Manitoba Hansard — 1 June 2021 (Sitting 73B, 42nd Legislature, 3rd Session)

42-3-73b

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Third Session – Forty-Second Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXV No. 73B - 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 1, 2021 ISSN 0542-5492

MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-Second Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ADAMS, Danielle Thompson NDP ALTOMARE, Nello Transcona NDP ASAGWARA, Uzoma Union Station NDP BRAR, Diljeet Burrows NDP BUSHIE, Ian Keewatinook NDP CLARKE, Eileen, Hon. Agassiz PC COX, Cathy, Hon. Kildonan-River East PC CULLEN, Cliff, Hon. Spruce Woods PC DRIEDGER, Myrna, Hon. Roblin PC EICHLER, Ralph, Hon. Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne, Hon. Lac du Bonnet PC FIELDING, Scott, Hon. Kirkfield Park PC FONTAINE, Nahanni St. Johns NDP FRIESEN, Cameron, Hon. Morden-Winkler PC GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib.

GOERTZEN, Kelvin, Hon. Steinbach PC GORDON, Audrey, Hon. Southdale PC GUENTER, Josh Borderland PC GUILLEMARD, Sarah, Hon. Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg, Hon. Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek, Hon. Interlake-Gimli PC JOHNSTON, Scott Assiniboia PC KINEW, Wab Fort Rouge NDP LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAGIMODIERE, Alan Selkirk PC LAMONT, Dougald St. Boniface Lib. LAMOUREUX, Cindy Tyndall Park Lib.

LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas-Kameesak NDP LINDSEY, Tom Flin Flon NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Malaya Notre Dame NDP MARTIN, Shannon McPhillips PC MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC MOSES, Jamie St. Vital NDP NAYLOR, Lisa Wolseley NDP NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine, Hon. Midland PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Turtle Mountain PC REYES, Jon Waverley PC SALA, Adrien St. James NDP SANDHU, Mintu The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron, Hon.

Springfield-Ritchot PC SMITH, Andrew Lagimodière PC SMITH, Bernadette Point Douglas NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Vérendrye PC SQUIRES, Rochelle, Hon. Riel PC STEFANSON, Heather, Hon. Tuxedo PC TEITSMA, James Radisson PC WASYLIW, Mark Fort Garry NDP WHARTON, Jeff, Hon. Red River North PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC

3739 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Tuesday, June 1, 2021 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Mr. Deputy Speaker (Doyle Piwniuk): Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS INTRODUCTION OF BILLS Bill 238–The Apprenticeship and Certification Amendment Act (Apprenticeship Supervision) Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): I move, seconded by the member for Flin Flon (Mr. Lindsey), that The Apprenticeship and Certification Amendment Act (Apprenticeship Supervision); Loi modifiant la

Loi sur l'apprentissage et la reconnaissance professionnelle (supervision des apprentis), be now read a first time. Motion presented. Mr. Kinew: Well, I'm very happy to rise today to introduce this important bill, Bill 238. Currently, the number of apprentices that a journeyperson can super- vise is set by regulation. Unfortunately, the govern- ment changed those regulations to make it less safe for apprentices on the workplace. This bill will remedy that situation by making it law and return the ratio from two to one to one to one.

This will ensure that apprentices are safe on the job during their training period at all times, but hopefully during this economic recovery as well. I look forward to debate on Bill 238 to help keep Manitoba tradespeople safe. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Now we'll go on to committee reports? Tabling of reports? MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Mr. Deputy Speaker: We have a statement from the honourable Minister of Indigenous and Northe rn Relations. The required 90 minutes notice prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance of rule 26(2).

Would the honourable Minister of Indigenous and Northern Relations please continue with your statement. MMIWG2S National Inquiry Final Report Hon. Eileen Clarke (Minister of Indigenous and Northern Relations): This Thursday marks two years since the release of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on June 3rd, 2019. I wish to honour the memory of women and girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people who have been lost, and to acknowledge the pain felt by their families and their communities. I also want to acknowledge that June is Indigenous history month.

