increase in the special requirement to 2 percent that could be
raised by school divisions. In the case
of the St. Vital School Division and many other divisions that undertook large
reductions and downsizing in their school division in 1992, this would mean an
actual reduction in the special levy, or the amount raised per homeowner, in
the case of St. Vital, by $43 per homeowner.
In other words, the school division that made large cuts last year would
be punished for making those cuts this year as a result of the moves that are
being announced by this minister.
I want to ask
the Minister of Finance this question because the Minister of Education will
not be able to answer it. Will the
minister indicate to this House whether it is the policy of his government to
cap the special requirement which results in these inequities at 2 percent?
Hon. Clayton
Manness (Minister of Finance): Mr. Speaker, certainly, as the acting
Minister of Education, I am well aware the minister could answer this question much
better than I, but let me say that the bill that gives effect to this capping
has just been distributed in the House.
When the member takes time to digest the material contained within, I am
sure it will be abundantly clear to him how the government is preparing to
handle this issue.
Mr. Plohman: It sounds like this
minister does not know what his policy is.
Is this
minister, and I ask the Minister of Finance, if it is his policy and if he
persists in capping the special requirement at 2 percent, is he aware that his
policy will result in huge inequities, additional inequities, because some
school divisions will be able to increase their special levy by as much as $60
per homeowner, others by 10 percent, 8 percent, and in the case of St. Vital
and other school divisions which made cuts last year, they would have massive
reductions? Is this kind of inequity the
policy of this government?
* (1030)
Mr. Manness: Mr. Speaker, there is no
inequity being practised with respect to the announcement of the 2 percent cap
on special requirement.
Let me say,
when the member reads the bill he will see that there is a section in there
that deals with an error provision. Indeed, at this point in time, government
is determining whether or not that section would provide some element of relief
to the circumstances that he has just brought forward.
Mr. Plohman: Mr. Speaker, this
epitomizes the confusion and chaos in the department. They do not seem to know what is going on.
I would ask the
minister, will the Minister of Finance declare today clearly, insofar as his
policy is concerned, that if he insists on intruding in the local autonomy of
school divisions in this way, that he will allow this cap to apply to the
special requirement or the special levy, whichever is the greater for school
divisions?
Mr. Manness: What is obvious, Mr.
Speaker, is the NDP cannot stand the thought of the property taxpayers in this
province receiving any type of a break.
That is what is obvious.
Let me say, Mr.
Speaker, and I will reiterate again. If
the member would talk to his long‑standing colleague the member for Flin
Flon (Mr. Storie) when he was the Minister of Education and has an
understanding of how the financial formulas work within education, that at
times there are fallouts and results that are not anticipated. There are times when some school divisions
are impacted differently than one would expect.
That has happened, and I say that there is an opportunity within the
bill, giving discretion to the minister, to deal with the St. Vital situation.
Health Care System Reform
Status Report
Mr. Gulzar
Cheema (The Maples): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health.
Mr. Speaker, we
have had an extensive consultation with health care professionals, consumers and
patients, and our approach has been widely approved. There is a common concern throughout our
discussion, and that is the lack of information from the minister's
office. The patients are very much
concerned.
We have asked
for a health care monitor report. The
information even put by
We ask the
Minister of Health when he is going to have public information on the health
care reform package. So far, we have not
received that.
Hon. Donald
Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my honourable
friend's question.
Mr. Speaker, I
thought I had it in my briefing notes here.
I fully understand the concern my honourable friend expresses because,
after certain events are reported in the media, for instance, that all
children's services would be curtailed at St. Boniface Hospital, a statement
made by someone who was viewed to have knowledge that was totally false caused
a whole flurry of calls to the office.
It is a confounding process in which we then have to go back and
explain, the emergency services will be available at St. Boniface Hospital for
your children. Do not listen to the
inappropriate statements made by people who are either ill‑informed or
wishing to cause misinformation to be the trend in the system.
