Manitoba Hansard — 3 December 2015 (Sitting 13B, 40th Legislature, 5th Session)

40-5-13b

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session - Fortieth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Daryl Reid Speaker Vol. LXVIII No. 13B - 1:30 p.m., Thursday, December 3, 2015 ISSN 0542-5492

MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Fortieth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLAN, Nancy St. Vital NDP ALLUM, James, Hon. Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP ASHTON, Steve, Hon. Thompson NDP BLADY, Sharon, Hon. Kirkfield Park NDP BRAUN, Erna, Hon. Rossmere NDP BRIESE, Stuart Agassiz PC CALDWELL, Drew, Hon. Brandon East NDP CHIEF, Kevin, Hon. Point Douglas NDP CHOMIAK, Dave, Hon. Kildonan NDP CROTHERS, Deanne, Hon. St. James NDP CULLEN, Cliff Spruce Woods PC DEWAR, Greg, Hon.

Selkirk NDP DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FRIESEN, Cameron Morden-Winkler PC GAUDREAU, Dave St. Norbert NDP GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Liberal GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Cliff Emerson PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC HOWARD, Jennifer Fort Rouge NDP IRVIN-ROSS, Kerri, Hon. Fort Richmond NDP JHA, Bidhu Radisson NDP KOSTYSHYN, Ron, Hon. Swan River NDP LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas NDP LEMIEUX, Ron, Hon. Dawson Trail NDP MACKINTOSH, Gord, Hon. St. Johns NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor, Hon.

Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MARTIN, Shannon Morris PC MELNICK, Christine Riel NDP MITCHELSON, Bonnie River East PC NEVAKSHONOFF, Thomas, Hon. Interlake NDP OSWALD, Theresa Seine River NDP PALLISTER, Brian Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine Midland PC PETTERSEN, Clarence Flin Flon NDP PIWNIUK, Doyle Arthur-Virden PC REID, Daryl, Hon. Transcona NDP ROBINSON, Eric, Hon. Kewatinook NDP RONDEAU, Jim Assiniboia NDP ROWAT, Leanne Riding Mountain PC SARAN, Mohinder, Hon. The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron St. Paul PC SELINGER, Greg, Hon. St.

Boniface NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC STEFANSON, Heather Tuxedo PC STRUTHERS, Stan Dauphin NDP SWAN, Andrew Minto NDP WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WIGHT, Melanie, Hon. Burrows NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC Vacant Gimli – Vacant Southdale –

487 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, December 3, 2015 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Mr. Speaker: Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS INTRODUCTION OF BILLS Bill 16–The Children's Advocate Act Hon. Kerri Irvin -Ross (Minister of Family Services): It is my pleasure to introduce Bill 16. Oh– I move, seconded by the Minister of Jobs and the Economy (Mr. Chief), that Bill 16, The Children's Advocate Act;

Loi sur le protecteur des enfants, be introduced for the first–be read for the first time. Motion presented. Ms. Irvin-Ross: Mr. Speaker, in response to recom - mendations made by Commissioner Ted Hughes, this bill introduces independent, stand- alone legislation for the Manitoba Children's Advocate. This bill supports our commitment to strength - ening supports for Manitoba children. Mr.

Speaker, as recommended by Commissioner Hughes, this bill includes provisions that significantly expand the advocacy mandate of the Children's Advocate to include a broad range of publicly funded services provided to children and vulnerable adults aged 18 to 21. It also extends the child death review and investigation mandate of the Children's Advocate by allowing the advocate to review and investigate child deaths and serious injuries of children involved in the youth jus tice, mental health and addiction services for children.

In addition to Child and Family Services, the Children's Advocate may also review and investigate a serious injury or death of a young adult who is a former permanent ward and who is receiving transitional child and family services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Any further introduction of bills? Bill 201–The New Motor Vehicle Buyers' Rights Act Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood): I move, seconded by the member for –from St. Norbert, that Bill 201, The New Motor Vehicle Buyers' Rights Act, be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mr. Maloway: Mr.

Speaker, this Bill 201 enhances the rights of purchasers of new motor vehicles. Under this bill's key provisions, if a vehicle needs to be repaired under the warranty period four or more times or is out of service for 20 days, the purchaser can make a claim under the bill's provisions. If the manufacturer is in breach of the bill's provisions, the purchaser can demand return of the vehicle or demand a replacement vehicle or full refund minus a deduction for kilometres driven. All US states have similar laws protecting new car buyers. This bill would be the first of its kind in Canada. Mr.

Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Further introduction of bills? Bill 17–The Manitoba Teachers' Society Act Hon. James Allum (Minister of Education and Advanced Learning): I move, seconded by the Minister of Labour and Immigration (Ms. Braun), that Bill 17, The Manitoba Teachers' Society Act, be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mr. Allum: Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to rise today to introduce Bill 17, The Manitoba Teachers' Society Act.

Our government knows that teachers dedicate their lives to educate our kids, and we've been proud to work with them to make smaller –classes smaller, protect funding for our schools and make sure every child has the best opportunities. I'm proud to introduce legislation that recognizes the Manitoba Teachers' Society as the official voice for teachers in our province and ensures that their members have control over their society, not government. Our government will always work with

488 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 teachers to make our education system stronger, and I'm proud to have worked on this important legislation with Norm Gould, president of MTS. I'd like to thank Norm for coming to the gallery today, along with members of his executive, local presidents and classroom teachers. I look forward to seeing this bill passed into law and to many, many, many more years of collaboration and partnership with the teachers of Manitoba. Mr.

Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Now, I want to welcome our guests to the gallery here this afternoon, but I want to caution you, please, there's not to be any participation in the activities of the Chamber, and that includes applause. So I'm asking you for your co- operation in that regard. Any further introduction of bills? Seeing none, committee reports? Hon. James Allum (Minister of Education and Advanced Learning): Thank you–oh– Mr. Speaker: No committee reports? TABLING OF REPORTS Mr. Speaker: We'll move on with tabling of reports. Hon.

James Allum (Minister of Education and Advanced Learning): Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to table the financial statements of Red River College, year ended June 30th, 2015. I'm also pleased to table the Assiniboine Community College annual report for 2014-2015. And finally, Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to table the Manitoba Text Book Bureau, Special Operating Agency, Annual Report 2014/2015. Mr. Speaker: Any further tabling of reports? Hon. Erna Braun (Minister of Labour and Immigration): Mr.

Speaker, I'm pleased to table the following report from the Department of Labour and Immigration: Office of the Fire Commissioner 2014 - 2015. Hon. Flor Marcelino (Acting Minister of Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection): Mr. Spea ker, I'm pleased to table Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation Second Quarter Report 2015- 2016, for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection. Mr. Speaker: Any further tabling of reports? Ms. Marcelino: Mr.

Speaker, I' m pleased to table Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Quarterly Financial Report for the six months ended September 30, 2015, for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection. Mr. Speaker: Any further tabling of reports? MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Hon. Kerri Irvin -Ross (Minister responsible for the Status of Women): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the memory of all women who have died as a result of violence in our province, our country and beyond.

This weekend, we will commemorate Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Every year on December 6th, we honour the women who were murdered at École Polytechnique in 1989 just for being women. We also acknowledge Manitoba girls and women killed by acts of violence in our province over the past year. And sadly, as the issue of murdered and missing women is never far from our minds, we recognize and honour these mothers, sisters, aunties, cousins and friends. We know that violence is well known–is a well-known reality for many Manitoban women and comes in many forms.

It can happen in any family, affects women of all ages, cultures, sexual orientation, income levels, religions, professions and abilities. This is a serious social problem that impacts us all: women, men, children, neighbourhoods, workplaces and communities. Tomorrow morning, I will join my sisters and brothers at the annual sunrise memorial held at the Legislative Building, hosted by the Manitoba Women's Advisory Council. It will be an opportunity to reflect on the tragedy of the Montreal massacre and to also remember the Manitoba women whose lives have been tragically ended by the acts of violence.

Sadly, this year we will be commemorating 10 women who died as a result of violence in our province in the past year. I encourage all Manitobans to let December 6th not only be a day of reflection and remembrance but a day for everyone to do their

part in ending violence

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 489 against women. Today and every day, let us all continue to raise awareness. * (13:40) Let's educate ourselves and others: boys, girls, women and men. Let's encourage kindness, support and understanding and teach our children that violence is not okay. I encourage everyone to listen and act. When you witness

an act of sexual violence or harassment, speak up. Be an ally. Stop violence against women in our communities. We know that even the smallest actions by an individual can make a difference. Be more than a bystander. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that, following the statements of my colleagues, we observe a moment of silence to honour the women who lost their lives 26 years ago and to remember and honour the 10 Manitoba women and girls who lost their lives to gender-based violence this past year. Thank you. Mrs. Myrna Driedger (Charleswood): Mr.

Speaker, today we recognize the importance of December 6th, the national day of remembrance and action to end violence against women. Established by Parliament in 1991, this day marks a tragic anniversary of the 1989 shooting at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal where 14 young women were gunned down. They were murdered just because they were women.

Twenty-six years later we continue to see violence against women, against men, against girls and boys, and for this reason, December 6th is not just about the Montreal massacre; it is about all Canadians who continue to be affected by gender-based violence and is a day of action to do something about it. Mr. Speaker, this day also creates a special opportunity to raise awareness of the harm gender inequality and gender -based violence cause women and girls across Manitoba, across Canada, and across the world. Violence against women is an especially pertinent and upsetting one here in Manitoba.

We have one of the worst records when it comes to violent crimes against women. At nearly double the national average, we have the absolute worst rate per capita of sexual assault compared to any other province. There were 1,413 reported sexual assaults in Manitoba in 2014, and Winnipeg was tied for the second highest rate amongst major cities. According to the Winnipeg Police Service's annual statistical report, there were over 686 sexual assaults committed in the city in 2014 and 45 youth crime sexual assaults. The estimated number is even higher when unreported assaults are considered.

