Manitoba Hansard — 22 April 2025 (Sitting 45A, 43rd Legislature, 2nd Session)

43-2-45a

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Second Session – Forty-Third Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Tom Lindsey Speaker Vol. LXXIX No. 45A - 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 22, 2025 ISSN 0542-5492

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

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

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

Concordia NDP WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC Vacant Spruce Woods

1465 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Tuesday, April 22, 2025 The House met at 10 a.m. The Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom, know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen.

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

Routine proceedings, private –orders of the day, private members' business. ORDERS OF THE DAY PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Hon. Nahanni Fontaine (Government House Leader): Good morning, Honourable Speaker. Could you please call, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Bill 300, The Winnipeg Foundation act ; and from 10:30 to 11 a.m., Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act, commemoration of days, weeks, months amended. The Speaker: It has been announced that we will proceed with second reading of Bill 300, The Winnipeg Foundation Amendment Act, from 10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.

We will then move on to second reading of Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act (Commemoration of Days, We eks and Months Act Amended). SECOND READINGS–PRIVATE BILLS Bill 300–The Winnipeg Foundation Amendment Act The Speaker: We will now go to second reading of Bill 300. MLA Robert Loiselle (St. Boniface): I move, seconded by the –right?–MLA for Transcona, that Bill 300, The Winnipeg Foundation Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la

Loi sur la Fondation dénommée « The Winnipeg Foundation », be now read a second time and be referred to a committee of the House. Motion presented. MLA Loiselle: It's an honour to move this bill, Bill 300, The Winnipeg Foundation modernization act. I'd like to take this op portunity by, first of all, setting the stage for this bill by recog nizing that The Winnipeg Foundation is actually the oldest foundation in Canada and also the largest foundation in Canada. In 1921, actually, The Winnipeg Foundat ion, thanks to genera tions of thoughtful donors, has improved life in our city through gifts with us.

William Forbes Alloway, a prominent banker, esta blished The Winnipeg Foundation in 1921 with the gift of $100,000. Alloway established Canada's first community found- ation and fulfilled his vision of an organi zation built by everyday Winnipeggers that will support our com- munity forever. The second gift to the foundation: an anonymous donation of three gold coins worth $15 at the time is a reminder that every act of generosity, no matter the dollar amount, makes a difference. Thousands of people from all walks of life have followed in these donors' footsteps.

The collective power of their generosity has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars invested in local, charitable projects that help individuals thrive, strengthen families and build our community. And since 1921, I'd like to take a few moments to actually go through some of the most notable benchmarks of The Winnipeg Foundation, such as in 1922, when the foundation makes its first grant of $6,000, equally shared by the Margaret Scott nursing home, Knowles Home for Boys, Victorian Order of Nurses and the Children's Hospital and the Children's Aid Society.

In 1937, the foundation received memorial gifts for the first time. In 1950, during the flood, the Com munity Reserve Fund, built through surplus funds from 1945 to 1949, supports flood efforts here in Winnipeg.

1466 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 Honourable Speaker, 1952, the Children's Hospital receives a large grant to address the polio outbreak which was predominant at the time. In 1972, the assets of The Winnipeg Foundation exceed $10 million. In 1981, the assets exceeded $20 million. In 1996, the assets exceed $100 million. And in 2003, the foundation makes the largest grant in our history: $6 million to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. I think that's very notable. In 2012, cumulative toll grants surpass $300 million with the assets of The Winnipeg Foundation in 2012 at $500 million.

In 2018, the foundation commits $1 million to help organizations work towards our shared goal of reconciliation in our community with a new reconciliation grants program. In 2019, cumulative grants total $500 million. And in 2021, the foundation celebrates its 100th anniversary. So now, in 2025, The Winnipeg Foundation seems–seeks to modernize its act. In fact, The Winnipeg Foundation should be repre sentative of all Winnipeggers and Manitobans.

The foundation wants to create a com munity for all and this is why it' s important that the foundation remains current in the work that it does so it can continue to meet the unique needs of each com munity. These amend - ments will support The Winnipeg Foundation in its modernization at accessibility efforts. Removing the mayor from the board will support the foundation in its goal of being as apolitical and as inclusive and diverse as possible. Digitizing their financial recordings will allow the foundation to be more accessible to the people of Winnipeg by reaching more people electronically.

So The Winnipeg Foundation act is amended in two ways. The mayor of the city of Winnipeg is no longer required to be a member of the board of directors of the foundation, allowing for more inclusivity and other members to join the board. Audit information about the foundation' s financial state - ments must be published on its website.

Currently, information respecting the audit must be published in a newspaper and copies of the auditor's report must be provided on request, and the goal of The Winnipeg Foundation is simply to be more transparent and reach more Winnipeggers and Manitobans. * (10:10) So we all want the people of Winnipeg and across Manitoba to thrive in their communities and feel like they are part of one Manitoba. And The Winnipeg Foundation has been a pioneer in helping make this a reality, Honourable Speaker.

The Winnipeg Foundation has put com munity at the foremost for over 100 years and has grown to be one of the biggest foundations, not just in Winnipeg, but in Canada. By promoting philanthropy, creating partnerships and supporting diverse, char - itable organizations, The Winnipeg Foundation aims to be a leader in strengthening community well-being. The foundation shares im portant values with our government, supporting families, helping them thrive and building our communities.

The foundation wants to create a com munity for all, and this is why it is important that the foundation remains current in the work that it does, so it can continue to meet the unique needs of each community. So, Hon ourable Speaker, com munities develop and change over time. Winnipeg' s popula tion has increased 'expodentially' and with that the city has grown to be a beautiful, diverse and cultural mosaic. Established in 1921, The Winnipeg Foundation is the oldest foundation, at over 100 years old, and it has historically adapted to the city's evolving commu- nities.

The Winnipeg Foundation Act was amended in 1943, 1980, 1990, 2004 and again in 2011. These proposed amendments to the act will support the foundation and the changes in their methods of governance, so that their board can be as representative of all Winnipeggers as possible. So, Honourable Speaker, how do we achieve this? We achieve this with a more inclusive board at The Winnipeg Foundation. Removing the mayor from the board will support the foundation in its goal of being as apolitical and as inclusive and diverse as possible.

The Winnipeg Foundation board aims to be as apolitical as possible, and as we all know, the mayor- ship is a political position. The Winnipeg Foundation board also tries to be as inclusive and diverse as possible. The board of the foundation aims to achieve gender parity and include as many communities from Winnipeg as possible. The board also seeks specific skillsets from those in the legal, accounting, cultural or linguistic communities and beyond. Winnipeg, as we know, is a wonderful, diverse and multicultural city.

So, by removing the mayor from the board of The Winnipeg Foundation, it allows for more repre sentation from Winnipeg 's mosaic of cultures.

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1467 These amendments will support The Winnipeg Foundation in its modernization and accessibility efforts. Digitizing their financial records will allow the foundation to be more accessible to the people of Winnipeg. Currently, audit information about The Winnipeg Foundation's financial statements must be published in the newspaper and copies of the auditor 's report must be provided on request. These amendments will require that audit infor - mation about the foundation's financial statements be published on its website.

Winnipeg is home to over 850,000 people, Honour able Speaker, and not all of them read the newspaper. So publishing their financials on their website will actually make it more accessible to Winnipeggers and Manitobans. It will also help people learn more about the incredible work The Winnipeg Foundation does every year to better our community. Lastly, Honourable Speaker, I hope that everyone gets behind this bill. It 's im portant to support The Winnipeg Foundation.

It 's impor tant to support our communities here in Winnipeg, and it's very important to help The Winnipeg Foundation move into its future, supporting our communities by moving this bill into the future as well. Thank you. Miigwech. Merci, Honourable Speaker. Questions The Speaker: A question period of up to 10 minutes will be held. Questions may be addressed to the sponsoring member by any member in the following sequence: first question to be asked by a member from another party; this is to be followed by rotation between the

part ies; each in dependent member may ask one question. No question or answer may exceed 45 seconds. The floor is now open for questions. MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): Has the member or the government consulted on the removal of the mayor from the board of directors with the City of Winnipeg and the current mayor and councillors? MLA Robert Loiselle (St. Boniface): Thank you for that excellent question, Honourable Speaker.

So I am sponsoring this amend ment, in partner- ship with The Winnipeg Foundation, which it has consulted with the mayor, the lawyers of The Winnipeg Foundation have consulted with the City of Winnipeg. And the City of Winnipeg is agreeable to these amendments. Thank you. Merci. The Speaker: The honourable member for Portage – no, the honour able Minister of Transpor tation and Infrastructure. Hon. Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure): Can the member of St. Boniface elaborate on what it was that inspired them to intro - duce this bill that amends the act related to The Winnipeg Foundation?

MLA Loiselle: Thank you for the excellent question. The Winnipeg Foundation, of course, being the oldest foundation in Canada, wants to make sure that its act is progressive, that it 's up to date and that it is flexible with the changing needs of Winnipeggers and Manitobans. So, by making its board more diverse, that's a great step into the future. And by digitizing its reportings, its financial report, also makes its financials more accessible to all Manitobans. And removing the mayor actually allows the board to be more inclusive and diverse and less apolitical. Thank you.

MLA Bereza: Will the mayor be able to appoint someone to the board to represent the mayor 's office and the City of Winnipeg? MLA Loiselle: That's an excellent question. The goal of The Winnipeg Foundation is to remain as apolitical as possible and have a diversity of Winnipeggers on the board as well as a diversity of skill sets from all trades, all back grounds, including the business community. So I think that the goal of The Winnipeg Foundation is to represent all Winnipeggers and that, in doing so, will have, you know, links with the larger conversation of Winnipeg and governments as well. Thank you.

