Manitoba Hansard — 28 March 2025 (Sitting 36, 43rd Legislature, 2nd Session)

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Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Second Session – Forty-Third Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Tom Lindsey Speaker Vol. LXXIX No. 36 - 10 a.m., Friday, March 28, 2025 ISSN 0542-5492

MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-Third Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ASAGWARA, Uzoma, Hon. Union Station NDP BALCAEN, Wayne Brandon West PC BEREZA, Jeff Portage la Prairie PC BLASHKO, Tyler Lagimodière NDP BRAR, Diljeet Burrows NDP BUSHIE, Ian, Hon. Keewatinook NDP BYRAM, Jodie Agassiz PC CABLE, Renée, Hon. Southdale NDP CHEN, Jennifer Fort Richmond NDP COMPTON, Carla Tuxedo NDP COOK, Kathleen Roblin PC CROSS, Billie Seine River NDP DELA CRUZ, Jelynn Radisson NDP DEVGAN, JD McPhillips NDP EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FONTAINE, Nahanni, Hon. St.

Johns NDP GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach PC GUENTER, Josh Borderland PC HIEBERT, Carrie Morden-Winkler PC JOHNSON, Derek Interlake-Gimli PC KENNEDY, Nellie, Hon. Assiniboia NDP KHAN, Obby Fort Whyte PC KINEW, Wab, Hon. Fort Rouge NDP KING, Trevor Lakeside PC KOSTYSHYN, Ron, Hon. Dauphin NDP LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAMOUREUX, Cindy Tyndall Park Lib. LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas-Kameesak NDP LINDSEY, Tom, Hon. Flin Flon NDP LOISELLE, Robert St. Boniface NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Malaya, Hon. Notre Dame NDP MOROZ, Mike, Hon. River Heights NDP MOSES, Jamie, Hon. St. Vital NDP MOYES, Mike, Hon.

Riel NDP NARTH, Konrad La Vérendrye PC NAYLOR, Lisa, Hon. Wolseley NDP NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC OXENHAM, Logan Kirkfield Park NDP PANKRATZ, David Waverley NDP PERCHOTTE, Richard Selkirk PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Turtle Mountain PC REDHEAD, Eric Thompson NDP SALA, Adrien, Hon. St. James NDP SANDHU, Mintu, Hon. The Maples NDP SCHMIDT, Tracy, Hon. Rossmere NDP SCHOTT, Rachelle Kildonan-River East NDP SCHULER, Ron Springfield-Ritchot PC SIMARD, Glen, Hon. Brandon East NDP SMITH, Bernadette, Hon. Point Douglas NDP STONE, Lauren Midland PC WASYLIW, Mark Fort Garry Ind. WHARTON, Jeff Red River North PC WIEBE, Matt, Hon.

Concordia NDP WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC Vacant Spruce Woods Vacant Transcona

1011 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Friday, March 28, 2025 The House met at 10 a.m. The Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen.

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

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS The Speaker: Orders of the day. Introduction of bills? Committee reports? Tabling of reports? MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Indigenous Languages Day Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): Honourable Speaker, I want to table these docu ments here that are English translations of the Dakota language statement on Indigenous Languages Day that I'm now going to deliver. Washte. Ikce wicasta iapi teuhidapkin he, anpetu kin de nina iyomakpi do. Tuktetahan unhipkasta, Iyan Tipi, Bde Minniwaste, Assiniboine Wakpa, Odanaha Ospaye, Manitoba is Unci Makoce, tonana cazebate kte, oyate kin hena ikce wicaste iapi unkunpido.

Hau, hece oteca kin, Dakota, Anishinaabe, Cree, Anisininew, Métis, Inuit, naku Dene, iap kahun tokatakiya zania umpte do. Hau, hece ikce wicasta iapi un iaunkokiciyapte do. Wopida. English translation of Dakota language spoken Good day. I am filled with joy today that we continue to look after our Indigenous languages. If we come from places like Winnipeg, Lake Minnewasta, the Assiniboine River, Odanah Colony, Manitoba or Canada, to name but a few, we are people who use Indigenous languages.

And so it is that our youth will be healthy if they continue to speak the languages of the Dakota, Anishinaabe, Cree, Anisininew, Métis, Inuit and Dene peoples. Let's speak Indigenous languages to one another. Thank you. Mr. Richard Perchotte (Selkirk): Language is more than a means of com munication; it's the thread that connects us all. It's through language that we share compassion, trust and under standing. It's through language we pass on stories, culture and tradition from generation to generation. This thread, however, is delicate and can be jeopardized.

In Canada's history, we have systematic attempts to erase Indigenous languages in an effort to erase these threads. That's why Indigenous Languages Day coming this Monday, March 31, has great significance. It's an op portunity to celebrate, protect and preserve languages that should never've been stripped from its peoples. We must recog nize Manitoba is playing a vital role in uplifting Indigenous languages. By working together, we can ensure these languages will live on. We can foster understanding, invest in education and even increase cultural viability and visibility.

Last year, we saw a groundbreaking project come to life when Winnipeg helped produce and hosted the world premiere of Star Wars in Ojibwe. Just one example of Manitoba leading the way. More than just a matter of preserving words, this is about safeguarding the cultures, histories and identities they carry. Languages carry with them the wisdom– The Speaker: Order, please. The member's time has expired.

1012 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Some Honourable Members: Leave. The Speaker: Does the member have leave to com - plete his response? [Agreed] Mr. Perchotte: Languages carry with them the wisdom of generations, so I ask all Manitobans to commemorate Indigenous Languages Day on this Monday to ensure the youth of today and tomorrow inherit the richness and the cultures and traditions that have helped shaped Manitoba. Miigwech, merci, thank you.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS Greg Daniels MLA Billie Cross (Seine River): I rise today to honour a man who had a huge impact on my life and the lives of many people in our province. Greg Daniels is a former educator who spent decades working in schools across the River East Transcona School Division, teaching, leading and coaching basketball, even, to students of all ages, from elementary to high school. I am proud to award him the King Charles coronation award for his lifetime of community service. Greg played basketball for the University of Manitoba men's basketball team.

In 1976, he helped them become the first and only men's team in Manitoba to win the national championship, achieving this with a completely local roster. He dominated the sport at many levels, playing for the Nicolett Inn senior men's team, which won three national championships. Greg has served in many 'throles' throughout his career, including teacher, coach, vice-principal, principal and, finally, as an assistant superintendent in the River East Transcona School Division. He has guided the paths of countless students and changed their lives for the better.

Greg was my leadership teacher for three years at Murdoch Mackay Collegiate, where I learned how to lead, coach, ref and how to be an effective organizer. Our paths continued to cross. He was my oldest daughter's principal, and we coached her school team together. Later, he was my principal when I was an EA at Miles Mac. The leadership skills I developed under Greg's guidance have stuck with me my entire life and have helped me on the journey to this place. Good teachers and good people leave lasting impressions. Greg continues to contribute to the community.

He sits on the board of the U of M men's alumni basketball committee, helping raise money to support their team. He has raised money for the tennis courts at Victoria Beach, and the Red River Assiniboine multi-use winter trail project. Greg, I commend you for the contributions you have made to our province. Your leadership guided me to the path I am on today, and I am so proud to stand here and honour you. I ask that the names of Greg and his family members be added to Hansard. And his daughter, Kate, is watching from afar in England.

Now, I ask that my colleagues please join me in congratulating Greg on being awarded the King Charles coronation award. Greg Daniels, Jane Daniels, Michelle Daniels, Patrick Daniels * (10:10) Oak Tree Towers MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Oak Tree Towers has been a part of the Portage la Prairie landscape for as long as I can remember, but the Oak Tree Towers of today bears little resemblance to the 55-plus block it once was. Today, the residents of Oak Tree Towers live their lives in fear. Over the past 18 months, living condi tions at Oak Tree Towers have rapidly deteriorated.

Residents describe themselves as being prisoners in their own homes. Another local agency, Portage Service for Seniors, has also confirmed the situation, and has sent a letter to the minister. A very few tenants are creating these unsafe conditions, but they are harbouring individuals who are sleeping, urinating, defecating in the hallways. Worse, the tenants are engaging in illicit activities, including suspected drug production and sex trafficking. Yet complaints to Manitoba Housing have gone ignored, or worse, staff has been told –staff has told residents, stop calling.

I will close with the words of one senior who has resided at Oak Tree Towers for years, and whose emails to the minister have been ignored–I've promised not to use their name: I pay rent to live here, yet my right to a peaceful existence is being denied, while those

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1013 engaging in illegal activities are being allowed the freedom to disrupt the lives of other tenants. If I do end up dead from extreme stress and sleep deprivation brought about by intolerable conditions at Oak Tree Towers, I am giving my MLA permission to r elease every email. I hope never to have to share those emails, but I am losing faith in this minister's ability or desire to do the right thing. Thank you very much. The Speaker: Order, please. I would ask the member if that is a public docu- ment that he's reading from. If not, he will have to table it.

MLA Bereza: My apologies, Honour able Speaker. The–it is not a public docu ment, and the author has asked me not to– An Honourable Member: You can redact. MLA Bereza: Okay. The Speaker: Order, please. You can still table the docu ment. Just redact the name on it. So please table it. MLA Bereza: Honourable Speaker, I will redact the statement. The Speaker: Order, please. Just need to redact the name on it and then table the document you were reading from. MLA Bereza: Yes. The Speaker: Order. We're resuming members' statements. Grand Lodge of Manitoba 150th Anniversary Hon.

Malaya Marcelino (Minister of Labour and Immigration): Honourable Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a remarkable milestone in our province's history: the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, established in 1875. The celebration honours 150 years of fellowship, charity and unwavering service that has strengthened our communities and shaped the character of generations of Manitobans.

The roots of Freemasonry in Manitoba stretch back to the early days of the Red River Settlement, beginning with the arrival of John Palmer Bourke in 1813 and the formation of the Northern Light Lodge in 1864, led by John Schultz, Andrew G.B. Bannatyne and William Inkster, who laid the foundation for the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, which has established itself as a pillar of this fraternal organization even beyond Manitoba. Freemasonry has significantly shaped our pro - vince's heritage. Twelve premiers were proud members of this fraternity, and the architect of this very building, Frank W.

Simon, was also a Freemason who weaved the organization's legacy into the very structure of this seat of government.

Manitoba's Freemasons continue to shape our society through community service and charitable initiatives: in Notre Dame, Empire Lodge 127 on Alexander Ave hosts an annual Canada Day fundraiser for the North End Women's Centre; Fil-Can Cabletow Lodge 189 fundraises for bursaries to students at Tec -Voc High School and Daniel McIntyre Collegiate; the Grand Lodge of Manitoba supports CancerCare Manitoba through its Wheels of Hope program and partners with Canadian Blood Services for annual blood drives; St.

John's Lodge 4 and Manitoba Maharlika Lodge 192 have annual fund- raising campaigns for the Children's Hospital Foundation. And these examples represent only a fraction of the charity that Freemasons provide. Joining us in the gallery today are the leadership and officers of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba and members of the Manitoba Freemasons. And, Honour- able Speaker, I would like to submit their names to Hansard. As we celebrate this extraordinary sesqui - centennial milestone, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to all in the Freemason community. Thank you.

The Grand Lodge of Manitoba–Officers: Emad Bisharat, Grand Master; Rey Galapon, Deputy Grand Master; Glenn Ramos, Junior Grand Warden; Kris Goodmanson, Grand Secretary; Stuart Allen, Past Grand Master; Chibu Uson, Past Grand Master; Junn Manalang, Past Grand Master.

