Manitoba Hansard — 11 March 2019 (Sitting 22, 41st Legislature, 4th Session)

41-4-22

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Fourth Session – Forty-First Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXII No. 22 - 1:30 p.m., Monday, March 11, 2019 ISSN 0542-5492

MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-First Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLUM, James Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP BINDLE, Kelly Thompson PC CLARKE, Eileen, Hon. Agassiz PC COX, Cathy, Hon. River East PC CULLEN, Cliff, Hon. Spruce Woods PC CURRY, Nic Kildonan PC DRIEDGER, Myrna, Hon. Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph, Hon. Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FIELDING, Scott, Hon. Kirkfield Park PC FLETCHER, Steven, Hon. Assiniboia Man. FONTAINE, Nahanni St. Johns NDP FRIESEN, Cameron, Hon. Morden-Winkler PC GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib.

GOERTZEN, Kelvin, Hon. Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Clifford Emerson Ind. GUILLEMARD, Sarah Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek Interlake PC JOHNSTON, Scott St. James PC KINEW, Wab Fort Rouge NDP KLASSEN, Judy Kewatinook Lib. LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAGIMODIERE, Alan Selkirk PC LAMONT, Dougald St. Boniface Lib. LAMOUREUX, Cindy Burrows Lib. LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas NDP LINDSEY, Tom Flin Flon NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MARTIN, Shannon Morris PC MAYER, Colleen, Hon. St.

Vital PC MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine, Hon. Midland PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Arthur-Virden PC REYES, Jon St. Norbert PC SARAN, Mohinder The Maples Ind. SCHULER, Ron, Hon. St. Paul PC SMITH, Andrew Southdale PC SMITH, Bernadette Point Douglas NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC SQUIRES, Rochelle, Hon. Riel PC STEFANSON, Heather, Hon. Tuxedo PC SWAN, Andrew Minto NDP TEITSMA, James Radisson PC WHARTON, Jeff, Hon.

Gimli PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC YAKIMOSKI, Blair Transcona PC

569 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Monday, March 11, 2019 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Madam 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. Please be seated.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS INTRODUCTION OF BILLS Bill 11–The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act (Cider and Cooler Sales at Beer Vendors) Hon. Colleen Mayer (Minister of Crown Services): I move, seconded by the Minister of Justice (Mr. Cullen), that Bill 11, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act (Cider and Cooler Sales at Beer Vendors), be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mrs. Mayer: This bill amends The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act to enable all retail beer vendors to also sell cider and spirit -based coolers, resulting in greater consumer choice and convenience.

It will provide the opportunity for private businesses to expand their product assortments to satisfy customer demand and increase their revenues. This initiative is part of our government's priority to reduce red tape, to provide more choices and convenience for the consumer and greater opportunity and flexibility for businesses. Thank you. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Bill 12–The Workplace Safety and Health Amendment Act Hon.

Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage (Mrs. Cox), that Bill 12, The Workplace Safety and Health Amendment Act, be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mr. Pedersen: Madam Speaker, Bill 12 moves the chief prevention officer position over to SAFE Work Manitoba. It strengthens and co- ordinates fines with other jurisdictions in order to raise –have a– higher fines.

And it prevents frivolous and 'vexatients' complaints from being forwarded to the Manitoba Labour Board, as well as a number of administrative changes. Thank you. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Bill 18–The Labour Relations Amendment Act Hon. Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade): Madam Speaker, I move, second by the Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage, that Bill 18, The Labour Relations Amendment Act, be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mr.

Pedersen: Madam Speaker, Bill 18 establishes a new framework from which conciliators and grievance mediators will be appointed from the private sector by the Manitoba Labour Board. Thank you. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Bill 15–The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act (Cannabis Possession Restrictions) Hon. Cliff Cullen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I move, seconded by the Minister of Finance (Mr.

Fielding), that Bill 15, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act (Cannabis Possession Restrictions), be now read a first time. Motion presented.

570 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 Mr. Cullen: Madam Speaker, Bill 15 reinforces Manitoba's commitment to protect the health and safety of Manitobans and prevent illegal cannabis sales. The new provincial offence prohibiting the possession of more than 30 grams of non- medical cannabis in a public place will allow provincial inspectors to take action against those who possess illicit cannabis in Manitoba.

The new offence prohibiting the possession of cannabis that is not packaged, labelled and stamped in accordance with federal requirements will target black market product and maintain the integrity of the legal retail cannabis system, and inspectors appointed under The Liquor, Gaming a nd Cannabis Control Act will support police in enforcing these new offences. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Bill 17–The Police Services Amendment Act (Institutional Safety Officers) Hon.

Cliff Cullen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Health, that Bill 17, The Police Services Amendment Act (Institutional Safety Officers), be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mr. Cullen: Bill 17 amends The Police Services Act to create a new institutional safety officer appointment. The amendments will provide security staff at health -care facilities and other designated public institutions with the legal authority to enforce certain provincial laws. O ur regulations will allow for standardized training and qualification requirements.

Madam Speaker, I'd also like to acknowledge representatives from the Health Sciences Centre hospital, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the Manitoba Nurses Union who have joined us in the gallery today. Thank you. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Bill 14–The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, 2019 Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): I move, seconded by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Eichler), that Bill 14, The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, 2019, now be read a first time. Motion presented. Mr.

Fielding: The bill will amend and repeal acts to remove regulatory requirements that cost non-profits, civil servants, local governments and businesses significant time and money by adding value for Manitobans. The bill removes more than 300 regulatory requirements, saving Manitobans and government significant time and money.

It includes enabling legislation to allow nurse practitioners to issue death certificates, removes fees for oil and gas lease agents, makes Canada Day a fixed statutory holiday, eliminates d uplication and delegates authority from Cabinet down to appropriate levels of decision makers and many more common-sense changes to ensure efficient government and improve front-line services. Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to present the bill to the House for its consideration. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Agreed? [Agreed] * (13:40) Bill 225–The Provincial Court Amendment Act (Mandatory Awareness Training) Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): I move, seconded by the m ember for Point Douglas, (Mrs. Smith), that Bill 225, The Provincial Court Amendment Act (Mandatory Awareness Training), be now read a first time. Motion presented. Ms. Fontaine: I'm pleased to rise in the House today to introduce, for first reading, Bi ll 225, The Provincial Court Amendment Act. This bill would require newly appointed provincial judges to undergo sexual assault awareness training before they take office.

This bill would also require newly appointed 'judicials' of peace designated to hear matters on domestic violence and stalking to undergo training on the subjects of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault awareness before they take office. I am pleased to present this bill to the House for its consideration. Miigwech. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed]

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 571 Bill 221–The Animal Care Amendment Act (Declawing of Cats) Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the member for Point Douglas (Mrs. Smith) tha t Bill 221, The Animal Care Amendment Act (Declawing of Cats) , be now read a first time. Motion presented. Ms. Fontaine: Cosmetic declawing of cats is comparable to amputating the last joint of a cat's finger, a procedure that causes unnecessary and long-term pain to cats.

I'm proud to introduce Bill 221 today, which prohibits cosmetic declawing, ensuring the ethical and humane treatment of cats in Manitoba. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Bill 223–The Animal Care Amendment Act Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the member for Point Douglas that Bill 223, The Animal Care Amendment Act, now be read a first time. Motion presented. Ms. Fontaine: Bill 223 recognizes that there is no place for puppy mills in Manitoba.

Bill 223 prohibits a person from possessing more than four female, intact dogs capable of reproduction, an effort to reduce mistreatment and the number of stray dogs in Manitoba who a re forced to live in horrible conditions. Miigwech, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Agreed? [Agreed] Committee reports? TABLING OF REPORTS Hon. Ralph Eichler (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table the report of the Manitoba Farm Products Marketing Council respecting the certification of a qualified organization for the Department of Agriculture.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister for Sport, Culture and Heritage, and I would indicate that the required 90 minutes notice prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance with our rule 26(2). Would the honourable minister please proceed with her statement. Festival du Voyageur Hon. Cathy Cox (Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage): Madam Speaker, today I am absolutely thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of one of Manitoba's signature festivals: Festival du Voyageur.

Manitobans are so fortunate to have so many wonderful festivals that take place right across our province. Festivals play a vital role in making culture accessible to all Manitobans while providing an opportunity to gather and celebrate the diversity of our wonderful province. This year, Madam Speaker, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Festival du Voyageur, the largest annual winter festival in western Canada. From February 15th to 24th, visitors shared in the vibrant francophone, Metis and First Nations culture through song, food and dance.

And, Madam Speaker, it was especially exciting to visit Festival this year with my two little granddaughters, who thoroughly enjoyed the music, dance, snow sculptures, and their very favourite, the maple syrup ice taffy. Experiencing Festival through their eyes was very special, and it really means so much to me. Festival celebrates Manitobans' love for winter by providing unique cultural experiences for the whole family. It truly helps raise our province's – province–our province's profile regionally, nationally and internationally as a winter destination. For 50 years Manitobans have embraced Festival.

Our government was proud to recognize this milestone with the Celebrate Manitoba designation at the start of this festival. We commend the dedication and passion that the many Manitobans who volunteered to make the 50th anniversary so special. Merci. Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to please join me in recognizing the board of directors, the staff and the thousands of volunteers who made Festival du Voy ageur such a huge success. Some of the team are in the gallery today, including Executive Director Darrel Nadeau.

572 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 Merci and thank you for all of your hard work, and congratulations on your 50th anniversary. Hé-ho. Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): Bon Festival, puis bon cinquantième Festival aussi. Translation Happy Festival and happy 50th Festival as well. English So Festival du Voyageur, it's a major cultural event for so many people in the province. Myself, I've been going to check out Festival since I was a little kid going to school in St. Boniface.

And this year, on Louis Riel Day, I was happy to take my boys back to Festival for their 50th anniversary. Of course, the boys' first question is: can we go to the Cabane à sucre, right? The taffy in the snow; the kids love it. Initially, it was part of the revitalization of St. Boniface and francophone culture in Ma nitoba that led to the creation of Festival, and it's been a real pleasure over the years to see the Festival evolve and grow and begin to celebrate the Metis and indigenous component of the Francophone - Manitoban identity as well. Of course, we know that the Metis are ever more visible.

This year there was a Metis flag procession in the Festival. There's also a powwow workshop that was hugely well attended and tons of great performers from right across Canada and, of course, right across Manitoba. We kn ow that Festival continues to grow each and every year, and for good reason. It's a ton of fun. It gives us an opportunity to head out during a cold part of winter and still celebrate what makes life in Manitoba so exciting and interesting for all of us. S o I just want to say to everybody involved in the organizing of Festival, congratulations on 50 years. Here's to 50 more years.

Puis aussi, je remercie les milliers de bénévoles qui ont travaillé tellement fort au cours des années pour faire un Festival un si grand succès, et j'attends un autre 50 ans de célébrations de la communauté francophone et métisse au Manitoba. Hé-ho. Translation I also thank the thousands of volunteers who worked so hard over the years to make Festival such a great success, and I look forward to another 50 years of celebrating the francophone and Metis community in Manitoba. Hé-ho. Mrs. Cox: I would like to ask for leave to have the names of the individuals in the gallery put into Hansard. Thank you.