MLA Naylor: The Winnipeg Foundation has a great reputation and a great relationship with the com mu- nity as a whole. Could the member explain to us how the changes they're suggesting would improve that connection to community? MLA Loiselle: Thank you for that excellent question.

1468 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 One of the goals of The Winnipeg Foundation is to make sure that its board is, first of all, inclusive of all commu nities, whether they be cultural com mu- nities, linguistic, et cetera. The goal of The Winnipeg Foundation also wants to have parity on its board, and, let's be honest, The Winnipeg Foundation was, you know, founded at a time in 1922 when not all Manitobans and not all Winnipeggers, not all voices were heard around the board table.

It 's 2025, The Winnipeg Foundation wants to make sure that a ll of those voices, voices that perhaps were not heard in the past, are now heard today. Thank you. MLA Bereza: What is the current makeup of the board of directors and who is currently required to be on the board? MLA Loiselle: So, as I 've mentioned earlier –and thank you for that question–The Winnipeg Foundation is one of the largest foundations in Canada. I believe their assets exceed $2 billion now. So what they' re looking for is, you know, a number of skill sets, including people that have certain expertise in the financial world.

They're looking to seek parity on their board right now, which is not the case. And they' re also seeking to have more diversity on their board. As we know, Winnipeg has grown exponentially in the last, you know, 10, 20, 30 years. So it 's impor- tant to have all voices around the table to make sure that when we look at the diversity around the table at The Winnipeg Foundation, around the board table, we see the diversity that we see in Winnipeg as well. Thank you.

MLA Naylor: I'd like to ask the member how the dynamic between The Winnipeg Foundation and the mayor's office and the absence of the mayor as a mandatory member of the foundation, how that dynamic would change with this bill. MLA Loiselle: Thank you for that question. I believe the goal of The Winnipeg Foundation is for that dynamic to actually improve.

The Winnipeg Foundation over the years has been suc cessful in supporting, you know, a number of marginalized com- munities in Winnipeg, all communities. * (10:20) And by making sure that that work is objective and based on facts and based on census infor mation and whatnot, by making informed decisions such as those, I think that that 's going to strengthen the support of communities in Winnipeg. And I think the mayor will be happy to see that The Winnipeg Foundation is there to support all com munities in Winnipeg.

MLA Bereza: A question for the member: How does the bill change the current reporting requirements for audit reports of the foundation? MLA Loiselle: Thank you for that question. So, currently, the financial reports, the annual financial report of The Winnipeg Foundation has to be published in a paper. Unfortunately, as we know, we are in the digital age and not all Winnipeggers or Manitobans, for tha t matter, access –can access that report through the papers.

So the hope of The Winnipeg Foundation is to make the reporting digitized and accessible through the Internet and through their website so that more people can have access to it, therefore making their work more transparent. Thank you. MLA Naylor: Can the member for St. Boniface (MLA Loiselle) explain how these proposed changes will support The Winnipeg Foundation and stay more current in the work that it does for our community? MLA Loiselle: Thank you for that excellent question.

By ensuring that, you know, board members sitting around the table are more inclusive and repre - sentative of all of our communities here in Winnipeg, I think The Winnipeg Foundation will be able to have a greater impact with all of those commu nities that perhaps, in the past, didn' t have their voice heard around the table, or perhaps, in the past, did not have access to some of the programs The Winnipeg Foundation were presenting, simply because they weren't as well represented as we hope it will be in the future. Thank you. Mr.

Konrad Narth (La Vérendrye): Can the member tell us more about how he came up with the bill, and did he consult with The Winnipeg Foundation, and were they the ones who had made these sugges - tions? MLA Loiselle: Well, I'd like to thank the member for that excellent question. So, first of all, for eight years, I was actually a board member of Francofonds, which is the largest francophone foundation here in Manitoba. And through that work, I had the chance to work with

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1469 Endow Manitoba which is actually a wing of The Winnipeg Foundation that aims at supporting all 56 foundations here in Manitoba. So when I was elected as an MLA, when The Winnipeg Foundation reached out for –looking for someone to, you know, basically sponsor this bill, I was more than happy to do that work. And yes, I did consult with The Winnipeg Foundation. I sat down at their board table. Their lawyers were present. And I'm very happy to do so. Thank you.

MLA Naylor: I ap preciate the member having to keep repeating his answers on consul tation when opposition keeps asking the same questions. So I hate to repeat anything that 's already been said, but since this is probably the last question, I 'll encourage the member to fill the time with sharing a bit more with us about how these proposed changes support The Winnipeg Foundation in strengthening its transparency with the community as a whole. MLA Loiselle: The goal of The Winnipeg Foundation is to be as inclusive and as trans parent as possible, moving forward.

With assets of over $2 billion, with the great needs of groups that are coming to The Winnipeg Foundation for support, The Winnipeg Foundation wants to make sure that the voices of all communities in Winnipeg are heard and supported. We know that the work of building community is not always easy, and we know that since the pandemic, a lot of our groups here in Winnipeg need help more than ever.

So The Winnipeg Foundation wants to strengthen the work they do; wants to go even further in supporting communities and we encourage the work that we do and we look forward to another great 100 years with The Winnipeg Foundation, here, as a great community leader. Thank you. MLA Bereza: Can the member please–you 're required that the audit information must be published in the newspaper. Which newspaper, and what infor - mation in particular is required to be published? Thank you.

MLA Loiselle: So I believe that up until now the financial audit of The Winnipeg Foundation is public– published in the Winnipeg Free Press. Not everyone reads the Winnipeg Free Press, so The Winnipeg Foundation wants to ensure that its audit is accessible to more people in Winnipeg. We know the popula tion of Winnipeg now is upwards of 850,000 people, so The Winnipeg Foundation wants to be more accessible, more trans - parent, more inclusive and wants to have more Winnipeggers engaged in its financials by making them available online. Thank you. The Speaker: The time for questions has expired.

Debate The Speaker: The floor is now open for debate. MLA Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie): It brings me great pleasure to speak a little bit about The Winnipeg Foundation, as I was an appointed member of the Portage la Prairie and district foundation. One of the things that we struggled with, with the Portage la Prairie foundation, was the question of getting involved with different types of projects that might be classified as public money or private money coming into a public situation.

And again, I don' t see in this where that has been reported, and we are seeing foundations like the Winnipeg hospital –or, sorry, the Winnipeg Health Sciences foundation, the St. Boniface foundation as well, too, being involved in improvements to the hospitals that th ey're dealing with or purchasing equip ment, like the Portage hospital foundation as well, too. But the question comes into, is that private money going into a public project?

So again, with the introduction to The Winnipeg Foundation, it was established in twenty–twenty-one, it was created to help address com munity needs in Winnipeg, and over the years, it 's grown into one of the largest com munity foundations in Canada. And again, there is so much great work that is done by community foundations out there. The foundation operates with the philosophy, for good forever, meaning it seeks to support community today and into the future, which is so important, again, when we are dealing with different people and different situations out there.

You know, its mission is to connect donors with causes that matter, supporting a wide range of charitable initiatives that improve the quality of life in Winnipeg. And again, like a lot of other foundations throughout the province, again, I think this te st will show, you know, whether foundations are con- tributing to public projects or just to private projects. Values include community leadership, accountability, inclusiveness and collaboration.

1470 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 The foundation strives to be a trusted steward of the community assets and a proactive partner in com- munity betterment. The foundation pools and invests donations in a permanent endowment fund. So again, some foundations are set up a little differently, that some can only spend a certain amount of interest. Some are set up as endowment funds where they can be used for certain projects only, where it could be, you know, a project to do with kids or that–so the income earned from the fund is then granted out annually to support charitable projects.

I know in talking about The Winnipeg Foundation, or the Portage foundation, it is very im - portant that we look at different things that the foundations are most important for. I know in Portage la Prairie, one of the things that we did was help during the Manitoba senior games of including a larger track for our facility as well, too. So donors can create their own funds to contribute existing ones and the capital is never spent ; only the investment income is used for grants.

I know we're dealing with some issues in Portage la Prairie right now regarding the granting because– * (10:30) The Speaker: Order, please. As previously announced, we will now be moving on to private members'–no, the second reading of private member's Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act. The honour able member for Portage la Prairie will have six minutes remaining when this is again before the House. Introduction of Guests The Speaker: Just before moving on, there are some guests in the gallery.

We have seated in the public gallery Lieutenant Colonel David Cronk, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Nguyen, Chief Warrant Officer Eric LeClair from the Canadian Forces base at Shilo, and they are guests of the hon ourable Minister of Municipal, Northern Relations and the honour able member for Waverley (MLA Pankratz). We welcome you here today.

SECOND READINGS–PUBLIC BILLS Bill 218–The Climate Action Month Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) The Speaker: Now, as previously announced, we will move on to second reading of Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended). MLA Robert Loiselle (St. Boniface): I move, seconded by the MLA for Radisson, that Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended);

Loi sur le Mois de lutte contre les changements climatiques (modification de la

Loi sur les journées, les semaines et les mois commémoratifs), be now read a second time and be referred to a committee of this House. Motion presented. MLA Loiselle: It's a pleasure to rise today to speak in regards to Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act. But before, I would like to wish everyone a happy Earth Day across all five continents where, you know, humans live across the planet, all 8 billion or so of us. I think it's important that we recognize that this planet that we live on is beautiful, it's blue, it's special.