Brethren: Carlos Alt, Reily Amador, Melvin Arabe, Aaron Badescu, Clyde Bacalla, Ed Baertz, Efren Cabrera, Jose Casares, Rommel Clamor, Al Franchuk, Jim Fergusson, Gord Greasley, Fred Heinrichs, John Hill, Mike Howard, Carlos Humaire, Paul llag, Al James Jimenea, Israel Kowonu, David Lerner, Ryan Mateo, Don Paulus, Norman Pohl, Brian Ryall, Rolan Tan, Bruce Taylor, Rico Villarin.

1014 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Birdtail Sioux Dakota First Nation–Bison Ceremony Mr. Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): The Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation recently welcomed a number of bison back to their ancestral home west of Beulah thanks to a working arrangement with the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, located near Oak Lake. More than 100 community members, more than half of them students, welcomed the bison at a special ceremony in December. Sioux Valley, who have been raising bison for over 15 years, gave 11 animals to Birdtail, with the intent of strengthening the Dakota identity and culture.

Among the gifted herd was a special white buffalo, which holds significance in the Indigenous culture. In May 2016, Sioux Valley welcomed a rare white male calf. The calf's mother, also white, was born at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in 2009 and given to the Sioux Valley herd. A white bison symbolizes purity, spirituality and the promise of prosperity. It is believed to be a power- ful omen and a message from the Creator. For thousands of years, Native Americans relied heavily on bison for their survival and well -being, using every part of the animal for food, clothing, shelter, tools, jewellery and in ceremonies.

The decimation of millions of bison in the 1800s by non-Indigenous hunters using repeater rifles was pivotal to the tragic end for these majestic animals. The hunters wanted just the hides, leaving the carcasses behind to rot. There are still reminders of the bison that once roamed the plains of the Birdtail Sioux Nation. An old bison jump is visible to the north, and bison skulls and bones are found along the banks of the Assiniboine River every summer.

For now, the bison are living in a small enclosure, but the Birdtail Sioux leadership hopes to grow the herd and the land they roam on, providing young and old with a connection to the Dakota culture for genera- tions to come. Thank you, Honourable Speaker. Cory Beardy MLA Eric Redhead (Thompson): Today I rise in the House to recognize an outstanding young athlete from Shamattawa First Nation and a student at RDPC in Thompson, Cory Beardy. Cory is a dedicated and determined cross-country skier, recently –who recently brought home a gold medal from the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

His remarkable achievements serve as an inspiration, not only to his community, but to all Manitobans who admire perseverance, dedi - cation and sportsmanship. Cory's journey in cross -country skiing has been nothing short of incredible. His coach and teammates affective–affectionately call him the Energizer Bunny, a testament to his boundless energy, relentless work ethic and unwavering passion for the sport. Training four to five times a week, Cory has demonstrated the level of commitment required to complete–to compete at the highest level.

His dedication paid of f, earning him a spot on Team Canada for the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Earlier this year, over 1,500 athletes from across the world gathered in Italy to compete in these prestigious games. Cory proudly represented Manitoba and Canada, competing in multiple events with great determination. He placed fifth in the 500- metre classic race, finished just shy of the podium in the 1K classic race, securing him an impressive fourth-place finish.

However, his defining moment came when he and his teammates captured a gold medal in the 4x1K cross-country relay, showcasing not only his athletic 'prowers,' but also incredible teamwork and sportsmanship. His victory has only fueled Cory's ambitions. He has set his sights on representing Team Canada once again at the 2029 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Switzerland. With his tenacity and drive, I have no doubt that we will see him continue to shine on the world stage. Let's congratulate Cory together. * * * * (10:20) MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Honourable Speaker, on House business?

The Speaker: The honourable member for Portage la Prairie, on House business. MLA Bereza: Honourable Speaker, I'm looking for your guidance on this. In my private member's statement, where I did quote that email was sent to the minister. Do you –I still need copies of that?

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1015 The Speaker: Yes, please table it. Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Honourable Speaker, on House business. Is there a leave to include the English text tabled by the Premier in Hansard imme diately after the Dakota text that the Premier gave? The Speaker: Is there leave to include the English text that the Premier tabled in Hansard imme diately following his statement? [Agreed] ORAL QUESTIONS Your Way Home Housing Strategy Plan to End Chronic Homelessness Mrs.

Kathleen Cook (Roblin): Last week, the Housing Minister told the media that, quote: About 12 people had been housed as a result of the Your Way Home strategy. At a rate of six individuals per month, it would take the NDP nearly 10 years to house the nearly 700 people currently living in encampments across Manitoba. This is a far cry from the 30- day timeline the Premier promised Manitobans in January. The weather is eventually warming up and with that come more and more encampments and more and more concern from Winnipeggers living, working and visiting our downtown.

Does the NDP have any plan at all to prevent these encampments from growing this spring? Hon. Wab Kinew (Premier): The issue of homeless- ness is one that demands compassion and a humanitarian response. I'm very proud of our minister, who is taking real steps to put people into housing with dignity. The members opposite did absolutely nothing on homelessness over two terms in government, and today they want to throw stones. They're free to do so, but Manitobans know how bad things got under their watch. Our team is bringing forward real solutions.

What the members opposite fail to do, however, is to bring forward real leadership. They have a contest going on between a Trump appeaser and a Trump supporter, and they're about to bring one of those forward as the leader of their party. I would ask the member opposite, where does she stand in that leadership contest? Does she stand with the person who opposes a woman's right to choose, or will she continue to stand with these documents that I table, with the other leadership candidate who, while we were pulling votes in Tuxedo to win the by-election, she was standing at Krispy Kreme waiting for doughnuts.

The Speaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a supplementary question. Mrs. Cook: Oh, I've been waiting for the opportunity to thoroughly denounce Wally Daudrich and most of his outrageous and offensive comments. He doesn't stand for me. Frankly, I don't give the man a second–[interjection] The Speaker: Order. Mrs. Cook: –thought. Maybe the Premier should stop being so obsessed with Wally Daudrich and turn his attention to the very real homelessness problem – [interjection] The Speaker: Order. Mrs. Cook: –we have in our city.

He put forward what was supposed to be a four-step plan that ultimately leads to the decommissioning of an encampment in 30 days. It's not happening. The Right to Housing Coalition told the media that, quote, the govern ment needs to be more concerned about fleshing out its strategy. They also told the media that the ND -'pre'–NDP's approach, quote, seems to be more of a PR strategy. Why did the Premier bring forward such a rushed, half-baked and unrealistic plan on such an im portant issue? Hon.

Uzoma Asagwara (Deputy Premier): Honour- able Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe in taking a compassionate approach and meeting people where they're at in our communities. Your Way Home is a plan, a strategy, that recognizes that we must work together to ensure that all Manitobans have access to dignified housing. I think it's really impor tant for all Manitobans to reflect on the fact that , for two terms of a failed PC administration, they did not only nothing to address the housing challenges, but they in fact took action to make it worse.

On this side of the House, we're working on behalf of all Manitobans and we're making sure that people have a warm place to call home. The Speaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a final supplementary question.

1016 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Mrs. Cook: In February, the executive director of the West Central Women's Resource Centre told media that the NDP's 30-day timeline target was, quote, not realistic. She also noted the NDP had not consulted with them prior to taking the plan to the media. St. Boniface Street Links also raised red flags, telling the media, quote, there hasn't been any real detail put to that plan, and if there has been, it hasn't been shared with us. It all seems very top-down. Despite relying on com munity organizations to do the heavy lifting, the Premier (Mr.

Kinew) chose to bulldoze through them and push an unrealistic plan for the headlines, rather than addressing the urgent needs of vulnerable Manitobans. Why did the Premier fail to consult the organi - zations he expected to execute his plan? MLA Asagwara: So, Honourable Speaker, let's just be very clear: the member opposite stands up and says she denounces one leadership candidate, but doesn't deny that she endorses the other, who thanks Donald Trump for tariffs.

She stands with a leadership candidate who thanks Donald Trump for the very tax tariff measures that are going to make life less affordable and harder for Manitobans. So will she stand in her place today and denounce that leadership candidate who is actively supporting Donald Trump, who is actively hurting Manitobans and Canadians? US Tariffs on Canadian Goods Manitoba's Tariff Contingency Fund Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): It's tradition that the Premier answers the first two sets of questions.

Clearly, the Premier can't handle the questions from the MLA for Roblin today and passed it off to their deputy minister. This minister has brought forward a budget docu- ment– Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. The Speaker: Order. Mrs. Stone: –that lacks details. It has two deficit numbers, with a $1.1-billion difference and next to no details on how that extra $1.1 billion will be spent. He announced only $200 million to be available to help busi nesses through this tariff war in close to $90 billion that supports the Manitoba economy.

Terry Shaw from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has said he's concerned how quickly this money will run out in a trade war. Can the minister tell us what he will do when that $200 million runs out to help our Manitoba businesses and their employees through this economic crisis? Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Deputy Premier): So, Hon- ourable Speaker, we know that the MLA for Roblin stands with Donald Trump. She's made it very clear that the leadership candidate on that side of the House that has thanked Donald Trump for tariffs is her candidate.

Now, will the member opposite who just posed the question, will she denounce the leadership can- didate that stands on the side of Donald Trump? We already know she supports Elon Musk. Now what we want to know is, does she support both Elon and Trump? On this side of the House we've been very clear: we're investing in making Manitoba stronger. We stand with Manitobans, and we stand with all Canadians. Mrs. Stone: Honourable Speaker, this Deputy Premier is clearly off their game today, because they very well know that I'm on the leadership com mittee and have to stay neutral throughout this process.

This minister has overestimated revenues for this year with extremely wishful thinking. In addition to the rate of spending, his $1.9-billion deficit will likely grow by next year's Public Accounts. Yet he has not outlined when and how he plans to spend those additional billion dollars of deficit spending to help Manitoba busi nesses. So far he's only committed $200 million and businesses are saying that that is not enough. Will the minister commit now that 100 per cent of those dollars will be available to business during these uncertain times?

MLA Asagwara: So let's be clear, Honourable Speaker, the member opposite has publicly stated that she supports Elon Musk, that she thinks it's wrong our government is making decisions to protect our economy, protect Manitoba jobs and stand united as Canadians. I think she's making very clear whose side she's on, and it's not team Manitoba, and it's not team Canada. Our budget invests a historic $3.7 billion to build, build, build Manitoba. We are focused on one thing: that is making Manitoba stronger, protecting Manitobans from Donald Trump's tariffs and making sure that we do our

part in our province to bring Canadians together. The Speaker: The honourable member for Midland, on a final supplementary question.

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1017 Mrs. Stone: This NDP gov ernment still has yet to answer whether they will build, build, build those east to west pipelines in this country for energy in depen- dence. We are very concerned on this side of the House that this minister and his Cabinet will be using his massive deficits as a slush fund and that money will not go to supporting busi nesses during this time of need. He has provided next to no details in his budget documents.

Will the minister provide a detailed cost breakdown of his $1- billion tariff contingency fund, including where exactly those dollars will be allocated? * (10:30) MLA Asagwara: Honourable Speaker, our Finance Minister brought forward a historic $3.7-billion build, build, build budget for Manitoba. Our Finance Minister has brought forward in '25- 26 budget 25 ways for Manitobans to save. Our government is actively taking steps to not only protect jobs, strengthen our economy, but make sure that life is more affordable here in Manitoba.