The abhorrent reality of violence against women and girls in Manitoba made national headlines last year following the tragic death of CSF ward Tina Fontaine, whose body was pulled from the Red River, and then the aggravated sexual assault and attempted murder on 16- year-old Rinelle Harper, who was left for dead on the riverbank but miraculously survived. The list of violence against women in Manitoba goes on, Mr. Speaker. This past spring there was the shocking event of the 15-year-old Aboriginal girl in CFS care who was found severely beaten and sexually assaulted in a parkade in downtown Winnipeg.

Earlier this fall Selena Ke eper became a victim of violence. Selena was a young mother who was found brutally beaten and later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. Selena was denied a protection order against her killer, who was a former boyfriend. Camille Runke became another v ictim of violence against women when her ex -husband shot and killed her outside her St. Boniface workplace also this fall. The protection order she had against this man unfortunately did not stop this tragedy from happening. Mr.

Speaker, poverty, racism, and social injustice make our Aboriginal population here in Manitoba especially vulnerable to gender -based violence. Indeed, Aboriginal women are much more likely than anyone else to be victims of violent crime. We in the PC caucus acknowledge that viol ence to and exploitation of women and girls, especially those who are Aboriginal in Manitoba and through- out Canada, is a crisis that needs immediate attention and action.

Today, in support of December 6th, the national day of remembrance and action to e nd violence against women, we must look forward and find ways to improve prevention and ensure supports are available in Manitoba. As a province we can and must do better so that everyone in our province is safe and cared for. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

490 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Speaker, I ask leave to speak to the minister's statement. Mr. Speaker: Does the honourable member for River Heights have leave to speak to the ministerial statement? [Agreed] Mr. Gerrard: Mr. Speaker, I join others in this Chamber to speak to the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, a day first established in 1991 following the murders of 14 young women at L'École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989, a school that I visited in th e mid -1990s. These women died because they were women.

In Manitoba we are all too aware of the 10 Manitoba women and girls who lost their lives to gender-based violence this last year and particularly of the number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and the need to end these tragedies which have occurred and to continue to occur in spite of efforts to date. Decreasing, indeed, ending violence against women is a goal which I believe we all share. It is one reason that Rana Bokhari and I have been ac tive in promoting improved education to reduce family violence.

But I also want to take a moment to say thanks to my sister -in-law, Nikki Gerrard, who is a psychologist and who co- edited a book titled Intimate Partner Violence to which Manitoban Jane Ursel contributed a chapter. Nikki has been a mentor to me in this area – many long conversations at our homes and at a cabin. She's helped me to understand the nature and the causes of family violence and helping me to look at positive measures to reduce all family violence and, in particular, violence against women. Thank you, Nikki. As we move forward, it is important that we have a larger vision of a violence- free society.

That vision helps us to imagine a better future and to put in place the actions tha t will lead toward this better future. Thank you. Mr. Speaker: Is there leave of the House to observe a moment of silence? [Agreed] Members will please rise. A moment of silence was observed. Are there further ministerial statements? MEMBERS' STATEMENTS Mr. Speaker: Seeing none, we'll move on to members' statements. International Day of Persons with Disabilities Mr. Dave Gaudreau (St. Norbert): Mr. Speaker, our province has a vibrant community of disability activists who are working to create an accessible Manitoba for everyone.

Today we celebrate the UN's international day of people with disability and pay tribute to those who are helping eliminate the stigma attached to certain disabilities. Our government's vision for Manitoba is to create a f ully inclusive province. One of the ways we're doing that is by connecting all Manitobans of all abilities in –to jobs and training opportunities. Last year, we launched the Transforming Futures program at Red River College to provide hands -on learning in career exploration and essential skills for people with intellectual disabilities. Mr.

Speaker, we are also supporting projects that help people with disabilities live in rural and northern communities find good jobs. We've also launched a campaign to enco urage employers to hire Manitobans based on what they can do, not what they can't. This October, I was able to meet a few Manitobans with disabilities who work at the Southwood Golf and Country Club: Rick Rannu, Dustin How and Nolin Vincent were connected to the club general manager, Jeff Scott, through employment organization SCE LifeWorks.

They showed myself and LifeWorks president, Oly Backstrom, around their workplace and chatted with us about the skills they are learning. Mr. Speaker, today we have Du stin, Oly and Jeff joining us in the gallery. Welcome. Our government supports the good work LifeWorks does and partnered with them to create the Project SEARCH program to provide training and placements for high school students with disabilities. The pro gram is the first of its kind in Canada and aims to give students more opportunities and support to find work once they leave school.

We want to make sure that Manitoba buildings and services are fully accessible for all employees. Our Accessibility for Manitobans Act sets out long- term plans for fully accessible province. It includes regulations that all government departments, large

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 491 organizations, municipalities and universities must have an accessibility plan by next year. * (13:50) This legislation w ill make our province an in- clusive, supportive home for hundreds of Manitobans who live with disabilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Andy Thiessen Mr. Cameron Friesen (Morden-Winkler): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw the attention of the House to Andy Thiessen, who recently celebrated a 20-year anniversary as fire chief of Morden Fire and Rescue. Andy has been involved in firefighting for over 30 years.

The first four years of his career were spent with the Killarney fire department, and the last 27 have been with the Morden Fire and Rescue, the last 20 serving as chief. Firefighting started out as a way to become a part of the community for Andy. His interest in the career started in high school when a part -time job had him working across the street from the Morden fire hall, and when the siren would sound, he would go to the window to see which way the trucks were heading.

Over the years he has seen many changes and improvements to the firefighting profession, from new training techniques, methods t o fight fires and especially in the equipment that is used today. This is a hazardous occupation, and that can make it potentially difficult to recruit new volunteers. Being a volunteer firefighter is a major commitment in both time and effort and comes w ith hazards. But fortunately for Chief Andy and the Morden Fire Department, it's not the case in the city of Morden.

I recently attended the annual volunteer firefighter dinner in the city of Morden where Andy accepted a gift for his long- time service and remarked that he has the special honour now of serving on the firefighting crew with his son, CJ, who recently joined. Andy has been involved in numerous committees, fundraising efforts and the instruction of the Level I firefighting course at the Morde n fire hall. He was instrumental in the process of securing the new fire hall, which the department moved into in 2007.

He served as the president of the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs, he is a member of the City of Morden's health and safety committee and he makes classroom visits to local schools during Fire Prevention Week. He was also present on the day in 2013 here at the Legislature when the licence plate was unveiled, the specialty volunteer firefighter plate, which was a result of the hard work of the member for Lakeside (Mr. Eichler) in the private member's bill that he brought.

It is my privilege to congratulate Chief Andy on this remarkable milestone, thank him for the many years of committed service he has given to the citizens of the C ity of Morden and the surrounding community. Thank you. Indo-Canadian Community Mr. Bidhu Jha (Radisson): Mr. Speaker, it's a great pleasure for me to welcome some very important members from the Indo -Canadian community of Manitoba. They are social bui lders who dedicate their services to an enormous community. Some of them are here with us in the gallery.

Manitoba is home of over 35,000 Indo- Canadians, including some people from the West Indies whose roots are in India. As an ideal symbol of Canada's image in the world, Manitoba is a true multicultural mosaic reflecting Canadian values and emerging new culture. I am proud to be part of these two organizations who reflect my personal ideals and beliefs to build a better world. Dr. Raj Pandey Hindu Centre on St. Anne's Road is a marvellous architectural design and a beautiful showcase of Hinduism, an ancient religion with the scriptures as old as 7,000 years.

The Punjab Cultural Centre on King Edward Street reflects the true values of the colourful r egion of Punjab in India and the home of several gurus of Sikhism and eminent scholars. Building these two centres would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication of countless groups and volunteers. Weekly donations in these centres ran ge anywhere from two to five thousand dollars. People from across Canada pitched in to build the Punjab Cultural Centre. Volunteers raised tens of thousands of dollars in Vancouver, Toronto and across Alberta.

These two magnificent cultural centres help t he growing Indo- Canadian community promote our

492 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 culture, heritage and language. They connect young people of Winnipeg's diverse multicultural com - munity by making them feel welcome and home. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to quote seva, the words of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It says: I slept and dreamt that life was a joy. I woke up and saw that life was service. I acted, and behold, service is the joy. I thank all the members of the community to keep building our community and help build a wonderful society, Manitoba and a great country. I feel very honoured to be part of [inaudible] and the community.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker: The honourable member for Radisson (Mr. Jha). Mr. Jha: I ask for leave to include the list of people in the–in those two communities that I would like to mention they are the donors and executives. Mr. Speaker: Leave has been requested to include the names in Hansard for today. Is that agreed? [Agreed] Thank the honourable member for Radisson. Hindu Society of Manitoba: Dr. Raj Pandey, Dr. Daya Gupta, Mr. Ramanbhai Patel, Dr. R.C. Patel, Dr s. Narendra and Madhuri Jain, Drs. Krishnamurti and Ganga Dakshinamurti, Mr. Ashok and Anu Dilawari, Mr. Pankaj Master, Mr.