Mr. Speaker, to
try to countervail that, I will make available for my honourable friend a list
of the number of meetings that members of my senior staff and myself have had
in terms of explaining the health care reform process to boards, to
administration, to staff, physician groups, professional groups across the
length and breadth of Manitoba in an attempt to allay some of the concerns that
have come forward because of direct misinformation from time to time,
unfortunately, that is part of the process of information that goes public.
Community-Based Services
Mr. Gulzar
Cheema (The Maples): Mr.
Speaker, can the minister tell us eactly what new community services are put in
place today that were not available nine months ago?
Hon. Donald
Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr.
Speaker, the new community services that are in place today that were not in
place nine months ago are $6.5 million of additional home care services, for
instance. [interjection] Now, my
honourable friends the New Democrats say, oh, as if to say, that is not enough
or that is too much, I do not know. But
that is additional services that are in place.
I realize that my honourable friends the New Democrats do not
necessarily believe budget increases, et cetera.
In addition to
that, Mr. Speaker, I simply indicate to my honourable friend that there are a
number of processes, for instance, in community services dealing with mental
health reform which will be in place prior to some of the reduction from
services of mental health beds here and in
Mental Health Care System
Community-Based Services
Mr. Gulzar
Cheema (The Maples): Mr.
Speaker, can the Minister of Health tell us, because of the impending closure
of psych beds at the Misericordia and Grace Hospital, what are the alternative
community services that have been put in place?
Mr. Speaker,
can the Minister of Health tell us how he is going to communicate with the
patients who are very much concerned about these changes?
Hon. Donald
Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, that was in part the issue that I
attempted to answer last question.
There is a
perception, and I had to deal with that earlier on this week, that psychiatric
service beds are closed in fact at Misericordia, Grace and St. Boniface as we
speak now. That is not accurate,
Sir. Plans were anticipated that some of
those closures would happen this month, but we are delayed in those closures because
we have not got in place the community‑based services.
However, there
will be an array of services in the mental health community from crisis
stabilization beds and expansion of those, mobile crisis teams, case managers
and a number of other initiatives to support community‑based care. Those, Sir, will be developed over the next
two to three months in advance of the closure of those beds.
Now, Mr.
Speaker, the important question my honourable friend asked is: How do we communicate with the patients? In that regard, we are relying very, very
extensively on the professional caregivers, the psychiatrists who deal with
those patients to indicate what supports are available in the reformed mental
health system.
Grain Transportation Agreement
Method of Payment
Ms. Rosann
Wowchuk (
I want to ask
the Minister of Agriculture what studies he has done that show that there will
be an increased opportunity, an increased revenue for grain farmers? Has he looked at the results of deregulation
in
Hon. Glen
Findlay (Minister of Agriculture): Mr. Speaker, I would like the member to know
that things are changing in the agricultural world. She attended the Agri‑Forum in
We keep an open
mind, as the Premier (Mr. Filmon) said, in terms of maximizing our
opportunities to export value‑added agricultural food commodities through
the markets that can pay the best price.
The
* (1040)
Ms.
Wowchuk: Mr. Speaker, since farmers voted overwhelmingly against the
change of the method of payment last winter at a series of meetings, the
minister does not appear to be listening to them. He is not giving farmers a clear answer.
Will the
minister tell this House today and will he tell farmers his position? Are you in favour of changing the method of
payment or do you want it to stay the same?
Mr. Findlay: This is rather
phenomenal. This sounds like the member
lives in
Ms.
Wowchuk: Mr. Speaker, this minister is not listening to grain
farmers. They went to a series of
meetings, they asked for a clear answer from the minister.
Will the
minister tell us today, is he supporting the change of method of payment or is
he going the other way? He is just
sitting on the fence.
Mr. Findlay: Mr. Speaker, we have an
Agri‑Food Advisory Council to me, the minister, with broadly based
representation from agribusiness and farmers.
We have done a number of studies, and all those studies and everything
in industry shows that there is more and more development occurring in this
industry. We ought to get on with the
development and the opportunities that are created.