This is an opportunity for all of us to listen to the stories of Indigenous Manitobans, to learn about their accomplishments and their contributions to Canada and to learn about the challenges and tragedies they faced from residential schools to the current crisis, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The MMIWG final report listed 231 calls for justice which were directed to governments, to busi - nesses and to all Canadians. It will take action from all of us to better protect Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ persons and to advance recon - ciliation in Manitoba and Canada.

In Manitoba, we're working closely with First Nation, Métis and the Inuit partners to develop and implement improved protections for Manitoba's Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. In February 2020, M anitoba established a new Gender-Based Violence Committee of Cabinet. This Cabinet committee takes a whole- of-government approach to co- ordinate policies, legislation and ini - tiatives aimed at addressing intimate partner and sexual violence. We can see the results of this work in Budget 2021, which invested in protecting Manitobans and advancing reconciliation.

I was proud to work with the Minister of Justice (Mr. Friesen) and the Minister responsible for the Status of Women (Mrs. Cox) to invest over $800,000 in new supports for victims and the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. This is one example of how government's depart- ments working together to address issues raised in the MMIWG report and an example of the kind of

3740 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 co-ordination that was previously missing from government. This is the path we must continue on and we will continue on to keep making progress on pro- tecting our 'pellow' Manitobans. We recognize that the calls for justice call for meaningful engagement. The voices of survivors and families must be heard. We will work together with Indigenous-led organizations to develop and imple - ment solutions that will save lives. We look forward to the establishment of regular meetings with federal, provincial and territorial partners that specifically address issues.

This kind of intergovernment co -operation is long overdue. By combining our efforts and focusing our actions, we will build safer communities for all Indigenous women and girls, men and boys and two-spirit people. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Thursday marks two years since the presentation of the final report, Reclaiming Power and Place, from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and LGBTTQ2S peoples.

It's important to acknowledge that the national inquiry's final report is the culmination of over 50 years of work and struggle by MMIWG2S families and by Indigenous women across our territories. The final report comes from the courage, the trauma, the tears, the pain of MMIWG2S families and for the fight for their loved ones, to have their loved ones recog- nized and honoured and to have justice for their loved ones. The existence of the national inquiry's final report is because of MMIW G2S and Indigenous women.

The final report is a living testament to the incredible strength and perseverance of MMIWG2S families and Indigenous women. The final report includes 231 calls for justice, which is essentially and basically a road map all laid out for governments, settlers, social service agencies, NGOs, policing institutions, health -care providers, educators and Indigenous communities to realize on behalf of Indigenous women and girls and two-spirit. It's all there.

Ma Mawi, MKO, the MMIWG Manitoba coali - tion and others are also working with the development on this national plan with our community members, and this is also being led by community women like Diane Redsky, Sandra DeLaronde, Hilda Anderson- Pyrz, just to name a few. Indigenous families and communities across our territories expect a national plan that fully commits to the calls for justice as well as meaningful, tangible supports for MMIWG2S families.

It is critical to recognize, as signatories to the national inquiry, it is incumbent on Manitoba to act in a significant, tangible and urgent way in realizing the 231 calls to justice, which includes how this current PC government plans on addressing the finding of genocide. Will the PC government centre the voices and expertise of MMIWG2S families and survivors in designing the way forward based on the pathways for change? What concrete steps is the PC government taking to change policies and procedures to ensure safe spaces for MMIWG2S families, Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit?

As I have said many times in this House, we as Indigenous women our are own liberators and, as such, any plans this PC government has is nothing for us without us. When released, the MMIWG Manitoba coalition will ensure families and community member s in our territory are provided with culturally safe and trauma- informed opportunities to connect with one another. The coalition will host three events on June 3rd, and the coalition is calling on financial support from this PC government to increase publ ic education and opportunities developed by and for the community through trauma-informed lens.