Madam Speaker: Is there leave to include the names of the attendees in Hansard? [Agreed] Festival du Voyageur representatives: Darrel Nadeau, Lisa Cupples, Marc Fabas, Robert Regnier. Madam Speaker: Further ministerial statements? Oh, pardon me. Mr. Dougald Lamont (Leader of the Second Opposition): Merci, Madame la Présidente. Je me lève aujourd'hui pour célébrer la cinquantième année du Festival du Voyageur, qui vient de finir en février. Chaque année, des milliers de personnes viennent à danser, célébrer et manger de la nourriture merveilleuse.

C'est le plus grand festival d'hiver de l'Ouest du Canada, et c'est tenu dans ma circonscription de Saint-Boniface. Le Festival du Voyageur célèbre les Français, les Métis et les Premières Nations, et le patrimoine de notre province et de notre pays. C'est une joyeuse célébration de vie dans une ville d'hiver au centre d'un pays d'hiver. L'un de mes moments préférés cette année a été quand j'ai participé au concours des barbus, et avec des barbes vraiment incroyables, je n'ai pas gagné, mais je me suis beaucoup amusé.

De belles sculptures de neige et une tente de disco silencieuse –il y a toujours tant de plaisir à s'amuser à ce festival d'hiver étonnant, et ce ne serait pas possible sans tout le travail du personnel et des bénévoles du festival. Merci pour tout ce que vous faites et de tout votre travail acharné. Je veux aussi remercier et féliciter Françoise Terrien -Vignon pour son Sundé Nite Spécial, qui était tellement drôle. Félicitations pour les premiers 50 ans, et je tiens à offrir tous mes vœux de succès à l'organisation du Festival pour les cinquante prochaines années. Hé-ho. Translation Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I rise today to celebrate the 50th year of Festival du Voyageur, which just finished in February. Each year thousands of people come dance, celebrate and eat wonderful food. It is the largest winter festival in western Canada, and it is held in my riding of St. Boniface.

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 573 The Festival du Voyageur celebrates francophones, Metis and First Nations peoples, as well as the heritage of our province and of our country. It is a joyous celebration of life in a winter city at the centre of a winter country. One of my favourite moments this year was when I participated in the beard contest. There were really incred ible beards, and I did not win, but I did have lots of fun.

Beautiful snow sculptures and a silent disco tent: there's always so much fun to be had at this amazing winter festival, which would not be possible without all the work put in by Festival's staff and volunteers. Thank you for everything that you do and all your hard work. I also want to thank and congratulate Françoise Terrien-Vignon on her Sundé Nite Spécial, which was hilarious. Congratulations on the first 50 years, and I wish you all the best in organizing the Festival over the next 50 years. Hé-ho. * (13:50) Madam Speaker: Further ministerial statements? Canadian Agricultural Safety Week Hon.

Ralph Eichler (Minister of Agriculture): Madam Speaker, yesterday, Sunday, March the 10th, was th e start of Canadian agriculture safety week. The Canadian agriculture safety association; the Manitoba Farm Safety Program, FSP; the Canadian Federation of Agriculture; SAFE Work Manitoba and presenting sponsor, Farm Credit Canada, are encouraging all Cana dians to be part of Ag Safety Week. Manitoba Agriculture recognizes importance of working together to improve farm safety and commends the efforts of these organizations and others who continue to raise awareness of safety on our farms.

For more than a d ecade, Canadian agriculture safety association has been raising awareness about the importance of safety on Canadian farms through the Canadian agriculture safety week campaign, which includes the recent participation of Manitoba's Farm Safety Program. Thi s initiative serves as an opportunity to reflect on the importance of farm safety and provide producers with the resources needed to make their farm safer. This year's theme for the Canadian agriculture safety week is Safe & Strong Farms. As part of a three-year campaign, Build an AgSafe Canada.

The aim is to empower farmers, farm families and farming communities to build, grow and lead the agriculture industry in safety and sustainability. Recently, through the Ag Action Manitoba program, our government announced $1.1 million over the next five years to Keystone Ag Producers to continue delivery of Manitoba Farm Safety Program. Today, we wear burlap ribbons, which is a common product on our farms, in addition to being the fabric of commerce in seed, feed and grain.

I encourage all members to wear their ribbons throughout the week, which will proudly affirm their commitment to keeping all Manitoba farmers, their farm families and farm workers safe. Today, I'm joined in the gallery by Marcel Hacault and Robin Anderson from the Canadian agriculture safety association, Renée Simcoe from Manitoba Farm Safety Program, as well as Patty Rosher from the Keystone Ag Producers. I'd to ask the House to join me in congratulating their hard work and dedication, in addition to wishing everyone a safe Canadian agriculture safety week. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I would indicate that the required 90 minutes notice prior to routine proceedings had been provided in accordance with our rule 26(2) for this ministerial statement. Mr. Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, Manitoba thrives on agriculture. Over 10 per cent of Manitoba jobs are tied to agriculture and billions of dollars of Manitoba agricultural products are traded internationally. Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is an annual campaign focused on the importance of safe agriculture.

This March, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association wants to encourage all Canadians to celebrate Safe & Strong Farms. Safe & Strong Farms is part of a three-year campaign celebrating farm safety across Canada. The goal is to empower farmers, farm families and farming communities to build, grow and lead for agricultural safety and sustainability. I want to thank Manitoba's farmers and agricultural leade rs for the work they do for this province. By ensuring the safety of our farmers, we are protecting families and workers, but also the future of our economy.

We stand with agricultural workers and we support solutions to the safety challenges they face.

574 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 Remember, Madam Speaker, an injury to one is an injury to all, regardless of where you work, whether it's in a factory, a warehouse, an office or on a farm. Thank you. Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, this week farmers across Manitoba will mark this year's theme of Safe & Strong Farms for Canadian Agricultural Safety Week. This week is intended to emphasize the importance of working with farmers, their families, their employees and far m organizations to promote farm safety.

Farmers are, of course, vital to our province, and not only do Manitoba farms and farmers feed our families, but they build economic strength and socioeconomic stability in our province. It's estimated that between –one in 10 jobs in Manitoba–more than 60,000–depend on direct or indirect spin-offs from agriculture. According to the Canadian agricultural injury reporting–report, in 2017 agriculture ranked fourth as the most hazardous industry in Canada with respect to rates of fatal injury. In terms of absolute numbers of fatalities, there was no more dangerous occupation. We need to emphasize safety.

The concerns include physical safety in an occupation that uses a lot of heavy machinery. The concerns are about hazardous materials, including chemicals, in an industry which employs many chemicals. Concerns include brain and mental health in an industry where there's a lot of stress. These numbers, of course, staggering, and we need to all work together to improve sa fety on our farms and for our farmers. I commend the work that Farm Safety Manitoba is doing. They provide resources for farmers, including training and seminars, noise and gas checks, and farm safety consultations.

On April the 8th, Manitoba Farm Safet y will be hosting a stress management mental health and work-life balance seminar for farmers. I thank them for their continuing efforts in improving the lives. Madam Speaker: The member's time has expired. MEMBERS' STATEMENTS Pegasus Publications Incorporated Hon. Heather Stefanson (Minister of Families): I am honoured to rise in the House today to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Pegasus Publications Incorporated. Pegasus Publications was established in 1998 by founder and president Dorothy Dobbie.

After serving as a Member of Parliament from 1988 through 1993, Dorothy wanted to create a media source that was committed to publishing useful magazines and papers that added value to her readers, advertisers and for the community at large. Madam Speaker , Manitoba Gardener was the first totally subscription/newsstand-based publication in Manitoba. The company now produces sister Gardener magazines in Alberta and Ontario. Pegasus went on to publish The Hub magazine in partnership with the Winnipeg Airports Authority, and Lifestyles 55, their monthly tabloid magazine for mature Manitobans.

Biannual magazines for the Manitoba Aviation Council and Aerospace Association, as well as the directory of the Assiniboine chamber of commerce, are all produced by Pegasus Publications. In early 2016 a consortium was formed with Manitoban radio, Internet, video, printing and marketing owners, launching Pegasus from paper to include a comprehensive media platform for business owners and their clientele. Above and beyond the general operations of Pegasus, their dedicated staff manages to participate in numerous community endeavours in support of local charities.

I am so pleased to have as my guests in the gallery today some of the Pegasus staff, including Dorothy Dobbie, founder and president. Madam Speaker, I would like to ask all members to join me in congratulating Dorothy and her staff for their community –or, for their commitment to community, to serving Manitobans through media and through community involvement. I wish them all the best for continued success for many years to come. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister of Families? Mrs.

Stefanson: Madam Speaker, I ask for leave to include all of the names of the individuals that are in the gallery with us today in Hansard. Madam Speaker: Is there leave to include those names in Hansard? [Agreed]

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 575 Pegasus Publications: Joan Cohen, retired editor; Yasmin Concepcion, digital manager; Dorothy Dobbie, founder and president; Gordon Gage, sales manager; Ian Leatt, general manager; Rick Roschuk, campaign media specialist; Karl Thomsen, creative director; Amy Zhang, administration. Fred Tipping Place Mr. James Allum (Fort Garry -Riverview): Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the circumstances facing the residents of Fred Tipping Place, a 55- plus Manitoba Housing apart - ment complex in Fort Garry-Riverview.

In December, the Pallister government without warning or consultation issued an RFP to contract out management services at Fred Tipping and many other social housing facilities across Manitoba. Since the RFP was issued, my office has been inundated with requests for information about the future of the building. In January, I wrote to the Minister of Families (Mrs. Stefanson) for information about the proposed changes but the response raised more questions than it answered.

Recently, the leader of the opposition and I met with the residents at Fred Tipping to hear their many concerns because no one in the Pallister government bothered to ask. At the me eting, residents wanted to know: Will there be more cuts to Manitoba Housing Security services? Will pest control services be enhanced, or will they continue to deteriorate? Will the tenant resource worker position be retained, or will it be cut? Will janitorial services be maintained and, if so, at what level? Will there be an on -site property manager, or will that position be cut, too?

Will funding for the tenant advisory committee continue, or is that another cut? Will tenants be able to rely on free lau ndry services, or will that service also be eliminated? * (14:00) Tenants have noticed cutbacks to many of these services in the last two years and are increasingly concerned about what the future holds once management is contracted out on April 1st. According to the RFP, Manitoba Housing committed to keep their tenants informed at every stage of the process, but this has not happened. In fact, there has been no communication. This is a promise made and a promise broken.

There are residents of Fred Tip ping Place in the gallery today. I call on the Minister of Families to meet with them this afternoon to answer their questions, address their concerns and, for once, listen to some of Manitoba's most vulnerable citizens. Taralea Simpson Mr. Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie): Madam Speaker, I'm honoured to inform this House about Taralea Simpson, who was recently named the 2018 Agronomist of the Year by the Canadian Association of Agri -Retailers, CAAR, at the organization's annual conference in Winnipeg.