Cyril Sankar, Dr. P.S Dhruvarajan, Dr. S.N. Parikh, Dr. Babu Hegdekar, Mr. Prabodh Patel, Mr. Raman Patel, Mr. Vir Bharati, Mr. Hasmukh Pandya, Dr. Shib Biswas (Late), Dr. Aruna Mathur, Mr. Rajinder Goyal, Mr. Prem Bhalla, Dr. Jagdish Khattar, Dr. R. Venkataraman, Mr. Vic Goomansingh (Lat e), Mr. Dilip Waghrey, Dr. Suresh Bhatt, Dr. Kedar Tandon (Late), Mr. Nityanand Sharma, Mr. Virendra Bhayana, Dr. Dadvir Jayas, Mr. Pawan Bansal, Mr. Swatanter Parbhakar, Mr. Om. Kaushal (Late), Mr. Baldave. K. Sharma, Mr. Satish Bharaj, Mr. Ashok Prashar, Mr. Bhadresh Bhatt, Mr. Bharat Narotam, Mrs. Sumita Biswas, Mr.

Ravi Chibba, Mr. Anil Jindal, Dr. A.T. Balachandra, Capt. Narendra Mathur, Ms. Tara Sampat, Mr. Hari Maniram, Mr. Pawas Verma, Dr. Krishan Sadana, Mr. Piara Lal Sharma (Late), Mr. Surinder Goyal, Mr. Ashok Chopra, Ms. Geeta Kaushal, Mr. Sudhir Kumar, Mr. Sushil Sharma Punjab Cultural Centre: Mr. Amarjeet S. Warraich, Mr. Sukhdarshan Kaila, Mrs. Tej Bains, Dr. G .B. Singh, Dr. Davinder Reshia, Mr. Gurmukh S. Sroay, Mr. Harkamal Saggi, Mr. Baljit Sidhu, Mr. Gurpinder Toor, Mr. Paramjit S. Gill, Mr. Surjit S. Cheema, Mr. Nishan S. Warraich, Mr. Rajinder Rihal, Mr . Inderjeet S. Clair (Late), Mr.

Gurmeet Gill (Late), Mr. Partap S. Phangureh (Late), Mr. Harbhajan S. Gossal, Mr. Paul S. Clair, Mrs. Taran Malik, M rs. Ranjit Dhalla, Dr. Niranjan S. Dhalla, Dr. and Mrs. Sarabjeet S. Marva (Ontario), Dr. Guizar S. Cheema (British Columbia), Mr. Rajinder S. Grewal Tax Increases Mrs. Bonnie Mitchelson (River East): Mr. Speaker, on December the 12th, 2011, just before the last provincial election, the Premier (Mr. Selinger) said, and I quote: Our plan is a 5- year plan to ensure we have future prosperity without any tax increases and we'll deliver on that. End of quote.

Again, on September the 23rd, 2011, le ss than two weeks later, the Premier said, and I quote: Ridiculous idea that we're not going to–that we're going to raise the sales tax. That's total nonsense; everybody knows that. End of quote. Well, Mr.

Speaker, if we fast -forward to just seven months after the election, when they introduced their first budget, this NDP government imposed the largest tax increase on Manitobans in modern history, including the tax on gasoline, vehicle registration and broadening the PST to include spa treatments, pedicures, manicures, facials, haircuts and insurance including property and group life insurance. If that wasn't bad enough, Mr.

Speaker, in their second budget, on April the 16th, 2013, the NDP topped the 2012 tax increase with the introduction of a 14 per cen t increase in the PST, raising it from 7 per cent to 8 per cent. Manitobans were outraged and presenter after presenter at committee spoke against the betrayal of this Premier and his NDP colleagues. Their voices were ignored. By October 27th of 2014, several members of the NDP Cabinet woke up. They asked the Premier to resign. These members were the minister of Finance, the minister of Jobs and the Economy, minister of Justice, minister of Health, minister of Municipal Government.

They cited the PST hi ke, saying the Premier, and I quote, broke their trust.

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 493 Mr. Speaker, one month later these five Cabinet ministers called on the Premier (Mr. Selinger) to tender his resignation. Many of his colleagues agree with Manitobans when they say they feel betrayed by this Premier. Manitobans can no longer afford to pay more while continuing to get less. This clearly demonstrates the NDP government has –is broken and has lost the trust of Manitobans. Thank you. TEDxKildonan Conference Hon. Erna Braun (Minister of Labour and Immigration): We can learn a lot from Manitoba's young people.

They have the energy, ideas and determination to drive our province forward. Grade 10 student Cole Lazarek is bringing young people's ideas to the table. He has teamed up with his brother Luke as well as friends James Pither and Jorge Cabral to host the TEDxKildonan conference this Saturday. TEDx is an independently organized, non- profit offshoot of the global conference series TED Talks. Inspired by the theme Imagine, Cole and hi s teams have asked speakers to present what they imagine for Manitoba's future.

Talks include a lesson on how to find fulfillment in one's career by Joseph Darcel, a spoken-word poem from the perspective of a bully by Jayda Hope, a talk from Todd Scott on how to harness creativity and much more. Another speaker, Kris Moroski, lives in my constituency of Rossmere and is a high school teacher at River East Collegiate. He has regularly presented to the Manitoba Teachers' Society on how traditional school stru ctures have failed to evolve as technology advances. Kris brings his talk to TEDx with a focus on how we can reshape schools to meet the demands of the new world. Mr.

Speaker, I'm pleased to welcome Cole, James and Kris to the Chamber today. TEDx has been a labour of love for everyone involved. The majority of Cole's leadership team is under 23, and he strongly believes that leadership is not defined by age, rather by passion, hard work and the ability to motivate others. The earlier that young people are provided with opportunities to contribute, the greater the benefits to both themselves and society. Events like TEDxKildonan are a reminder to people in leadership roles to value the perspective of our youth and give them every chance to imprint this perspective on the world.

I'm so proud of young people like Cole and James who are inspiring Manitoba youth to think about our province's potential. Along with all members of the Legislature, I wish Cole and his team the best of luck at their event. * (14:00) Mr. Speaker: That concludes members' statements. Introduction of Guests Mr. Speaker: And just prior to oral questions, I have guests I'd like to introduce. We have, seated in the public gallery today, from Henry G. Izatt Middle School, we have 50 grade 9 students under the direction of Jon Green and Jordan Nelson.

This group is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Fort Whyte (Mr. Pallister). On behalf of all honourable members, we welcome you here this afternoon. ORAL QUESTIONS Provincial Election 2016 Election Date Mr. Brian Pallister (Leader of the Official Opposition): The best of the season to you, Mr. Speaker. And we know that Santa keeps his promises to good boys and girls and the Grinch breaks his promises. And when the Grinch breaks his promises what he's doing is actually hurting hope. Now, the Selinger government is acting a bit Grinch-like and has been for some time, Mr. Speaker.

They promised Manitoba seniors better quality health care, and they got instead longer waits and painful taxi trips. And they promised Manitoba families better protection for vulnerable children, and instead they gave them mot el care and exploding caseloads. They promised young people better education, and we rank 10th out of 10 across the country. They promised better financial security to all working Manitobans, and they doubled their debt and got them a credit downgrade.

And they promised more respect to the people of this province and gave them blacked -out documents, favours to political friends, higher taxes, and stole away their right to vote. This is pretty Grinch-like.

494 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 Now, the promises that Manitobans expect will be kept are the promises the government makes, but they've had their hope broken. So I want to ask the Premier this: Will he promise that the next provincial election will be held on April 19th, 2016? Hon. Greg Selinger (Premier): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member opposite because what I can promise him, the next election won't involve the vote rigging that he did when he was in in 1995, that's for sure. We've changed the laws in Manitoba.

We've changed the laws in Manitoba so that's not possible. And another thing that we've done, Mr. Speaker, and have delivered on is we've banned corporate and union donations in the province of Manitoba so that the wealthy friends of the Leader of the Opposition can't run this province. And you know what, Mr. Speaker? This was a historic week in Manitoba. We saw the placing in this Legislature a document for custom care of indigenous people in their communities, something they've been waiting for a long time. It builds on the partnership we have with indigenous peoples.

And I can tell you there are other historic things happening in this province, which I will be happy to enumerate in the next question, Mr. Speaker. NDP Leadership Convention Leadership Results Mr. Brian Pallister (Leader of the Official Opposition): Broken so many promises he doesn't want to make any more, Mr. Speaker. Now, Santa makes a list and checks it twice and tries to find out who's naughty and nice. And the Premier has such a long naughty list this year, Mr. Speaker. I seriously doubt there'll be presents for those rebels that rebelled against his leadership, not even parting gifts.

The MLA for Flin Flon, that's not a titanic decision, Mr. Speaker. Crossing out half his caucus from his gift list is something he's got to do. He no longer has any friends in the federal NDP party; that relationship is over. Anna Rothney already got her secret payout, so she's not going to get a gift, that's for sure. Government lawyers have been repeatedly paid; they've already got th eir gift: the PST lawsuit, the Jockey Club lawsuit, the flood protesters lawsuit, the stadium lawsuit. Litigation is a gift that just keeps on giving, Mr. Speaker.

But the biggest gift of the year was given to the Premier, and that was given on March the 8th, when the MLA for St. Boniface hung onto his leadership by a thread. So let me ask him this: What is he planning on giving Alex Forrest for Christmas? Hon. Greg Selinger (Premier): Mr. Speaker, what can I say about the Leader of the Opposition? This is a gentleman that said he was coming here to aim higher, and it's been a big disappointment, his performance so far. And I know he's trying his very best right now to be clever, Mr.

Speaker, but you know, when it comes to promises, one thing we w on't do is we won't cut teachers like he'd do when he was in office. Seven hundred teachers lost their jobs. We've increased the number of teachers in Manitoba by over 325 with our smaller class size initiative. And we've delivered on it. And what have the members opposite done? They voted against that initiative in every single budget that we've brought forward. We've got over 3,800 more nurses working in Manitoba now, Mr. Speaker. What was their promise to the nursing people of Manitoba? One thousand of them were fired when they were in office.