And before I move on to speaking about Earth Day and before I speak about the climate action month, I'd like to, just for a moment, set the stage. As an Indigenous person, as a Red River Métis, every morning when I get up and I see the sun rise, I reflect on the fact that we are incredibly lucky to live on this little blue planet, which happens to be just at the right spot in our solar system; not too close to the sun, like Venus or Mars, and not too far away from the sun. And we live in what 's called the Goldilocks zone, which allows life on Earth to actually be able to strive.

Planet Earth is over 4.5 billion years old and, you know, we've seen life come and go on Earth. Hon- ourable Speaker, 200 million years ago, 95 per cent of all life on Earth was wiped out, we think by massive volcanic eruptions; 65 million years ago, all life on Earth was nearly wiped out because of an asteroid. And now, where we are in our history, at this present time, life on Earth is once again threatened. And we as humans, and, in fact, every living species on this planet right now, is facing dire times because of climate change.

And, in fact, I was also reflecting on the fact that, you know, on planet Earth, if you look at the lowest

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1471 point of the planet, the Mariana Trench, to the tallest point of the planet, Mount Everest, we 're looking at about 20 kilometres. And where do we live in that 20 kilometres? We live in about two kilometres of what's called the troposphere. And that 's where oxygen is actually, you know, at allowable levels for us to breathe, for us to be able to support life on Earth, for us to be able to live a good family life, community life and have a good economy, have friends, enjoy our time off as we did just last w eekend.

And all of that happens on the third planet in our solar system.

So coming back to what this act gains at doing and, in fact, what Earth Day actually aims at doing, being April 22, the purpose of Earth Day is to teach people simple strategies to conserve energy and participate in environmental conservation and demon- strate how easy it is to conserve energy without causing any inconveniences. [interjection] And I hope I'm not causing any inconvenience to the members opposite who, you know, are heckling me right now and laughing and cheering me on and reflecting on that we're on, like, the third planet in our solar system, which is great.

But, Honourable Speaker, every year in Canada and across the world, we recognize April 22 as Earth Day, as we should, the day for us to reflect on the importance of preserving our environment. This bill, Bill 218, would extend the spirit of this day to the entire month of April, ensuring that we raise awareness on the impact of climate change on our environment and encourage everyone to protect our planet. And I want to talk about climate change for a second, because what 's interesting with climate change is that we are seeing some places on Earth becoming unlivable, too hot.

During the winter, we're seeing our Gulf Stream –or jet stream, actually – collapse, and a few years ago, the jet stream collapsed so much that, you know, arctic air extended all the way down to Texas, and there were fatalities, and their electrical system almost failed because of climate change. Every human on Earth will be severely impacted by climate change as it threatens not only our water, air and land but affects our vital infrastructure and our communities. Speaking of infra structure, 2016, in Alberta, there were fires.

And, in fact, i f you look at, you know, the oil -producing city capital of Alberta, Fort McMurray, people were fleeing for their lives. I reflect, here in Manitoba, in 2022, Manitoba was ablaze. In 2023, Canada saw the worst forest fires in its history. And just last summer, we saw Jasper in Alberta, 50 per cent of Jasper wiped out because of climate change and forest fires. So, Honourable Speaker, it's up to all of us to take collective action to stop climate change, and we must act now. With this bill, and the help of every Manitoban, we can work together to save our planet for gen erations to come.

So Bill 218, The Climate Action Month Act, recogniz es that the time to take action is now. Climate change is an imminent threat to the future of our planet. So let's take action, and the purpose of this bill is as follows:

whereas climate change has contributed to alterations in precipitation and weather patterns, increasing the frequency of severe floods, drought and wildfires; and

whereas climate change has a negative impact on Manitoba, contributing to adverse weather events and detrimental changes to agri culture, biodiversity and human healt h; and

whereas climate change threatens the ability of Indigenous peoples to exercise their rights, customs and traditions; and

whereas climate change affects permafrost and ice by causing thinning and thawing, which impacts the winter road network in Manitoba and undermines safe transportation to remote and northern com munities; and

whereas climate change requi res action from all levels of government and the col laboration of urban, rural, Indigenous and northern com munities; and

whereas many Manitobans have voiced their support for action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to climate change; and

whereas Earth Day recognizes the importance of protecting the environ- ment and is observed annually in Canada and in many other countries on April 22; and

whereas Manitoba is committed to reducing the impact of climate change through the production of clean energy and initiatives to protect biodiversity; and

whereas observing climate action month will promote awareness of the impacts of climate change and the need for collective action to protect the environment for future gen erations, we would like to proclaim the goal of Bill 218 is to claim April as climate action month. * (10:40) Because, Honourable Speaker, climate change is now. Climate change is a threat that is already on our doorsteps. Scientists have been warning leaders across the globe about the impending devastation that can be caused by climate change if we don't act now. Climate change affects more than just the temperature. There will be more severe thunder - storms, increased risks of drought, warming and rising

1472 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 oceans, increased risks of poverty for coastal commu- nities and nations and puts all species at risk. If we don't act now, we'll have to pay for this in the future. And, Honourable Speaker, in closing, I'm a father of two. I have one daughter who is in environmental studies at the Univer sity of Winnipeg because she fears for the future. I have another daughter who is studying biology at University of Winnipeg. We often say that, you know, our youth are our future and the future is now. We know that Manitobans are worried about climate change.

We know that farmers are worried about crop predictability. We know that, you know, Canadians and Manitobans are worried about the air they breathe, and we don't know what the summer fire season is going to look like. So I hope that everyone, including members opposite, can support this bill. Thank you, Honourable Speaker. Introduction of Guests The Speaker: Prior to moving on to the question period for this bill, we have some guests in the gallery that I'd like to introduce. We have seated in the public gallery, from Dufferin Christian School, 15 grade 9 students under the direction of Marsha Bultena.

The group is located in the constituency of the honour able member for Midland (Mrs. Stone). And we welcome you here this morning. Questions The Speaker: Now, a question period of up to 10 minutes will be held. Questions may be addressed to the sponsoring member by any member in the following sequence: first question to be asked by a member from another party; this is to be followed by a rotation between t he parties; each independent member may ask one question. No question or answer may exceed 45 seconds. The floor is now open for questions. Mr.

Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): Well, good morning, Honourable Speaker, and I would certainly like to thank my honourable friend across the way for his passionate speech about Bill 218 this morning. I'd like to ask my friend which organi zations and environmental authorities he consulted with on Bill 218. MLA Robert Loiselle (St. Boniface): Thank you for that question.

We consulted with the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg, Assembly of First Nations, Bike Winnipeg, BIZforClimate, Climate Action Network Canada, Climate Change Connection, ClimateWest; consulted with the City of Winnipeg, the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, Lake Winnipeg Foundation, Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium. And, let 's be clear, all of Manitobans, all Manitobans are worried about climate change. Farmers are worried about crop predictability; northern communities are worried about forest fires; communities in the south are worried about drought. So yes, we did consult. Thank you.

MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz (Radisson): Honourable Speaker, the failed PC government refused to even say the words climate change and –is real. Even today, they heckle me and they 've heckled the member opposite–or the member for St. Boniface. They 've laughed at–of the idea of talking about climate change in this hallowed Chamber. While climate is changing, so must we. That' s why we 've been working hard to make sure that our government is prioritizing the environment and the future of Manitoba with how many different environmental initiatives we are taking.

My question for my colleague is, what 's their favourite environmental initiative our government has undertaken? MLA Loiselle: Well, one of my favourite initiatives is our goal to transitioning 5,000 homes in Manitoba to geothermal heating. In fact, I' ve had geothermal in my house since 2007, Honourable Speaker. We lifted up the home, we put a new foundation in and we put a geothermal system. So the lovely thing about the geothermal system is that it gives me–[interjection] The Speaker: Order.

MLA Loiselle: –nice, consistent, even heat all year long, cools my house during the summer and I pay 60 per cent less than members opposite on my hydro bill. Thank you.

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1473 Mr. Trevor King (Lakeside): I want to wish my colleagues and, of course, all of Manitobans a happy Earth Day today. Honourable Speaker, my question to the member would be, what would the benefits be to Manitobans if a climate action month were proclaimed and recog- nized every April, seeing as how Earth Day already exists during the same month? MLA Loiselle: I thank the member opposite for that excellent question. So yes, we recog nize Earth Day today.

But we also know that climate change faces, you know, our species in a way that it poses an existential threat to every human on earth. So we know that if we were to make the month of April climate action month, we'd –able to reach more Manitobans and I think at the end of the day, what we want to do is educate Manitobans on the fact that our climate is changing, that we have tools availab le to help slow down that change and, you know, with Manitoba Hydro, we're the green province, but we could always do better. Thank you, Honourable Speaker.

MLA Dela Cruz: Our NDP gov ernment's commit- ment to our great province's health includes that of our land, of our skies and our waterways. It's no question that front -line workers such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists and more can see the direct impact that climate change is having on their patients' health. Can my colleague for St. Boniface share more about the connection between climate action, commu- nity health and planetary health? MLA Loiselle: Well, I thank the member for Radisson for that question; that's an excellent question.

Obviously, in Manitoba, we have a great access to not only green spaces but great access to blue spaces as well: lakes, rivers, streams, et cetera. Manitoba has 100,000 lakes and we know that Manitobans love to go to the lake. We love to fish; we love to harvest; we love to spend time on the land. We also love to spend time in our provincial parks. And when we spend time outside with our families, when we spend time on the land, we know that that has a very positive impact on our mental health.