In addition, Taralea was also honoured at the Portage la Prairie chamber's excellence in agriculture banquet, receiving the Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture award. This award recognized Taralea, who worked tirelessly to improve agriculture, delivering innovation, championing the needs of farmers and spearheading change and promoting the agricultural industry to the wider public. Taralea graduated from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor of science in agriculture. She works as an agronomist at Shur -Gro Farm Services, providing agronomic knowledge and consumer service for over 25 years.

She also runs a cow-calf operation with her daughter and husband. Throughout her career, Taralea has 'demnade' – demonstrated exceptional professionalism and leadership in the community not only through her work, but also her volunteering in the ag industry. Last fall, Taralea Simpson, along with her sister Tracy, made their long –lifelong dream a reality, opening Farm Away Retreat, a bed and breakfast on the southern edge of Portage. This unique business provides the opportunity for urban and rural people alike to immerse themselves in agriculture and nature.

I ask all honourable members to join me congratulating Taralea for her commitment to our community and to the ag industry, helping producers to achieve in the ever -changing world of agronomic knowledge. Lynne Somerville Mr. Rob Altemeyer (Wolseley): Madam Speaker, it is my sincere pleasure to highlight today the incredible work of local activist, Lynne Somerville. I had the pleasure of knowing Lynne for several decades. She's one of those people who seems to be at every community event, and when there's important work to be done around the table to make

576 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 the next great community initiative happen, she' s always there. In the neighbourhood, when someone says, I met with Lynne about that, or Lynne told me about this, everyone knows who they're referring to. Lynne serves as a mentor and an advocate with the West Broadway Community Ministry, one of several organizations located at Crossways in Common.

Last year –or every year, rather, Lynne works with hundreds of vulnerable people and their families, helping them access housing, acquire personal identification documents and receive financial supports through EIA and other programs. Lynne will also put her talents to good use helping people prepare for the formal hearings at the Residential Tenancies Commission and the Social Services Appeal Board. Throughout all of her efforts, Lynne is the embodiment of a patient friend, someone you can go to with your problems and know that she is on your side.

The vast majority of people Lynne works with live with mental health and addictions issues, but she will listen to their stories and help them achieve their hopes for the future without a hint of judgment. Lynne and everyone else at the community ministry continue their valiant efforts despite the increased challenges they are facing. As safe and affordable housing becomes harder and harder to find and the impacts of addiction hit harder, demands at West Broadway Community Ministry are escalating beyond capacity. Last year they provided almost 24,000 meals and over 2,000 food hampers to people in need.

Homeless people can now regularly be found sleeping on the floor every day that the ministry is open, grabbing some precious hours of safe–of sleep in a safe, indoor space away from winter's chill. Yet, because of the erratic and often dangerous behaviour associated with crystal meth, the ministry will soon have to curtail the hours of availability.

Madam Speaker, Lynne Somerville joins us in the public gallery here at the Manitoba Legislature here today, so let me simply say to her and to Lynda Trono, minister at the community ministry, thank you so much for all that you have done and all that you continue to do for vulnerable people in West Broadway. Here's to the day when all of that work is finally done. Thank you, Lynne. Grace Livingstone Mr. Rick Wowchuk (Swan River): Today I rise in the House to recognize a long-time volunteer in the Swan River constituency, Mrs. Grace Livingstone.

Grace was recently awarded the first ever Citizen of the Year award in the town of Swan River for her outstanding volunteerism. Grace started volunteering with the Swan River Valley Health Auxiliary 67 years ago while she was a busy mom raising a family of four children. In the early days, Grace would take her personal sewing machine in the west door of the hospital and spend volunteer hours sewing baby diapers and mending hospital sheets.

Grace has been involved in everything from sewing diapers and sheets, auction sales, catering weddings, making freezer -ready pies for sale and selling many tickets, all while working the concession in our local hospital every Thursday. Her vol unteering extended to many other organizations. Despite a young family, she stayed volunteering with the hospital auxiliary for 67 years. This even led her to a stint on the local hospital board.

When asked, she didn't think she would go on the board, but given a bit of time to think about it, she decided they would not have asked her had they not thought she would be a good–or she'd be good at the job, so she went on the board. It's folks like Grace Livingstone who give so much of themselves that make our communities better places. In her words: There's not enough money to go around to pay everyone to do all the things that need to be done in communities. That is why she has always volunteered.

Grace believes that it takes volunteers to build a community, and through her 67 years she has, for sure, made the Swan River Health Auxiliary a better organization. Grace says: You don't –you do not always need money to do things for one another, but we do need money to purchase much needed equipment. Grace Livings tone is one of the many ladies that has made this possible through her volunteering spirit. Thank you, Grace. Introduction of Guests Madam Speaker: Prior to oral questions, we have some guests in the gallery that I would like to introduce to you.

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 577 Seated in the public gallery we have with us today 21 Japanese students from the Toho secondary school from Najoya, Japan. They are visiting Manitoba from March 10th to the 17th as part of the Kakehashi Project. The Kakehashi Project was established in 2 013 to encourage exchange and dialogue between Japanese youth and the international community. This year the Kakehashi Project Canada is sending 114 Canadian students and young professionals to Japan, and we are receiving these 21 students as visitors to Manitoba.

On behalf of all of us here, we welcome you to the Manitoba Legislature. Also seated in the public gallery we have David Johnson, brother to the member of the Interlake, visiting from BC, and we'd like to welcome you to the Manitoba Legislature as well. ORAL QUESTIONS Health-Care Reforms Government Record Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): Madam Speaker, the Premier has made the single largest cut to our health care in a generation. That was the choice he made– [interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr.

Kinew: –in the last budget–to make a big cut to health care in Manitoba–and we see what the impacts are: he's cut three emergency rooms from Winnipeg; he's cut clinics like the Family Medical Centre and he's even forced the can cellation of many cardiac surgeries. All that, and on top of it, the Premier wants to cut a further $120 million from the health- care budget this year. That is the biggest cut to health care in Manitoba's history. Now, $120 million could keep the Concordi a emergency room open and running for 15 more years, Madam Speaker, but the Premier does not appear to be concerned with that.

He simply wants to rush ahead with his plan to close emergency rooms. Manitobans want our health -care system to improve, to foc us more on prevention, to focus on mental health and– Madam Speaker: The member's time has expired. Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): I'm not sure where the member was when our Finance Minister was giving the most celebratory and worthwhile budget address last week, Madam Speaker, but he certainly wasn't taking notes–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: –in this Chamber or he'd get his numbers right and wouldn't be repeating false accusations today.

The monumental contribution to health care that this government is making, Madam Speaker, in this year's budget alone, is over $414 million higher than the NDP ever invested. * (14:10) So I congratulate our Finance Minister, our Health Minister and our whole team on this side of the House for fulfilling the commitment to health care in this province. Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr.

Kinew: So, Madam Speaker, the $120- million cut that the Premier has brought in with this budget was announced just a few days after they revealed that they cut, in -year, $240 million from the health- care system last year. So they didn’t think that the quarter-billion-dollar cut from health care was enough; they decided to cut a further $120 billion – $120 million from the budget this year. Of course, it's not just the dollar–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –value, it's the impact on health care here in the province. We know that cardiac surgeries are being cancelled.

We kn ow that clinics like the Family Medical Centre are being closed and, of course, we know the Premier is rushing ahead with his plan to close the emergency rooms at Seven Oaks and Concordia. Manitobans do want the health- care system to pivot towards improv ing mental health and keeping people healthy at home. When will the Premier bring forward a real plan to improve health care in Manitoba and abandon this plan to close the emergency rooms at Seven Oaks and Concordia? Mr.

Pallister: Well, the health -care reorganization that was commissioned –the recommendations were commissioned by the previous government, who did not have the courage to act on those

578 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 recommendations, Madam Speaker, which was harmful and hurtful to people in the province. What we have don e by adopting those expert recommendations and having the courage to proceed with them is improve the health -care system so that MRA–MRI wait times are declining, emergency room wait times are declining, ambulance fees are in–half of what they were in the NDP.

And Madam Speaker, thousands of Manitobans don't now have to be transferred while in acute conditions from one hospital to another because resources are spread all over the place to make the NDP look good. Rather, they're located in concentrated areas where people can get better care sooner. That's the way to prevent problems and the way to prevent health –negative health consequences for Manitoba families. What they broke, Madam Speaker, we are fixing. Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary. Mr.

Kinew: So, Madam Speaker, on March 1st of this year the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said that emergency room wait times are up and they will continue to rise. That's a direct quote from the WRHA, overseen by this Premier. So it's clear that on the No. 1 priority of Manitobans, which is health care, that the Premier is moving in the wrong direction and he's making things worse, because not only are ER wait times already up and the WRHA is warning that they will continue to rise, but he's decided that he's going to move ahead with his plan to close emergency rooms.

And on top of that, hey, why not cut another $120 million from the health -care budget? It's all contained within the budget documents that this Premier brought forward. When will he abandon this misguided plan to close emergency rooms and instead focus on investing in mental health and prevention in the community, Madam Speaker? Mr. Pallister: Well, this is part of what I mean, Madam Speaker, when I say that we are making progress in the face of tremendous challenges. We inherited a broken system that was 10th in the country from the NDP and the member says let's go back there, and that doesn't make any sense.

The member may not be up for the challenge, but we are on this side of the House and we are getting results. So I would say to the member, don't be so pessimistic. Don't give up hope. The fact is that the Canadian institute of health information, a good source of unbiased information, as opposed to the member opposite, has said we are Canada's most improved province and that's what we plan to continue to be, Madam Speaker. Madam Speake r: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a new question. Highways and Roads Maintenance Budget Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): So, again,

summary of that back and forth between the Premier and I: the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says that ER wait times are going up and they will continue to rise, even as they close hospitals. Moving on to a new subject, we know that the City of Winnipeg is budgeting zero dollars for residential road repair this year and it's a direct result of the spending cuts that the Pallister government is bringing in on infrastructure spending.

We know that when it comes to the City, the Premier's got plenty of time to point the finger or to pick fights or to exacerbate the failing relatio nship that he's got there, but he doesn't appear to have time to sit down, roll up his sleeves and get the job done. Manitobans want their roads to be repaired, particularly in the city of Winnipeg, and yet the Premier is failing at that task. Will the Premier stop the fighting, stop the cuts, and get down to work to fix streets in the city of Winnipeg? Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): I appreciate any question from the NDP leader on the topic of picking fights.

And I remind the member that the infrastructure budget for the City of Winnipeg just went up by 35 per cent. And I remind the member that the City of Winnipeg enjoys some of the most generous and unconstrained funding commitments from this provincial government of any city in the country. And I remind the member that when it comes to building relationships it is something we have some experience at doing very successfully in every aspect of the portfolios managed by the team on this side of the House.