On that side of the House, they're thanking Donald Truff [phonetic] for 'tarims'–tariffs. That member is defending and protecting the richest man in the world, Elon Musk. And on this side, we'll take no lessons from them, because we're focused on one thing: making our pro- vince better for the future, making sure Manitobans know exactly what side we're on: that's team Canada. On this side– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. Impaired Driving Legislation Proposed Amendments at Committee Mr.

Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): Honourable Speaker, this Minister of Justice knew he misspoke earlier this week and has been hiding behind his Cabinet colleague since. When the family of Jordyn Reimer told this minister that his bill doesn't go far enough, this minister shrugged it off and told them they were wrong. He stood in front of the cameras in this very building and asked the question that no one was thinking: Is this fair to drunk drivers who have killed people? Why is this minister putting criminals ahead of grieving families? Hon.

Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Honourable Speaker, we're taking un pre- cedented action here in the province to move us to the forefront of legislation in Canada, a place that was once occupied by an NDP government here in Manitoba. But, of course, we've lost that place under the failed PC government over seven and a half years. They took no action to sanction impaired drivers, to take any action to strengthen our legislation. We are taking a different approach. We're listening to MADD Canada. We're listening to families of victims.

We're meeting with Jordyn Reimer's family and other victims of impaired driving, because we want to get this right, and we're going to continue to strengthen our legis lation around impaired driving every chance we get. The Speaker: The honourable member for Brandon West, on a supplementary question. Mr. Balcaen: In October, the NDP spoke out a reso- lution calling for justice for Jordyn, and the minister of transportation talked a big game at the time. And I quote from Hansard: We need to strengthen penalties for people who do not make –or, sorry–who do make that choice to get behind the wheel.

We need to hold those people accountable for the bad decisions that they've made. And what kind of action does this minister take? Well, when push comes to shove, the minister chose against accountability and voted against the reso lu- tion–reasonable amendment. She sat there, listened to the families, and chose the side of the criminals. I ask the minister of transportation: What changed since October of 2024? Mr. Wiebe: Well, once again, Hon ourable Speaker, we are listening to those advocates who have been asking–they were begging the previous government to take action on impaired driving.

And, of course, they sat on their hands and they didn't take any action. We're going to do this differently. And, in fact, that's being recognized. Of course, MADD Canada supports–explicitly supports –our Bill 5, which was introduced, standing in–with them in the Rotunda of this very building, Honourable Speaker. What did they say? They said Manitoba is a leader in terms of policies and laws that focus on getting impaired drivers off the road before they injure or kill somebody. That's the kind of work that we're committed to.

1018 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Honourable Speaker, I'm starting to wonder, because I thought the member opposite would do things dif - ferently, but it sounds like maybe he's– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. The honourable member for Brandon West, on a final supplementary question. Mr. Balcaen: Karen Reimer did not mince her words for this minister. It's too bad that he refused to really engage with the family or ever answer their letter to his office, and I quote: We really felt that after provi- ding our input, we're not heard.

It really became blatantly apparent that the NDP has already decided this is the bill. They're not listening to amend ments. For a self-proclaimed listening government, their fingers seem to be planted squarely in their ears. To this Minister of Justice: he never answered Karen Reimer's question on Tuesday, so how about now? I quote: I think it's ludicrous. Why are we giving people a second kick at the can to kill somebody? Mr. Wiebe: Honourable Speaker, the grief that the Reimer family is ex periencing is unfathomable for many of us, I think.

But that doesn't mean that we cannot take whatever action we can, and this legis - lation proves that. We're going to be advancing this so that we are amongst the leaders in Canada once again. But, honestly, Honourable Speaker, what I'm hear- ing from the members opposite is maybe they don't support this impaired driving legis lation. It sounds like maybe it's more of the same from the members opposite. So I'd like to ask, Honour able Speaker, does this member opposite, does he stand with the Wally Daudrich or the failed leadership candidate from Fort Whyte? The Speaker: Member's time has expired. Order, please.

If I could get the clock stopped. Introduction of Guests The Speaker: There's some guests in the gallery that are leaving us shortly, so I want to take a moment to introduce them. We have in the public gallery 40 students from Norquay and Horton high schools visiting us from Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. We welcome you here today. * * * The Speaker: Resuming oral questions. Crime and Public Safety Bail System Reform Mr. Trevor King (Lakeside): Honourable Speaker, it's quite telling to see this Minister of Justice realize the scope of his power and author ity after over 17 months on the job.

He and his Premier (Mr. Kinew) sold Manitobans quite a bill of goods, promising to reform the bail system singlehandedly. The only thing this minister has accomplished is to preside over more catch and release than the average fishing derby. Is this because the minister thinks actual con se- quences are, in his own words, dis proportionate for repeat offenders? Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Well, Hon ourable Speaker, I thank the member for the question.

It gives me an oppor tunity once again to point out the many steps that we are taking as a government when it comes to bail reform because, unlike members opposite, we are eager to take action where we can in the province of Manitoba while holding the federal government to account. That means here in Manitoba more resources for data sharing, more resources for law en forcement, specific officers who are doing this bail enforce ment on our streets and, in fact, bringing back the electronic monitoring program that was cut under the previous government. There's lots of action we can take.

That's why the National Police Federation supports our work. But we're going to continue to hold the Prime Minister to account, we're going to hold the federal govern ment to account, and we're going to continue to make bail stronger here in Manitoba every single day. Mr. King: Honourable Speaker, as my colleague for Brandon West raised, this minister's priorities are right backwards.

When his staff harassed the family of Kellie Verwey for a meeting, only after they came to this Chamber to demand action, I suspect this minister didn't talk about how his biggest concern for justice is making sure that James Hilton would be able to drive again when he was released. Did the minister discuss his priorities at this meeting? Mr. Wiebe: Once again I want to thank the family of Kellie; the family, the com munity, many folks who came, took the time to come to this Legislature to express how Kellie's –the tragic death of Kellie has impacted them and how we can use that as a guiding

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1019 light to make a change and make difference here in this country. And to that end, our Premier (Mr. Kinew) promised the family that he would bring her example to the rest of the premiers across the country, to bring this example forward to the Prime Minister and to really ask for change and to show that leadership here for Manitoba. The Premier did that, and we're going to continue to work– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. The honourable member for Lakeside, on a final supplementary question. Mr.

King: Honourable Speaker, the facts don't agree with him on this, but that isn't new; like how he talks a lot about the ankle monitoring program, but has never once mentioned the man who police only realized was not wearing his ankle monitor after he was arrested. The program is a failure. When will the minister introduce the real measures for reform that we all voted on earlier this month? Mr. Wiebe: Honourable Speaker, this member is so out of touch, it is unbelievable.

This member has no concept of the differentiation between what we can do in this province and what is a responsi bility of the federal government. * (10:40) What I will say is that we are taking action, unlike members opposite who, for seven and half years, not only sat on their hands, which, of course, they did when it comes to bail reform–kick the political foot- ball down the field; it's someone else's problem. We took a different approach. They not only did that, they cut programs, like the ankle-bracelet program. That was Heather Stefanson cutting that program as minister of Justice.

Every member opposite has to answer for that. This member opposite should take this seriously and should be listening to families and making real change in this country. The Speaker: Member's time has expired. If I could get the clock stopped, please. I would remind all members that are virtual to please use the proper headset and mic when you're speaking or asking questions because we cannot hear you. Tariffs Affecting Manitoba Agricultural Producers Market Stability and Crop Loss Mitigation MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Honourable Speaker, I received– The Speaker: Order, please.

Introduction of Guests The Speaker: Before we proceed, keep the clock stopped, please. There's some guests that I'd like to introduce.

We have in the public gallery, from The Grand Lodge of Manitoba, Emad Bisharat, Rey Galapon, Glenn Ramos, Kris Goodmanson, Stuart Allen, Chibu Uson, Junn Manalang, Gord Greasley, Bruce Taylor, Jim Fergusson, Brian Ryall, John Hill, Al Franchuk, Fred Heinr ichs, Melvin Arabe, Rico Villarin, Jose Casares, Rolan Tan, Rommel Clamor, Don Paulus, Efren Cabrera, Carlos Humaire, Israel Kowonu, Aaron Badescu, Norman Pohl, Paul Ilag, Ryan Mateo, Relly Amador, Clyde Bacalla, Carlos Alt, Ed Baertz, David Lerner, Mike Howard, Al James Jimenea, who are guests of the honour able Minister of Labour and Immigration, the honourable member for Notre Dame (MLA Marcelino).

On behalf of all honourable members, we welcome you here today. * * * MLA Bereza: I've received calls from producers expressing serious concern about the inaction of this Agriculture Minister. These concerns are valid, yet they remain unanswered. One producer specifically raised questions about the upcoming federal election and the uncertainty that it brings. If the promised increased AgriStability doesn't go as planned, then what is this Minister of Agriculture's contingency plan? Hon.

Ron Kostyshyn (Minister of Agriculture): Thank you to the MLA for Portage for asking a very important question in these challenging times for a number of us in the province of Manitoba and across Canada. Our neighbours to the south have made things very challenging for agri culture producers, to be more specific. And it's no different whether it's in the hog sector or it's in the potato sector, we are at the mercy of probably April 2nd's announcement of the importance

1020 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 of the tariffs that will jeopardize the change of planning for agriculture producers. Being an agri culture producer, for myself for 40-some-odd years, we set the blueprint of what we want to do in that particular year, but often Mother Nature makes things more challenging, at first. We sometimes are not in control of– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. The honourable member for Portage la Prairie, on a supplementary question. MLA Bereza: AgriStability is directly tied to market conditions, and right now those conditions are a mess.

Canola and pulse producers are struggling with prices largely trending way downwards. If canola prices continue to decline, producers' payments will be based on those weak markets. Can the minister point to a specific item in this budget that addresses the market instability projections and mitigates the potential losses before the crop is even planted, or where the other markets might come from? Mr. Kostyshyn: I've been talking to producers, been talking to agriculture organizations across Manitoba– in fact, across Canada, and even into the States –of challenges they will be facing as well.

And I want to assure you, we're not alone; Manitoba's not alone in these challenges. That is why the federal minister put forward a proposal on the weekend–and this is a promising dev- elopment. And to this work to do, I'm going to keep working with part of team Canada and working for the benefit of producers that bring in nearly 9 per cent of our GDP in our province of Manitoba, with added value 'opportunes'. We're going to build, build, build through the Agriculture Department and continue– The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Bereza: Honourable Speaker, as the writ has been dropped, the minister cannot make any promises at this time. Business risk management programs are admini- stered through MASC, yet this minister has cut the MASC budget. I table here today, should the minister need a reminder. What kind of message does this send to Manitoba producers, who are already under immense stress? Farmers are facing uncertainty and lack leader - ship from this government. Honourable Speaker, it's time for this minister to stop ignoring realities on the ground and provide Manitobans with real concrete solutions.

Will he– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. Order, please. Just–order, please. Order, please. Just before recog nizing the honour able Minister of Agriculture, I just remind all members that when they're referring to other members, to use their proper constituency names, not an abbreviated version of their constituency name. Mr. Kostyshyn: Obviously, you know, here's the critic standing up criticizing of what we're not doing enough. Well, let me tell you, let's go back to 2018 and 2019, when potato producers were faced with back- to-back years of losses in the potato industry.

And in fact, the Agriculture minister was from Midland, and he chose–he chose–not to put any financial support for those producers that were suffering through 2018. [interjection] The Speaker: Order. Mr. Kostyshyn: So it's quite ironic that the Agricul - ture critic is picking and choosing certain things. Maybe he should do a bit of a history check on the government that he was sitting on, or planning to sit on, and maybe get some actual factual– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. Order. Order. Number of Cyberattacks in Manitoba Cyber Security Monitoring–Support Services Mr.