We've now just made access to all prov incial parks in Manitoba for the next year free, so I encourage all Manitobans to get out there and– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. Mr. Nesbitt: How would Bill 218 enable the Kinew government to turn around its woeful record on environmental stewardship? MLA Loiselle: Well, I'd like to thank the member for his colourful question; definitely, he has a colourful question. So, just the other day, we announced a new prov- incial park, the Lemay Forest, which I think is great news.

We're working with the Seal River alliance right now, to preserve 8 per cent of Manitoba for genera - tions to come, the Seal River Watershed. We're moving forward in replacing turbines at Pointe du Bois, thus making them more efficient and creating more green hydroelectric power in Manitoba. And, you know, and we're building Canada; we're helping build Canada. We're going to be sending 50 megawatts of green, electric power up north to Nunavut. And we're going to keep on building 600 megawatts of green wind power, more than the negative– The Speaker: Member's time has expired.

MLA Dela Cruz: Honourable Speaker, yesterday the member for St. Boniface (MLA Loiselle) and I joined community members to witness the sacred fire ceremony at the Lemay Forest grounds, the final resting place of countless women and children. I'd like to take this opportunity to shine a light on the labour and advocacy of land protectors like the member for Seine River (MLA Cross) and the many who kept the Lemay fire burning. How will climate action month work towards justice for those who've been defending this land for time immemorial?

MLA Loiselle: Well, first of all, I want to take a few moments to recog nize the excellent advocacy work that was done on the Lemay Forest for so many months and years. The fire -keepers have been there since December. The MLA from Seine River did an incredible work s upporting the com munity, and our Premier (Mr. Kinew), just a week ago announced that Lemay Forest will become a provincial park. We have a goal, 30 by 30, protecting 30 per cent of the land in Manitoba for future genera tions; that's our goal.

And in fact, you know, working on the Seal River Watershed is going to help us get that much closer to that goal. And we're a listening government.

1474 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 It's by listening to everyone that we are going to combat climate change. Thank you, Honourable Speaker. Mr. King: My question to the member from St. Boniface would be, how would this bill allow the NDP government to prevent further catastrophic sewage leaks from Winnipeg sewer lines? * (10:50) MLA Loiselle: I'd like to thank that member for that interesting infrastructure question. In Budget 2025, we announced that we're going to invest in $3.7 billion of infrastructure work here in Manitoba.

And in doing that work, we're going to ensure that that work is climate resilient, is green. We're going to try to encourage as many builders to engage in geothermal power, heating and cooling. And at the end of the day, not only are we a listening govern ment, but we're a science- based government. So we're going to listen to the experts in trying to build a better Manitoba for futures to come, but also a climate-change-resilient Manitoba. Thank you, Honourable Speaker. MLA Dela Cruz: To switch gears a little bit, because the member for St.

Boniface (MLA Loiselle) does such a great job in this Chamber reminding us that we are a bilingual Legislature, Honorable Président, je demande à notre député de Saint-Boniface de nous en dire davantage sur ce qui l'a inspiré à formuler ce projet de loi? Translation I would like to ask the member for St. Boniface to tell us more about what inspired him to draft this bill. MLA Loiselle: J'aimerais remercier la députée de Radisson ( DAL Dela Cruz) pour cette excellente question.

En tant qu'éducateur de longue date, je sais que, quand les Manitobains et Manitobaines font face à un défi, une des premières étapes c'est de s'éduquer sur quel est le défi et comment agir. Alors, notre gouvernement, qui écoute aux experts, qui écoute aux Manitobains, est en mesure d'agir avec 3,7 milliards d'investissements en infra structure ici au Manitoba pour s'assurer qu'on développe une économie qui est plus verte avec 600 mégawatts de pouvoir à travers des éoliennes qu'on va bâtir à travers le Manitoba.

Et d'ailleurs, je suis très fier de dire que ces nouvelles éoliennes vont être en partenariat avec des com - munautés autochtones – Translation I would like to thank the member for Radisson (MLA Dela Cruz) for this excellent question. As a long- time educator, I know that, when Manitobans face a challenge, one of the first steps they take is to educate themselves about the nature of the challenge and how to respond.

Our government is listening to the experts and to Manitobans, and we are in a position to take action with $3.7 billion in infrastructure investments here in Manitoba, in order to ensure we develop a greener economy with 600 megawatts of power from the wind turbines we are going to build across Manitoba. I am also very proud to say that these new wind turbines will be built in partnership with Indigenous communities– The Speaker: The member's time has expired. Mr.

Nesbitt: How do the members on the other side of the House take this bill seriously, let alone expect Manitobans to do so, in light of the NDP's environmental failures over the years? MLA Loiselle: Well, I'd like to, you know, thank the member opposite for more colourful questions such as the one he's just posed. In fact, Manitoba Hydro, the green electric grid that we rely on here in Manitoba, was built by our government. In fact, the members opposite, their governments, over the years, have built zero megawatts of green electric power here in Manitoba.

So we've built all of it because we've listened to Manitobans, we've listened to what their priorities are. We know that Manitobans want clean, reliable power, and now, we're going to ship 50 megawatts of that green electric power up north to Nunavut. So I'm not sure exactly what the opposite member's talking about, but we're going to keep– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. And the time for questions has expired. Debate The Speaker: The floor is now open for debate. Mr.

Greg Nesbitt (Riding Mountain): Bill 218 to proclaim the month of April every year as climate action month is an interesting one, mostly because, while it sounds noble, there doesn't seem to be any

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1475 point in adopting it, as Manitoba, like the rest of the world, marks and celebrates Earth Day every April. And in fact, Hon ourable Speaker, today is Earth Day, and I'd like to wish everyone in this House and everyone across the province a happy Earth Day. It's also interesting that this bill, The Climate Action Month Act, has been brought forward by a member of the NDP, a party that has a horrible record when it comes to so-called action for the environment.

It's the NDP, after all, that has been in government in this province during two of the most severe spills of raw sewage into the Red River in Winnipeg. In September 2002, from the North End Water Pollution Control Centre, and again just over a year ago, from a broken pipe at the Fort Garry Bridge. It's the NDP also that was in gov ernment in Manitoba when zebra mussels made their invasion to this province many years ago, all while the NDP, under then-premier Greg Selinger, and his environment minister did nothing at all to try to stop it.

Pardon me, then, Honourable Speaker, if I have dif ficulty taking the NDP's so-called climate action bill seriously. Earth Day itself, however, is an occasion and, as I mentioned, long celebrated in Manitoba and world- wide that we should and do take seriously, as we do in this province. We can take pride in our support for Earth Day every April. This year, the Earth Day theme is Our Power, Our Planet, with a focus on moving the planet to renewable energy sources and on tripling the global generation of clean electricity by the year 2030.

This is about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, boosting air quality and advancing sus tainable dev elopment around the world. We, on this side of the House, definitely take environmental stewardship seriously in Manitoba, which is among the world's most beautiful and ecologically diverse places. We are a province with abundant resources and natural beauty, and Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect on the important protection of our province's natural aesthetics and ecosystems that we need to take

part in for Manitobans in the future. We will protect Manitoba with investments in clean energy and with strategic con servation initia - tives, among other measures, so genera tions to come can appreciate the same resources and beauty that we do today. Considering, then, all the positives and benefits surrounding Earth Day every year, it appears the point of the NDP's proposed climate action month has to be much better explained than it has been in this Chamber today. In fact, really, the only kind of NDP action on environment that I'm aware of is failure and irresponsibility.

We certainly don't want more of either of those. This NDP's gov ernment's failure on environ- mental front were clear a little over a year ago when the worst sewage spill in Winnipeg in a genera tion occurred, and 230 million litres of untreated waste water flowed from malfunctioning pipes into the Red River at the Fort Garry Bridge. The quantity of sewage that flowed into the river in that incident in early 2024 would fill more than 90 Olympic -sized swimming pools.

And that was the largest sewage spill in Winnipeg since September 2002, when a malfunction at the North End Water Pollution Control Centre, also while the NDP were in govern ment, sent 427 million litres of untreated sewage into the Red River. So, Honour able Speaker, that is a few of the failures I mentioned moments ago. Now we can look at the other issue I'd mentioned, the NDP's irresponsibility on the environment. When that spill of sewage into the Red River occurred last year, this NDP Premier (Mr.

Kinew) and minister of Environment and Climate Change, who is now the Minister of Education and childhood learn- ing, utterly failed in their responsibility to adequately address it immediately afterward and since it happened. This Premier and his NDP govern ment vacated their responsibility as well, in their lack of proper and effective notification of affected municipalities and Indigenous com munities when that disastrous spill early last year was discovered.

Manitobans must be kept informed as soon as possible of any dangerous spills of untreated waste water and of releases of other pollutants and in cases of imminent releases of pollutants. But the NDP, with all of its irresponsibility, has failed them. A separate NDP gov ernment bill before this House is aimed at this same government's failures on the environment, but it appears to be too little and too late. Honourable Speaker, because of the NDP's record of utter failures on environment and climate-related action, our side of this House finds it difficult to take

1476 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 an NDP climate action bill seriously. And there is questionable purpose in proclaiming a climate action month when Earth Day falls during the same month. Honourable Speaker, I'd now like to give some time to my other colleagues to speak on this issue. Thank you very much. Mr. Trevor King (Lakeside): I thank you for the op- portunity to stand today in the Chamber and talk about protecting our environment. And I thank the member opposite for encouraging Manitobans to protect our environment around us.