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 579 Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Kinew: The Minister of Education's glasses popped off when the Premier just said t hat last line, surprised as he was to note the deteriorating relationship with the Prime Minister, with the mayor and with everyone else who doesn't need the Premier to sign their nomination papers, Madam Speaker. Now, we know the impact that the–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order, order. Mr.

Kinew: –Premier's cuts in the city of Winnipeg will result in zero dollars being spent on residential road repair, but it goes beyond the Perimeter as well, Madam Speaker, because contained within this budget is a n $11- million cut to the highways maintenance budget this year. So, again, they cut $11 million from maintenance last year, and now they're doubling down and they're going to cut another $11 million this year. When will the Premier abandon this plan of austerity and get down to work, to fixing the roads and highways right across Manitoba? Mr.

Pallister: Well, it should be noted that we are exceeding, in our commitment to road infrastructure funding, what the NDP did in 15 of 17 years they were in government. The only two where they exceeded that was when they were desperately trying to salvage their poli tical fortunes by spending at no concern to value in the last year and a half before the last election. In terms of the relationship with Ottawa, Madam Speaker, when we have had the opportunity to work with Ottawa successfully, we've done it on many portfolios. When we have had the opportunity to stand up and say they're wrong, we do that.

The member opposite coddled Ottawa when they cut our health-care funding, nodded in their direction when they proposed to raise taxes on farms and small businesses and did nothing, and when they –when he had the chance to stand up and defend Manitoba interests against increases in taxes on home heating and transport or on travel, he did nothing–nothing at all is not a relationship. We have a good working relationship w ith Ottawa because we're honest with them. We stand up for Manitobans. It's too bad the members opposite don't have that courage, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary. Mr. Kinew: I'd ju st like the Hansard record to be pointed out for a second, Madam Speaker, that we unequivocally condemn the federal government for their mishandling of the SNC-Lavalin affair. However, the Premier, how did he vote on that motion? How did the Premier vote on that motion? I would like to return to the voting record on that motion, Madam Speaker.

Again, the Premier couldn't find the time to weigh in –too busy cutting health care; too busy cutting the roads budget; too busy cutting flood protection here in the city of–or in the province of Manitoba, Madam Speaker. So, again, we know that the No. 1 priority for Manitobans is health care. We know that another shared top priority is fixing the roads in our province. When will the Premier back off of this agenda of austerity and get back to fixing roads and highways right across the province of Manitoba? Mr.

Pallister: Madam Speaker, when the member opposite speaks about defending health care, he neglects to mention that the $2.2- billion reduction from the federal government met with zero response from he and his colleagues. Madam Speaker, when the member takes the side of Ottawa on every issue he's simply trying to mimic the behaviour of the leader of the Liberal Party here in Manitoba, and what he needs to do is join with us and stand up for Manitobans. He should do that as well on the PST reduction because, of course, the NDP promised they wouldn't bring it in and he said they were wrong to do it.

Now he's changed his mind. I guess he was for it before he w as against it before he was for it before he was against it, Madam Speaker. He can't seem to decide. Here's a quote, Madam Speaker: The PST reduction benefits everyone by lowering costs for individual consumers, families, municipalities, et cetera. That's from Lorne Calvert, the former NDP premier of Saskatchewan. I think the member should take up the word of Lorne Calvert and support us in putting more money on the kitchen tables of Manitobans.

580 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. * (14:20) Madam Speaker: Order. Addiction Treatment Services Investments Needed Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Last week Jamie Adao Jr., a courageous 17- year-old child was murdered protecting his grandmother from a man looking for money to fuel his drug addiction. Madam Speaker, Winnipeg Police Service have seen an 890 per cent increase in meth possession charges, and needle use has dramatically increased into the millions.

Front -line social and health -care workers, including security guards, are facing increased violence and attacks. Residents at a recent forum expressed, and I quote, we don't feel safe anymore, not even in our homes. Will the Premier (Mr. Pallister) acknowledge that there is an addictions crisis in our province today? Hon. Cameron Friesen (Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living): I thank the member for the question. Every jurisdiction understands that we are all troubled by the rise of the use of illicit drugs in our communities. This is a health -related issue; it is also a public safety issue.

It is a community issue. It affects all of us, and that's why our government is taking action. We have taken action, with the opening of five Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics, which we know are being well received in this province. We've also taken action by expanding services for individuals who are looking to be free of addictions and we will continue to make these good investments on behalf of all Manitobans. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a supplementary question. Ms.

Fontaine: In the midst of an addictions crisis, even after millions in federal health transfers, the Premier has frozen funding for mental health and addiction services in their 2019 budget. The Premier only cares about the bottom line, Madam Speaker. There's no other way to explain why he's frozen mental health and addiction services in the midst of this crisis. And while the Premier lounges on the beach, unconcerned, Manitobans are dying. Will the Premier stop stalling and make real investments in mental health and addiction services to address this meth crisis in our province, today? Mr.

Friesen: Madam Speaker, that member does nothing to help her arguments when she uses pitiful personal attacks like that. It's regrettable, and it reflects far more on her tactics than on anything else. On the question: the member knows that our government is making good investments to face a challenge that no one–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Friesen: –in North America is saying is simple. Only the NDP pretends, somehow, for partisan reasons that this is simple. Nothing –[interjection]– about this is simple. Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Friesen: We will take good advice from anywhere.

We are reaching out to other jurisdictions, we are listening to experts and we are acting. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a final supplementary. Ms. Fontaine: How about listening to the chi ldren's advocate when she said this government, the Pallister government, doesn't have a plan to address mental health or addictions crisis? But they're not listening to her. Or, we could listen to the WRHA when they say that there's a lack of provincial leadership. But we're not going to listen to them. It appears the Premier and the Minister of Health won't be producing a plan any time soon.

Through a freedom of information act, we've learned there's been no RFP issued to address the need for a withdrawal and clinical support for meth users in our province. When will the Premier or the minister or somebody start caring about this meth crisis, develop a plan and a strategy immediately, today, right now? Mr.

Friesen: Madam Speaker, how about listening to medical professionals across this province who have recognised that we are one of the very first provinces to give –well, the first–to give olanzapine to emergency medical services personnel to give to people who are exhibiting the signs of increasing psychosis? How about listening to medical professionals who are saying that Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics are really meeting people at the very point of their need, giving them access to services; that was never available under the

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 581 NDP? How about listening–[interjection]–to those individuals? Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Friesen: We are listening to Manitobans and the experts. Manitoba Education Library Elimination Impact on Teachers and Students Mr. Matt Wiebe (Concordia): Over the weekend we learned that the Manitoba education library has been cut. Teachers and librarians are calling this a terrible move as it will only increase inequality and limit access to materials for kids who need these resources the most.

The 25 people that work at the library ensure that the collection supports Manitoba's curriculum, but now this resource is being arbitrarily dismantled. The question is: Why is this minister and Premier (Mr. Pallister) cutting the Manitoba educational library? Hon.

Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Education and Training): Madam Speaker, over the last many years there's been something developed called the Internet, and as a result of the Internet, in other provinces that had similar types of resources, they found that they could, by putting resources online, more equitably share those resources with their teachers around the province. We are the only province in Canada that hasn't done that.

We are moving from the physical -based library to more online resources so the teachers around the province can actually have those resources, and it's all in part and thanks to the Internet, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Concordia, on a supplementary question. Mr. Wiebe: Madam Speaker, this ministe r– [interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Wiebe: –has to know that teachers are using this–more of the resources of the Education Library each and every year, not less. In fact, that's in this minister's own department's annual report.

The Manitoba edu cation library provides large -format Braille books and resources for those who have hearing impairment. One teacher explains that the library was the only source of support when she had a student with a visual impairment. This minister –so the question is: Why is this minister closing a library that's –directly supports resources for visually impaired students? Mr. Goertzen: Madam Speaker, there are no changes when it comes to the resources for visually or hearing impaired students. They are remaining and will be accessed in exactly the same way.

Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Concordia, on a final supplementary. Mr. Wiebe: Madam–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Wiebe: Madam Speaker, educators and librarians are calling the cuts to the Manitoba education library, quote, a huge loss, especially for rural and northern students. Another says that it –she is simply, quote, broken hearted about this cut and what it means for students. Teachers explain that they use this library on a monthly basis to supplement small libraries in rural schools, which have limited budgets for books under this Pallister government's austerity.

The minister is going to hear the voices of students and teachers and parents in the coming days in his education review. What will he tell them when they ask why is he cutting the Manitoba education library? Mr. Goertzen: Madam Speaker, according to the library, .00001 per cent of students were accessing that library; at most they would have 14 teachers a day. There were 19 staff, sometimes to help 14 people who might come into a library in the entire day. It was underutilized.

By putting those resources online not only can we have more than .00001 per cent of teachers able to access the resources, they can be accessed across the province. I don't know why that member hates equality, Madam Speaker. Addiction Treatment Services Funding and Wait Times Mr. Dougald Lamont (Leader of the Second Opposition): After three years, it's sad to see just how little this government has done to respond to a growing meth crisis that has been fuelling crime and violence and hurting families across this province. The government's responses have been like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.

RAAM clinics don't stop home invasions, and a handful of new beds this government has provided is nowhere near what is

582 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 actually required. We know this because wait times for treatment have steadily been going up. I table the governmen t's own figures. For adult men the wait time is up over 37 per cent over the last two years, and while the wait times have not gone up for adult women, they have been waiting for 206 days on average: months. I ask the Premier: What does he expect people with addictions to do when they have to wait months for an appointment for treatment? Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Madam Speaker, we're investing in many ways.

This is a –as even the NDP's back-of-the napkin investigation revealed–this is a complex problem, but we are investing in many ways to prevent use, in discouraging use. We are also investing in many ways to encourage people who wish to get off meth to help them get off meth through detoxification a nd various other mechanisms. * (14:30) But I would encourage the member to be consistent in his application of his questions and in his positions as Leader of the Liberal Party, and I'll read a quote to you: In fact, parties who fail to get 10 per cent of the vote aren't eligible for a rebate.

But the goal of this arbitrary number is clear: to discourage independents and smaller parties from running and to undermine their finances. Subsidies, it would appear, are for winners only. This was the member's comment in respect of the campaign kickback program, which we are eliminating. So, just recently, the member spoke ardently against such a program being in place and now he's in favour of it. I'd like him to come clean on what his actual position is on this issue, Madam Speaker. Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. Madam Speaker: Order. Order. Order. [interjection] I have not yet recognized the member.

The honourable Leader of the Second Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Lamont: Madam Speaker , I've spoken to a number of people who are concerned that, as the weather gets better, the meth crisis is only going to get worse, not just in Winnipeg but in every community across Manitoba. As a caucus, we Liberals called for a meth task force, but not one that would just deliver another report, one that would take action and immediately start marshalling the resources of government in order to make a difference on what we know is needed. We need prevention; it's not being delivered.