Josh Guenter (Borderland): Cyberattacks have become an increasingly common crime in Manitoba. We've seen them at our hospitals, our post-secondary institutions and government services. Can the minister respon sible advise how many cyberattacks took place last year against our in sti- tutions? Hon. Mike Moroz (Minister of Innovation and New Technology): I thank my colleague for the question. And I very much appre ciate the op portunity to talk about the terrific work that my min istry is doing in relation to standing up additional supports to protect data–Manitoba's data from cyberattacks. Mr.

Guenter: Cyberattacks not only threaten people and institutions in the short term, but in the long term as well.

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1021 Identity theft is often an after-effect of a cyberattack. Regular monitoring of one's credit score and other online activities is the simplest action victims are encouraged to take to ensure that they are not revictimized. What is the govern ment's policy for provi ding monitoring services to affected staff, students or any other individual, and is there even a policy? MLA Moroz: Again, I thank my colleague for the question.

I encourage him to perhaps begin–as he looks at asking questions in the future, to begin by asking all of the previous ministers of Innovation and New Technology the work that they did in advance of this to help protect Manitobans. Oh, wait, you can't, because there aren't any previous ministers of Innovation and New Technology. * (10:50) Mr. Guenter: What specific public education initia- tives is the minister pursuing this year to protect Manitobans' cybersecurity.

MLA Moroz: Again, it's always a delight to stand in the House and talk about the great work that's being done by my minis try, the work we're doing to strengthen both cybersecurity initiatives, as well as to protect the data of Manitobans. And I look forward to sharing additional information about those programs in the days ahead.

Audit of Manitoba's Health-Care System Findings of Audit–Timeline to Address Issues MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): With respect to health-care feedback, there have been three audits conducted over the last several years, and the findings show unsustainable deficits and a culture of dysfunction. This current government accuses the former gov- ernment of creating the issues outlined in the audits; however, the president of MAHCP shared with media that this gov ernment is not addressing issues fast enough and there needs to be more accountability and better planning and co-ordination.

Does the minister believe that the health care of Manitobans is struggling further because issues are not being addressed fast enough? Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long -Term Care): Our govern ment has been very clear and will continue to be very clear with Manitobans that our health- care system is struggling the way that it is because of two terms, seven and a half years, of a failed PC administration whose sole objective was to destroy the public health-care system. There are real con sequences for that approach.

They fired hundreds of nurses and health-care workers, treated them with contempt and disrespect, closed major emergency rooms and did nothing to address health care in rural and northern Manitoba. Our govern ment is committed to fixing that damage, staffing the front lines and improving care at the bedside for all Manitobans. I recognize that the changes that we're making perhaps are not happening as fast as even we would like, but we're committed to continuing to do that work for all Manitobans. The Speaker: The honourable member for Tyndall Park, on a supplementary question.

Private Agency Nurses Government Usage Inquiry MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Honour- able Speaker, according to recent media reports, a board member for Prairie Mountain Health resigned, as he does not want to be part of what he is calling the blame game taking place by this NDP government. He shared how his decision to resign was because this government blamed at the board of directors for over- spending; however, the evidence demonstrates that the escalating costs are due to the use of private agency nurses.

We are hearing feedback that this govern ment is supporting more and more use of private health care. Will the minister share if this is accurate? Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long -Term Care): Honourable Speaker, two terms, seven and a half years, of a failed PC admini - stration's approach to health care takes time to address. It takes real time and sustained effort to repair that kind of damage. But our govern ment's approach is seeing some really great progress being made. A net-new 1,255 health-care workers have joined the front lines of our health-care system across Manitoba.

We've added over 260 beds to the health-care system. Budget '25-26 is going to see almost 100 more added. We're building, building, building health- care infrastructure to improve care for Manitobans at the bedside. And members on that side of the House continue to try and shame our government for doing one of the most fundamentally important things to getting good work done, and that is listening to–

1022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 The Speaker: Member's time has expired. The honourable member for Tyndall Park, on a final supplementary question. Health-Care System Staffing and Funding MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): Honour- able Speaker, the nurses union president has stated this government is not considering patient care and is missing the bigger picture. She stated funding is lacking where it needs to be increased, and they have yet to see the increases with this gov ernment. More doctors, nurses, staff and facilities are all desper ately needed.

Now, Manitobans did not expect this to happen overnight; however, it's now been 18 months since the government was elected. When can health-care professionals expect to start seeing some tangible changes? Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long- Term Care): Honourable Speaker, in budget '25-26, you can see that we are continuing to listen to the front lines and all Manitobans. Our budget sees a $1.2-billion investment in health care.

That's a 14 per cent increase to the health care Manitobans count on, $770 million of which is paying for the wages and renumeration of the health-care experts we care for deeply, and who care for Manitobans. Now, our government recognizes two terms of a failed PC govern ment that didn't care about health care at the bedside, cared even less about health -care workers, takes a–quite an effort to address and to fix.

But our government, every single member on this side of the House, is committed to doing that work for Manitobans, and we are united to making sure that Manitoba has a strong– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. Victoria Hospital Emergency Department Town Hall on New Design MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz (Radisson): Honourable Speaker, for too long, families in south Winnipeg have gone without emergency care in com munity because of the ill will of members opposite. When the failed PC gov ernment cut hundreds and hundreds of health-care jobs, they signalled their indifference towards front-line families.

When the previous gov- ernment cut the Victoria emergency department, they signalled their indifference to south Winnipeg families. The PCs broke and dismantled Manitoba's health- care system, Hon ourable Speaker. Cutting ERs was just one of the many steps that they took to do that. Can the Minister of Health update the House on our progress to build, build, build health-care services for south Winnipeg? Hon.

Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): You've heard it before, but I'll say it again: with Budget 2025, we are going to build, build, build health care in Manitoba, and that includes the Victoria emergency department. On April 15, we are hosting a consul tation with front-line workers on the design of the Victoria ED, a notion that I'm sure members opposite find very offen- sive: listening to health-care workers. On May 6, we're inviting community members to join myself and the Premier (Mr. Kinew) at a town hall as we put com munities' needs at the forefront.

I encourage everyone to come out to this town hall and contribute to the future of care in your south Winnipeg community. On this side of the House, we're rebuilding health care and making sure that Manitobans and Canadians are united. Boyne Lodge Personal-Care Home Staff Recruitment to Carman Mrs. Lauren Stone (Midland): In Southern Health, more Manitobans than anywhere else are waiting for spaces in care homes. Unfortunately, this isn't a priority for the minister.

Beds are sitting unused in the brand new Boyne Lodge facility because this minister refuses to provide adequate supports to provide staff in those communities. When will this minister support Boyne Lodge in Carman with adequate staffing? Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): Honourable Speaker, our gov- ernment recognizes that the care Manitobans receive depends on the folks who are there to provide care at the bedside, which is why we have ensured that in our first budget, we hired over 1,000– 1,255 net -new health-care workers to the front lines.

And in our second budget brought forward by our highly competent and wonderful Minister of Finance (MLA Sala), health care sees a $1.2 -billion invest- ment in health care, $770 million of which is for the front-line health-care workers themselves.

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1023 I would encourage that member opposite to ask her colleagues on that side of the House why they fired hundreds of health- care workers and neglected rural Manitoba for seven and a half years. The Speaker: The honourable member for Midland, on a supplementary question. Request for Meeting with Minister Mrs. Stone: Honourable Speaker, 24 PCH and two respite beds are waiting to be opened at Boyne Lodge under this minister's watch. This minister has yet to provide a plan to recruit staff to Carman.

The Town of Carman and RM of Dufferin reached out months ago to this minister to request a meeting. As of this morning, they have yet to receive a response. Will this minister commit to a meeting with the Town of Carman and RM of Dufferin, and when can they expect this meeting to happen? MLA Asagwara: Honourable Speaker, the former failed PC government, that member should be well aware, closed hundreds of beds across Manitoba's personal - care homes. In fact, they had a commit ment to build 1,200 personal -care-home beds, and what was the result? A net loss of over 200 personal -care-home beds in Manitoba.

Our govern ment is doing the work of not only reopening those beds, but making sure they are adequately staffed. We have opened 40 per cent of the personal-care-home beds that were closed under the former PC administration. That member would do better to ask members opposite on her side of the House why they spent seven and a half years not only ignoring rural Manitoba, but closing PCHs and firing health- care workers. * (11:00) Seine-Rat Rousseau Conservation District Dry Dam Lease Application Mr.

Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Last week, I asked a question of the minister of conser vation regarding an important project put forward by the con- servation district in my con stituency. It's regarding licensing an impor tant water retention area in the Gardenton community pasture. Unfortunately, the letter was addressed to the minister of conservation, but the Minister of Environ- ment stood up to give us an answer that wasn't an answer. The conservation district is needing to start this project come spring, and I'm wondering if either one of the ministers has looked at this letter and addressed the concern.

Hon. Ian Bushie (Acting Minister of Environment and Climate Change): I think it gives me great pleasure to be able to stand up and talk about projects that are existing in Manitoba. We had the opportunity with the Premier (Mr. Kinew) and the minister of business, mining, jobs and training to be up in Lynn Lake to talk about the Alamos Gold project, significant contributions from Mathias Colomb, Marcel Colomb, Lynn Lake and the surrounding areas, and that's true investment in northern Manitoba. And you know what else I heard?

While we were at the school having a feast with the entire community, they talked about the great repre sentation that they have from their NDP MLA up there, and you know what constituency that is? The con stituency of Flin Flon. The Speaker: Order. Order, please. I would request that members please leave the Speaker out of their speaking comments and debate. It's a clearly well-known rule. Thank you. Mr. Narth: That answer is very unfor tunate. The Seine-Rat conservation district has made tremendous steps forward in con servation in southeast Manitoba with many notable projects.

They were able–[interjection] The Speaker: Order. Mr. Narth: –to do this under the previous PC govern- ment, but now a major project in the Gardenton community pasture is held up by the approval of his department. And now there's a new project that's been brought forward to help the zebra mussel concern in the S t. Malo Lake, but the conserva tion district is concerned, without hearing any answers from this minister, whether or not they can even apply for that project. Mr.

Bushie: I'm not sure what to make of that question as he rambled through issue after issue after issue, which were totally ignored under the previous government. But I will ask that member to stand up in his place now and either show his support for the member for Fort Whyte (Mr. Khan) or Wally Daudrich, because we know they're totally divided on this issue. And the member from Fort Whyte, who for some reason is i n

1024 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 third place in a two-person race, which is just ridiculous to be able to begin with. But to top that off, Honour able Speaker, Wally Daudrich is not even first. You know who is in first in that race? None of the above. Capital Project Investments Budget 2025 Mr. Diljeet Brar (Burrows): I think PCs ran out of questions so I would ask one. Our govern ment tabled an exciting, forward- looking budget to build one Manitoba. While members opposite are busy fighting between them selves and dividing Manitobans, we are focused on building Manitoba.

With our new budget we are going to build right across the province, including 11 new schools for communities in every corner of Manitoba. Can the Minister of Education and Early Child - hood Learning tell us more about this historic invest- ment and the great things these projects will do for our jobs and economy? Hon. Tracy Schmidt (Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning): Absolutely, I can. Honourable Speaker, in this budget, we are going to build, build, build. We are building emergency rooms, roads, bridges, channels, schools and so much more.