Events will include a virtual sunrise ceremony, an education session, a review and a virtual press conference. I know that in anticipation to Canada's release of their national plan on MMIWG families, we'll be anxious to hear what the national plan will include. Please know that I and all of our colleagues– * (13:40) Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member's time is up. An Honourable Member: Leave. Mr. D eputy Speaker: Is there leave to have the member continue? [Agreed] Ms.

Fontaine: Please know that as the national plan is rolled out and disseminated I, alongside our colleagues here at the NDP, stand with each and every one of MMIWG families across the territories. Miigwech.

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3741 Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Deputy Speaker, I ask for leave to speak to the minister's statement. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Does the honourable member for River Heights have leave to reply to the ministerial statement? [Agreed] Mr. Gerrard: Mr. Deputy Speaker, the national re - port on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls entitled Reclaiming Power and Place re- leased two years ago revealed the tragic and unsettling details of what had long been suspected in relation to the many missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

I join others in acknowledging these tragedies and in dedicating myself and our Liberal team to ensuring that issues raised are followed through and that the recommendations in the report, which are directed at all governments, including our provincial govern- ment, are followed to the extent that they possibly can. As chief commissioner Marion Buller said in the report, it is about beautiful Indigenous people and the systemic factors that le d to their losses of dignity, humanity and, in too many cases, losses of life.

Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people in Canada have been the targets of violence for far too long. There are many voices in the final report. Indeed, more than 2,380 participated in the national inquiry and its truth-gathering process. The report it- self insists on self-determined solutions distinctive to the needs of those most effective as rights-bearers and issues 231 calls for justice from all governments. I lo ok forward to the national plan. I also look forward to a provincial plan because many of the actions which are needed are, in fact, under provincial jurisdiction.

The report deals with health and well - ness, human security, justice, police services, attor - neys, law societies, education, child welfare and many, many more, and many of these issues are dealt with at a provincial level, at least in part, and in many cases to a large extent. We need a full provincial plan, and we hope that the minister will br ing it forward. It is really impor - tant. This was probably one of the most extensive commissions that we have had nationally, and the ramifications at the provincial level are very large.

An Ontario study of gender diverse and two- spirited Indigenous people found that 73 per cent had experienced some form of violence due to trans - phobia, with 43 per cent having experienced physical and/or sexual violence. It is time to end this violence. It is time to imple- ment all the 231 recommendations. It is time for a full provincial plan, as well as the national plan, which we are expecting shortly. Thank you. Merci. Miigwech. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Our next ministerial statement is the honourable Minister of Conservation and Climate.

The required 90 minutes noti ce prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance with rule 26(2). Would the honourable minister please proceed with her statement. Environment Officer Recognition Day Hon. Sarah Guillemard (Minister of Conservation and Climate): Mr. Deputy S peaker, I am happy to announce today that the Manitoba government hereby declares June 1st, 2021 as environment officer recog- nition day in Manitoba to honour the work done every day by environment officers in the province. This proclamation comes in advance of celebrations that will begin for World Environment Day.

Environment officers are responsible for the delivery of provincial, environmental and public health protection programs across Manitoba. They ensure Manitobans have safe drinking water, protec t Manitoba's surface water by ensuring wastewater is treated and disposed of properly and that there is compliance with a variety of other laws ranging from livestock manure management to landfills and litter. They do this through issuing licences and perm its, conducting inspections, monitoring for compliance to the laws and taking enforcement action when needed.

Additionally, and on top of their multitude of responsibility, they continue to assist with COVID-19 public health order enforcement across the province. Enforcing legislation that is often complicated is not an easy job. Their professionalism and devotion to their jobs is always present, even in difficult times. Mr. Deputy Speaker, environment officers have not yet received recognition for the dedication and vital service they provide to Manitobans, and they deserve our thanks.

To all the environment officers currently serving and who have served in the past, we acknowledge and appreciate your commitment and dedication to protecting Manitoba's e nvironment and human health.