We need mental health care; it's not being delivered. We need drug stabilization units so people suffering from meth psychosis are not a threat to themselves and others because we don't have them, so they aren't just kept in jail instead. We need treatment programs that are n't just catch and release, but where people can stay as long as it takes to get better. Given the number of plans and reports still sitting on the shelf on so many issues, why should Manitobans have any confidence that this newest task force report will be acted on? Mr.

Pallister: Madam Speaker, we're offering flexible withdrawal management services, we've added six new mental health beds at HSC, we've expanded capacity for women's treatment with 12 beds at AFM, provincial take -home naloxazone program in '17, last year five RAAM clinics. We continue–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: –to look for other options to deal with this difficult challenge. The member needs to show some consistency in his positions. Here's another quote: Was it wrong to raise the PST? Yes, it broke an election promise and it's a regressive tax.

It hits low -income earners and small businesses harder than people with high incomes or big corps. Who said that, Madam Speaker? The Liberal leader said that. Last week he said he was for it. He's got to get consistent, decide what's his position. Is he wi th Manitoba taxpayers or is he against them, Madam Speaker? Madam Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Second Opposition, on a final supplementary. Mr. Lamont: Madam Speaker, we need to be clear: this government's inaction is fuelling the meth crisis. This drug is destroying lives, families and threatening communities. [interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr.

Lamont: It is driving meth -related violence in hospitals.

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 583 Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth recently said 2019 is off to a bad start because met h was involved of six of seven homicides. And the Organized Crime Unit says meth being cheap and easily available has changed the landscape of Winnipeg. I've seen it everywhere, including violent crime in my own constituency of St. Boniface. When police come across someone who is high on meth or in meth psychosis, the only option they have is to arrest them, and there is no place to take them but jail.

The federal government has offered $400 million over the next 10 years, half of which is supposed to fund mental health care. Has this government signed the deal yet? If not, why not, and, if so, what took so long? Mr. Pallister: Madam Speaker, I know that the member–as all of us do –takes this issue very seriously, but he shouldn't look for instant sol utions or, in terms of solutions , to simply point the finger. There are unintended consequences when things happen.

One of the causative factors may well be the rush by his federal Liberal friends to push cannabis out legally and encourage the Manitoba Warriors and others to begin marketing other products. This is an unintended consequence which we, according to many police officers, are experiencing now. I don't wish to point fingers at the federal government, I simply–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: –say we are investing in many, many different ways, Madam Speaker. We are encouraging all of us in this House to hold together on this issue. The member chooses to seek partisan advantage. That is his choice.

Madam Speaker, the fact remains we are standing with Manitobans. We are standing–in terms of the meth crisis–with various promotional activities and various educational activities to seek solutions. That is what we're trying to do. We believe it's better if we're united in findin g solutions than if we simply finger point to try to place blame on the issue. Children in Care Funding Levels Ms. Amanda Lathlin (The Pas): This government is shortchanging Child and Family Services authorities at a time when the number of kids in care have surpassed 11,000.

The 2019 budget for Children's Special Allowances does not come close to what the government spent this year –this past year on children in care. This year's budget made a nearl y $40-million cut to the budget for the maintenance. Will this government stop their cuts and commit to adequately fund children in care today? Hon. Heather Stefanson (Minister of Families): I'm not sure which budget that the member opposite was looking at, but, clearly, it wasn't the budget '19 -20.

Budget '19- 20 offers about $15 million more that will be available through block funding for our authorities in CFS, Madam Speaker, and that will be good for children in our province. It will allow them the opportunity to use the funds towards preventative measures and towards reunification with families. We know that's what we want to all work towards in Manitoba. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for The Pas, on a supplementary question. Ms. Lathlin: This past year the government budgeted nearly $513 million for children in care, and this was not enough.

Through a special warrant the government requested an additional $17 million to put towards kids in care. This means the minister has already spent over $530 million for children in care in 2018 -2019. The government's 2019 budget allocates, when accounting for federal transfers, millions less for kids in care. This is a cut, Madam Speaker. So I ask again: Will this government change their budget and promise to adequately fund children in care today? Mrs.

Stefanson: I think it's important to note that under the previous NDP government, the Children's Special Allowance, they used to take that in as part of revenues in government. We will no longer be doing that. We will ensure that that money stays with the agencies for those children when they need it. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for The Pas, on a final supplementary. Ms. Lathlin: It is apparent that the minister failed to adequately consult with indigenous child- welfare agencies prior to her system -wide implementation

584 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 of block funding. These groups have been left in the dark with many questions still being left unanswered. Agencies are worried the new provincial funding model would put vulnerable, indigenous children in care at risk because of lack of financial supports. It's clear from the budget the minister is cutting supports for kids in care. Will this government change their budget and do the right thing and fund children in care today? Mrs. Stefanson: Well, the

preamble in the member's question is simply not true. In fact, we have been working very closely with the Indigenous Leadership Council. We've been working very closely with all of our authorities including our indigenous authorities. We've been working very closely with the in - digenous grandmothers leadership council as well, and we've been working very closely with all of those agencies and those who are involved in the system, Madam Speaker, to ensure that we get this right.

And what we heard loud and clear is that we – that Manitobans felt that the agency should be able to keep that Children's Special Allowances for those children and we have ensured that that will happen. Child-Care Spaces Funding Increase Mr. Bob Lagassé (Dawson Trail): Madam Speaker, families are the cornerstone of our province and we know families all around the province are in need of child-care spaces. Can the Minister of Families please update the House on how Budget 2019 will provide these families with the help they need? Hon.

Heather Stefanson (Minister of Families): I want to thank the member for that very, very good question that has to do with child care availability in Manitoba, something that we've heard loud and clear that Manitobans want to see. And that's why I'm pleased to share, the budget 2019-20 provides funding that will allow for the opening of more than 1,600 new child -care spaces. In fact, to date we have committed more than 3,100 new daycare spaces –child-care spaces for Manitoba families. * (14:40) But we're not done yet.

We are also continuing to fund the child- care development centre tax credit to encourage innovative partnerships with the private sector. We will also be reviewing the Early Learning and Child Care programming to ensure that we deliver on a promise– Madam Speaker: The member's time has expired. Mining Exploration Permit Wait Times Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, when it comes to mining, permits for exploration need to be processed promptly, and environmental and indigenous issues need to be handled carefully and thoroughly. The government is getting it all wrong.

A recent indictm ent of the government's performance, which I table, showed that 44 per cent of mining companies say the current Manitoba government rarely meets its own deadlines, and 30 per cent say permits or licences for exploration work will take 24 months or more. Are these long days –delays due to the fact that that the Pallister government has laid off so many people in its Mines Branch? Hon.

Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade): Perhaps the member, the Liberal member, can explain, then, w hy Ottawa is pursuing Bill C -69, which will in effect stop any mining, any energy project across this country? Why is this member continuing to support the federal Liberals on Bill C-69? Madam Speaker: The honourable member for River Heights, on a supplementary question. Development of Silica Sand Mine Health and Environmental Concerns Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): And why doesn't the minister decide to run to be a Member of Parliament?

There are also issues which need to be addressed–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Gerrard: –with the Wanipigow sand extraction project. The government's own department's comments on the proposal put forward by Canadian premier sands say they are very c oncerning health issues related to air quality, as silica dust is well known to cause adverse health effects, including acute and chronic silicosis. There are also concerns about groundwater impact, of the handling of tailings

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 585 and about the lack of a remediation plan when the mine closes. But when will these critical issues be addressed? Hon. Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade): Well, Madam Speaker, I've got a really good MP, so there's no need for me to run federally. In regards to Canadian Premium Sand and their application, it's getting a –looking at an envi - ronmental review or having an environmental review done right now.

Section 35 consultations are going on. But I really wonder why this –when Canadian Premium Sand first b rought their proposal forward, they said they could hire 150 local people. To date, they've got 250 applications in. Why is this member against local economic development? Madam Speaker: The honourable member for River Heights, on a final supplementary. Mineral and Timber Extraction Environmental Oversight Hon.

Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, the forestry and peatlands branch of Manitoba's Sustainable Development Department says any further development requiring timber removal–which apparently is ongoing–that is beyond the exploration that has already occurred should be put on hold until an environmental act licence and indigenous consultation are completed and approved. In 2013, under the NDP, a whole mine was built before the environmental licence was issued. Is the Pallister government now joining the NDP as his approach?

Is the Pallister government going to be as bad at handling environmental issues as the NDP was? Hon. Rochelle Squires (Minister of Sustainable Development): Well, thank you very much, Madam–[interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Ms. Squires: –Speaker. I'm going to try to explain the process for the member's benefit, but, unfortunately, I cannot make him understand the process. So let's walk through this. The company comes to us and they apply for a licence. And that is what we're doing.

During this process, we hear from a lot of user groups of the resources, including folks in my own department, and we hear their feedback and we work through all the issues before issuing a licence for the company to operate. We are also doing this in conjunction with a

section 35 consultation that is occurring. And those things have to have to happen before the licence is issued. We're following the process and we're working towards environmental sustainability as these projects move forward. New Home Warranty Act Government Intention Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): After extensive consultation, the Province announced that The New Home Warranty Act would come into force in 2017. The act ensured that all consumers were protected when they purchased a new home. However, in November 2017, the Conservative government delayed the coming into force of the legislation by another two years.

Now, in Budget 2019, we find out that the Pallister government will not proceed with The New Home Warranty Act at all. Why has this Premier ripped up The New Home Warranty Act? Hon. Cliff Cullen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I do appreciate the member's question. I hope the member has done his homework on this particular piece of legislation. This was legislation that was brought in by the NDP government a number of years ago; was never actually proclaimed. Clearly, the NDP never got their act done.

And I will also say, Madam Speaker, the NDP never consulted with Manitobans before bringing that legislation forward. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Elmwood, on a supplementary question. Mr. Maloway: It was this government that was supposed to make –get the regulations in force. [interjection] That was their job, and they failed miserably. [interjection] Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Maloway: Madam Speaker, not all Manitobans have a deep understanding of the construction industry, and while there are many good builders in

586 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 Manitoba, there's also bad actors that prey on the public. During the Pallister government's time in office, there have been stories of homes needing tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. What is the Pallister government going to do to adequately protect Manitoba purchasers of newly built homes now that they have torn up The New Home Warranty Act? Mr. Cullen: Let’s talk about bad actors. In 17 years of bad government –and this was the NDP government that brought forward this legislation, with no intent of proclaiming it. They misled Manitobans.

Madam Speaker, we've co nsulted with Manitobans and we're going to do the right thing on behalf of Manitobans. Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Elmwood, on a final supplementary. Mr. Maloway: All this government had to do was to come up with the regulations. All the hard work was done by the previous government– Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. Madam Speaker: Order. Mr. Maloway: –and they couldn't come up with the regulations. Madam Speaker, the Premier's simply not serious about protecting consumers.

The New Home Warranty Act established that all builders must have significant insurance coverage to protect consumers in the case of a defect. The government had three years to make changes if they thought they were necessary. Instead, after stalling for two years, they announced the truth: they're not proceeding with these measures and they never intended to. Why has the Premier ripped up The New Home Warranty Act? Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): I appreciate any question from an NDP member, Madam Speaker, on an issue of saving money for people who live in Manitoba homes.