I remember celebrating Earth Day years ago as a young man, 30- some, almost 40 years ago, and celebrating the very first Earth Day celebration as a member of my band where we sang a song by Alabama. And the tune–I don't remember the name of the song, but the words in it were: Let's keep that blue up above us and let's keep that green on the ground. And to this day, Honourable Speaker– * (11:00) The Speaker: Order, please. When this matter is again before the House, the honour able member will have nine minutes remaining.

RESOLUTIONS Res. 10–New Schools The Speaker: The hour is now 11 a.m., time for private members' resolutions. The resolution before us this morning is the reso- lution on New Schools, brought forward by the hon- ourable member for Transcona. MLA Shannon Corbett (Transcona): I move, seconded by the MLA for Lagimodière,

WHEREAS Manitobans want the Provincial Government to be a partner in their kids' education; and

WHEREAS the previous, failed Provincial Government made a mess of education system for seven and a half years by slashing funding for schools; and

WHEREAS the current Provincial Government wants to build up the education system so that kids have the best learning environment possible; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government recently announced the construction of 11 new schools in Winnipeg, Brandon, Neepawa and Ste. Anne to help keep class sizes small; and

WHEREAS each new school will also include child- care spaces; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government is investing $67 million more in schools in 2025/26; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government has added over 630 new educators to the system; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government banned cellphones in class so kids can focus on learning in all areas, including the new, mandatory sexual abuse prevention training requirements; and

WHEREAS the Provincial Government is feeding hungry kids in schools with a universal school food program. THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the Legis- lative Assembly of Manitoba be urged to support the provincial government's efforts with the construction of 11 new schools across the province. Motion presented. MLA Corbett: Honourable Speaker, as a former educator, isn't it–it is an absolute privilege to be able to rise in the House today, especially for my first private member's resolution, New Schools. As an educator, it is always a joy to be able to stand behind our students and support them on their journey. I was fortunate enough to work in schools from kindergarten all the way up to grade 12.

It is an in credible experience watching students come into school for the first time when they start kindergarten. They are full of wonder and not sure what to expect. It is exciting to see them learn about what it means to be a student, and they star t to understand how they fit into this world. Then they progress through the grades and start to understand, and learn about what is im portant to them and who they want to be. It is always a proud moment to watch students receive their diploma at graduation and know the journey they have gone through to get to that moment.

It is one of the ultimate experiences, to be able to see children grow into wonderful young adults and to be a part of their learning and development. As educators, our job is to support our youth during their most vulnerable and formative years, and I, along with many other –of the other educators on this side of the House, are always proud to stand here and tell Manitobans just how much we support them.

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1477 And this govern ment has already made such incredible progress in rebuilding our education system after cuts by the former PC failed government. Every day, we are proud to get up here and say that it is only after one and a half years of being in govern ment, we've managed to hire 630 new educators –and with that, I just want to say –after seven and a half years of cuts, mismanagement and ignorance from the members opposite about just how important education is. I'm so proud to be part of a government that truly cares about our children.

And you know what the members opposite did instead of making sure that students had the resources they needed? They cut. They left Manitoban educators in–and students –in a big hole with less resources to support our edu cation system. In fact, they cut core operating funding for educa- tion by $36 million over three years. For 28 of the 37 school divisions in Manitoba, funding was cut from where it was three years before the PCs took office. In 15 school divisions, funding was cut by 15 to 20 per cent. That is unacceptable. They had no vision or thought about what our students needed.

As an educator, I stand here feeling frustrated with the former PC gov ernment and their failures. Every day, I saw just how im portant it was for us to continue to fund every–education and was continually disheartened to see what they were doing to the future generation of our province. Their funding cuts had real -life con sequences that left people without the resources they needed to thrive. Staff members were cut. Class sizes were larger. Resources were cut –stretched thin. It was impacting students, teachers, school staff and caregivers.

But on this side of the House, we are proud to keep on making progress to reverse the damage they've done to our education system. Earlier this year, we announced that we'll be creating a new K-to-8 school in Devonshire Park that will address the 11 per cent student growth in the River East Transcona School Division. And that's the kind of govern ment we are, and I'm so happy to see that one of these schools will serve the students in my constituency. But we are not stopping there. There will be a total of 11 new schools added across the province. It is an exciting time in our province for education.

I was an administrator in a school that had undergone renovations. The joy on the faces of the students, teachers and caregivers when they walked into that new classroom is one I will never forget. The planning and consul tation that we underwent to ensure that everything was done to enhance the learning space was so worth it. Now, to be able to build accessible schools from the ground up is truly exciting. While they were cutting the jobs of educators, we've been building them up, and our govern ment made sure to help every child that comes into our schools.

I'm so proud of our previous minister for Education and Early Child hood Learning, Nello Altomare. He had a vision for the future of our province where no child will sit hungry–will be hungry and sit through a full day of learning. He understood that if we were –are to make sure every child thrives when they're at school, their day needs to start with a full stomach. As the new MLA for Transcona, I will be sure to honour the memory and life's work of my predecessor, the late hon ourable Nello Altomare.

And while the members opposite shamefully tried to make sure that students were–being fed was not a priority, we sto od strong and gave kids, educators and parents the resources they needed. And that includes building the 11 new schools that Manitobans need. Instead of cutting 13 librarian positions in the River East Transcona School Division or pledging to build nine schools that they never budgeted for, like the members opposite did, we are doing things the right way. And that includes reducing distractions in classrooms by limiting the use of cellphones.

When it comes to education in this province, it is also important to remember just how much danger the members put–opposite put kids in. I hope everyone here remembers their absolutely egregious bill, bill 64. This bill would've done extreme harm to edu- cation in Manitoba, and as an educator, I was appalled to see what they were trying to do to their –our students. To name just a few things that they were trying to do, which included impacting teachers' ability to conduct free and fair bargaining, and cutting all the English language school boards across the province and combining them.

This bill had educators in Manitoba outraged. That bill was an afront to the principles of public education in our province and I'm glad to see that it was never passed. I attended a com munity forum on bill 64 to ask questions about how this bill would impact our

1478 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 students and our schools. While attending the commu- nity forum, it was plain to see that when questions were asked about bill 64 and some of the ramifications, they had no answers. Even some of their so -called experts who were facilitating the various groups were unable to answer the basic questions. And while they were neglecting to build the new schools that our children needed to cut and–cut cap sizes on classes, we made sure we kept fighting for Manitobans. We are doing this by building 11 new schools.

While we are looking out for our children, I would like to take a trip down memory lane. The member from Fort Whyte put out an alarming ad that was more than just an attack on education, but an attack on the vulnerable and marginalized youth in our sc hools. This member said he would stand up for parental rights, a dog whistle to say he would allow the targeting and discrimination of transgender and gender-diverse students in schools. I am proud to stand with a govern ment that is taking the voices of parents, youth and community to heart. Instead of shutting down the possi bilities, we must build them up.

We need to open up the lines of communication. We are a listening gov ernment, and we will continue to listen and collaborate. We are adding a new financial literacy course in our grade 9 classrooms. With this addition, we are giving our youth basic financial literacy skills that will only improve their lives. I understand all too well the pressure educators can be under teaching the next gen- eration. I am proud to be a part of a gov ernment that recognizes those unique challenges. The previous PC government did not recognize or care about the challenges of our educators.

Instead, they increased class sizes while the number of available educators plummeted. To continue protecting the kids in our schools, we are bringing in sexual abuse pre vention training. No child should feel unsafe at home or in our schools. They need to be able to trust the adults in their lives. We are making sure that this is the real ity for our students. * (11:10) With each new school, we are adding child- care facilities, ensuring families have inclusive spaces that meet the needs of all children, not just those ready for K to 12.

We are supporting working caregivers, whose time has too often been overlooked, again making families a priority. This govern ment is committed to investing $700 million for the 11 new schools, ensuring that children have the spaces they need to thrive. As an educator, I know how important it is to not only have the tools students need to learn, but also the space s that meet their needs. With more students enrolling at a rapid pace, the demand for additional edu cation spaces will not be ignored by this government.

To build a strong, resilient province, we under - stand the need to ensure our youth are getting the edu- cation they deserve so when the time comes for them to enter the workforce, ready to contribute to our prov- incial landscape, they have had the opportunities they needed to thrive. This govern ment is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to making our educational spaces the best they can be, building the confidence of our youth, encouraging them to lean on their brain power– The Speaker: Honourable member's time has expired.

Questions The Speaker: A question period of up to 10 minutes will be held, and questions may be addressed in the following sequence: first question be asked by a member from another party; any subsequent questions must follow a rotation between the parties; each independent member may ask one question. And no question or answer may exceed 45 seconds. The floor is now open for questions. Ms. Jodie Byram (Agassiz): I would like to con- gratulate the member from Transcona for bringing forward her first private member's resolution here and put a question forward to the member opposite here.

Will the NDP apologize to school divisions and municipalities and families who were left scrambling when these planned schools were pulled off of the budget without warning and then they take that and reintroduce it; can they –will the NDP apologize for those actions? MLA Shannon Corbett (Transcona): Thank you for your kind words at the start. I think what we need to focus on right now is that we are building 11 new schools. We are supporting our com munities.

We have listened to what the province needs, we have listened to what our munici- palities need and we are building schools to make life easier for everyone.

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1479 The Speaker: And just as a reminder to the member, to always direct your comments through the Chair. MLA Billie Cross (Seine River): Our team is full of educators and it shows by our invest ments. Our gov- ernment values all areas of Manitoba and is making investments to meet the needs of growing com mu- nities, including by building new schools. Can the member please tell us, where will these 11 new schools be located? MLA Corbett: I thank–I'd like to thank my–the honourable member from Seine River.