3742 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 As the Minister of Conservation and Climate, I will be providing individual letters of thanks to our environment officers, to commemorate the very first environment officer recognition day in Manitoba. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Ms. Lisa Naylor (Wolseley): I am very happy to put a few words on the record today in support of the important work done by Manitoba's environment offi- cers. Environment officers work in all areas of our province from north to south and east to west.

There are multiple different classifications of environment officers, each performing their own distinct duties. Environment officers perform a wide variety of tasks. More junior EOs work under the direction of senior environment officers; they conduct or assist with routine inspections, enforcement or monitoring projects. This designation can also be used for training and development purposes. Many EOs are involved in the implementation and delivery of environment or public health pro- grams.

They're responsible for conducting investiga - tions and inspections, enforcement of the acts and regulations, incident response, carrying out monitor - ing, licensing and assessment activities, and providing technical advice. They may also conduct monitoring of research activities in support of environmental quality studies or the development of guidelines and standards.

Some senior EOs work at a supervisory level and are responsible for the planning, organizing, imple - menting and reporting on the programs for an assigned district, and in addition to performing all functions of the full working-level financial manage- ment and the supervision of other EOs is also part of the role. Some officers work in land use, waste manage - ment and energy. Others work wit h drinking water standards and industrial pollution enforcement.

Officers do very important work to assess and license proposals under The Environment Act, such as in forestry, transportation, mining, recreation and other sectors. Being an environment of ficer is an excellent career choice for young Manitobans who may be interested in helping enforce environmental standards. So today, on behalf of myself, of my colleagues, I would like to thank all of Manitoba's environment officers for their ongoing dedication to protecting our environment through inspections, monitoring and enforcement.

We appreciate you and want to wish you a good and safe summer as you continue your impor- tant work. Thank you. Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): I ask for leave to respond to the ministerial statement. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Does the honourable member for St. Boniface have leave to reply to the ministerial statement? [Agreed] Mr. Lamont: It's always an honour to recognize members of Manitoba's civil service, at this time environment officers who work hard to ensure that Manitobans are following safe practices, whether it's to protect our water, land, species at risk and, indeed, health and safety.

Environment officers are often placed in risky situations. In St. Boniface, they are extremely impor- tant because of the large-scale manufacturing and in- dustrial activity in the industrial park. Many of my constituents live close to these facilities and they've shared with me their concerns and experiences of metal flying hundreds of metres outside of some of these facilities posing a threat because these materials have come close to moving traffic, to workplaces and to homes. I'm sure everyone is familiar with fires that have broken out in the St. Boniface Industrial Park over the years.

The damage done in such an event is a –has a terrible impact on everyone because to respond prop- erly it requires a significant crew response, and it's our duty to always make sure we're trying to prevent accidents like the Speedway Intern ational and fires that occurred in 2018. And as members of the Legislature, we must use our voices to call out for the government to assist environment officers with proper resources and staff- ing allocations to allow them to do their jobs to the fullest extent possible.

We do hope that the govern- ment will back up today's recognition with action and protect environment officers by passing recom - mendations made by the Manitoba Law Reform Commission six years ago, in 2015. * (13:50) Again, thank you to environment officers for serving Manitobans in potentially risky and dangerous situations. We've heard many times from members of this government that safety is the government's No. 1 priority. I urge all members to follow through on their words with the necessary action to ensure that all Manitobans who make it to work–who go to work

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3743 every day make it home safe at the end of the every day. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Now we'll go on to the next ministerial statement. It's the hono urable member – Minister for Sport, Culture and Heritage. The required 90 minutes notice prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance with rule 26(2). Would the honourable minister please proceed with her statement. Pride Month Hon. Cathy Cox (Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage): I'm honoured and proud to recognize today as the start of Pride month.