That is a lump of coal for Christmas. We won't do that. We'll keep building Manitoba, Mr. Speaker, a province with the lowest unem - ployment rate, the highest job creation rate and a real desire to foster reconciliation and do things that make for a greener, cleaner planet. Legislative Assembly Employees Best Wishes during Winter Break Mr. Brian Pallister (Leader of the Official Opposition): Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm sorry the Premier is disappointed in me, but M anitobans are disappointed in him. Mr.

Speaker, I genuinely want to wish you and your family the best in the holiday season, and I do to the Premier, as well, and his colleagues. And I know that this year has been a difficult and challenging year for them , but I also know and they know that our party, as well, is no stranger to these kinds of things, and so I say sincerely to them, we sympathize with them. We sympathize with the challenges they faced in their relationships. We hope that they all can heal over the winter. I hope that they

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 495 can have a wonderful time with their families and friends. I wish the best to our staff here for their Christmas. I wish–I appreciate and we all appreciate the work they do, and I thank the people at Hansard. I thank all our staffs in our offices. I also want to pass on –I also want to wish the best to the people who clean our halls, Mr. Speaker, and remove the snow for us so we can park our cars. I think all of us join together in wishing the very best to all Manitobans f or a healthy and happy and wonderful holiday season. God bless us, Mr.

Speaker, and God bless them too. Hon. Greg Selinger (Premier): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the good wishes that the Leader of the Opposition offers to all members of the Legislatur e that work here. We do enjoy the benefit of their support every single day, and to all the families of all the members of the Legislature, including those that have decided to retire, we do want to wish them the best of the season. And as we go forward, Mr. Speaker, I do want to see us follow through on that inquiry for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

And I would, in the spirit of the season, I would offer the opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to finally get up and support that inquiry, not only for Manitoba but all across the country. I would like him to get up and finally support legislation for safe workers in Manitoba so that when workers go to work, they know they're safe and they can come home to their families for Christmas. Those are two simple initiatives that the Leader of the Opposition in the spirit of Christmas could support for the first time in his life.

It would be greatly appreciated, and I would applaud him if he had the courage to get up and do that today. Small-Business Tax Threshold Government Promise to Increase Mrs. Heather Stefanson (Tuxedo): Mr. Speaker, I'm going to read a quote from a member of the Selinger government: This is my contract to Manitobans; these are my commitments we believe in and commitments Manitobans believe we will keep. I'm wondering if any member opposite could just indicate for the House if they remember who said that. Hon. Dave Chomiak (Minister of Mineral Resources): Mr.

Speaker, I'm very happy to stand up on behalf of our party and the members of our party and everyone in the Legislature who tries to do what they can that are best for all Manitobans. We have never said that we are perfect, Mr. Speaker, but we've always been prepared to admit our mistakes. We've always been prepared to provide the information. We've been prepared to stand up and apologize. In my time in the Legislature I have never heard the Leader of the Opposition once apologize. I know he thinks he's perfect, Mr. Speaker, but I've never heard him apologize. I want to say, Mr. Speaker, we have made errors.

We've tried to correct them and be the best govern - ment possible, and while we're not perfect, we go to work every day knowing we're trying to build a better Manitoba, not a Manitoba for the wealt hy and the rich like members opposite. Mrs. Stefanson: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to see the apology to each and every Manitoban who received a PST increase as a result of their broken promise from the last election. Mr.

Speaker, it was, in fact, the Premier himself who said that in September 2011, just after he promised on the eve of the last election to raise the small-business tax threshold to $500,000. * (14:10) But I'll give credit to this government in a rare moment in my time here in the Manitoba Legislature. The Selinger government sent out a press release earlier this week admitting to breaking that promise, Mr. Speaker. Finally, the truth from this government. If this is the way this Premier keeps his promises to Manitobans, by breaking them, Mr.

Speaker, how can he honestly expect Manitobans to believe anything that he says? Mr. Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, when there was a flood and when the people were in distress and when needed help, this government was there. Mr. Speaker, when the minimum wage ne eded to be raised so that workers could have a decent wage, we passed the legislation. When there were not enough doctors and nurses in this province, we put in programs to get doctors and nurses so we have more doctors and more nurses. We won't apologize for that.

496 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 We won't apologize, Mr. Speaker, for putting in legislation to prevent bullying in schools, even though members opposite tried to block that legis - lation. We won't apologize for trying to work with First Nations people in this province to try to provide reconciliation, be it in Child and Family Services, be it in economic development, because they enjoy as much a part of this province as anyone else on that side or anyone else, no matter how rich they are. Health-Care System Government Record Mrs. Myrna Driedger (Charleswood): Mr.

Speaker, NDP health failures continue to grow and put Manitobans at risk. There is the longest ER waits in Canada two years in a row, highway medicine caused by 20 closed rural ERs, taxicab medicine where seni ors continue to be kicked out of ERs and dumped off in front of their homes, an ER crisis because of a critical shortage of PCH beds, and a 52-hour ER wait for a child who needed a bed but couldn't get one. Rather than focusing on fixing her failures, this Minister of Health would rather fear monger to try to deflect from her horrible record.

I would like to ask her if she would now admit that her broken promises are failing Manitobans. Hon. Sharon Blady (Minister of Health): I thank the member for the question, and I know in my time in the Legislature the only fear mongering I've heard regarding health care has come from that side of the Chamber. I know on this side of the Chamber we have been making ongoing investments. We have more doctors than ever before. We have more nurses. We've worked well with nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants, midwives, all professions that did not practise under members opposite.

We have made record investments i n hospitals, including in west Winnipeg where a new emergency ward will be coming to the Grace Hospital. So, again, we continue to invest. It's members opposite that continue to fear monger. Mrs. Driedger: Mr. Speaker, there are many more NDP health fai lures. Either they've mismanaged issues, dropped the ball or this Minister of Health is in way over her head and can't figure out how to fix anything. Mr. Speaker, Manitoba has the worst doctor retention rate in Canada. Manitoba is the worst performing province on infant mortality.

Hundreds of frail seniors are stuck in unsafe situations in their homes because of an inefficient and mismanaged home-care system. Yet this Minister of Health spends all her time fear mongering or trying to smear the former government. I would like to ask her if she would now admit that all she has to offer is broken promises, broken trust, from a broken government. Ms. Blady: Mr.

Speaker, I want to thank the member for the question, and I would like to remind the member f rom Charleswood about the time she defended the bed closures when the Conservatives were last in government, saying there was no problem with the bed closures, that everyone was de-bedding, and we won't follow that trend line. Our NDP government believes in investing in more beds, more personal -care homes, not cutting and freezing investments that Manitobans depend on most, not in privatizing health care and not in– what was the word that Dr. Fine described their judgment?–stupid and dishonest behaviour.

We won't do what they did. We will keep working with Manitobans. Child Poverty Rates ALL Aboard Strategy Mr. Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie): Mr. Speaker, with the holiday season approaching, it is my hope that those of us with more than we need wil l take the time to help the 29 per cent of Manitoba children that are living below the poverty line. It is my hope that Manitobans can all work together to put an end to the highest child poverty rate in this country. There is nothing wrong with Manitoba that cannot be made right by the good work of Manitobans.

Won't this government end their failed ALL Aboard strategy that has, in fact, driven the child poverty rate up? Hon. Kerri Irvin -Ross (Minister of Family Services): Mr. Speaker, this government has been committed to poverty reduction since 1999. We work very closely with the non -profit organizations across this province to ensure that we are providing the services that are required.

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 497 And one of those important things is housing, and that's why we continue to build social and affordable housing. And we have gone one step further. This week we were very proud to be joined by hundreds of Manitobans and celebrate the full implementation of Rent Assist, 75 per cent of market median rent. And we're not –and we're going beyond that: investing in child care, making sure that we're increasing minimum wage every year. We're making those investments.

We will continue to work with all of our community partners and make those investments to ensure that we're moving forward to reduce child poverty across this province. Children in Care CFS Policy Mr. Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie): Mr. Speaker, that 75 per cent of market median sounds very familiar. Oh, yes, we supported it two years before you got to it. Mr. Speaker, to many of the 11,000 children in care in this province, the holiday season can be a stark reminde r of missing family. To many, the festive season can –to many families, the festive season can also be a reminder of missing children.

I am sure everyone in this House will join me in hoping that the new year will find less children in care of CFS and more happy family –joyous families reunited. Can't this government make this happen? Can't they change their failed CFS policies? Hon. Kerri Irvin -Ross (Minister of Family Services): We will continue to work with all of our community partners, and we will not be like the members opposite and take credit for the hard work that Make Poverty History did every day to bring Manitobans together to support 75 per cent market median rent. We are not drive -by poverty activists.

We are committed to this fight every day–every day– as private citizens as well as elected officials right now. We are continuing to work with all of our community partners to address the issue of child–of children in care. Yesterday we were gathered at Thunderbird House. Eighty people came out, 15 chiefs, three grand chiefs, to support the imple - mentation of a new bill that is going to remove the barriers, that is going to provide more community involvement in the placement of children when they are in need.

This is going to be about developing prevention services in the community, also having that wraparound support for families. It is going to acknowledge– Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable minister's time on this question has elapsed. Seniors on Fixed Incomes Affordable Rental Housing Mrs. Bonnie Mitchelson (River East): The Minister of Housing and his NDP government promised seniors on fixed incomes that they would keep their rents affordable. Many of those seniors have seen their rents increase by double digits every year for the last three years in a row.