The members opposite walked, knocked on the doors of the homes of the people of this province, and they promised them, looked them in the eye, said we will not, we will absolutely not raise your taxes. But they did, Madam Speaker. And they broadened them first, they broadened them, and lots of things that Manitobans pay for that the NDP added costs to for people in Manitoba. The member opposite was so embarrassed about the NDP record, Madam Speaker, that when he ran for office, he might've had orange on his signs, but he did not have the letters NDP, and he knows why, and Manitobans know why, too.

Madam Speaker: The time for oral questions has expired. PETITIONS The Pas Primary-Care Centre Funding Mr. Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) Access to quality health care is a fundamental right of Manitobans, no matter where they live.

(2) The Premier has slashed budgets and cancelled projects for northern communities, making it harder for families to get the primary health care they need. * (14:50)

(3) The budget of the northern regional health authority has been slashed by over $6 million, which has negatively affected the doctor retention programs and the Northern Patient Transportation Program.

(4) With limited services in the North, the Premier is forcing families and seniors to travel further for the health care they need.

(5) On November 6th, 2018, the regional health authority announced that obstetric delivery services at Flin Flon General Hospital would be suspended, with no discussion regarding when they will be reinstated.

(6) The result of this decision is that mothers in Flin Flon and the surrounding area will have to travel at least an hour and a half to The Pas, creating unnecessary risk for mothers and babies.

(7) The people of Flin Flon are concerned for the health and safety of mothers -to-be and their ba bies, including the extra physical and financial stress that will be placed upon them by this decision of the provincial government.

(8) There has been no commitment from this provincial government that mothers and their escorts

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 587 who have to travel to The Pas will be covered by the Northern Patient Transportation Program.

(9) Flin Flon General Hospital is a regional hub that serves several communities on both sides of the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border.

(10) Because this provincial government has refused to invest in much -needed health -care services in The Pas, the hospital in The Pas may not be able to handle the extra workload created by this decision. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the provincial government to reinstate obstetric delivery services at Flin Flon General Hospital and work with the governments–sorry–work with the government of Saskatchewan and the federal government to ensure obstetric services continue to be available on a regional basis.

And thi s petition has been signed by Trinity Beheyt, Ryane Rowe, Brianna Parthenay and many other Manitobans. Madam Speaker: In accordance with our rule 133(6), when petitions are read they are deemed to be received by the House. Daylight Saving Time Mr. Cliff Graydon (Emerson): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. And the background to this petition is as follows:

(1) The loss of sleep associated with the beginning of daylight saving time has serious consequences for physical and mental health and has been linked to the increases in traffic accidents and workplace injuries.

(2) According to the Manitoba Public Ins urance news release, collision data collected in 2014 showed that there was a 20 per cent increase in collisions on Manitoba roadways following the spring daylight saving time change when compared to all other Mondays in 2014.

(3) Daylight saving time is associated with a decrease in productivity the day after the clocks are turned forward, with no corresponding increase in productivity when the clocks are turned back.

(4) There is no conclusive evidence that daylight saving time is effective in reducin g energy consumption. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the provincial government to amend The Official Time Act to abolish daylight saving time in Manitoba effective November 4th, 2019, resulting in Manitoba remaining on Central Standard Time throughout the year and in perpetuity. And this petition has been signed by Marshall Dyck, Jake Rempel, Pete Martens and many, many more fine Manitobans. Gender Neutrality Hon.

Jon Gerrard (River Heights): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background to this petition is as follows: Gender, sexuality and gender identity are protected characteristics of human rights, both federally and provincially in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, Britis h Columbia, and soon will be in Saskatchewan, Yukon and other places in Canada. These governments have realized the need for this option on identification for the benefit of people who identify or who are identified by others as intersex, third gender, tra nsgender, genderqueer or non-binary.

Identification in government documents should reflect gender neutrality to prevent issues that may arise from intentional bias on gender and misgendering. The people described above face anxiety and discrimination in many aspects of day-to-day life, such as: interactions with health-care professionals; interactions with persons of authority; accessing government services; applying for employment.

Gender neutrality describes the idea that policies, language and other social institutions should avoid distinguishing roles according to people's sex or gender in order to 'invoid' discrimin ation arising from impressions that there are social roles for which one gender is more suited than other. Many newcomers to Canada m ay already have gender-neutral ID. Many indigenous persons are coming to identify as two -spirit, as the effects of colonization are lessening, and this needs to be addressed in the process of reconciliation.

Being forced to accept an assigned gender affects children and newborns as they grow and become part of society. There are many

588 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 psychological benefits for transgender and non-binary people to be allowed to develop without the constraints put upon them by having their gender assigned based on purely physical attributes. The consideration to have a third option like X or Other on documents was on the previous provincial government's radar for several years, but the current provincial government has not taken steps to implement it.

The City of Winnipeg is actively making its forms reflective of gender neutrality in respect to all persons who work for or come into contact with t hat government. The federal government now issues passports and is educating personnel about the correct language and references for non-binary persons. An Other option existed on enumeration forms for Elections Manitoba in 2016, was easily accepted and provided a framework to provide accurate statistics of those who do not identify under the current binary system.

The foresight, along with training and making changes on required forms, acknowledges and accepts persons who fall outside the binary gender so that governments and people can more effectively interact with one another and reduce the anxieties of everyone involved.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the provincial government to immediately begin implementation of plans to convert systems and forms to be more inclusive of two-spirit and other non- binary individuals, whether it be to include a third gender option or no requirement for gender on forms unless medically or statistically necessary, including health cards and birth certificates.

To urge the provincial government to immediately instruct the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation to offer a third gender option or no gender requirement for licences or any other form of provincial identification. To urge the provincial government to instruct Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living to offer the option of Manitoba Health cards with no gender in order to reduce the anxieties of transgender and non-binary persons accessing the health -care system as a first step. To consider revisiting legislation that may need updating to meet the needs of its citizens in this regard.

Signed by Kathryn Boyd, Elliot McCormick, Jessica DeLury and many others. Madam Speaker: Further petitions? Dog Overpopulation in Northern Communities Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) Many Mani tobans are deeply concerned about the safety of northern, isolated communities in the province owing to an exploding overpopulation rate of dogs.

(2) The current overpopulation of dogs is increasingly alarming to front -line rescues, who witness the severe , difficult and heartbreaking conditions experienced by northern dogs, including starvation, extreme weather conditions, attacks by wild animals and acts of cruelty.

(3) As a result of non -existent veterinarian services in most, if not all, northern c ommunities, dogs are not adequately cared for to no fault of the communities or their members.

(4) Roaming dogs are often sick, injured and alone with no one to advocate for their care, and Manitoba's animal welfare organizations are often the only ones s ounding the alarm in this present crisis.

(5) Time and time again, front -line rescuers witness northern families who, with no access to veterinary care, watch their beloved dog perish from injuries and diseases which could easily –which would be easily pre ventable with better access to veterinarian services. * (15:00)

(6) This present crisis poses a serious and immediate risk to citizens, in particular children, in northern communities, with the threat of pack maulings.

(7) Many Manitobans and front -line rescuers are currently lobbying for stronger animal welfare laws alongside provincial regulations for animal rescue organizations in partnership with adequate veterinarian services and education for northern communities.

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 589

(8) Currently, vaccination rate s for owned dogs in Winnipeg is 70 per cent, while in northern isolated communities the rate is less than 5 per cent as a direct result of this current lack of access to veterinarian services. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

(1) To urge the provincial government to imme - diately commit to addressing the overpopulation of dogs in Manitoba, more specifically in northern communities by humanely removing and re -homing unwanted dogs.

(2) To urge the provincial government in partnership with animal welfare agencies, the Manitoba Veterinarian Medical Association, MVMA, front -line rescues and the federal government to immediately develop a provincial strategy to spay and neuter dogs, while providing access to veterinarian services f or owned dogs in northern communities, ensuring the safety of communities and their citizens. Signed by many Manitobans. Miigwech. ORDERS OF THE DAY GOVERNMENT BUSINESS Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): Could you please resume debate on the budget, Madam Speaker.

BUDGET DEBATE (Second Day of Debate) Madam Speaker: Resuming debate on the proposed motion of the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Fielding), that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of government, standing in the name of the honourable Leader of the Official Opposition. Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): It is a great honour to rise in the Chamber again to put my analyses of this government's pretty awful budget onto the record here. So, I'm like a lot of parents, Madam Speaker.

I have a lot of great hopes for my kids and even, to be fair, some pretty high expectations of what they're able to do. I want them to be able to reach their full potential and liv e life to its fullest. I hope that they grow up with a feeling of hope and optimism, that they see that the world is full of mountains to climb and oceans to swim in and amazing people to go out and celebrate and make your life with. But like a lot of pa rents in Manitoba, I also have some concerns. You know, I'm worried about the quality of education that my kids are going to get.

I worry about the changing job market that is being accelerated by technology change and, of course, I worry about what sort of province is going to be left after the Pallister government is done hacking away at health care and education in the province, here. So it's with a mixture of optimism and some concern that I look forward over the next five years, next 10 years in our province, here. So, if we're to look at the vision that's being presented in this budget document, I think we 'd pretty quickly conclude that there's not much vision being presented at all. Mr.

Doyle Piwniuk, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair In fact, you know, this government's only public policy priority appears to be to cut: cut funding for public services, cut the provision of health- care services which are covered and, of course, to cut supports for post-secondaries. And this is completely at odds with the needs of our society right now. Our society does need to have our health-care system evolve and keep pace with the times.

But rather than helping along that sort of evolution, rather than trying to ensure that health care focuses on mental health, focuses on primary and secondary and tertiary prevention –which is to say, preventing injury and illness, preventing the requirements for hospitalization and to prevent the requirement for repeat surgeries–the Pallister government appears to be heading in exac tly the opposite direction. Now, the big headline, I figure, that jumps out immediately from the page is the $120- million cut to health care.

And I remarked with some amusement the other day when the Minister of Health got up and he directed us all to pa ge 3 in the budget book. And so I went and rushed to page 3, and I thought maybe there'll be some exculpatory figure here that will vindicate the Minister of Health's position. * (15:05) But then I noted on page 3 of the budget and budget papers document that it does, in fact, show a $120-million cut from the 2018 -19 budget to the 2019-20 budget. So, again, Minister of Health

590 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 himself is pointing out that this government is proposing a $120-million cut to health care. And, again, just to read the figures onto the record, the budget amount for 2018- 19 for Health, Seniors and Active Living is 6,771, meaning $6.771 billion,

whereas the amount for the 2019-2020 budget is 6,651 or $6.651 billion. You will note, with your careful study of these figures , Mr. Deputy Speaker, that that is, in fact, a cut of $120 million. Now, of course, we know that the Premier (Mr. Pallister) and others like to, you know, talk about, oh, we've made nominal improvements here, nominal investments there, but if you ignore inflation and if you are distracted by the federal Liberals and, in fact, we're supergenerous when it comes to health care.