Pride is part of our global movement for everyone to come together in solidarity, raise awareness and express support of diversity and 'individualality' in our 2SLGBTQ+ community in our province and beyond. Pride is a celebration of identity and a call for aware- ness and acceptance, as well as an acknowledgement of the accomplishments of our 2SLGBTQ+ indivi - duals throughout our history. In previous years, Pride celebrations would attract millions of participants across the globe to celebrate and support our 2SLGBTQ+ communities through parades, workshops, parties, picnics, lectures, con- certs and much more.

It's also a time to acknowledge the struggles the community has faced and advocate for equality worldwide. And although we can't gather for Pride month as we hoped to this year, the celebration is as strong as ever. There are still many ways to participate in Pride this month, from learning the history of the movement to supporting an array of diverse voices, businesses and charities. Winnipeg Pride week, this year, has been postponed, but will take place virtually from September 3rd to the 12th, 2021.

Organizing events such as Pride takes a tremendous amount of planning and countless volunteer hours, and I'd like to con- gratulate Pride Winnipeg, their organizing committee, volunteers and sponsors for their ongoing work and dedication, especially during these challenging times. I look forward to the day when we can all gather together in person to celebrate Pride right outside our beautiful Manitoba Legislature and join to walk proudly in the parade. In the meantime, let's show our compassion and support for one another by staying apart, and remem- ber that diversity is at the heart of Manitoba's strength.

Love is love. Wishing everyone a very happy Pride month. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): Mr. Deputy Speaker, every June we celebrate Pride month, not only here, but in countries across the world. Pride month is meant to celebrate and to acknowledge the 2SLGBTQIA+ community's histori- cal and ongoing fight against discrimination in all of its forms. Pride month's origins can be traced back to the Stonewall uprising in New York City in June of 1969, where black trans women, trans women of colour and queer people fought back against discriminatory police raids.

Here in Manitoba we've celebrated Pride for over 30 years. The first over two-spirit–first-ever two-spirit powwow was during the 30th anniversary of Pride in 2017, and the creation of the two- spirit name – 30th anniversary of the creation of the two-spirit name was celebrated just last year. Now, it's important to acknowledge that binary gender roles our society largely follows today didn't exist in many cultures before colonialism and imperialism.

For example, it's been well documented that over 150 precolonial Indigenous tribes in the Americas acknowledged third genders in their communities, and in precolonial West Africa, non -gender-conforming folks were highly regarded as spiritual leaders. Other examples include the bakla from the Philippines, hijra in South Asia and sipiniq in the Canadian Arctic. We still have a long way to go befo re we can move away from the non -inclusive and harmful gen- der binary and heteronormativity that is so pervasive in our society.

I mean, in the early days of Pride, some people attended with bags over their heads for fear of losing their jobs. And in this Chamber, there are mem- bers opposite who have actively worked against ad- vancing the rights of 2SLGBTQIA Manitobans. Now, as members of the two- spirit and LGBTQIA community, the member for Wolseley (Ms. Naylor) and I are proud to be part of a team that works to advance the dignity and humanity of those who would otherwise be left behind by this government.

3744 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 And this year, the annual Pride festival in Manitoba will occur virtually from September 3rd to 12th. And I encourage everyone to attend the events that you can and find ways to celebrate Pride month during this month. I want to end by thanking all LGBTQIA2S peoples, to let them know that they are loved and respected and that each and every one of you ab - solutely belong. And to all cisgender folks a nd those who would call themselves allies, I encourage you to find space to show support by observing, listening, educating, learning, unlearning and– Mr.

Deputy Speaker: The honourable member's time is up. Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): I ask for leave to speak in response to the minister's statement. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Does the honourable member for Tyndall Park have leave to reply to the ministerial statement? Agreed? [Agreed] Ms. Lamoureux: I'd like to start off by saying happy Pride.

Pride is very important to recognize here in Manitoba because it is a time where our two -spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non- binary and more community celebrates the achievements and barriers that have been overcome and as a time to raise awareness of issues that still need to be addressed as we move forward. Mr. Deputy Speaker, our Province has helped the community with changes and awareness. However, there is still a lot more that needs to be done. For example, we know that acceptance of a person being trans or non-binary goes a lot further than just a gender marker on a piece of identification.