These senior s know that they can't trust this NDP government to keep their word. Why would anyone believe anything that this NDP government has to say? Is this just more broken trust by a broken government? Hon. Mohinder Saran (Minister of Housing and Community Development): Mr. Speaker, I thank the member asking the question; that gives me the chance to explain that we have implemented a Seniors' School Tax Rebate. And we are not working just one

section of the seniors; we are working all the seniors who worked their whole life hard, did hard work and built this Manitoba. So we are–last year we have a $235 school tax rebate, this year it's $475–$470, and next year it's going to eliminate it. And what will happen if those people other side come to power? They will eliminate all those achievements we have done. They won't have any affordable housing for the seniors. They will privatize everything. They will sell it to the–they will sell out those people. So we are– Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable minister's time on this question has elapsed.

Hydro Committee Questions Timeliness of Replies Mr. Ralph Eichler (Lakeside): At Hydro committee this September, we asked for all Manitobans several questions about issues in regard to Hydro's position and a f ollow-up letter with those same questions, which we have not received response yet to date. I'd like to give the minister an

498 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 opportunity to explain why those responses have not come forward from this broken Selinger government. * (14:20) Mr. Speaker, Man itobans have lost trust in this government, assured that the real owners of Manitobans will receive a response to those questions. I would like to ask the minister: Will he ensure the response will be back to all Manitobans within seven days? Hon. Eric Robinson (Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro): Mr.

Speaker, I do recall the questions being raised by members of the opposition when we had Manitoba Hydro at the Crown Corporations Committee, and I'm quite confident that Manitoba Hydro is assembling the many, many questions raised by the members opposite. And I am quite confident, as well, that the answers will be forthcoming shortly. Mental Health Services Coverage under Medicare Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Speaker, one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem in any given year. The most common of these is depression and anxiety.

The fastest growing cause of disability costs is depression. Evidence-based psychological services delivered by qualified providers have been shown to lead to less relapse of depression when compared to treatment with medication alone. Will this NDP government consider including psychological services under medicare, as physicians are covered, as a Liberal government will do to improve treatment for depression in Manitoba? Hon. Greg Selinger (Premier): I thank the member from River Heights for the question.

He needs to know that the support for mental health services and regional health authorities has tripled from 50 to 150 million dollars. I hope he will recall that Manitoba is the first jurisdiction to bring in post -traumatic stress disorder services as a coverable support under the workers' compensation program, and it's a service that's available to all the working people of Manitoba, whether they're front -line service providers, whether they're teachers, whether they work in a convenience store.

Whatever their particular occupation, they will have access to that service if it's connected to their on-the-job stress, Mr. Speaker. So–and, as well, the member will know that we have very active crisis response unit at the Health Sciences Centre for anybody that is in mental health distress. That unit is a full- service operation with psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and, of course, health professionals that are there to fully look after people when they come in. It's a specialized unit. It's unique in Canada. I'm proud that Manitoba was the first province to bring that in.

And I'll give him further information in the subsequent questions, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Gerrard: Mr. Speaker, as the Premier should know, publicly funded services in this area are often in short supply and with very long wait -lists, and coverage is often too low for clinically meaningful amounts of psychological therapy. Manitobans either pay out of pocket or rely on the private health insurance plans provided by their employers. Including mental health services under medicare, like physician services, is the right thing to do, and a Liberal government will do it. Why won't the NDP government do the right thing? Mr.

Selinger: Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the question. Mental health services are an important dimension of looking after Manitobans' well -being, allow them to support their families, participate in labour markets and be full members of our community. And that is why we are doing things in the schools, for example, the roots to empathy program is a very significant program for young people to learn how to relate to infants and learn how to connect emotio nally with people, lessons that stay with them their whole life.

The PAX program that we're doing in the public schools is teaching young people the skills of being able to understand their own emotions, how to relate to others without entering into violen t conflict. We have programs in the schools including the respect program that was pioneered by Manitoba athletes. And we're working, and we're working with our teachers. We're working with our schools. The Child Guidance Clinic provides psychological support to the schools. Many school divisions have their own psychologist that they've engaged to do that.

We want to be on the front lines and help people develop that kind of resilience that will help them deal with the great challenges of life and people growing up.

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 499 And one of the things I was really impressed with this fall, Mr. Speaker, was being with a group of young people from all around Winnipeg that were doing suicide prevention programs, peer group pro- grams to help each other deal with some of the challenges of being young people in a very dynamic and stressful society today. Mr. Gerrard: Mr. Speaker, even with the services the Premier talks about, there are still far too many people who have a mental health problem each year. Mr.

Speaker, resear ch has demonstrated that psychological treatments are effective in helping depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse and autism. Psychological services are just as effective and less costly than medication for many mental health conditions. These therapies can help lower suicide rates among individuals with bipolar disorders and prevent relapses in those with schizo- phrenia. Why does the NDP hesitate to include psychological services under medicare, as a Liberal government would do? Mr. Selinger: Mr.

Speaker, as I've indicated, we've tripled the support for mental health programs in our regional health authorities. We've brought many more additional drugs onto the Pharmacare program, which is the only program in Canada that's rent geared –that's geared to income and allows people to have affordable access to drugs that will help with mental health issues. Mr. Speaker, we've put in place many housing programs.

I can–I was just driving in the Wolseley area the other day and I saw emerging there a brand new housing project for people with mental health issues who will live with other people in the community and have stable housing. These are important initiatives on our part. We support the self -help groups in the community that provide menta l health services and support, and we support young people in school when they provide leadership to provide peer support to each other. We also have the PACT program in the community, Mr. Speaker.

We believe in community- based programs–[interjection] Clearly, the members opposite who want to cut education budgets don't want to hear the answer, but what we're interested in is the kinds of community- based programs at the front end that prevent and help young people be more resilient. And we're interested in programs in the workplace that help people be more resilient. And if the members opposite really want to support this, they would have voted for the anti - bullying legislation, which is one of the best ways to help people have a sense of belonging and be treated with respect in their schools.

And it's shameful that the members opposite– Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable First Minister's time on this question has elapsed. Changes to Parental Leave Seniority and Salary Credits Mr. Clarence Pettersen (Flin Flon): Mr. Speaker, we know that teachers work hard every day to make our children get a good education and are given the skills they need to be successful. We also know that teachers are professionals and many of them are juggling their c areers with family pressures and active life as community leaders.

The Opposition Leader and the Conservatives think that teachers shouldn't receive fair pay. And their only plans for education are to fail kids, write off grade 9 boys as unteachable and cuts funding to our schools. Will the Minister of Education please inform the House about an important change we are making to help teachers? Thank you. Hon. James Allum (Minister of Education and Advanced Learning): Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Flin Flon for that great question.

Of course, we're delighted that representatives from the Manitoba Teachers' Society are joining us today, in particular one very special member of that society who will be expecting her first child very, very soon. But right now, Mr. Speaker, when she goes back to her classroom, her salary and her pension will be impacted because they aren't credited for their time at home. This means that teachers in Manitoba are being penalized for having a family and for having a children. Today, we're going to right that wrong.

That's why today we're announcing that we'd be changing the rules and making sure that teachers get full credit for their time at home with their children when on maternity leave and parental leave. Our NDP government supports teachers, Mr. Speaker. I'm a teacher. We have many members

500 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 who are teachers in our caucus. We're always going to stand with teachers and we're always going to reject the cuts from the other side– Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable minister's time on this question has elapsed. Independent Officer Reports Release of Reports Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): And I'm proud to be in the caucus that has the only leader who himself was a teacher , Mr. Speaker, the member for Fort Whyte (Mr. Pallister). Mr. Speaker, we know that this government loves to lock down information.

We know that this government likes to redact information and try to hide information. But we certainly hope that wouldn't be the case when it comes to our independent officers. The Auditor General has a number of reports that are yet to be reported to this Legislature, including reports on Keeyask, including reports on the East Side Road Authority. I want to ask for the support of the government that they will support those independent officer's reports being released prior to the spring election, if they're completed, Mr. Speaker. Hon. Dave Chomiak (Minister of Mineral Resources): Mr.

Speaker, the –we have never shied away from providing information to members opposite. In fact, they stand up every single day in this Chamber and read back their questions from freedom of information that we've provided them. Just the other day, they stood up and t hey read from a freedom of information of several years ago and tried to make it into an issue. We are not –we've had more committee meetings, Mr. Speaker, in the time–in the last couple of years than the entire time, the nine years, I was in opposition. W e have provided information. We've expanded FIPPA.

We've put in whistle -blower legislation. * (14:30) We've hired a new auditor. We've hired a new Ombudsman. We hired a new Conflict of Interest Commissioner. And we will provide the information to this Chamber and continue to provide that information, Mr. Speaker. And we're not afraid to be transparent. I do remind the member that his leader held their so-called speech from the throne by invitation only. Mr. Goertzen: Not afraid to be transparent, but we've got hundreds of pages of blacked- out information, Mr. Speaker. Now, Mr.

Speaker, the Auditor General has undertaken important work, important work to look at issues around Keeyask and the East Side Road Authority. Those reports are due to be released in the new year. But we've seen this government try to hide behind issues of a blackout period before that relate to the government and that relate to Crown corporations; they don't relate to independent officers. They've done that before, Mr. Speaker.

I want a commitment from this minister that they now have a different approach and that they're going to ensure that if an independent officer's report is done before the provincial election, that they're not going to try to stop it from being releas ed using

an act that doesn't apply to independent officers. Mr. Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, I detect a bit of a pattern here. The first question asked by the Leader of the Opposition was, is there going to be an election on April 19th, even though it's in the statute. We have functioned independently and provided more reports and had more meetings in the last several years than the entire nine years of the hiding of the former government, Mr. Speaker. We are holding six–or five public hearings before Christm as of members of this House.