We are investing a record $3.7 billion in capital projects, and in the process we're creating 17,800 new jobs for Manitobans. Together, we are going to build 11 new schools for our kids in Brandon and Bridgwater, West St. Paul and Neepawa, Ste. Anne and St. Boniface. We are building right across the province. We know that no matter what threats are made across the border and no matter what threats are celebrated on the other side of the House, the best thing to do is build one Manitoba, and I'm very proud to say, Honourable Speaker, this budget does just that. The Speaker: Order.

The time for oral questions has expired–[interjection] Order. Order. Petitions. Seeing no petitions, we will now – [interjection] Does the member from La Vérendrye have a petition? PETITIONS Provincial Road 210 Mr. Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Honourable Speaker, I wish to present the following petition. To the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the background to this petition is as follows:

(1) The Provincial Road 210, PR 210, is a 117.3 kilometre–72.8 mile–highway in the Eastman region of Manitoba that connects the towns and communities of Woodridge, Marchand, La Broquerie, Ste. Anne, Landmark, Linden, Île des Chênes and St. Adolphe.

(2) A significant portion of PR 210 also runs through the constituency of La Vérendrye.

(3) PR 210 is a significant commuting route for Eastman families and is also notably used by those in the agriculture, tourism and commerce industries.

(4) The condition of PR 210 from Woodridge to Highway 12 is in an unacceptable state of disrepair.

(5) The planned pavement upgrade was promised more than 20 years ago when it was constructed with a flat surface suitable for pavement but has yet to be completed.

(6) The condition of PR 210 from Woodridge to Highway 12 is in such bad shape that firefighters, police and paramedic services are severely delayed when responding to emergencies.

(7) The Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the Premier, have a duty to respond to infrastructure needs identified by rural communities. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

(1) To urge the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure to prioritize the reconstruction of Provincial Road 210, and

(2) To urge the provincial government to include the stretch of Provincial Road 210 from Woodridge to Highway 12 in its reconstruction plans. This petition has been signed by Andrew Janzen [phonetic], Adam Bergmen, Ariel [phonetic] Bernardin and many, many other Manitobans. The Speaker: Other petitions? Seeing none.

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1025 ORDERS OF THE DAY The Speaker: The honourable Government House– [interjection] The honourable member for Borderland. House Business Mr.

Josh Guenter (Chairperson, Standing Committee on Public Accounts): I would like to announce that the Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7 p.m., to consider the Auditor General's report, Oversight of Post-Secondary Institutions, dated October 2020; and the Auditor General's report, Follow Up of Previously Issued Recommendations, dated February 2025, including Oversight of Post-Secondary Institutions.

The Speaker: It has been announced that the Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7 p.m., to consider the Auditor General's report, Oversight of Post-Secondary Institutions, dated October 2020; and Auditor General's report, Follow Up of Previously Issued Recommendations, dated February 2025, Oversight of Post-Secondary Institutions. * (11:10) GOVERNMENT BUSINESS BUDGET DEBATE (Fifth Day of Debate) The Speaker: Now, in accordance with our rules, the House will now resume debate on the budget motion moved by the Minister of Finance (MLA Sala) and amendments thereto, standing in the name of the hon- ourable member for Thompson, who has 13 minutes remaining.

MLA Eric Redhead (Thompson): I just–I would like to yield the rest of my time to give opportunity for my fellow colleagues to address this amazing budget. So thank you. Mrs. Kathleen Cook (Roblin): I am very pleased to rise today to put a few words on the record in support of the amend ment put forward by my colleague, the MLA for Lac du Bonnet, because the NDP's budget, frankly, at a time when Manitoba is on the brink of an economic storm, the likes of which it has neve r seen before, the NDP response is not only underwhelming but frankfully–frankly very troubling.

This budget assumes the ability to raise an additional billion dollars in tax revenues on the backs of Manitobans. That includes $292 million more in individual income taxes; $154 million more in corporate income taxes; $178 million more in retail sales taxes; $182 million more in education property taxes, and $81 million more in other taxes such as those generated through bracket creep, which is now back under the NDP. That totals $887 million more dollars in taxes out of the pockets of hard- working Manitobans, Honourable Speaker. But this is the reality that Manitobans are living in right now.

They are in a cost -of-living crisis. We are in a trade war with China and on the cusp of a full-blown trade war with our largest trading partner. Economists are predicting a recession. Unem ploy- ment is up. Inflation in Manitoba is the highest in the country. For months, food inflation in Manitoba has been out of control. Small-business confidence is at an all-time low and more than half of Manitobans are just $200 or less away from being unable to pay their bills. Homeowners throughout Winnipeg are facing double-digit property tax hikes this year.

In 2025, educa tion taxes now represent over half of all property taxes collected in the city of Winnipeg. And it's in this climate that the NDP think they're going to reach even further into the pockets of Manitobans and raise nearly $1 billion more in addi- tional taxes. It's simply not credible. They're banking on revenues that are by no means guaranteed in the current economic environment, where people are likely to be losing their jobs if these tariffs go through and consumer confidence is likely to plummet along with small-business confidence.

The budget was so bad that a University of Winnipeg economist called the gov ernment's ex pectations unrealistic. He said, would you take this document to the bank and try to get a loan? I think it would be difficult. And he's not wrong. Multiple economists have since said that the gov ernment's assum ptions with this budget are incorrect and naive and overly optimistic. And it really raises the question, Hon our- able Speaker, what is the govern ment going to do when those reve nues simply aren't th ere for them to collect? What are they going to cut?

One of the more egregious things in this budget is that the NDP has announced they are no longer indexing tax brackets. This means that more Manitobans will be paying more taxes at higher rates. If you received a pay raise over the last year, it's generally worthless now because you'll have to hand over the rest of your raise or your cost -of-living adjustment to the NDP. It's going to hurt low -income Manitobans the most. Failing to index those tax brackets, particularly

1026 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 when inflation and food inflation is so high, is going to take a big bite out of low-income Manitobans' pay- cheques. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation called this move what it is: a punishing stealth tax hike. So now not only are the NDP actively making the affordability crisis worse, they're doing nothing to improve affordability. The scraps that are within this budget that they're marketing as affordability measures don't even take effect until next year. Meanwhile, Manitobans need affordability now.

This is the same gov ernment that promised to crack down on grocers and fix grocery prices in Manitoba. And what have they done? Nothing. The NDP has enabled some of the highest food inflation in the country, far above the national average. The average family of four is expected to spend $800 more on groceries this year, according to the latest Canada food price report. And the NDP offers zero help for Manitobans who are struggling to afford groceries today.

They promised to bring grocery prices down; they failed, and now not only have they failed at that, food prices have gotten much, much worse under their watch. The budget raises serious questions about the NDP's fiscal management. Debt servicing is now the third largest line item in this gov ernment's expenditures, and that's only going to get worse, Honourable Speaker. It's been said, and it's true, that the NDP are mortgaging Manitobans' future. Our children are going to end up paying the price for this NDP's spending problem in the future. They're growing Manitoba's net debt to over $36 billion this year.

In just 18 months in office they have added billions more to the provincial debt. The total liabilities and debt of the province has now reached $76 billion and growing every day. And when we talk about our children and our grandchildren paying the price for this, what's ultimately going to happen is they are going to leave this pro- vince. They are going to leave Manitoba because the tax burden is so high under this NDP government and because opportunities will disappear under this NDP government's watch. They will leave for greener pastures in other provinces and the NDP is doing nothing to stop them.

I want to talk a little bit about what wasn't in the budget. The most noticeable omission, to me, was any mention of an ER wait -time strategy, which is something the NDP promised in their last Throne Speech, but it was very absent from this budget. Meanwhile, ER wait times continue to go up. Sadly, this can sometimes have tragic con sequences. Just earlier this year in January a man died in the HSC ER while waiting for care. We've seen no action since that man's death.

Despite promises to make that critical incident report public and to make improve - ments based on his exper ience in that ER, the NDP has done nothing. And there's nothing in this budget that's going to improve the situation, either. There's nothing in this budget to expand diagnos- tic and surgical capacity for Manitobans. I hear daily from Manitobans who are waiting for an MRI, waiting for a surgery, waiting in pain.

Sometimes, most troubling, I hear from Manitobans who are waiting for a life-saving surgery, people like Debbie Fewster of Niverville, who died waiting for heart surgery; people like John Funk, who, thankfully, are still with us, but have waited far too long for a surgery. He was told he needed his heart surgery within a week, and it's been three months. And until we brought this issue forward in question period and the media picked up on it, he still didn't have a surgery date. That's the kind of advocacy people have to do in this province to get the health care they need under the NDP.

They've got to go to the opposition; they've got to get it on the floor of the Legislature, or they have to get it in the media to get this Health Minister to act. That's shameful, Honourable Speaker. The NDP are spending over a billion extra dollars in health care with no results. Manitobans do not oppose spending more on health care. We all agree health care is a line item that goes up every year under every government; it has and it will continue to do so. That's the nature of the beast. But Manitobans expect to see results for that spend- ing. They expect to see wait times going down.

They expect to be able to get into the ER. They expect an ambulance to be available when they need one. They expect to be able to access home-care services if they need them. They expect to be able to get a bed in a personal-care home. And, despite billions of extra dollars being spent on health care, they're not getting those results. To be very clear, most of the additional spending in this year's budget is going to meet the NDP's existing contract obligations. Nothing in there is going

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1027 to bring more health-care workers into the system, and that's very troubling, Honourable Speaker. * (11:20) I have my doubts about the NDP's ability to meet its commitments in this budget. Last year, they didn't meet a single one of their own, self-imposed deadlines or targets in last year's budget. Mrs.

Rachelle Schott, Acting Speaker, in the Chair For example, they promised to open new beds at the Grace Hospital by last March –failed; they pro - mised to open minor injury and illness clinics by the summer and failed; they promised to hire 90 new paramedics last year, which was just outlandish. If every paramedic program in the province produced a full slate of graduates, it still wouldn't be enough to add 90 paramedics. So, unsurprisingly, they fell well short of that target. At the last update provided by the Minister of Health, I think they'd hired 14 of the promised 90 paramedics from last year.

So I guess they want –they smartened up, because there's no paramedic target in this year's budget, because I think now they've seen, oh, we set targets; we fail to reach them. I found it troubling, as well, the lack of focus on seniors in this budget. It's one of the–it's probably the largest growing demogra phic in our province right now. People are living longer and they need more services than ever before, and this gen eration of seniors, rightfully so, wants to be able to stay in their homes as long as possible.

And what that requires is a robust home-care system and alter nate care options, like supportive housing, that enables seniors to live as independently as pos sible for as long as possible. That's what people are looking for. And there's nothing in this budget to do that. I have met with, I have spoken with home-care workers who have told me about a system in crisis under this NDP government, and there's nothing about com mu- nity-based home care in this budget. There were a few other things missing from the budget that I found very troubling.

In my constituency of Roblin, Phoenix School had a expansion and renovation project approved and under way when the NDP came into power. And in June 2024, St. James - Assiniboia School Division, for whom this project has been a top priority for multiple years, received a notice from this NDP government that the project had been deferred indefinitely. So, in the meantime, students are in portable classrooms. The school is full to bursting. And it's not just the spaces for students, it's–at the school that is a problem, because the project also included space for 74 child-care spaces.

Child care, in my constituency and in constituencies across the pro- vince, is a very serious problem. I hear weekly from my constituents who are from–young parents who are incredibly stressed because they're due to go back to work within the coming weeks or months, and they still haven't been able to secure child-care spaces. And then the NDP have a project that's under way, it's been approved, it's funded and they just decide to yank it out and pull it out and, with that, 74 child-care spaces.