We must work hard to educate all Manitobans to be accepting, under- standing and inclusive of all 2SLGBTQ+ people in our province. In addition to this, we must remain aware that different countries in the world have beliefs, laws and systems that discriminate against or can cause poten - tial harm to the community, including arrests, death, stoning or an indifference to violence or other crimes by citizens or by authorities. Mr. Deputy Speaker, there are people even in Canada that continue to feel unsafe.

We must be conscious of the need for 2SLGBTQ+ people here in Manitoba to know that diversity and acceptance are welcome, and we all have a role to play in cr eating safety and support in our society so everyone can live free and openly. In closing, Mr. Deputy Speaker, even though we cannot celebrate Pride in person this month, a virtual Pride is being planned from September 3rd to September 12th, with plans for events, performances and a virtual parade. I hope that everyone will join and celebrate Pride here in Manitoba. Thank you. MEMBERS' STATEMENTS End of Session Acknowledgements Hon.

Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Legislative and Public Affairs): As this most unusual spring session comes to an end, I want to recognize a few people. And the first, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is you. Due to the unexpected absence of Madam Speaker, you have been thrust into the full-time job of keeping MLAs in line and keeping things moving in a positive direction in this Legislature. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, let me join my colleagues in saying that you have done a tremendous job. Even as we wish Madam Speaker a full recovery and look forward to welcoming her back in the fall, we thank you for your great work.

I'd also like to recognize a retiring member of the media gallery. This Friday will be the last day on the news beat for Larry Kusch, long- time Free Press reporter and legislative gallery member and president. I am sure that there are many stories that Larry wrote that I may have rolled my eyes at. And I am sure, in the countless interviews that we did together, some of my answers made him roll his eyes too, but such is the nature of the relationship between media and politicians.

But I am grateful that through all these years we've–could always have a friendly exchange in the hallway to talk about our kids or talk about our summers. I know that this has been a tough year for Larry, but we wish him nothing but the best in the years and the days ahead. He is a true gentleman. And finally, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to thank my House leader counterparts. There are always many difficult and divided matters before the Legislature, but behind the scenes negotiations happen to make this place work.

And this session was especially tricky as the number of members was adjusted a few times based on the pandemic conditions and who could be

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3745 in the House, and it has been done by unanimous agreement. * (14:00) But in all these discussions, the member for St. Johns and the member for River Heights (Mr. Gerrard) have always put public health first and political considerations second. It is a demonstration that there is still much to be said for our democracy and those who serve within it. And I thank them both. Mr. Speaker, I wish everyone in the Assembly well during this summer, and I look forward to seeing all of you in the fall back here together. Thank you. Legislative Session–Premier's Record Ms.

Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Deputy Speaker, let's review the Premier's (Mr.

Pallister) greatest hits just this last sitting: advised it doesn't bother him at all to have teachers pay for supplies out of pocket; ad- vanced the colonial project with Bill 56, infringing on Indigenous sovereignty; suppressed the rights of peaceful protestors with Bill 57; covered up $5 billion in Hydro contracts while freezing workers' wages, forcing a strike; received amnesty on his Costa Rican taxes through an application- only program, then he said he didn't know anything about it; cut Children's disABILITY Services; cut Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit, the healthy baby milk program and budgets for Parent Child Coalitions; renamed eight wildlife management areas, all after white men, disrespecting centuries of co nservation work done by Indigenous peoples and women; increased the number of special permits for Churchill Wildlife Management Area to give extras to a Conservative donor and a former fed- eral candidate; still no contract for nurses and health- care professionals; cut health-care funding below the rate of inflation for the fifth row –in a row–fifth year in a row; outsourced staffing for vaccine supersites; left ICUs dangerously understaffed during the third wave, with up to 15 unfilled nursing shifts at the Grace Hospital ICU and a 21 per cent vacancy rate for nurses across the 'pairie' mountain health region and left home care vacancies increase to up to 26 per cent; sent citizens to Ontario to access critical care; wanted to send teachers to North Dakota to get vaccines; blamed Biden, blamed Manitobans, blamed ICU patients.