We are building a school in Devonshire Park, Prairie Pointe, Meadowlands, Brandon southwest, Brandon division scolaire franco-manitobaine school, Ste. Anne, Bridgwater, Neepawa, highland, Winnipeg northwest, and there will also be a DSFM school in St. Boniface. Mr. Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): I would also like to con gratulate the member from Transcona on their first private member's reso lution you brought forward here.

And I just wanted to mention one of the quotes that you said in your opening remarks is that you are a listening –sorry, one of the quotes, Honour able Speaker, that was mentioned was that they are a listening government. I'm wondering if they're listening to the screams from all of the people regarding the rising taxes that are being placed on all of the school boards and all of the ratepayers of this fine province? MLA Corbett: I think it's impor tant that we are in consultation.

Our Minister of Education has done a wonderful job of working with our school divisions, of talking with our school divisions, of listening. We have collaborated as a team. We collaborate with our– within our party, with–[interjection] The Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Seine River and the honour able member for Brandon West will come to order. I can't hear what's being said. MLA Corbett: We are working across our de part- ments to ensure that we are looking at the whole system–[interjection]–so that all needs–[interjection] The Speaker: Order.

The honourable members will quit hollering back and forth at each other. The honourable member for Transcona (MLA Corbett). [interjection] Order, please. Order, please. The honour able member for Red River North (Mr. Wharton) and the honourable member for Seine River will come to order. MLA Corbett: As I said, I am–we have been working together as a team. All our ministers work together to ensure that we are looking at– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. MLA Cross: Manitobans can be proud of their gov- ernment, because we're upstanders and we're always going to stick up for you.

When the PCs were in office, they scrapped small -class-size legis lation, cut edu cation funding. Our govern ment's taking a different approach by making robust funding invest - ments and building new schools. Can the member explain, how will these new schools keep these class sizes small? MLA Corbett: I thank the honour able member for Seine River for asking that question. Honestly, it was a scary time under the PC government. We did not know what was coming next. We had no idea where the cuts were going to be.

So adding these new schools, this is going to make life so much easier for teachers, for students, for caregivers. There's lots that happen in a –in class - rooms, and this just adds to the creativity and it adds to the supports and it adds to the one -on-one support students can get from the teachers in the classroom. Ms. Byram: I just want to ask the member, going back to the list that she read out earlier of the schools and the projects that are coming forward, is that a prioritized list? And can she tell me specifically when the ground is going to break for the Neepawa school?

MLA Corbett: As I say, our govern ment is a build, build, build govern ment. We are focusing on the future of the entire province. We will focus on the entire province, not just one area, and our focus is to ensure that everyone is supported across the province. MLA Cross: Manitobans can count on our government to build, build, build, unlike the PCs, who tear everything down every chance they get. The previous PC gov ernment misled Manitobans by claiming they would build nine new schools, without bothering to budget for them. Our govern ment is taking a different approach.

1480 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 Can the member explain, how will these 11 new schools be funded? MLA Corbett: Yes. We went to the Treasury Board and we put it in our budget, because we prioritize Manitobans. We prioritize education; that is an impor- tant thing. That is important to us, ensuring our youth are taken care of. So we are using government dollars, and these schools will be owned by the public. Mr. Balcaen: I have a very simple question here for the member opposite who brought this resolution forward.

The fact that Manitoba taxpayers are paying double-digit increases in the school boards and the areas that are being underfunded by this government: How much more is the two -year delay that this government has put on the building of schools now costing the taxpayers through this tax, tax, tax govern- ment?

MLA Corbett: Well, it's interesting, just–I wasn't a math teacher, but we could not have been delaying things by two years if we've only been in power for a year and a half, so that would be a bit of a question for me. * (11:20) So I think, again, just getting back to– we are working across our de partments to ensure that we're using that wraparound effect to ensure that everyone is taken care of and all aspects of their lives are being taken care of. We are adding more supports and services all across our de partments, from health care to education.

We are building things up in this province; we are not tearing them down. We are focused on the future. We are focused on ensuring that Manitobans have all they need to live their best lives. MLA Cross: Our govern ment respects teachers, students, staff, parents, com munity and, because of that, in just one year in office, our govern ment has rolled out a uni versal nutrition program. We banned cellphones. We invested in small class sizes. We added 6 30 new educators. And we made strong investments in edu cation funding, some thing that didn't happen under this govern ment.

I was a front - line teacher; I can attest to that fact. Can the member tell us how this differs from the PCs' approach to edu cation, which was to cut and divide? MLA Corbett: I thank the honourable member from Seine River. Again, I would agree with the honour able member from Seine River. Education was a scary time for seven and a half years. We walked into our buildings every day not knowing what we were going to face, not knowing what –how the –that was also going to impact our students . It –[interjection] We are–again, we are focused on the best for our kids. We want them well fed.

We want them well taken care of. We want them educated in all aspects of life. That's why we're also bringing in the literacy program, financial literacy in grade 9. The–and we're also ensuring that students –and we are bringing in areas to educate– The Speaker: Member's time has expired. And the time for questions has also expired. Debate The Speaker: The floor is open for debate. Mr.

Wayne Balcaen (Brandon West): It's always a privilege to stand in the House and talk about bills or resolutions or anything that is brought forward and put some honest words on the record, some indicators that Manitobans don't always get to hear with the hype from this government. And really, sad times, this last year and a half for Manitobans and parti cularly in the education world.

You know, when I look at what's happened on year - over-year taxes regarding school taxes and rising costs for families, we've seen double -digit tax increases year over year the last two years that this government has been in power. And that is certainly affecting middle- and–income families and those that struggle to make ends meet, increasing those taxes dis propor- tionately for individuals who ar e just trying to make the ends meet and trying to feed their family. It's no wonder that this NDP govern ment had to start a nutrition program.

It's because families can't afford to eat at home, based on the taxes and the costs that keep going up under this government. And I know that there's the touting of new educators that have been hired, but nothing about the number of people that are abandoning the profession under this NDP gov ernment because they're not getting the supports that they need and the work that is r equired for each of these individuals in their classrooms. So, much like, you know, the health- care profession that's struggling under this minister and

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1481 under this government, educators are finding the same impact and we're hearing it constantly. Mr. Tyler Blashko, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair Seeing double -digit increases, you know, the member from Seine River talked about making sure that the students are well fed , but that's coming through the taxes placed on each and every one of the ratepayers within this province. And I'll remind this government, who loves to tax and spend and tax and spend and then tax some more and spend some more, that that comes out of the ratepayers' pocket.

And there is only one ratepayer; whether it's provincial taxes, whether it's school board taxes, whether it's municipal taxes, they all come down to the one person that has to pay it or the one individual, and that's hurting Manitobans. I know on this side of the House, we support individuals and we support the growth of our economy, which pays for a lot of this, not making individuals pay for it out of their pocket and effectively breaking them and making sure that they are reliant on t he government for all of the help that they can get.

This year, the NDP plan on adding $182 million more in taxes across the board in Manitoba here. That is unbelievable amount of tax increases that is happening here, and really, everyday Manitobans are the ones that have to pay for this. They're the ones that have to struggle. They're the ones that have to take on second or third jobs to try and support their families, try and support their kids outside of school in any of the sports or extracurricular activity that they're being involved in.

It's not cheap raising a family nowadays, and I know up in Thompson and up in the North area, it's particularly expensive because of the cost of northern living and making sure that those kids are taken care of in there, and more and more people are struggling under this government, honourable Deputy Speaker. We're looking at –the NDP failed to fund the schools that were already put into place by the PC government. That is going to cost Manitobans millions of dollars more.

We're looking at additional costs for infra structure, the supply chain, as the NDP government continues to cut different areas and different laws, including the one -to-one ratio that's been imposed. It's going to cost much more to have these professionals come out here and work on these infrastructure builds, whether it be electrica l trades, whether it be carpenters, some of the professionals that are in there in the plumbing trade. They're going to have twice as many people, because they're not going to have to have –or they're not allowed to have their two apprentices with them, and so, double the cost.

This is going to cost all of the ratepayers, including all of us in here, and to me, that's quite atrocious to look at that and know that this govern - ment should have and could have done much better by continuing the PC plan to build those schools. And if they want to take the credit for it, go ahead, make your media–they can make their media splashes, they can go out and do their interviews. But Manitobans that follow this know that this was a PC plan, and once again, another time that this NDP government has taken the credit for the work done by this government.

A year and a half that the NDP have been in power, and I'm wondering when they'll start having some of their own an nouncements coming forward. I'm hoping it's fairly soon, because, you know, 18 months is quite a time to be in power without any new announcements and just continuing to percolate the PC an nouncements up to the top. And we know the cream rises to the top, and so we're happy over here to be the cream that continues to rise and helps you down the road and make your announcements.

You know, we're looking at the costs that school divisions keep coming to us with each year and saying, lookit, our schools are starting to have problems, especially in the last year, year and a half, our critical infra structure is really starting to nee d some improve ments. And again, this hasn't been funded by this government. * (11:30) There is huge needs across the province, and I can speak in Brandon alone where there's probably 10 or 12 schools that are waiting for major infra structure upgrades that they put on last year and again this year.