All the member
wants to do is talk about a political issue that will divide and conquer the
agricultural community. Her ideology is,
make the farmer pay more and more and not promote efficiency in the system and
market access that gives us higher value.
She does not want to talk about getting on with the future. She wants to argue about issues that really
are going to divide and conquer the agricultural industry. I would like that member to stand up and talk
about the optimism, the opportunity and what is going on in the agricultural
community in the
Crown Corporations
Reduced Workweek
Mr. Steve
Ashton (Thompson): Mr.
Speaker, several weeks ago, the Minister of Finance announced the reduced work
program to deal with the spiralling deficit that this government is facing in
I would like to
ask the Minister of Finance if he could clarify what the status is of Crown
corporations such as Manitoba Hydro and MTS.
Will they be forced by this government to comply with this reduced
workweek program?
Hon. Clayton
Manness (Minister of Finance): Mr. Speaker, we have asked the Crown corporations within the
province, within the spirit of the announcement made with respect to MGEU
members, that their employees also be requested to reduce the total salary line
by an amount equivalent. We have not
forced the hard model on Crowns, although we suggest that they consider the
model that the government is imposing upon itself.
Mr. Ashton: Mr. Speaker, there
appears to be some confusion then, because employees are being told by the
presidency, for example, of MTS that they are being directed essentially by
government.
I would like to
ask the minister, because there is a great deal of concern in the Crown
corporations on how they can maintain service to Manitobans and particularly
with MTS how they can compete with Unitel, if they have to comply with this, I
would like to ask the minister: Do the
Crown corporations have any option in complying with this or are they being
forced to go ahead with a reduced workweek program?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Speaker, I will
reiterate what I said before. The government has made it known to the Crowns
that we will expect the Crowns to adopt a model that does not necessarily have
to be ours. It can be a variation of
ours, but nevertheless there will be a bottom‑line, salary‑line
savings equivalent to what the government is imposing upon itself.
Crown Corporations
Reduced Workweek
Mr. Steve
Ashton (Thompson): My final
question then, Mr. Speaker: If the
intent was to be consistent with the Civil Service, why then is the Minister of
Finance with the Civil Service creating the difficulty with many departments
which have to provide essential services during this period? Why is it the Civil Service has no option and
departments are being told they have to cut 10 or 12 days worth of service to
Manitobans in essential services, when in fact with Crown corporations he is
now saying something quite different?
Hon. Darren Praznik
(Minister of Labour): Mr.
Speaker, again, from the New Democratic Party we get the accusations or we get
the comments that are just I think designed to create more confusion. We have plenty of time, as I have indicated
on many occasions, before the first Friday on which this will be
operative. We have asked each department
to develop plans to deal with their operations and that is underway. In fact, this has probably given us an
opportunity to do it in a way that applies common sense, but one has to
appreciate that if you are going to be reducing the workweek, we want to try to
keep as close to the model so that the public is aware that services are not
available on those particular days.
Mr. Speaker: The time for
Oral Questions has expired.
* * *
Mr.
Speaker: As previously agreed, yesterday we agreed that after Question
Period the House would now adjourn. I
understand now, it appears that the honourable Minister of Finance is standing
on his feet. I also understand the
honourable Leader of the Opposition wants to make a nonpolitical
statement. I am asking, what is the will
of the House right now?
Hon. Clayton
Manness (Government House Leader): Mr. Speaker, mine is House Business and, certainly, short
nonpolitical statements I think we can‑‑
Mr. Speaker: That is agreed
then. We will do this. Okay, there is leave to allow for
nonpolitical statements.
NONPOLITICAL STATEMENTS
Mr. Gary Doer
(Leader of the Opposition): I thank you for leave of the House. I just want to pay tribute to the outgoing
Lieutenant‑Governor of Manitoba George Johnson. Today, we will witness the swearing in of the
new Lieutenant‑Governor Yvon Dumont whom we wish very well. I think it is important to pay tribute to the
tremendous contributions that George Johnson has made to the
I have known
Dr. Johnson personally, particularly through Special Olympics as a volunteer,
and I found him to be a person of dedication to our province, an optimist about
all of our futures and a very, very kind and considerate person.