There have been more committee meetings this year than I think any other time in the history of the Legislature. We have sat more days. We put in place rules that demand sittings. We put in place rules that demand reports, Mr. Speaker. Now members are saying, oh, do you think you'll put that out before the election? They know what the date is; they know what our pattern is; they know what we've provided, and we have five committee hearings even before Christmas, Mr. Speaker. If they want to have hearings during Christmas, I guess we could try to do that. Mr. Speaker: Order, please.

The honourable member's time on this question has elapsed.

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 501 Contract Tendering Practices Government Record Mr. Reg Helwer (Brandon West): Mr. Speaker, we know that the minister for MIT is responsible for the Tiger Dam cover -up, providing $9 million of untendered contracts to his friend in the past. We also know that the same minister attempted to circumvent Treasury Board's approval towar d another $5 million untendered, undisclosed, not made public, more Tiger Dam purchases from that same friend. Other recent revelations show the minister has the same type of favouritism when it comes to awarding highway signs. Mr.

Speaker, the ministe r's actions reflect the lack of accountability under this Premier (Mr. Selinger): broken trust, broken promises. Why are the NDP forcing Manitobans to pay more and get less? Hon. Steve Ashton (Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation ): Mr. Speaker, I find it absolutely incredible that this member continues to go on about the highway signs. He was wrong in terms of specification; the specification he referred to is actually an industry standard. He was wrong, Mr. Speaker, in the fact that it wasn't even included in the current tender.

He was wrong in the fact that many of the companies that he'd referenced have received other contracts. And the bottom line is safety. Whether it's fighting floods or having signs on our highways that meet industry standards, we make no apologies for our investments. But the real question here, Mr. Speaker, is why isn't he asking about infrastructure? Maybe it's because we have record investment because we are the get-'er-done government. Mr. Helwer: Mr.

Speaker, there have been repeated requests to specify Avery Dennison as a supplier of ASTM type 11 as in other jurisdictions, but this minister continues to favour only his friends. This minister is the one putting false and misleading information on the record. Mr. Speaker, $9 million in untendered contracts awarded here, over $2 million awarded there and an attempt to push another $5 million past Treasury Board to award this minister's political allies. The question all Manitobans are asking themselves are: Just how many more untendered contracts have the NDP been giving to their friends over the past 16 years?

What else are they hiding? Mr. Ashton : Mr. Speaker, I want to put on the record that we've had three major floods in the last five years, and members opposite may have not had experience with that, particularly the Leader of the Opposition. I think in 2014 he went AWOL when it came to dealing with the flood. When he was minister responsible for EMO, he actually quit before the '97 flood, and he actually quit Manitoba politics during the '97 flood. And members opposite may not have experience with dealing with floods, but when you're in a flood, Manitobans need flood equipment.

We didn't hesitate to go to the suppliers that were out there, y es, to the Tiger Dams and the Aqua Dams and the HESCO dams and numerous suppliers of sandbags. That's how you fight a flood. You don't go AWOL. Seniors' School Tax Rebate Residence Exemption Mr. Cliff Graydon (Emerson): Mr. Speaker, this Selinger gove rnment has broken a multitude of promises, and Germain Roy is a victim. Germain paid his tax bill in full on October 20th, promptly filed for his Seniors' School Tax Rebate, as is his right. Days later he received a phone call saying he didn't qualify because he had moved before October 31st.

He maintains his residence in De Salaberry and for personal reasons had to rent an apartment in the city. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Roy is with us today in the gallery. Would the minister explain to him and all Manitobans why she continues to break promises to seniors? Hon. Greg Dewar (Minister of Finance): The–I will remind the member and the –all members that it was this government that introduced the rebate, Mr. Speaker, $235 last year; we doubled it to $470. This means that over 6,700 Manitobans will be taken off the property tax rolls.

This means that they'll be saving–last year, for example, they saved over $11 million. But I will make the offer to the individual, if he wants to meet with me afterwards, I would be more than happy to meet with him, Mr. Speaker.

502 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 Provincial Sales Tax Future Increase Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): Mr. Speaker, trust and a person's word is very important. In the 2011 election the Education Minister and his NDP colleagues promised every Manitoba family that he and his government wouldn't raise taxes. Shortly after the election, he and his Premier (Mr. Selinger) broke those promises and their trust with Manitobans. How can Manitobans trust or believe what is being said by this Education Minister and his Premier? Mr.

Speaker, will the Education and Advanced Learning Minister apologize and commit today that he will not be raising the PST to 9 per cent, or will he break that trust with Manitobans yet again? Hon. James Allum (Minister of Education and Advanced Learning): You know, I'm proud to be Education Minister and I'm proud of our public education system. You know, 86 per cent of our kids are meeting or exceeding expectations, and our graduation rate in this province has gone from 72 to 87 per cent. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, our enrol - ment at our post -secondary institutions are at an all-time high.

But let's remember, Mr. Speaker, that when the Leader of the Opposition was in government, they cut education by 6 and a half per cent and over 700 teachers were fired. On this side of the House, we're going to stand with parents, we're going to stand with teachers, we're going to stand with students. The Leader of the Opposition wants to abandon all those people; we're never going to let that happen. Farmland School Tax Rebate NDP Election Promise Mr.

Blaine Pedersen (Midland): In the 2011 election campaign the NDP promised to increase the farmland education tax rebate to 100 per cent, another broken promise by a broken government. Instead, the NDP has reduced the farmland education tax rebate by placing a cap on the rebate, a time limit with no appeal or penalty process, and a discriminatory rule which unfairly targets farm women landowners. What promise will they break next? Hon.

Ron Kostyshyn (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development ): It's always a privilege to have a question from the member opposite, especially when we talk about agriculture and the importance of agriculture is to the province of Manitoba. On this side of the House is a government that looks after those people and the opportunity of economic growth in the province of Manitoba, not only throughout rural Manitoba but the importance of import. But I do want to bring forward the question brought forward by members opposite.

The simple math is this: Members opposite were in power, what were they providing in school tax rebate? Zero. What was this side of the government giving today? It's 80 per cent. Why is it so difficult for the member opposite to accept the reality of a financial benefit that this government brought forward? They chose not to. Fiscal Management Government Record Mr. Cameron Friesen (Morden-Winkler): Mr. Speaker, the NDP continues its record of high spend, high debt, high tax, with new over -promises in the form of $6 billion in new spending commitments. Now, Mr.

Speaker, the context is this: They can't reduce spending; spending is up, not down. They can't reduce the deficit; the deficit is u p, not down, leading to the first downgrade in Manitoba's history in 20 years. They can't address the debt; the debt has doubled in just six years. * (14:40) In 2011 this Premier said he would not increase taxes, then he broke his word. He first widened the tax and then he raised it.

Will the Finance Minister just admit that this NDP is a broken government that has broken its word, it has a broken financial record and that its real plan is to raise taxes again on Manitobans who are tired of paying more and getting less? Hon. Greg Dewar (Minister of Finance): Well, Mr. Speaker, again, I'll remind the House the only individual talking about raising taxes is the member opposite. We just talked about the fact that our government's providing a tax relief for seniors, Mr. Speaker. We're providing tax relief for volunteer firefighters. Yesterday, Mr.

Speaker, I raised the issue –we made the announcement that our government will, in

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 503 2017, increase the threshold for small business so another 3,600 small businesses won't have to pay any taxes to this government. I'll remind, though–I'll remind them that–all members that we have a piece of chocolate before us, provided by Constance Popp, who joined me yesterday at that announcement, who said incredibly powerful, great things about this government. She's very proud of what we've accomplished. We've got the lowest unemployment in Canada, Mr. Speaker, we've got the strongest job growth, and we're proud of that. Mr.

Speaker: The honourable minister's time on this question has elapsed. Time for oral questions has expired. PETITIONS Mr. Speaker: It is now time for petitions. Minnesota-Manitoba Transmission Line Route– Information Request Mrs. Bonnie Mitchelson (River East): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. And these are the reasons –background to this petition is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

The line has an in- service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 to 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres. The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternative route that was also considered. The alternative route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response. Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred route of the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to the residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. And this petition, Mr. Speaker, is signed by C. Auch, S. Martens, T. Dum esnil and many, many other fine Manitobans. Mr.

Speaker: In keeping with our rule 132(6), when petitions are read they're deemed to have been received by the House. Mr. Cliff Graydon (Emerson): Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. And the background for this petition is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is 500-kilovolt alternating -current transmission line sent to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

The line has been in service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 and 60 metres and be located every forty –four to five hundred metres. The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered. The alternate route would've been a line that ran further east, avoided densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

504 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible f or Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, and including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste.

Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. And this petition, Mr. Speaker, has been signed by C. Legal, J. Legal and W. Sartoris and many, many more fine Manitobans. Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Arthur-Virden): Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background of this petition is follows:

(1) The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line of 500 kilovolts of alternating -current transmission line set to be located southeast Manitoba and will cross the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with the tower heights expected to r each between 40 to 60 metres and the–be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line is to see hydro towers come as close proximity to the communities of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's s outheast rather than the alternative route that is also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line further east, avoiding densely populated areas and eventually terminating at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conserva tive caucus was repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response. And (6) landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact of hydro line routing could have on land values.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of this Legislative Assembly regarding the criteria that were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing of Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this route represents the least intrusive options to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne's, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. And this petition is signed by N. Widner, S. Chabot and R. Ouellet and many more Manitobas. Mr.

Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. And the background for this peti tion is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 to 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers coming in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are con - cerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. * (14:50) We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge Manitoba –the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria was used and the

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 505 reasons for selecting the preferred routing to the –for the Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. This petition's signed by M. Vern, P. Desorcy and J. Barkman and many, many more fine Manitobans. Mr. Cliff Cullen (Spruce Woods): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) The Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line is a 500- kilovolt alternating -current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Mani toba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 to 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alt ernate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba tra nsmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

This petition is signed by R. Fournier, S. Hamm and J. Doerksen and many other fine Manitobans. Mr. Dennis Smook (La Verendrye) : I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) The Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line is a 500- kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to rea ch between 40 and 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

This petition is signed by T. Clincke, R. Miller, M. Verrier and many more fine Manitobans. Mr. Ron Schuler (St. Paul): Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows:

506 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 5,000-kilovolt alternating -current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 to 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas that–and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Man itoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on all land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all me mbers of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

This is signed by T. Yelinek, P. Yelinek, P. Knelsen and many, many other fine Manitobans. Mr. Ralph Eichler (Lakeside): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) The Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line is a 500- kilovolt alternating -current transmission line set to be located in so utheastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) This line has an in- service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 and 60 metres and will be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) Preferred route designated for the line will see towers coming in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to the densely populated areas and yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the provincial –Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria was–were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing f or the Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive options of residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste.

Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. * (15:00) This petition is submitted on behalf of G. Therrien, J. Wiebe, T. Gareau and many other fine Manitobans. Mr. Blaine Pedersen (Midland): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background to this petition is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

The line has an in- service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 and 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres. The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 507 community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered. The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border. The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could hav e on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to the residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

And this petition was signed by P. Courcelles, D. Courcelles, M. Rozitis and many other fine Manitobans. Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. And these are the reasons for this petition:

(1) The Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line is a 500- kilovolt alternating -current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date o f 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 to 60 metres and to be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximit y to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on their land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanati on to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

This petition is signed by J. Hiebert, A. Rodriguez, L. Moors and many other fine Manitobans. Mr. Shannon Martin (Morris): Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background to this petition is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 and 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than the alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen t he line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of

508 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reason for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to the residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

And this is signed by J. Gigolyk, R. Bremand, V. Verrier and many other fine Manitobans. Applied Behavioural Analysis Services Mrs. Leanne Rowat (Riding Mountain): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. And these are the reasons for this petition: The provincial government broke a commitment to support families of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, including timely diagnosis and access to necessary treatment such as applied behavioural analysis, also known as ABA services.

(2) The provincial government did not follow its own policy statement on autism services which notes the importance of early intervention and ABA therapy for children with autism.

(3) The preschool waiting list for ABA services has reached its highest level ever with at least 68 children waiting for services. Tha t number is expected to exceed 148 children by September 2016 despite commitments to reduce the wait -list–waiting list and provide timely access to services. The current provincial government policy now imposed on the ABA service provider will decrease the scientifically proven, empirically based and locally proven program and force children to go to school at age five before they are ready, thus not allowing them full access to ABA services promised them as they wait on their wait-list.

(5) Waiting lists, forced decrease in services and denial of treatment are unacceptable. No child should be denied access to or age out of eligibility for ABA services. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To request that the ministers of Family Services, Education and Advanced Learning and Health consider making funding available to address the current waiting list for ABA services. This petition is signed by J. Brown, J. Klassen, Y. Neustaeter and many more concerned Manitobans. Minnesota-Manitoba Transmission Line Route– Information Request Mr.

Stuart Briese (Agassiz): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. And these are the reasons for this petition: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba. The line has an in- service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 and 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

The preferred route designated for the line will see the hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Man itoba's southeast rather than an alternative route that was also considered. * (15:10) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border. The Progressi ve Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 509 to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria was –criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. This petition is signed by D. Grabowski, B. Grabowski, S. Wastle and many, many other fine Manitobans. Mr. Cameron Friesen (Morden-Winkler): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly.

The background to this petition is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 50 to 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in clos e proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(5) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written expla nation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive opti on to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

And this petition is signed by M. Dornez, E. Plourde, C. Watts and many other fine Manitobans. House Business Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Official Opposition House Leader): On a matter of House business first, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker: On House business. Mr. Goertzen : In accordance with rule 31(9), I'd like to announce that the private member's resolution that'll be considered on the next Thursday of private members' business is the resolution on Manitoba Needs a Social License for Agriculture, brought forward by the honourable member for Midland (Mr. Pedersen). Mr.

Speaker: It has been announced that, in accordance with rule 31(9), that the private member's resolution that would be considered on the next Thursday of private members' business is the resolution on Manitoba Needs a Social License for Agriculture, sponsored by the honourable member for Midland. * * * Mr. Speaker: The honourable member for Steinbach, on petition. Mr. Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): Mr. Speaker, I'd like to present the following petition.

The background to this petition is as follows: The Minnesota -Manitoba transmission line is a 500-kilovolt alternating-current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba. The line has an in- service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 and 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to other–to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than alternate–an alternate route that was also considered. The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and

510 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 eventually terminate in the same spot at the US border. The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response. Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line routing could have on land values.

We petition the Legislative Ass embly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred route f or the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie. Mr. Speaker, this is signed by L. Kanellis, M. Kanellis, K. Peters and many others. Mr.

Reg Helwer (Brandon West): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) The Minnesota-Manitoba transmission line is a 500- kilovolt alternating -current transmission line set to be located in southeastern Manitoba that will cross into the US border south of Piney, Manitoba.

(2) The line has an in -service date of 2020 and will run approximately 150 kilometres with tower heights expected to reach between 40 to 60 metres and be located every four to five hundred metres.

(3) The preferred route designated for the line will see hydro towers come in close proximity to the community of La Broquerie and many other communities in Manitoba's southeast rather than an alternate route that was also considered.

(4) The alternate route would have seen the line run further east, avoid densely populated areas and eventually terminate at the same spot at the US border.

(4) The Progressive Conservative caucus has repeatedly asked for information about the routing of the line and its proximity to densely populated areas and has yet to receive any response.

(6) Landowners all across Manitoba are concerned about the impact hydro line rerouting could have on land values. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro to immediately provide a written explanation to all members of the Legislative Assembly regarding what criteria were used and the reasons for selecting the preferred routing for the Minnesota - Manitoba transmission line, including whether or not this routing represented the least intrusive option to residents of Taché, Springfield, Ste. Anne, Stuartburn, Piney and La Broquerie.

Signed by A. Todd, B. Cleave, G. Keyes and many other Manitobans. * * * Mr. Speaker: Prior to moving on to grievances, as our annual open house will be held in the building later this month and as Youth Parliament will be using the Chamber ov er the holidays, I encourage members–all members to remove any personal items from their House desks. Should members wish to recycle any Hansard transcripts or other papers, please place them in the blue bins at the back of the Chamber.

And while I'm on the subject of the open house on December the 12th, I would also like to encourage members to participate in the traditional MLA choir. Bring your best voices. I'm sure you will all enjoy the singing experience, which we'll be performing during the open house on the Grand Staircase. So that's for information of the House. GRIEVANCES Mr. Speaker: The honourable member for Arthur - Virden (Mr. Piwniuk), on a grievance. Mr. Doyle Piwniuk (Arthur-Virden): Mr. Speaker, Manitobans are tired of the NDP's broke n promises to reopen emergency rooms they have closed down.

Many Manitobans have taken to highway medicine to seek critical care because of this NDP's dysfunction and mismanagement. Rural Manitobans are told there will be no emergency-department services at Hamiota health centre for eight days this month alone. The fine

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 511 people of Melita will have no emergency-department services for over 20 days in the month of December. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to table the closure notice that's been posted at the Melita h ealth district about the closures. I was informed by a constituent of mine in– Hannah Minshull, who lives in the very southwest corner of the province in the town of Pierson with her husband, Dean, and their two boys, ages six and three. Both grew up in the area and chose to move back to Pierson to start and raise a family.

In the last few years, their medical needs changed dramatically. Dean was diagnosed with immune–autoimmune disease known as systematic 'scelrosis,' a progressive and chronic tissue diso rder. Her oldest son suffers from asthma, and her youngest son suffers from 'spamodic' croup. * (15:20) On October 7th, Hannah's youngest son had a respiratory attack late at night. And their –at their dismay, the Melita emergency room was closed.

After contacting the local facility to determine what was their closest option, they were informed that their clo sest available emergency room was in Virden, Manitoba, over 100 kilometres away. They followed their normal routine and loaded up the boys in the car and headed to Virden. She could not even describe to us what that trip was like. As a mother, it was Han nah's biggest fear to not be able to protect her child. She contemplated called 911 several times along the trip to Virden, but could not bring herself to make the call.

She kept on telling herself that by the time she gets an operator and a paramedic is d eployed they would be already in Virden. She informed me that the trip to the Virden emergency room ended well and that their little boy was able to go home and recover. However, this experience had made her realize that it will only take one unsuccessful trip to seal their fate, and this is not a risk she and her family were willing to take.

Hannah stated: I strongly urge everyone to take a look at our current health- care facilities and care in rural Manitoba and ask yourself this: If this was one of y our loved ones, would this be an acceptable service for them? People of Manitoba who are paying more and getting less are forced to use highway medicine because of this NDP government's waste and mismanagement. Mr. Speaker, there's many, many cases like that in rural Manitoba. This is what we have to live through on a day -to-day basis when it comes to our loved ones, and this NDP government has not even addressed all these concerns and issues.

Will this Health Minister admit that she and her NDP government have lost the trust on Manitobans and what is clearly the people in rural Manitoba are not the priority of this NDP government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker: Are there any further grievances? ORDERS OF THE DAY (Continued) GOVERNMENT BUSINESS Mr. Speaker: Seeing none, we'll move on to orders of the day, government business. House Business Hon. Dave Chomiak (Government House Leader): Mr.