And they're not hearing great things, and it's just hold off, hold off, you know, a few more years while we're in government; allow us to allow you to raise taxes a little bit further on your ratepayers. We'll keep allowing you to do that so that, you know, we can fund that millions of dollars that we haven't come to the table with, and we'll continue to do that because that's the method of the NDP govern- ment, is to tax, tax and more tax. You know, it's no wonder that in past years our costs have continued to rise exponentially under this government.

1482 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 And let's look at even how this gov ernment is impacting people that want to enjoy their recreation time. People that have worked very hard, and scraped together their nickels and dimes and bought a cottage or a cabin somewhere and now–I'll use Victoria Beach as an example. This year, they're going to see their tax bill go from $641 to $1,621 and that's just absolutely asinine, Deputy Speaker.

It's unbelievable that people that want to enjoy their recreation time, their time with family, their time away to decompress, now they have to shell out another thousand dollars under this NDP government who continues the double-digit increases. So, wrapping up, honour able Deputy Speaker, I know that this gov ernment wants to take the credit where credit isn't due, but you know, I'm just hoping that they come to their senses and cut– The Deputy Speaker: And the member's time has expired. Hon.

Glen Simard (Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations): Honourable Deputy Speaker, I'm really happy to be here today and you know, I'll have to say, my blood was boiling during the end of that speech. We were there. I was there for 30 years in the classroom. And I can tell you the difference from the last seven years to the previous 23. It's night and day, and I know this. I lived it. My colleagues lived it. My community lived it. And to sit here and talk about, oh, it's our great ideas. My question through you to them: Why didn't they build them? Why did nothing happen?

Why were we sitting there as teachers, waiting for them to make a move, not only on wages but on infrastructure? Stand here and say, oh, these were all our great ideas–great ideas. It's like you're sitting at a coffee shop, drawing on the back of a napkin all the things you're going to do, but nothing happened–nothing. So we're here; we're gathering on a moment of transformation. After years of uncertainty, of cuts, neglect, we have turned a page. And now, together, we write a new chapter, one rooted in hope, in equity, in the firm belief that edu cation is a single gr eatest investment we can make in our future.

Manitobans want their gov ernment to be more than a funder of education; they want a true partner, a government that listens, a gov ernment that lifts, a government that leads. For too long, they did not have that. Les Manitobains veulent que leur gouvernement provincial soit un véritable partenaire dans l'éducation de leurs enfants. Mais pas un gouvernement qui coupe. Pas un gouvernement qui ignore, mais un gouvernement qui bâtit. Translation Manitobans want their provincial government to be a true partner in their children's education: not a government that cuts and ignores, but a government that builds.

English For seven and a half years, the PC gov ernment dismantled what so many educators, families and communities had worked so hard to build. They slashed school funding. They abandoned their respon- sibility to students. They turned their backs on me, on teachers. They let class sizes spiral out of control. They took valuable support away from students who needed it most. They left school divisions to make impossible choices: cut programs for our educators or go into deficit. That is their legacy. Mais aujourd'hui, c'est différent. Nous avons changé de cap.

Un nouveau gouvernement est en place; un gouvernement NPD qui croit que l'éducation est un droit, et non pas un privilège. Translation Today, things are different. We have changed course. A new government is in place: an NDP government that believes education is a right, not a privilege. English We are taking action, real action. We have already announced the construction of 11 brand new schools across Manitoba in Winnipeg, Brandon, Ste. Anne, Neepawa and beyond. Each of these schools will reduce class sizes, include child -care spaces and respond to the real needs of growing communities.

We are investing over $700 million into our edu- cation system, not just to build new schools, but to maintain the ones we have, to make sure that every student, from kindergarten to graduation, learns in an environment that is safe, modern and inspiring. Ce n'est pas seulement un investissement dans les briques et du ciment. C'est un investissement dans l'avenir de chaque enfant manitobain.

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1483 Translation This is not just an investment in bricks and mortar. It is an investment in the future of every child in Manitoba. English Just look at what we've done in our first year: We've hired over 630 new educators. We banned cellphones in classrooms so students can focus. We implemented mandatory sexual abuse pre vention training. We increased school funding by $67 million to respond to enrolment growth. We launched a universal school nutrition program so no child leans–learns on an empty stomach. These are not small steps. This is not nothing.

These are transformational. Aucun enfant manitobain ne devrait avoir faim en apprenant. Chaque estomac plein est un esprit prêt à réussir. Translation No Manitoba child should be hungry when learning. A full stomach is a mind ready to succeed. English We even intro duced Nello's Law because we believe so deeply in school nutrition that we made it permanent. No future government can take that away, not on our watch. We also expanded $10-a-day child care to include holidays and weekends, saving families thousands of dollars each year. Where were they on that?

Because we know that when we make life better for parents, we make life better for children. We know edu cation doesn't just happen in classrooms; it happens when families are supported, com munities are strong and every child feels seen. Nous investissons dans chaque élève, dans chaque enseignant, dans chaque salle de classe, parce que nous croyons en leur potentiel. Translation We invest in every student, every teacher and every classroom, because we believe in their potential. English We are bringing back dignity to the teaching profession. We are putting tools back in the hands of students.

We are building schools, hiring educators and empowering communities. And we are doing all of this facing the shadow left by the previous govern- ment. Let me remind you what they actually did: They cut funding by $36 million over three years. They reduced the Province's share of school operating costs. They gutted supports; they gutted them. I taught those kids without the supports. They weren't there and they were before, so how did that happen? They eliminated programs that served thousands.

They proposed bill 64, a law that would have scrapped every English language school board and centralized power in the premier's office. I think it's been called the worst proposed bill ever. Et pendant qu'ils prétendaient moderniser l'éducation, ils ont essayé de supprimer la démocratie scolaire locale. C'était inacceptable. Et nous l'avons arrêté. Translation While claiming to be modernising education, they tried to abolish local school democracy. It was unacceptable, and we stopped that attempt.

English They said they wanted better outcomes, but they never listened to the people who know education best: teachers, parents and students them selves. We listened; we acted. We believe that edu cation is how we build a fairer, stronger society. We believe that the child in a small town should have the same opportun- ities as a child in suburban Winnipeg.

We believe in the freedom to be who you are that every student–whether they're from the LGBTQSIA community, Indigenous communities–deserves a school where they feel safe, respected and valued. * (11:40) Lorsque les PC ont mené une campagne sur les soi-disant « droits parentaux », ils ont mis en change – mis en danger les élèves les plus vulnérables. Nous avons dit non. Nous avons choisi l'espoir plutôt que la haine. Translation When the PCs campaigned on so- called parental rights, they put the most vulnerable students at risk. We said no. We chose hope over hate. English We chose hope instead of hate.

Friends, rebuilding takes time, but we are doing the work. With

1484 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 every school built, every educator hired, every meal served, every student supported, we are providing that public education is worth fighting for. Because we are not just building schools, we are building futures. So today, I ask you: Stand and stay with us. Continue walking with us on this journey. Speak up. Show up. Support your local schools. Celebrate the educators who make a difference every day. Ensemble nous pouvons assurer un avenir où chaque enfant reçoit les outils pour réussir, où l'éducation est forte, inclusive et publique.

Translation Together we can ensure a future where every child is given the tools to succeed, and where education is strong, inclusive and public. English Where education is strong, inclusive and public. Because when we invest in our children, we are secur- ing the future, today. Thank you. Merci. Let's keep building together. The Deputy Speaker: Before I move on to the next speaker, I'll just remind all speakers that comments should come through the Chair. Ms.

Jodie Byram (Agassiz): I'm happy to rise today and put a few words on the record in relation to the private members' resolution put forward today by the member from Transcona. One thing that stands out in the statement I just heard is that we did nothing; the PC govern ment did nothing for education. And that is absolutely wrong. What we did do is we built 14 schools and I was present at one of those openings. So just to straighten out and put some facts on the record, we built 14 new schools. And I also want to put a shout-out to the teachers and the educators that staff our schools across Manitoba.

I have many friends in the classrooms, teaching young people. And I want to say that they do a phenomenal job and it's not always an easy job in today's world. They educate our young ones and bring forward many success stories from the classroom. I want to thank the superintendents and as well as the many school board members who have to make decisions and sit around the table and look at budgets and classroom sizes and have to determine and make some tough calls when the decisions have to be made.

Again, not another easy task, but one that has to be done, and I just want to say a thank- you and a shout-out to those board members who are tasked with those decisions. Education, we know, is a crucial for the develop- ment of our province and it's im portant of education and the role of new schools in shaping our future. It's the foundation which we build our com munities on or around, it fosters new growth, innovation and equality. It empowers young people of all ages to pursue their dreams and equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate in an ever-changing world.

In our province, we're fortunate to see many schools that are not merely buildings, they're beacons of hope and opportunity. They provide safe, nurturing environments where children can learn, explore and develop their potential. New schools bring fresh ideas, innovative teaching methods and a commitment to inclusivity and they're designed to cater to the diverse needs of our students, ensuring that every child has access to quality education. I have heard from many of those that are in the classrooms. Teachers do not have the supports in place for the students that are in their classrooms.

They're tired and exhausted; they need more assist - ance in that. And they're not only tired of–they're tired of the NDP government and their tax hikes and what this is going to cost us, the ratepayers, here across Manitoba. I'm going to redirect for just a moment and reflect on my own journey and take this in a little bit of a different direction on a personal note. My family home where I grew up was actually a school at one time. My parents purchased a one-classroom home–or school, rather, sorry–thank you, which was likely shut down by the NDP some years ago.