But that, of course, is very much undermined by the budget document that this government has tabled themselves, the $120- million cut to health care. Now, it's not just about the money, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It's about what that $120- million cut will have in terms of an impact in the community. Already under this government we have seen that the health-care system has been rushed into a state of chaos.

And, while they have plenty of time to–on the government side –to listen to consultants and accountants working for multinationals like KPMG, they don't appear to have any time to listen to the nurses who are being forced to work record numbers of mandatory overtime shifts. They don't appear to have time to listen to the patients, who are having their cardiac surgeries cancelled, sometimes even on the same day, at least in once instance while the patient had already been prepped for surgery.

And I think we can all pause and lament the fact that none of us would want to be in that position, expecting like a transformative, life -changing surgery to take place, to be –about to be wheeled in and then to find out that because of the understaffing situation, brought to a head by this government's cuts to health care, that your surgery is about to be cancelled. And then, finally, we know that looming on the horizon are the closures of the Concordia and the Seven Oaks emergency rooms, not to be divorced from the closures of the Mise ricordia Urgent Care Centre and the Victoria General emergency room.

So, all in all, the government has exacerbated, you know, the current crises that they themselves have made. They created an artificial health -care crisis by rushing ahead with these changes and then they've further exacerbated this situation by moving ahead with the planned closures from Concordia and Seven Oaks. The reason why I say they're exacerbating the situation is because even though they've already rushed through phase 1 of t heir health-care plan, the plan for cuts, and created all these problems in health care, these looming closures of the emergency rooms are making the situation much worse.

The way that they're making things much worse is that the nurses and other health-care professionals working in the–in those emergency rooms slated for closure are demoralized. They're discouraged. And many of them are already looking for jobs in other places, even though we need them to continue working in those centres for as long as th ose emergency rooms stay open. We've heard the situation from Concordia, that understaffing levels at that emergency room are getting worse and that nurses and other health- care professionals are already looking to find jobs in other places.

But, of course, we have to remember the fact that that ER's going to be open for many more months. And in the interim is the patient experience going to be guaranteed there? Seven Oaks, the situation became even more acute. And when I say acute, I'm not talking about the acute care delivered in the ER, I'm talking about the desperate situation of the nurses working in that emergency room. I personally received a letter signed by many, many nurses who work in the emergency room at Seven Oaks.

One of the things that jum ped out at me was that those Seven Oaks emergency nurses said that they no longer think it's safe for the sickest patients to go to Seven Oaks emergency room. Again, this emergency room is going to be open for many, many more months. But, already, as of about a month and a half ago, the nurses at Seven Oaks were saying that under this Premier and under this government, it's no longer safe for the sickest patients to go to the Seven Oaks emergency room.

It's pretty remarkable when you have an emergency room open in the city of Winnipeg, where the sign says emergency but, which, you know, suggests that the sickest patients could be sent there, but the staff inside, working underneath that banner,

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 591 are telling the public, no, we don't believe that we can guarantee safety for patients. * (15:10) When they were explaining the cause of this deterioration of health care at Seven Oaks, the nurses themselves say it's because of phase 2 of the– Pallister's health-cut plan, and we know that phase 2 is the plan to rush towards these closures.

So, again, the nurses themselves–those closest to the patients, at the bedside –are pointing the finger at this government's plan to close emergency rooms and plan to chase the nurses out of their jobs and chase them all around the health-care system. And they're saying that's the reason why in their hospital there's record numbers of understaffing in very crucial positions. And we know that there are very real concerns that on a given day the ratio of nurses to patients that is necessary to gain –guarantee an adequate quality of care is not being met.

So, again, the nurses themselves know that there are standards which have to be in place –a certain amount of nurses for each patient in the ER. And they're saying that because of this government's cuts those ratios for nurse to patient are not being met, and that is the cause of their concern. That in itself should be a remarkable indictment of health care under this Premier (Mr. Pallister), but we know that it goes much further than that. Again, they've closed many clinics since taking office in all portions of the city and in different parts of the province.

Most recently, they closed the Family Medical Centre clinic in St. Boniface. And so you have hundreds, perhaps thousands of patients–in fact, thousands of patients, I should say –who are not going to have primary care in the same centre. And from a variety of different angles this cut does not make a whole lot of sense. One is that this clinic was able–if you were just to look at it from a financial point of view–this clinic was able to deliver primary care in a much cheaper fashion than other clinics.

In terms of primary and secondary prevention, which I mentioned earlier in my little speech here, we know that the residents and the physicians working at the Family Medical Centre had admitting privileges to St. Boniface Hospital, which means that if a patient went to the Family Medical Centre and they were sick enough, they could be admitted directly into the hospital and not have to go to the ER at St. Boniface. Now that that clinic is being closed, what is going to happen?

Well, we know that the emergency room wait times are increasing in the city of Winnipeg, and now more patients will have to go to the emergency room at S t. Boniface because they won't be able to get directly admitted into St. Boniface Hospital. So, again, whether you look at it from a financial sustainability point of view or whether you look at it from a provision of health care perspective, the justification for closing the Family Medical Centre doesn't really make a lot of sense.

Again, it's only being done because the current government and the current Premier share an obsession with cutting government services, particularly in health care. Now, we know also that for those nurses who are currently still working in a variety of units, whether it's at St. Boniface Hospital or HSC or other hospitals around the province, we know that the situation is going from bad to worse. Nurses are demoralized, and i t's no wonder –they're working 12-hour shifts and then at the end of the 12 hours, they're being told that, well, you're being mandated to stay for another six hours.

And, of course, many of these nurses –they may be frustrated on a personal level, but I think their real concern is for the well -being of the patient. And the question that they're asking is: Can I perform at my best? Can I deliver the quality of patient care that this person I'm caring for expects if I've already been working 14, 15, 16 hour s and I'm now being mandated to stay longer? And so all of that has been brought to bear by this government.

There's high vacancy rates at many units and hospitals around the province and, taken together, this is a reason why I have heard from nurses dir ectly–one of whom had worked in the health-care system for more than three decades. They said that health-care is worse under this Premier than it has ever been in Manitoba. So that's a pretty serious charge. Now, what do we need to do in health care? Well, there's a lot of challenges before us. We know that in Manitoba –there's many Manitobans with unique and complex medical needs. You have a lot of people with type 2 diabetes.

You have many people with multiple sclerosis. You have the increasing impacts of dementia and Alzheimer's and related conditions. You also have an addictions crisis which is being made worse seemingly by the day in this province. And, again, methamphetamine appears to be the drug of choice for many people struggling

592 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 with addictions right now, but recently there were other substances that people used. And what we need to see in addition to these priorities is a real response to the need of our society to have an answer for mental health. You know, in mental health–the lack of havin g adequate access to mental health and the health-care profession spins off and has impacts on other areas of government oversight, overview, and expenditure as well.

For instance, a common sentiment that I hear from many teachers is, at the secondary le vel especially, teachers in high school, you know, will tell me: Hey, I have a lot of students struggling through some mental health issues. I'm not a mental health professional; I'm a teacher. I need some help to be able to properly respond in a compassionate, caring, but also evidence-guided way to the needs of my students. And so these are the challenges that our population is dealing with. And what is this government's response? The government's response is simply to cut services and to cut positions.

But I'll tell you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the true driver of costs in our health-care system in Manitoba is not the amount of doctors and nurses and health-care aides we have; the true driver of cost is how healthy and how well Manitobans are, and if we have a situation where we are making Manitobans less likely to access care, less likely to have services covered, more likely to injure themselves, more likely to struggle with addictions, more likely to struggle with mental health, then we know that Manitobans are going to suffer more, be less well, and to suffer worse health outcomes.

In a situation like that, the compassionate but also intelligent response from government should be to invest in health care –in prevention specifically–in mental health supports. Again, if we can move mental health supports, health-care programs, home- care visits out into the community where people are and keep people healthy in the community, then it benefits everybody.

It makes those people who need to access those services healthier, but it also prevents us from having to deal with their mental health issue or their diabetes issue or their addictions issue in the emergency room, which is a very expensive place to try and deliver care. So, whether you're looking at it from a fiscally conservative perspective or a compassionate progressive perspe ctive, the answer to what our province needs from health care really does involve investment and, by that logic, a $120- million cut year-to-year in the budget to health care simply does not make sense.

And so, for that reason alone, we cannot support this budget. But there's more. Again, there is more. We know that when we go through the budget and budget papers, there are a number of cuts and ways in which the government is going to make life in Manitoba more expensive for people. So, in my opening remarks, I spoke about how we know that the workplace is changing. Anytime you go to Shoppers Drug Mart or you go to Safeway and you see an automated checkout machine, you know that jobs are being replaced by technology.

Again, there are less cashiers working in a given retail outfit today than a few decades ago, even just a short few years ago, and so technology change is driving our economy. So look out a few years –five years, 10 years, into the Manitoba economy, and ask yourself what is going to happen to t he biggest industries in our province. Again, the biggest industries in our province are manufacturing, transportation, ag, finance, insurance. And in terms of jobs, if you wanted to round out that list, you'd probably point to retail and services as anoth er big source of jobs in the province.

Well, what is going to happen in those industries in the next five to 10 years? Well, in transportation you've got self -driving vehicles on the horizon. Many experts predict they'll be widely adopted in about six years' time, perhaps a decade from now. In ag, we see increasing automation, both in the field but also on the manufacturing floor. Again, when a large operation sets up shop to engage in value-added manufacturing for agriculture, there's far less people p ower required. It's far more automated and there's far more robots, but there's less of a requirement for people.

And then, of course, when it comes to financial, insurance, and other sort of services like that, we know that a lot of those tasks are being automated, as well. Again, algorithms, artificial intelligence, automation is not just replacing, you know, people on the manufacturing floor; it's also replacing so - called white collar jobs as well, whether that's insurance or in finance. And so we know that in order for Manitobans to be able to make a good living, we have to keep pace with those challenges. But, even beyond that, we

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 593 know that a big part of the well -being that people derive from their lives does come with work, pride, the ability to say , you know, when people ask you who are you, you can say, well, I'm a plumber; I'm a carpenter; I'm a professor; I'm a doctor; I'm a, you know, repairman, repairperson, repairwoman– whatever you like. * (15:20) The answer to those questions, in large meas ure, does come from what you do for a living, and so there's a huge question, not just economically, but also a question for meaning in the future of our society.

And what is this government's response to that? Well, they're cutting the funding for post -secondary institutes by some $6 million. So those post - secondaries–whether they're in the city, like Red River, whether they're in Brandon or the Parkland, like ACC, whether they're the universities like U of W, U of M, CMU, the University College of the North–they're all being handed down cuts; $6 million cut across the board. And those are the institutions that are going to help young people be prepared for the future and for those future jobs.