Mr. Speaker, I
know we have a time limitation, but I just want to say that we wish him
well. He has served his function as
Lieutenant‑Governor with dignity and grace, and we wish him and his
family all the best.
Mr. Speaker: Does the honourable First
Minister have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? Leave. [agreed]
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
On behalf of all my colleagues in the government, I want to join
enthusiastically with the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) in paying tribute
to a gentleman who has served in so many ways the people of
The roles that
he played in the cabinet of the province of Manitoba or as a local community
doctor, having delivered many, many of the babies in the Interlake district of
Manitoba, have left him with a legacy of friends, admirers and supporters who
cross all political lines and all economic circumstances. He is a man who is admired and supported by
all people who have known him. I know
that as one who cherishes the opportunity to call him a friend, Mr. Speaker.
I want to say
that Dr. Johnson's legacy is not only in his personal contributions to
* (1050)
They have, of
course, raised a family that has thrown itself into public service in so many
ways. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr.
Doer) refers to Special Olympics. That
is led in
So on all those
counts we offer, not only our gratitude for the service that Dr. Johnson has
given, but our respect and our best wishes for the future that we hope will be
one of health and continued service to the people of
In that
transition that takes place in just a very short while in this Chamber, I, too,
want to express my very good wishes towards the new Lieutenant‑Governor,
Yvon Dumont.
I had the
special privilege of working with Yvon around the constitutional table for much
of the past year. During that period of
time, I gained a tremendous respect for Yvon as a representative of the Metis
people of
In taking on
his new role, I know that he will be a great credit to the people of Manitoba,
all the people of Manitoba, and a very dedicated public servant, as well, in
that new role.
I am certainly
looking forward to the ceremony and to the welcoming to the position of our new
Lieutenant‑Governor, Yvon Dumont.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Speaker: Does the honourable
member for St. James have leave to make a nonpolitical statement? [agreed]
Mr. Paul
Edwards (St. James): Mr.
Speaker, on behalf of our party, we want to join with the comments made by our
colleagues in the other parties about Dr. Johnson and share with them in
thanking him for his years of dedication, and that of his family, to the public
good in this province.
In addition to
the sharing with the comments that they have made, I want to add one further
personal note, and the one I think is shared by the members of our party, about
the integrity of Dr. Johnson and what he has done for politicians and politics
in this province.
As we live in
this age of cynicism about politicians and about our elected officials
generally, we have beacons of light to look to.
Dr. Johnson has been one of those for me personally and, I think, for
many in this House. He has sacrificed
greatly in his career. He chose public
service. He went to public service at
the expense of his professional goals as a physician in our province.
He served his
term in office with integrity and honesty and dedication, which is renowned
from corner to corner in this province, Mr. Speaker, so he shows us surely the
way of public service as elected officials.
In this age of
cynicism, to many who look and think that they might aspire to public office, I
recommend him as a guide, as a person to look to who truly served the public
good and at great cost to himself personally and his family.
Mr. Speaker, I
want to thank then both he and his wife, Doris, for their many, many years of
hard work, for the gentility with which they have served their roles in
Government House.
I also want to
share with the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and, I know, the Leader of the Opposition
(Mr. Doer) in wishing our new Lieutenant‑Governor and his family well in
their term in office, Mr. Speaker. Thank
you.
House Business
Hon. Clayton
Manness (Government House Leader): On House business, Mr. Speaker, the Standing
Committee on Public Utilities and Natural Resources will meet on Tuesday, March
9, 1993, at 7:30 p.m. to continue to consider the 1992 Annual Report of the
Manitoba Hydro‑Electric Board.
* * *
Mr. Speaker: As previously agreed,
this House is now adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. Monday.