But it was –they purchased this school, moved it to the farm where they, obviously, renovated it. But growing up, there was interesting things that were still within the home when it was a school. We kept the desks, so some of these older desks were there; there was chalkboards and novels. So growing up, it was always an inspiration to, you know, pull out the chalkboards that were once in place, read from those novels where students would be learning how to read at a very young age. And it just always created some fun memories.

Even now, going back to my family home, there's still pieces of chalkboards in– hidden away and a desk that still stands.

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1485 Where I was going with this, of course, is in relation to new schools and, you know, preserving some of that history. The essence of education lies not just in the classrooms, but also in the stories and experiences that shape us. By integrating the les sons of the past with the promise for the future, we can create a more vibrant educational landscape. As we talk about new schools, I must talk about the schools within my constituency of Agassiz. There are four school divisions.

Not all schools within the divisions are within the boundaries of Agassiz, but we do take in four different divisions, and all–and each of those having very unique needs. We have Pine Creek School Division. It has 13 schools: five elementary, two high schools, six Hutterian colony schools. Prairie Spirit School Division has six schools: four colony schools, one elementary, one collegiate. Beautiful Plains School Division is one of the largest school divisions and is within–all schools are within the Agassiz boundaries.

It has 14 schools: seventy –seven colony schools, four elementary, one middle-year and two collegiates. And we have Turtle River School Division; it has three schools. And each of those divisions, like I mentioned, has a unique –have unique needs. And some of those, specifically, are the colonies, which, again, they have unique classrooms, as well as teaching. I have attended many of those colonies for I Love to Read Month, as well as many of the schools across Agassiz. I know in some of these schools that I have visited, they have expanded their classrooms to be outside, in the hallways, in the libraries.

They've had to transform some of their lunch rooms to accommodate for these larger classes. And I know in Neepawa, specifically, where they are bursting at the seams, and I know that there is a – Neepawa is in the queue for a new school, and I just hope that this NDP pull through on that and don't cut that. It was our gov ernment that announced that initially in–I believe it was 2023 that announce ment went out, but the NDP had cut that. And the school – cutting many of these schools that they slashed also impacted the availability for child care.

It would b e interesting to learn what those numbers were, the child-care spaces that were eliminated with that. You know, member from Brandon West was talking about the increase in tax hikes, and again, this is a time when families are really struggling here across our province. Whether it's buying groceries, paying rent; we are all struggling. And what this NDP has done is increased the taxes right across our province. * (11:50) You know, the Winnipeg School Division is seeing an increase of 15 per cent; St. James is 11.85; Pembina Trails, 13.63 per cent. Louis Riel is seeing an increase of over 16 per cent.

You know, the delay tactics that the NDP did have not only exasperated the cost of these new builds, but it's al so increasing the taxes that Manitobans are going to have to face. I'm sure that we can all agree on one thing, and that edu cation is a collab orative respon sibility. It requires support of families, com munities, gov ern- ments and together we can advocate for the resources and policies that are needed to enhance our schools, to ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed.

And please, let's –for just another moment here – let's celebrate the importance of edu cation and the schools across our province, be inspired by the legacy of learning that shapes our lives and let us commit to building a brighter future for many more genera tions to come. Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker. Hon. Mintu Sandhu (Minister of Public Service Delivery): It is an honour to rise in the House today to put a few words on the record in support of this important resolution, building new schools. Our govern ment is investing in the future of Manitoba by investing in our children.

As a govern - ment, we know that one of the most important respon- sibilities we have is to ensure every child in Manitoba gets this strong start in life. And that strong starts with education. We are building new schools across the province to ensure every child has the space, food and resources they need to learn, grow and thrive. As part of Budget 2025, our govern ment is making a record- breaking investment of $3.7 billion in capital projects. These invest ments are not just about infra - structure. They are about shaping the future of our province. We are proud to be building 11 new schools across Manitoba.

They are necessary investments that will support our growing popula tion and ensure the next generation has the resources they need to thrive in the life.

1486 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 2025 Honourable Speaker, we know that edu cation is founding–foundation on which strong com munities are built. It is the backbone of our healthy society and growing economy. By investing in education today, we are investing in the future of our children and the success of our province. This is why the reso lution before us today is so important. It speaks to the vision and commitment that our government has toward the long -term well-being of our communities.

Our government is committed to making Manitoba a place where families want to live, work and raise their children. These new schools will help address capacity needs now and into the future, helping kids have a smaller class size and get the attention they deserve. We are listening to Manitobans and delivering on what matters most to them. Hon ourable Speaker, let me share where these new schools are going. In River East Transcona, we are building a Devonshire Park school. In Pembina Trail, Prairie Pointe school and Bridgwater Lakes school are on the way.

Seven Oaks will see addition of Meadowlands school and Highland Pointe school. In Brandon, we are building Brandon southwest school along with the brand new French language school. And also, a new French language school in Winnipeg; a high school in the north- west corner of Winnipeg. In Seine River, we are building Ste. Anne high–regional high school and in Beautiful Plains, we are proud to be adding the Neepawa regional high school. These schools are being built in neigh- bourhoods where young families are growing, where student populations are increasing.

We have heard from the parents, teachers and the community leaders, and we are delivering on what they have told us. Honour able Speaker, as the Minister of Public Service Delivery, I'm happy to be working alongside the Minister of Education and Early Child hood Learning (MLA Schmidt) and delivering on these new 11 schools. I am proud to be part of the gov ernment that's listening to Manitobans, and we know Manitobans will never forget how the previous PC govern ment chose to cut, cut, cut. We have taken a different approach. Where they cut, we build.

As the Minister of Public Service Delivery, I am committed to delivering on our goals to build a stronger Manitoba. Honour able Speaker, we are committed to continuing to invest in our children, our education system and the future of our great province by putting Manitobans first. Thank you, honourable Speaker. Mr. Ron Schuler (Springfield-Ritchot): I'd like to start my comments by referencing the myth machine that we just heard speaking where all kinds of myths are being put on the record, but I guess that is kind of part of this whole debating process on private members' reso lutions and bills.

When you hear members of the NDP get up and put one myth after the other–in fact, it's gotten so extreme that it's just to the point of being just ludicrous. I heard the member from Brandon East, the minister, get himself so caught up in his own verbiage and his own mythmaking that it just got–it just gets extreme. And we know that there were many, many schools that were built after the dire and dark days of the NDP. There were many schools that were built, and I was beneficiary. We had that beautiful high school–[interjection] It seems to raise a lot of excitement.

I'm glad to see that the lazy socialists across the way finally woke up. Good to hear that they finally woke up and now they all seem to have found their voices. [interjection] Now–there they go. There they go; they finally found–I woke them up. I woke them up from their daydreaming and their mythmaking that they love. Finally, they are awake and listening to some truth. There were all these beautiful schools that were finally built under the Conservatives, and those that we didn't get done–first of all, they cancelled them all, and now they're going to build them all.

And that's kind of–I think it was their Premier (Mr. Kinew) who said, it's like a pickerel on the dock. They're flopping around; first they cancelled all the schools we were going to build and now they're going to build some of the schools we were going to build, and thankfully, we had a Progressive Conserva tive govern ment that believed in building new schools, and we're seeing the benefit of that.

However, after all the major funding we did of education–and we increased funding substan tially; you can go back and fact -check it, not the myth- making machine we see across the way from our–my good friends, the lazy socialists across the way. We can see that under them what we are seeing is unbelievably huge tax increases on ordinary, hard-working Manitobans, on families. They are allowing taxes to go up exponentially. In fact, as high– [interjection]

April 22, 2025 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 1487 Oh, the member for Brandon East (Mr. Simard) now seems to have found his voice again. First he did the whole mythmaking machine thing when he got up and spoke, and now he wants another turn. And maybe if he –maybe he wants to get up and ask for leave if he could speak again. We'd deny it, of course; there's only so much myth one can take from one member. And I apologize for the member from Brandon West for having to hear the member from Brandon East called out, but the member for Brandon East just spews myth and so we have to correct the record.

The amount of taxes that are being put on hard-working men and women is exceedingly difficult for families who sit around the kitchen table and have to divvy up the budget. They have to decide where they're going to put their priorities. And with a 25 per cent tax increase–in fact, River East Transcona alone in one year –this isn't the –because remember, the calendar year and the budget year aren't the same– for one household, the average increase will be $250 a home. That will eat into the family budget and is going to hurt families so they have to decide, you know, are they going to– The Deputy Speaker: Order.

When this matter is again before the House, the honourable member will have six minutes remaining. The hour being 12 p.m., this House is recessed and stands recessed until 1:30 p.m.

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Tuesday, April 22, 2025 CONTENTS ORDERS OF THE DAY PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Second Readings–Private Bills Bill 300–The Winnipeg Foundation Amendment Act Loiselle 1465 Questions Bereza 1467 Loiselle 1467 Naylor 1467 Narth 1468 Debate Bereza 1469 Second Readings–Public Bills Bill 218–The Climate Action Month Act (Commemoration of Days, Weeks and Months Act Amended) Loiselle 1470 Questions Nesbitt 1472 Loiselle 1472 Dela Cruz 1472 King 1473 Debate Nesbitt 1474 King 1476 Resolutions Res. 10–New Schools Corbett 1476 Questions Byram 1478 Corbett 1478 Cross 1479 Balcaen 1479 Debate Balcaen 1480 Simard 1482 Byram 1484 Sandhu 1485 Schuler 1486

The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Debates and Proceedings are also available on the Internet at the following address: http://www.manitoba.ca/legislature/hansard/hansard.html

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Citation	43-2-45a
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Language	en
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