And what that's going to mean for families in Headingley is that they may not have child care as soon as next school year, because the daycare operator that's in that school right now has been told by the school division that they will only have space for the remainder of this school year, and that continuing to have space or any expansion of space is going to be impossible because of the pressing needs of the s chool; they need that space to teach students. This project was really important to the people of Headingley. It's too bad it's not important to the NDP government.

There were some other items in the budget that are troubling as well, hon ourable Speaker. In fact, there were some cuts to health care. There was no increase to the–to nurse recruitment and retention initiatives which, when you account for inflation, is a cut. There was –oh, and there's no surprise here: no increase to out -of-province care coverage funding which, when you account for inflation, again, is a cut, at a time when more and more people can't access the surgery they need here at home in a timely manner.

The NDP have slammed the door on any option for getting that care anywhere else on purely ideological grounds. It makes no sense at all and it is not –it makes–it's not common sense and it doesn't put patients first; it puts the NDP's ideology first. There was no increase to the health system Innovation Fund; that's also a cut when you account for inflation. And no increase to the seniors and long- term care budget; that's also a cut when you account for inflation. So we've seen where the NDP's priorities are–not where Manitobans' priorities are.

1028 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Affordability is getting worse. Food inflation has gone up. And small busi ness–I want to talk about small businesses a little bit, because small businesses make up, I think, 90 per cent of employers in Manitoba; 90 per cent of employers in Manitoba are small busi - nesses. And they get nothing but lip service and recog- nition days from this government. The NDP's govern- ment track record in just 18 months of govern ment shows that they think very little of small businesses in Manitoba.

The CFIB's busi ness barometer, just recently published, shows that small -business optimism has plummeted to an all-time low, a lower mark than during the pandemic, the 2008 financial crisis or in the wake of 9/11. That's happening right now under this NDP government. Under the NDP, unemployment has risen to over 6 per cent; US exports have declined over 6 per cent in 2024, and that's before tariff s; China exports declined 11 per cent before tariffs; busi ness bankruptcies have increased 23 per cent, consumer insolvencies by almost 5 per cent. These are really troubling statistics.

And part of the reason that small-business confidence is so low is because of what they've seen from this govern ment. It's little things and big things, honour able Speaker. It's things like removing the PST remittance allowance that was given to small businesses. Now they just expect small businesses to collect those taxes on behalf of the government, for free. It's things like gutting the Province's red tape legislation in Manitoba, signalling to small businesses that regula tion and red tape and bureaucracy will become out of control under this govern ment.

Manitoba was a leader in red tape reduction across the country, consistently receiving top marks–top marks– in the country. And where are they this year? An F–at the bottom –because the NDP have signalled their unwillingness to even consider the very real costs of regulation to small business. It's not just a theoretical concept; it's a very real problem for small busi nesses with a dollar figure attached to it. So that's very disappointing, honourable Speaker. The only positive thing in the NDP's budget was a commitment to a lower the breast cancer screening age to age 40.

And I want to talk about that for a moment, because while I'm optimistic, I'll believe it when I see it. The NDP have shown an alarming propensity for announcing things but not doing the work to actually get them done. And while we're talking about that issue, the credit for that goes to the advocates across Manitoba who have been pushing for this since new guidelines came out last year that only upheld the status quo. And if it were up to the NDP, they would've followed those guide lines and upheld the status quo.

But it's because of those advocates who pushed this issue that the NDP is now forced to finally align Manitoba with other provinces and lower the breast cancer screening age. But that's going to require hiring more technicians to do mammograms for women across Manitoba. And the NDP need to act now, because first, they said they'd lower it to 45 by the end of this year. We're already through the first three months of 2025, so there's a long way to go. I hope–I sincerely hope –that the NDP are serious in this commitment and that they–we will see them lower the breast cancer screening age.

I'm not as optimistic as I would like to be, because I introduced a bill earlier this spring–again, reintroducing a bill that would have mandated the lowering of that screening age. And the NDP stalled it, which tells me that they're not super serious about it. But they know they have to say something because the pressure is so great and because Manitoba is falling so far behind.

You'd think if they were serious about it, they would have agreed to move the bill forward to com - mittee and to allow all of those advocates who are so passionate about this issue to come to the Legislature and have their say about an issue that's so important to them. But the NDP didn't allow them to do that. I see that I'm running out of time, honour able Speaker, so I just want to speak very briefly about an issue that's in credibly impor tant in this economic climate, and that's interprovincial trade barriers.

This is the time –when we're facing a sig nificant and very real economic threat from Donald Trump, this is the time to knock down remaining inter - provincial trade barriers. We're seeing other provinces move in that direction swiftly, and the NDP are dragging their feet. There's nothing tangible in this budget. Manitoba needs a more aggressive approach, like Nova Scotia's. Nova Scotia's actually intr oduced legislation that will enable this. Other premiers are showing leadership on trade. * (11:30) But what we see from our Premier (Mr. Kinew) is troubling. We see him mocking.

We see him joking around about it; he thinks it's quite funny. But we don't see him taking tangible action to remove interprovincial trade barriers, which would actually improve business

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1029 confidence in Manitoba if he took tangible steps to do that. And depending on the page of the budget, you get a different policy from this NDP. On one page, they're criticizing labour mobility as a threat to Manitoba jobs; on the next page, they're saying we need to improve labour mobility to improve interprovincia l trade. So, which is it, honourable Speaker? I don't know and I don't think Manitobans know either. They need a clear response to this very real threat from the NDP. It's just too bad that this budget didn't deliver it. Thank you. Mr.

Diljeet Brar (Burrows): It's an honour to rise today to talk about Manitoba's Building One Manitoba, Budget 2025. It's great news for Manitobans that we are taking forward steps to build Manitoba. And when I look at the budget document, I see positivity there. I see positive vibes there. I see the words like build, grow, fix, develop, hire, invest, lift up, affordability, tax credit, gold mine and so on. And I also see the word mellow, which is a great, positive word in this document.

So I want to thank my wonderful team for bring- ing this document up for Manitobans and creating that positivity for the growth of our province. A lot has been said about what's in the budget. Our team and the members opposite, they've been debating this document for a few days now. What I want to share is, in addition to what's in the budget document, how I feel about it–how I feel about it. Honourable Speaker, I feel great and I feel wonder- ful and I feel proud about this document. I actually want to sing to celebrate this docu ment, but unfor - tunately, singing is not allowed in this Chamber.

I'm no Karan Aujla, either, so I won't sing. I am a brown man, but let me say this, honourable Speaker: They're not like us. There is a lot in this budget that makes Manitobans happy, Manitobans including members opposite. I want to actually thank the Finance critic for appreciating our budget on the CBC morning show. And I also want to thank the Health critic, who, just a few minutes back , appreciated the contents of our budget. So it's making everybody smile. And so it's making everybody happy. When we talk about health care, there is a lot about health care in this budget. We are building two new ERs.

New ER and mature women's clinic at Victoria Hospital and Eriksdale ER. For the people of Interlake, that's good news in Eriksdale. I'm connected to Interlake because I worked there and I visited Eriksdale and met many people from Eriksdale during my time at Manitoba Agriculture. And we continue to staff up the health- care system. For our last budget, we had committed 1,000 new health professionals in the department. We met the target and we exceeded it. We ended up hiring over 1,200 workers so far, which is good news for Manitoba. And we're also adding more surgeries and diagnostic tests in Manitoba.

We're also building more personal -care homes, and one at Transcona, another at Lac du Bonnet and the third in Arborg. And this budget and our team is fully focused on training more workers in the health -care sector, retention with respect and fair wages, and rebuilding health care. I want to say thank you to the wonderful Minister of Health. When we talk about affordability, affordability is an issue, and we are working on it. And let me remind all Manitobans why we are building, why we are fixing: because the systems were broken.

Systems were broken; we have to clean up the mess, and we have to rebuild those systems and rebuild our province again. So this is an opportunity for me and my team to thank all Manitobans for trusting in us and offering this sacred respon sibility to this team, who is fully capable of leading, fully capable of b uilding our province again. Talking about affordability: we are freezing hydro rates. That helps regular Manitobans. And we are strengthening EIA support by removing barriers. And we are doing great on other various fronts that help us on affordability.

We are supporting Manitobans and businesses on home and busi ness security rebat e programs, which continues as it was. And we have a new bill to break up big grocery monopolies. We need to bring in competition and encourage small businesses to thrive with the support of the government and with the support of all Manitobans. Ten day–$10-a-day daycare expanded to non-school days. Parents had to pay for the daycare fully during the days when it was not a school day. But we are doing some thing different here to help people on affordability. EV rebate program continues, but no more Teslas.

1030 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 When we talk about parks, it reminds me of the contract that the PC government had with a company from Texas. We ended that contract, and now Manitobans can enter in our parks for free. When I think about educa tion, I think about brother Nello, and I think about the great steps he and our team took to make our education system better, to make our daycares better, to make our schools better. We would be building 11 new schools in Manitoba. And let me remind Manitobans that the government who came before us, they just announced schools without budgeting it.

So you need to know that; you need to know that we have announced a few schools and we have them budgeted, and we would be building 11 new schools, not just in Winnipeg but all over Manitoba. I want to give a shout -out to our minister for BMTJC. This is a long name: the Minister for Busi - ness, Mining, Trade and Job Creation. I'm so proud of our minister here, because like the rest of the team, he talks about creation. He creates jobs. On the flip side, a few days back, I saw a PMR from the members opposite that talks about job destruction.

Why are we talking about job destruction in this Chamber? * (11:40) This is a sacred space provided to us to work together to build some thing, to create some thing. So thank you, Minister for Busi ness, Mining, Trade and Job Creation, for doing the great work for our province. And thank you for the gold mine. Thank you for the gold mine; that was a great an nouncement.

And I met a few people–a few Manitobans discussing about that dev elopment in our province, and ap preciating our government's leadership on that because it would be creating so many jobs –permanent, full-time jobs: not for a year, not for two years ; for decades. And during the construction phase, we would have so many jobs in construction due to that announce ment. So, thank you, Minister, for that. And also, thank you for breaking the inter - provincial trade barriers.

That's next on your list and I'm sure you're working together with other provinces and you are on team Canada, team Manitoba, to make things better in the business world. Minister for Public Service Delivery, we are standing up against monopoly from big grocers, and we are creating opportunities for small businesses to thrive and to esta blish themselves. There are so many, so many small businesses in Burrows and around that I got to visit, that I got to be part of the inauguration and so on. They are so happy. Before I forget, I want to give shout -out to early childhood educators in Burrows and beyond.

And I want to mention here the great team. I want to give this shout-out to Erin and Charanjit Bhain Ji at Huron Child Care centre. You are doing great and you are growing. Thank you so much for your work for Manitoba, for your service to the families in Burrows. I have two branches of O.K. Before & After School Child Care Centres. Thank you so much to your team for what you're doing for Manitoba. Shepherd's care and day nursery is a great one. My son, Jai Singh, used to go there, and he has some memories there. Thank you, Mrs.

Ba ins, for your leadership, and thank you, Lydia, for decades of work at that centre to serve Manitoban families. And another one is Sadok Veselka Daycare. Dyakuyu [thank you] to you all. You are doing great, my friends. Thank you so much and keep the great work up. When I think about small businesses, I think about regular Manitobans who are making a difference. I want to mention here, there is one of my constituents –his name is Kuya Sonny Cortez . He grows plants in his backyard. When you go to his home, it looks like a garden. You would see small polythene houses. And he participates in the Upo Festival.