We know that there will be jobs in the future; they will j ust look different than they have in the past. And so it is incumbent on a government to invest in post -secondary and to also make it affordable. We know that one of the biggest barriers to young people–or, really, people of any background–to being able t o get a degree or get a diploma from a college or a university has to do with tuition. Yet, when we look at, you know, the government's own document here, it says that the tuition fees imposed by Manitoba universities and colleges are projected to increase by $25 million.

So, again, this is going to be a real impact that students feel. And, of course, you can already see from the universities and the colleges themselves that, because they're being handed down a $6 -million cut on the operating side, they are all going to seek the maximum increase on the tuition side. So you're going to see education go up by another 6.5, 6.6 per cent this year, after it's already gone up by 6.6 per cent in the past.

So the government has increased the cost of education in the province significantly but they have not focused on increasing the quality, nor are they even equipped to answer the question of how are we going to meet the challenge of technology change. And the answer is simple, you know. We have to work with Ma nitobans to find out the careers that they're passionate about. We know that automation, while it not only is going to change the workforce, in some ways it will create great opportunities for people.

I was touring a Boeing plant last year and one of the tasks that they pointed out to me that's being automated is the drilling of thousands of holes within a piece of an airplane hub. And the people who were touring me around said, listen, this is a job that a human does not want to do. This is not a good job for a person, you know. This is something that a robot can do quickly, automatedly. And yet if a person had to do it, it would be bad for their health and it would be bad for their mental health.

And so we face a prospect of perhaps having an increase in what we might call more meaningful work–or, work that is better suited to human beings, to be able to take care, to care of. But one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that in order for young people, people who are being pushed out of existing jobs, other people who need to find new jobs in the new economy to be able to find success, is that there needs to be an adequate investment in public services in our province.

If Manitobans are being saddled with higher out- of-pocket medical expenses, if they're being saddled with higher tuition costs, if they're being saddled with all these other asks that the Province comes to them with, we know that that is going to destabilize them and create greater economic uncertainty, and make it less likely th at people are being –that people would be able to find success in that new workforce and economy. So, again, these are some of the concerns that jump out of just the first five pages of the government's budget and budget papers document.

We know that be yond the cuts to post - secondaries that there've been also cuts to child care. While the government asked a friendly question about child care, I noticed that the minister and also the questioner neglected to point out that the amount of funding for daycare , for child care across the province, is being reduced by some $1.4 million. So not only is this a cut directly to the families that rely on this service, but we know also that when families struggle to get child care, that that can have an

594 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 impact on work, as well, that the parents –often the women–will not be able to work as much as much as they will like because not having child care can be an economic barrier. And so this $1.4- million cut to child care is certainly something to be concerned with. I woul d note that my wife and I are certainly in the market for child care right now, with a 10- month-old at home. We are very lucky; we have a great extended family who's able to help us cope so that we're able to maintain both of our important and rewarding careers.

However, many families don't have that same luxury as we do. And so the child- care needs certainly ought to be taken seriously. And then when we get around to the infrastructure part of this budget book, we note that there are very serious cuts here, whether you look at infrastructure works which provides for maintenance of roadways and winter roads, northern airports, ferries, all sorts of water assets, flood mitigation initiatives, we see that this budget has been cut by $11 million.

Again, the members opposite like to hoot and holler during question period, but it says right here in black and white that highway maintenance is being reduced by $10.6 million this year. So for many of the MLAs living outside of the city, you will see first-hand this year the deterioration of highways, and it will be as a result of the cut that this Premier (Mr. Pallister) made in this year's budget. And throughout this document we see a number of cuts. And so we know that the government presented this budget.

The y expected a hero's welcome, but the response that I've seen so far has been fairly tepid, and many Manitobans are asking themselves, is it worth it? Is it worth whatever the government is going to give us with the left hand if they're taking so much away with the right hand? We know that those cuts are happening in a lot of the areas that are not just important to Manitobans, but are going to be increasingly important to Manitobans as we move into the future.

Again, whether it's on health care; whether it's on post -secondary; whether it's on workplace readiness; whether it’s on child care; whether it's on infrastructure, which is actually going to be a huge economic driver for the future, we see that this government is not only failing to make the investments that are needed for Manitoba to be well-positioned, to have a knowledge economy, an economy centred around tech while also still building on some of our traditional strongholds like agriculture–not only are they failing to make those investments, but we see that they're actually cutting in many of those key areas as well.

So, when I look ahead to the future, again, I am often, you know, a little concerned by some of the storm clouds that this government is causing to appear on the horizon, but mor e than that I am very optimistic. I am very optimistic not just, you know, at the opportunities that my kids are about to enjoy and are enjoying already, which are certainly greater than the opportunities of the generation before mine had in this province, but I'm also optimistic about the people of Manitoba. You know, the values of this province are great. People care about their neighbours.

People care about what happens to each other in this province, and you know, many of us live here because we do find this place very special. Whether it's, you know, from the cultural activities, or whether we're here for the Jets or we're here for family or we're here maybe even for the cost of living, some of us, we know that there's a ton of reasons that make Manit obans proud about this place we call home.

And so I am optimistic that the people in Manitoba do see through the spin and they do see through the government advertising campaign being mounted to support this budget, and that Manitobans do know that we ne ed to do better. Specifically, we need to do better by reorienting our health- care system towards prevention. We need to help pivot our economy towards the jobs of tomorrow, the work of tomorrow and, finally, that we need to take real steps towards making Manitoba affordable, understanding that it's not just the tax bill, but it's also the hydro bill. It's also the tuition bill.

It's also the car safety bill. There's many, many bills that Manitobans have to contend with, and that a balanced approach towards keeping life affordable across all of those measures is the right one. So, with those few words on the record and pointing out a few of the key points, I would submit to you that this budget does not meet the needs of people in this province. And so I'm going to move an amendment to this budget, which I do believe would more accurately reflect the priorities of people here in Manitoba.

March 11, 2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 595 And so, I move, seconded by the member for Minto (Mr. Swan), THAT the motion be amended by deleting all of the words after “House” and substituting: therefore regrets that this budget neglects the priorities of Manitobans by: (

a) breaking the Premier's promise to protect front-line services by making deep cuts to health and education despite unprecedented revenues from the federal government; and (

b) continuing the Premier's attack on the health-care system by underspending on health care by $240 million, cutting the health-care budget by $120 million, continuing forward on the plan to close two more emergency rooms while f reezing mental health and addictions services during a methamphetamine epidemic and continuing to undermine health care for women and girls across Manitoba; and (

c) reducing supports for students with special needs while increasing class sizes for the youngest learners and slashing support of daycare for children; and * (15:30) (

d) reducing college and university education by millions while increasing tuition rates for parents and students, putting education and good jobs out of the reach of Manitoba's youth; and (

e) failing to provide a comprehensive jobs strategy for the future, especially for northern Manitobans, that gives more families access to good -paying, non- precarious jobs, while cutting supports for apprenticeships and training; and (

f) by continuing to cut ov er $150 million in infrastructure spending from what was previously promised, cutting $40 million from water infrastructure in the same year as flood forecasts have worsened, while failing to offer any program to reduce greenhouse emissions and fight climate change. As a consequence, the provincial government has thereby lost the confidence of this House and the people of Manitoba. Mr.

Deputy Speaker: It has been moved by the member–Leader for the Official Opposition, second by the member of Minto That the–a motion be amendment by deleting all the words after House, by substituting– An Honourable Member: Dispense. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Dispense? An Honourable Member: No. Mr. Deputy Speaker: No? Therefore, it regrets that this budget neglects the priorities of–by Manitobans–priorities of Manitobans by: (

a) breaking the Premier's promise to protect front-line service by making deep cuts to health and education despite unprecedented revenues from the federal government; and (

b) continuing the Premier's attack on health- care system by underspending on health care by $240 million, cutting the health- care budget by $120 million, continuing forward on the plan to close two more emergency rooms by freezing ment al health and addiction services during a 'methaphetamine' epidemic and continuing to undermine health care for women and girls across Manitoba; and (

c) reducing supports for students with special needs while increasing class sizes for the youth–youngest lear ners and slashing support of daycare for children; and (

d) reducing college and university education by millions while increasing tuition rates for parents and students, putting education and good jobs out of reach of Manitoba's youth; and (c)–or (e)–sorry–(

e) failing to provide a compre - hensive jobs strategy for the future, especially for northern Manitobans, that gives more families access to good -paying and non- precarious jobs, while cutting support for apprenticeships and training; and (

f) by continuing to cut over $150 million infrastructure spending from the –that from what was previously promised, cutting $40 million for the water infrastructure in the same year as flood forecasts have worsened, while failing to offer any

596 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 11, 2019 programs to r educe greenhouse emissions and fight climate change. As a consequences, the provincial government has therefore lost confidence in this House and in people of Manitoba. The amendment is in order. The floor is open for debate. Any speakers? Mr. Derek Johnson (Interlake): So, thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. This is the best budget that's come forward. I don't know what the member opposite is speaking of. This is something that is above and beyond anything that they've ever, ever brought out.

So, a budget is kind of a look at where we are, where we want to be and how we going to get there. So first off, I want to talk a little bit about where we are, just to clarify a few of the statements that member opposite just went over. So, the forecast for the ' 18-19 budget for Education, let's start with that. So the forecast of what we're going to finish the year at is $4 billion– sorry about that –$4,425,000,000. And guess what next year's budget is? Four million, five hundred and sixty–$4,560,000,000. So that's a total $135 million more, $135 million more in Education.

So my hat's off to the Education Minister for investing in our children wisely. Now, one in particular that member opposite had mentioned was the Health. So, currently, we're looking at landing, for this year's budget, about $6,533,000,000. And next year, guess what? It's up. We're budgeted for $6,651,000,000. That is an increase of $118 million. So, not only more money –there's more money for hips, knees, cataracts and wait times are down. Isn't this an amazing job by our Health minister and the previous Health minister, I might add. There's less children in care in families.

The Education minister, as well, is going through a K-to-12 review to ensure that our education system is sustainable and works well. What other number is going up–debt servicing. Debt servicing is going up from just over a billion dollars to 1 billion and 88 million dollars So why is that number important? Well, the last 10 years of the NDP government, they doubled our debt. This is just the interest, so debt servicing, for those that aren't a hundred per cent sure what debt servicing means, what is it? That' s pretty much our interest that we are paying on our –call it our credit card, our debt.

So this interest alone, roughly, is $3 million a day, doubled under the previous government. So, out of that 1 billion, 88 million dollars we could spend another half a billion dollars if they didn't–if they would have had the balanced budget through those 10 years, we could have been currently spending, on infrastructure, an extra $544 million per year. So, as we treat our household, you can't keep going in debt eve ry single year over and over again and just pay more and more interest. That's not how we'd run our households.

If you have a credit card payment and you're not making that minimum payment, if you're not even pa

Document details

Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	41-4-22
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	41st 4th hansardpdf 22.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	2bc4a1fd5e5668efd008cc775b35059bb1e6cd3b

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