Speaker, first on House business, I would like to announce that the Standing Committee on Rules of the House will meet on December 16th, 2015, at 11 a.m., to consider amendments to the Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceeding of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Mr. Speaker: It has been announced that the Standing Committee on Rules of the House will meet on December the 16th, 2015, at 11 a.m., to consider amendments to the rules, orders and forms of proceedings for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. That's for information of the House. On further House business? Mr. Chomiak: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Would you c all the following bills: Bill 8 for second reading; then we would like to resume debate on second reading of Bill 4; following that we would like to call for second reading on bills 5, 3, 13 and 15. Mr. Speaker: We'll be calling bills in the following order: starting with Bill 8, followed by Bill 4, Bill 5, Bill 3, Bill 13 and finally with Bill 15. SECOND READINGS Bill 8–The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence, Leave for Serious Injury or Illness and Extension of Compassionate Care Leave) Mr.

Speaker: So we'll starting with Bill 8, the – under second readings, The Employment Standards

512 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 Code Amendment Act (Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence, Leave for Serious Injury or Illness and Extension of Compassionate Care Leave). Hon. Erna Braun (Minister of Labour and Immigration): I move, seconded by the Minister of Family Services (Ms.

Irvin-Ross) that Bill 8, The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence, Leave for Serious Injury or Illness and Extension of Compassionate Care Leave); Loi modifiant le Code des normes d'emploi (congé pour les victimes de violence familiale, congé en cas de blessure ou de maladie grave et prolongation du congé de soignant), now be read a second time and be referred to a Committee of the Whole. Mr.

Speaker: It's been moved by the honourable Minister of Labour, seconded by the honourable Minister of Family Services that Bill 8, The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Leave for Vi ctims of Domestic Violence, Leave for Serious Injury or Illness and Extension of Compassionate Care Leave), be now read for a second time and referred to a committee of this House. Ms. Braun: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to speak to the House today about Bi ll 8, The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act.

Our government believes that victims of domestic violence should not have to worry about keeping their jobs as they deal with the effects of violence at home. We also know that a paycheque can sometimes be the difference between a victim leaving a violent relationship or staying. This groundbreaking bill will provide employees experiencing domestic violence with up to 10 days of job-protected leave to use as needed, and up to 17 weeks of continuous leav e in a 52 -week period; this includes up to five days of leave to be paid by the employer.

Paid leave is an important component of this bill as it will help provide victims with short-term financial stability during an initial crisis or an emerging situation, such as when a victim takes steps to leave an abusive relationship or relocates to a safe place. Employees will be allowed to take leave from work for specified purposes related to the violence they are facing at home, including to attend medical treat ment or professional counselling appointments, access services for victims, obtain legal services or care for children affected by the violence.

Another important part of this bill is a require - ment to protect the confidentiality of employees who take an y protected leave, including domestic violence leave. Employers will be prohibited from disclosing information related to a leave except in limited circumstances. This provision is intended to protect personal information and personal health information of employees.

As it applies to domestic violence leave, confidentiality can also be an im - portant step to protecting the employee's personal safety, given that we know that incidents of domestic violence can increase when a victim is taking steps to end the relationship. Businesses also suffer from the effects of domestic violence; reduced productivity, missed days and negative impacts on coworkers often create unseen costs for businesses. I believe the changes proposed by this bill will offset many of the existing business costs which have been estimated to be close to $80 million per year in Canada.

The changes proposed by the bill build on Manitoba's Multi -year Domestic Violence Prevention Strategy introduced in 2012, which recognizes the importance o f using a comprehensive approach to ending domestic violence. This is critical as domestic violence does not just affect victims or their immediate families, it also affects entire communities. And all Manitobans are touched by this violence directly or indirectly every day.

In addition to domestic violence leave, this bill establishes a new 17 -week long- term illness and injury leave and extends the existing compassionate care leave provisions to ensure that workers in Manitoba can access corresponding f ederal employ- ment insurance benefits without having to worry about losing their jobs. The federal EI program provides up to 15 weeks of benefits following a two-week waiting period for qualifying workers that are unable to work due to illness, injury or quarantine.

But, presently, employees in Manitoba receive only up to three days of unpaid family leave which can be used for a personal illness. As a result, the more than 60 per cent of workers in Manitoba who do not have access to sufficient leave through a collective agreement or employment contract cannot access the available federal EI sickness benefits without the fear of losing their jobs. Facing a serious illness or injury can be very stressful, and we believe that workers should have the opportuni ty to attend to their health -care needs and concentrate on their recovery without the

December 3, 2015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 513 additional stress of having to worry about whether they will have a job to go back to once they are able to return to work. The federal government also recently passed legislation that will extend the number of weeks of compassionate care benefits through the EI program from six weeks to 28 weeks effective on January 3rd, 2016. These benefits provide financial support to employees who are providing care or support to a family member that is critically ill.

To ensure that employees in Manitoba can access these federal benefits without fear of losing our job, our government would extend the period of job protection for employees caring for a critically ill family member to 28 weeks. Together these proposed changes will help ensure that workers who are facing difficult, some - times life -changing situations are able to take the time away from work that they need for themselves and their families and return to work as productiv e and engaged members of Manitoba's workforce. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker: Any further debate on this matter?

Pardon me, questions for the mover of the motion? Sorry. * (15:30) Mr. Dennis Smook (La Verendrye) : Questions, yes. What research was done to justify the necessity of this bill? Ms. Braun: I thank the member for the question. Some very substantial work was conducted by the University of Western Ontario in conjunction with the Canadian Labour Congress.

And it was the first piece of research that was done that looked at domestic violence right across Canada, and that research was presented to me at–earlier this year, and it certainly provided the impetus to consider that domestic violence is a very difficult situation for people to be in, and it, in turn, also affects their work life, their family life and, in turn, employers also find that it flows over into the work situation.

So, from many aspects, this was a piece of legislation that needed to be presented, given that it is something that we're all aware of, many have experience, and certainly, many of us are touched by it. Mr. Smook : Domestic violence is something that touches all of us, and it's–we wish we could eradicate that as soon as possible. Could the minister tell us who was all consulted during the creation of this bill? Ms. Braun: I appreciate that question.

A number of different organizations were brought into the conversation, and we ended up with a number of organizations that deal with domestic violence, the 'mani' –pardon me –the consortium on family violence, an organization made up of 37 member agencies that provide supports to victims of domestic violence , members of the family violence research network. We also met with the Manitoba Federation of Labour a while back when they shared the CLC research with us.

We also went to the Labour Management Review Committee, and we consulted with them on the leaves for compassionate, as well as the illness – long-term illness and injury leave, as well as the domestic violence leave. We received consensus on the long- term sick leave and the compassionate care leave. We did not with the domestic violence, although ther e was a great deal of productive discussion that went along with it, and we certainly know that in the future was –we look at regulations that will augment this amendment act, that we will be further consulting both employers and the labour unions. Mr.

Smook: We all know how important employees are to small business. I mean, employees are the backbone of small business. What –was anybody consulted in the small -business community, like the CFIB or anybody like that? And what were their reaction or what were their comments? Ms. Braun: I thank the member for the question. The Labour Management Review Committee is one that has representatives from the Manitoba Employers Council, and I would imagine that there would be small -business members that are part of the Employers Council.

So, certainly, they would've been part of–or their concerns would've been part of the discussions that would've occurred at LMRC. Mr. Smook : In one of the areas under the confidentiality of information, the bill states that, maintain confidentiality in respect of all matters that come to the employer's knowledge in relation to leave taken by an employee under the –this division; and not disclose any information relating to the leave of any person except to employees or agents who

514 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 3, 2015 require the information to carry out their duties; where the employee has consented to disclosure of; as required by law. I would ask the minister if an employee comes to an employer and states that they've been abused at home, domestic violence, would it be all right for that employer to let the police know. Is there something, a statute, where employers must inform the law, or is it part that the person cannot tell anybody? Ms. Braun: I appreciate the question.

It is my understanding that it is not with in the purview of the employer to share that information. That would rest with the person who's experiencing the domestic violence. Mr. Smook: On unpaid leaves of two weeks, the employee must give –get a doctor's certificate, but yet, for a leave of 17 weeks, this certificate is not necessary. I would ask why would– you'd think that when a person's missing from work longer that the – on a 17 week, it would be more important to have proper documentation. Ms. Braun: Thank you. It is my understanding that the employer may ask for it, but is not an obligation. Mr.

Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach): Can the minister indicate why there wouldn't be a duty to report by the employer if an employee has come to them and told them about a situation of domestic violence ? Because you're putting the employer in a very difficult position where they have knowledge of something, that it might very well be a criminal offence, and not being able –the ability to disclose and perhaps be able to protect the individual. Ms. Braun: Thank you; thank you for the question. I would hesitate to think that it would be something that would be of advantage to the employee.

I would think it would be, definitely, a safety issue for an employer to go ahead and report something like that withou t–on their own volition. I mean, that is something that I would consider a safety issue, and the victim would certainly be the one that would have to do that for themselves. Mr. Goertzen: It sounded as though there is some conflict compared to the minister's previous answer where she indicated that information like that might be privileged or might be confidential, so there seems to be a conflict.

If there is a–if there's not a duty to report, then they're putting the employer in a situation where they might be disclosing personal information. On the other hand, they're putting them also in a situation where they're not disclosing something that might be–put the individual at risk. Ms. Braun: I thank the member for the question, and obviously that his background in law is something that he is relying on, which I'm afraid I –I'm trusting that we have drafted legislation that looks at what other legislation has been done. I think that this is also something that can certainly be brought up at committee.

We can certainly look at this situation in the context of recommendations that might come out of committee. Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): In clause 59.11(3)(f), there is included a reference to any other prescribed purpose. This is under Purposes for which domestic violence leave may be taken. And I'm

Document details

Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	40-5-13b
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	40th 5th hansardpdf 13b.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	55840d602fc1a5c36ccc5522a9c45b2819d668fd

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (pdf).