That's a great festival that every year happens in Burrows, and people bring their produce called upo–long melons – and then people participate in that competition. Thank you, Sonny–Kuya Sonny for doing that. I appre ciate you. Manitobans are like you, who are building Manitoba along with the great leadership that my team offers. Another great success story that I want to mention here is Motherland Farms. You would see a turbaned man on his mini -van bringing vegetables to the city. He would be stopping at various locations in parking lots, at gurdwaras [Sikh temples] , beside restaurants.

And people have his phone number; they order, they show up and they purchase that wonderful, fresh pro- duce from that turbaned man who is a farmer. And I am pretty sure that he is only one, or there are only a couple of turbaned farmers in Manitoba. So thank you, brother, for what you are doing. And I want to appre ciate a few other busi nesses. I want to appreciate a few farmers' markets that bring

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1031 fresh produce to Manitobans. For example, St. Norbert Farmers' Market, Arnes Farmers' Market, Arborg Farmer's Market, Boissevain farmers market. And I got a chance to go to Direct Farm Manitoba's conference, the other day, met wonderful folks there, especially Phil, the honey guy. I said, hey, Phil, you're so sweet. He was like, because I deal with honey and I always wear yellow.

So good folks like that, they actually –they are doing great, and once I got a chance, why I'm busi - ness–why I'm mentioning these businesses is because these small businesses matter, honourable Speaker. The other day I went to Kildonan-River East and I stopped at Mountain Bean Coffee. What a wonderful space on Henderson. I don't know, many of you might have stopped there. It's a wonderful, wonderful space, great for nature, good people, good service and very good coffee, as well. I have a few more things to mention here that make me proud of who I am and who I work with.

I'm proud of Manitoba; I'm proud of team Canada, and I am proud of the leadership that I am part of. And the leadership that has political will I bold and underline. This leadership has the political will to bring a positive change. What we had for seven and a half years, we had a political Jack [phonetic], then we had a political Jill [phonetic], then we had a political Blaine [phonetic] and then we had a political Bill [phonetic]. But we have political will. That's what's required to build Manitoba. We are building it together, honourable Speaker. Thank you.

MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Honourable Speaker, on a point of order–on House business, sorry. The Acting Speaker (Rachelle Schott): The honour- able member for Portage la Prairie. MLA Bereza: On the documents that I spoke of this morning–I'm tabling the documents from this morning. Thank you. Mrs. Carrie Hiebert (Morden-Winkler): I'm hear to address the significant concerns surrounding the cur- rent NDP government's 2025 budget. I'm happy to rise today to discuss the current budget the NDP –of the NDP that they have brought forward.

I know that speaking today is an honour for me, as I'm repre senting my constituents of Morden- Winkler and every Manitoban across our beautiful province. I don't take this elected official position lightly. I've had the oppor tunity to speak to my constituents, as well as other Manitobans, about the current budget announced by the NDP government. It is all of our responsibility here, as elected officials, to represent each Manitoban across our beautiful province, from 'urble' –urban cities like W innipeg to communities in rural Manitoba.

As we speak on the 2025 budget, the current Manitoba government faces a tremen dous responsi- bility, and I'm here to hold them accountable for what they're doing in the province of Manitoba. The deci - sions made in this budget will shape the future of our province for years to come. It is not just about balancing numbers. It's about balancing the needs of every Manitoban, ensuring that hard-working families, seniors, businesses and manufacturers are supported, while also planning for a sus tainable and prosperous future. I am very concerned about what this budget will do to increase the debt of our province.

What is this NDP government leaving for our children and grand- children? We must plan for generations to come. The NDP gov ernment is mortgaging Manitoba's future, and this is not something we need to take lightly. * (11:50) This government has the opportunity to invest in critical areas like health care, edu cation and infra - structure, while also addressing the cost -of-living pressures that so many are facing.

It's essential that the budget reflects the priorities of p eople and ensures that Manitoban –Manitoba remains a place where people want to live, work and raise our families, rather than having them leave to other places or provinces that are more affordable. The choices made now will determine the strength of our economy, the quality of our public services and the opportunities available to future generations. The government has failed to do this in this budget. This is a time for thoughtful, responsible leadership.

The govern ment must be accountable, make wise investments and avoid burdening the people with unnecessary taxes. The weight of this responsibility is great. It is crucial that the government makes the right decisions for the well-being of all Manitobans. But in this budget, the current government has failed to do this. The budget is a critical tool for shaping the province's future. The current NDP govern ment has failed to meet the needs of many people represented in our province.

1032 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 One of the most glaring issues is the government's lack of focus on affordability for the average citizen. For people across the province of Manitoba, in every community, in every city, in a time when most–many families are struggling with rising costs of housing, groceries, essential services, the NDP's budget proposals have done little to ease the financial burden on these families.

Rather than intro ducing substan tial tax cuts or financial relief measures, the government has chosen to focus on initiatives that benefit the –a very select few, while ordinary citizens continue to grapple with the increased living costs. For example, despite promises to tackle the housing crisis, there is little in the budget that meaningfully addresses the issue of affordability, being able to buy that home, helping people and our young people to buy a home. The proposed housing initiatives simply don't do enough to reduce rents or provide accessible home ownership options.

Let's talk about health care, which is a priority –a top priority for many Manitobans –most Manitobans, as my colleague from Roblin mentioned. The NDP's handling of health- care funding has been disappointing. While they continue to claim that health care is a priority, the budget does not reflect the urgent need to tackle long wait times, improve patient care or adequately fund our health-care professionals. Health care remains underfunded in critical areas, and the proposed changes are simply inadequate to meet the growing demand for services. For example, first responders.

There's such a shortage right now with first responders, spe cifically in Winnipeg, that they're working overtime and are exhausted and having to leave for mental health breaks. We must do more to help support first respon- ders and give them support and help more positions being filled in those–in that area. It's dire. We must also discuss how the NDP has continued to increase taxes and fees in this budget, further 'burdering'–burdening businesses and individuals already struggling to make ends meet.

This is one of the things that I've heard the most talking to my constituents in Morden-Winkler and also others in the province of Manitoba. They don't understand how the taxes can continue to grow and grow, from property taxes to all the different taxes in the –and–that they're paying. They're overwhelmed, and they need a break. The Speaker in the Chair This approach stifles economic growth, the over-taxation of our people, of our com munities and our–of our province, making it difficult for busi ness to invest, expand or create jobs.

Instead of incentivizing entrepreneurship and growth, the NDP approaches create an environment of stagnation. Why would somebody want to grow their business when they have to pay higher payroll taxes if they employ more employees? Businesses will choose to not grow rather than having to pay extra costs when it comes to payroll taxes. We need to do more to sup- port our businesses in our province. The 2025 budget is a missed opportunity; it lacks the vision, accountability and focus on affordability that this province des perately needs.

If this govern - ment wants to prove it's truly working for the people, they must do better: they must cut ta xes, focus on affordability and make real changes to the way the government operates. Until then, it is clear that the NDP government have failed to deliver a budget that meets the needs of the people that elected–they elect–it was elected to serve. Another reason I'm disappointed in–is the aspect of not enough was done for industry and businesses in our current budget.

With difficult times, many manu- facturers and small businesses and industry leaders in Manitoba are struggling to know what direction to go and what kind of support they need–they have, in regards to tariffs in the volatile industry and business environment. Manitoba's farming industry, busi nesses, manu- facturing sectors are facing unprecedented challenges due to the tariffs imposed by the United States. These tariffs are placing significant pressures on local busi- nesses and industries in my constituency of Morden- Winkler, making it harder for them to compete in the global market.

With increased costs for raw materials and equip- ment and exporting–and exports, Manitoba manufacturers are struggling to maintain their profit margins and keep prices competitive. Agri culture farms may be forced to close or sell because they don't have a market to sell to. What are we doing? We need to act for our agri - culture; we need to act for our industry and our manu- facturers that have a large market in the United States; we need to make sure that we are helping them to – give them tools and helping them to weather this storm that we're in right now.

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1033 These tariffs are also impacting a broader economy, leading to jobs–job insecurity and certain–uncertainty for workers in these vital sectors. Many businesses are forced to scale back production, delay investments or even consider relocating operations elsewhere. The consequence of these tariffs go beyo nd just the balancing sheet; they're affecting the livelihoods and local communities and families all over Manitoba. This is why it's so impor tant for us to address interprovincial trading.

We must do everything we can to foster a healthy environment and come up with solutions urgently, as soon as possible. For Manitoba to thrive, it's essential that we find ways to address these challenges, whether through stronger trade nego- tiations, diversifying markets, such as inter provincial trading, providing support to affected industries. It's crucial that the government acts swiftly to protect our future of our businesses and workers from the damage impact of these tariffs. The NDP government has done very little during this critical time, and the little they are doing is not enough.

As we examine the current Manitoba budget, it becomes clear that rural com munities are being overlooked when it comes to critical infra structure needs, particularly in areas like waste water manage- ment and road maintenance. These are foundational issues that, if left unaddressed, will continue to hinder the growth and prosperity of Manitoba.

Rural areas' outdated and inadequate water systems– waste water systems are a growing concern, many communities still relying on aging infra structure which not only poses health–serious health and environmental risks, but it also limits the availability to support popula tion growth and attract new busi - nesses. The lack of invest ment in waste water treatment and management is putting rural residents at a disadvantage. * (12:00) This current budget, however, does not allocate significant resources to tackle these pressing infra - structure needs.

Without proper waste water systems, rural communities, such as Morden, will continue to face increased costs as costs go up, environmental challenges and health-care concerns. Equally concern ing is the state of our roads. Manitoba roads are a lifeline that connect small towns, farmers and businesses to the rest of the province, yet many are in des perate need of repair and modern - ization. The current budget fails to provide the neces- sary funding for substan tial road upgrades, leaving many rural areas with deteriorating infrastructure that affects local economies and quality of life.

Poor road condi tions not only make trans por- tation difficult but also impact the delivery of goods and services, adding costs and delays to busi nesses and families alike, making it difficult also for people to travel to larger centres for health care. Rural Manitobans contribute significantly to the province's economy, particularly agriculture and resource-based industries, and yet they continue to face a burden of neglect of infrastructure investment. I will say, my constituency of Morden-Winkler, I believe, is the economic hub of our province of Manitoba.

And I'd like to know how much is coming out of our area to the province funds -wise and what comes back, because we need to make sure that we keep things even–or we need to make sure we don't forget about those that are actually funding all the programs and all the things that are happening. They– we also need to make sure that they get what they need as well in our area.

For rural communities to thrive, it is essential that the government prioritize investments like waste water and roads to ensure com munities are equipped with infrastructure they need to succeed and to continually be the economic hub for the province of Manitoba. We must continually invest so that it can grow, so that we can continually have those investments–return on their investment. The government must recognize the importance of investing in these critical areas; it's so important.

Witho ut addressing infra structure gaps, rural Manitoba will continue to fall behind and the people who live there will face unnecessary challenges. Mental health is also not given a priority in this budget. The budget fails to adequately address the growing need for mental health supports across Manitoba. As we face increased mental health issues, particularly in the wake of a pandemic, and now all the uncertainty with tariffs from the United States, many Manitobans are struggling to receive access to care that they need. We need to do better.

We have invested almost – very little–very little–into mental health, and it's so important for us to not forget that this is what we need to invest in right now for those that we love around us. But the current budget offers limited funding for mental health services, leaving individuals without support resources required to manage their mental health effectively.

1034 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Wait times for mental health services are already too long, and many people simply can't get the help they need in a timely manner. This lack of investment not only affects individuals' well-being but also places a heavy burden on our health-care system as a whole. Whether it's anxiety, depression or other serious mental health con ditions, people deserve timely and access to care, and this budget needs to be–we need to make sure that our budgets reflect this priority.

Another huge disappointment in this budget is a lack of attention to addictions treatment and recovery. One of the most pressing issues not adequately addressed in the Budget 2025 is the severe lack of funding for addiction services and treatment beds. I didn't see what –I was very disappointed to see that that is such a low priority of a government. Addiction continues to devastate families and communities across our province, yet the current government offers insuf- ficient resources to tackle this crisis.

The demand for addiction treatment services is growing, but many individuals are left waiting for months to receive care they des perately need, and at that point they don't even want care anymore. We–or support treatment. When they want–when they come for support treatment, we need to have it available at that moment. The shortage of treatment beds further exasperates the problem, forces people to either go out–go without help or prolonged periods of uncertainty. Without immediate increase in investment in addic- tion treatment, the cycle of suffering will continue.

For Manitoba to move forward we must prioritize health and well-being for those struggling with addic- tions. We need to give them an oppor tunity for success in their life. We need to not put them in a place of hope–a holding pattern or a place of suspension in their drug addiction, which I believe will happen when we–if there is to be an injection site opening up. We need to give hope, we need to give recovery and we need to make sure people have the option to have–or be able to get help to get the –to have a suc - cessful life. That should be our number one priority.

In order for us to move –Manitoba to move for - ward, we must prioritize recovery for addictions. Government has a respon sibility to do that for those people that need that treatment. We need to make sure we have treatment beds available. This is a big short- fall, and an issue that we need to address. It's critical. Talking to one of–a stakeholder, they were saying that a lot of the crime that's happening is a result of people who are in addiction.

We take care of the people that are in –having an addiction, and we can actually help them and have them have a suc cessful life, and also create a safer spaces because those people are no longer needing to do things that they would never normally do. And taking care of both safety needs and giving people hope in a future. Another thing we need to talk about is the govern- ment has failed to properly invest in front-line workers who are battling 'crisises' every day in and out. Addiction services, mental health care is impor tant than–more important than any–everything to these front- line workers.

Nurses, counsellors and support workers and paramedics, first respon ders: they're being left behind. We need to make sure that we take care of them, and we need to make sure we get them support and help. We need to make sure that they're not head- ing to work overtime and constantly trying to cover and make up for–when they don't have enough support. I know currently, right now, that there's several positions open, or people waiting for positions in– paramedic positions, and they're not getting called in, and we–I don't understand why the govern ment isn't filling those positions. We need to act on this.

It's a crisis right now. I want to speak for another minute or thirty seconds here about my com munity. I just want to say thank you for trusting me to be your MLA –or to represent you, and I will fight and advocate for my province and for my community where it comes to taxes, exporting, importing, manufacturing, small busi ness a nd my community for health care. I just really find it –it's such an im portant and I'm honoured to be able to speak today. Thank you. MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz (Radisson): Wow. Thank you. Thank you to my colleagues.

I know that we've got an incred ible team of folks around the caucus table, and I'm just so honoured to be one of them. Okay. So, Hon ourable Speaker, I would like to begin by talk–taking a moment of gratitude for the people that I serve, the great residents of the great con- stituency of Radisson. In community, I often say that our constituency is a strong depiction of the many challenges that we face together as a whole province. We have budding dev- elopments that house new families and seniors who've lived good lives building our province.

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1035 We have health-care workers and educators who've been in our community for decades, and we also have students training to join their work force. We have steelworkers whose labour power–whose labour powers our railways, and we have veterans who have powered our defence. We have a large commercial district, and we have a–one of the largest, if not the largest, urban bioreserve in the province. We are a strong depiction of our province's chal- lenges because we are a strong depiction of its strengths.

With that, I am grateful to my con stituents for being willing and enthusiastic partners in our legislative work. I'm grateful for every email, phone call, social media message sent our way with the interests of our shared com munity at heart. It's your voice that has informed how we move forward, both as a government and as a local com munity. For your faith and participation, I'm forever indebted. * (12:10) As difficult as these times are, on the tail of an unprecedented pandemic, we can say with hope that, for the first time in a long time, the times that we're living through are precedented.

We've seen a US trade war before, Honour able Speaker, we've s een this US President before, and we have demon strated how willing we are to defend this country that we all love so dearly before. The moment we're living in is terrifying for my generation and for many others. It requires an immense amount of forward thinking and political courage. Honourable Speaker, that's why I am so proud to be speaking to you today about Budget 2025, a plan for Manitoba that meets this moment.

The budget contains a record investment in strategic capital projects to build a resilient Manitoba, create good, well-paying jobs for Manitobans and strengthen our economy in the face of tariffs from the United States administration. I want to thank our Finance Minister, the Premier (Mr. Kinew), Cabinet, Treasury Board, our incredible team of MLAs and the many staff that commit their time and energy to develop this bold strategy, which will allow us to build one Manitoba and prepare a contingency plan in the event of sustained tariffs.

We're bringing long- awaited, much -needed invest - ments to the communities of Radisson and Transcona within just the first half of our mandate. To my constituents: it's an honour to advocate for these issues on your behalf from our caucus table. I share your personal experiences. That's why I am sincerely proud that we will be building a new school right in the heart of Radisson and Devonshire Park. The new school–[interjection] Honourable Speaker, when I first moved into Harbour View South with my family, we chose that spot because we were told that there'd be a school in our backyard.

We chose that spot because we thought that me and my brother would be able to walk down the street in our community and go to school. Instead, we were forced to commute 30 to 40 minutes to the school that we ended up at and that was, you know, far too long when we could've been sitting around the family dinner table debriefing on our days, talk–sharing all the stories of excitement. Meanwhile, the previous government dragged their feet for seven and a half years until it came election time. Our government knows that our com munity has waited far too long.

That's why this budget includes not just the new school in Devonshire Park, but 11 new schools that our government is also funding. The new Devonshire Park school will reduce class size pressures across our RETSD and will bring a great number of child- care spaces to the com munity. This new school supports young families and students who choose to call Radisson home, similar to how my family chose to call Radisson home way back when. Our govern ment is also looking out for seniors who spent their lives living and working in Transcona and, frankly, don't want to leave.

The former PC gov- ernment stood in front of Park Manor home and promised more PCH beds. But their actions are louder than their words, Honour able Speaker, and not only did the former government fail to build new PCH beds, but the result of their actions was a net loss of beds across the system. Personal-care homes and our health-care system lost beds, Honourable Speaker. They lost beds because they fired nurses and they hollowed out our system completely. So our govern ment is funding a long- overdue expansion to Park Manor, which will bring 90 new personal-care-home beds to Transcona.

Honourable Speaker, we're bringing 90 new personal-care-home beds to Transcona because we believe that seniors deserve to age with dignity in the communities that they love and that they helped build. Park Manor, you've been waiting too long; you've been through too much with the previous government, and that's why we're getting shovels in the ground this year.

1036 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 28, 2025 Including the expansion of Park Manor, our 2025 budget has funding for three new personal-care homes across Manitoba. We're also investing $40 million to provide more direct hours of care for seniors. Despite attempts by the opposition to block legis- lation, Honourable Speaker, we are establish ing the independent seniors' advocate office that com munity advocates have been requesting for decades and mem- bers opposite denied. Even better, we're starting that hiring process tonight at committee.

Elder Manitobans have built our province, and I'm really grateful that we have the chance to build one Manitoba for them. Honourable Speaker, Budget 2025 is focused on putting Manitobans to work, but one Manitoba and – one Manitoba with thousands and thousands of new jobs requires extra support at home for children and ensuring that they are set up for success. We're creating 4,600 child- care spaces over the next two years, including spaces for health-care workers in Winnipeg and Brandon, with the goal to open 23,000 new spaces.

We're also expanding $10-a-day child care to cover non-school days, saving families nearly $3,000 annually. Education is essential for the success of our children and for our province. Budget 2025 includes more than $700 million over the next five years to build 11 new schools across Manitoba, as I stated earlier, including the new school in Devonshire Park. We've added $30 million in permanent funding for Nello's Law, the universal school nutrition program. And our new school funding model will exceed the rate of inflation to help schools catch up after years of cuts.

Honourable Speaker, now this one is close to home for me and for many: as part of our historic invest - ments in Manitoba's health-care system, Budget 2025 includes $7 million to design and renovate the children's ER. History sets a precedent of young people in every generation who step up to face challenges and hard- ships, who put in the work to build a better future for those who come next. We've fought our wars, Honourable Speaker; we've fielded our pandemics, and today, we are ready to take on the economic crisis brought up –brought upon us by the US President, Donald Trump.

Young people across Manitoba, across Canada and across the world are calling for justice, fairness and equity. We're advocating, marching and shouting at the tops of our lungs for govern ments and policy makers to make meaningful–to take meaningful action to address climate change, economic uncertainty and social issues. Honourable Speaker, just a few months ago in this House, I stood and requested, kindly, that our Chamber and chambers across Canada put young people to work, and Budget 2025 is some thing that does just that.

Our historic capital investments in Manitoba's infrastructure, industry and health- care system will create good jobs for Manitobans in skilled trades and open new pathways for young Manitobans looking to pursue a career in health care. We're setting young Manitobans up for success in our growing economy with more training seats than ever before, increased financial aid for post-secondary students, increased funding for apprenticeship training equipment grants and restoring one -to-one appren - ticeship ratios.

We are investing in our young workers because our govern ment understands that they are eager and willing to take up the torch passed on through genera tions to overcome challenges and to build a better future in one Manitoba, together. Honourable Speaker, before I move on to the next piece of my remarks here, I have to put on the record just an ex perience that I had when I was advocating for post-secondary students across Manitoba.

As many folks in this Chamber know, I am the former president of the University of Manitoba Students' Union, and amid COVID, we formed the Manitoba Alliance of Post- Secondary Students. And sitting opposite to Cabinet ministers at the time under the previous government, students who wanted to be put to work, students who came from other countries to be put to work, were referred to me as sugar daddies. They were referred to me as sugar daddies. They referred to their system, or whatever they were developing at the time to access student grants and funding, as student grant Tinder, Honourable Speaker.

That was the reality that student advocates, who were amplifying the voice of their members at the time–that's what we were facing on the other side, or from within their Cabinet offices. It's a new day in Manitoba, Honourable Speaker, and I am so thril led that our government is taking students who want to be put to work seriously. * (12:20) The previous government fired hundreds of nurses, created chaos in hospitals and made deep cuts across Manitoba's health -care system for seven and a half years, Honourable Speaker. Our government recognizes

March 28, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1037 that health care starts on the front lines. They care for us; we ought to care for them. So while the PCs fired thousands of health- care workers–and they heckle and deny it many, many times in this Chamber, but my mom was one of them. The member for Kildonan-River East's (Mrs. Schott) mom was one of them; many members in this House come from families who are destabilized because they were one of the many families who lost breadwinners, Honourable Speaker, under their draconian cuts.

Honourable Speaker, that's why our govern ment understands the depth of retaining, of recruiting health- care workers, of ensuring that health-care workers who devote their lives to ensuring that we have the care that we need are cared for similarly. Our recruitment and retention office established last year has help

Document details

Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	43-2-36
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	43rd 2nd hansardpdf 36.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	0480867da98c8ec4a75edcf607f58c70b13854f7

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