Deputy Speaker, these lists aren't fun. There are real Manitobans dealing with the consequences of that man over there. I, for one, hope that this is the last time I have to get up in the Chamber and do the Premier's greatest hits. Miigwech. Preservation of Historic Steam Locomotive Mr. James Teitsma (Radisson): Today I want to speak about a weighty matter–a very weighty matter, indeed. In fact, it clocks in at 394,160 pounds. I'm speaking, of course, of the steam locomotive engine CN 2747, located on Plessis avenue just north of Transcona Boulevard.

This beautiful engine is part of the collection of the Transcona Museum. I like to joke with the member for Transcona (Mr. Altomare) that while his constituency has a greater number of museum artifacts in it, Radisson constituency has the most by weight. Now, the community of Transcona was built be - cause of the railway shop, so the very first locomotive engine it ever built rightfully holds a special place in our community. This significant part of Transcona's history deserves to be preserved.

Thankfully, many volunteers and professionals, supported by donors and grants, including from our provincial government, have already made significant strides in making it bright, shiny and durable once again. Now government and community members are stepping up with efforts to build a $493,000 enclosure over and around the engine to protect it from the elements, increase security and provide more o ppor- tunities for the public to see, interact and appreciate the engine. The Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage (Mrs.

Cox) and myself have already helped kick off the campaign –the capital campaign with a $15,000 contribution from the provincial government, and I'm hopeful that additional grants will flow from provincial, federal and municipal governments. Government grants alone will not be enough. Businesses, individuals and community organizations will also need to get on board and make this plan a reality. Now, before my dad passed away, few years back, he donated a painting of CN 2747 to the Transcona Museum, and the museum is using post - card prints of this painting to help raise funds.

My parents and my own family, as well, have contributed to this project, and I encourage every other Manitoban to do the same.

3746 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 Details about how to donate to the project are available at transconamuseum.mb.ca, so I encourage all Manitobans to get on board and to ensure this important reminder of Transcona's histor y remains visible and present in our community for generations to come. Thank you. Community Group Acknowledgements MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): Mr. Deputy Speaker, throughout this pandemic we've seen the Premier (Mr. Pallister) put false stat ements on the record, misrepresent the facts in the media and do everything he can to distract from his failings as a premier.

And during this health crisis of our lifetime, not a single member of the PC caucus has stood up for Manitobans and done what's needed to ensure that everyone gets through this time. But do you know who has? The very Manitobans we're elected to represent and serve. While the member for Radisson (Mr. Teitsma) doesn't think we should feed hungry children, the Mutual Aid Society, Fo od 4 All, CommUNITY.204 and Union Station businesses have provided hampers and healthy meals to thousands of community mem - bers in need.

While the Premier sows racist seeds of division and the Minister of Health brings forward anti - Indigenous legislation with Bill 56, the First Nations pandemic response team exemplify compassionate leadership during a collective time of need and com - munities lovingly share their vaccines. While all three former, current and acting failed ministers of Health attack doctor s, have no plan for nurses and gaslight front-line workers, our health- care heroes work double and triple shifts to keep Manitobans alive and provide care by the bedside. And the Minister of Education (Mr.

Cullen) wants to suppress democracy in schools a nd silence local voices with Bill 64. We 'teas'– we see teachers, staff, parents and students lining their lawns and apartment windows with NDP signs and organizing against him and his out-of-touch government. I send care and thanks to all Union Station con- stituents and Manitoba residents. Know that although we rise from the House today, we're going to continue fighting just as hard for you to make sure that you have access to vaccines, supports for your businesses, resources in health care, education and for your fam - ilies and all of our communities. Miigwech.

Societé de la francophonie manitobaine– Prix Riel Recipients Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): Je tiens à mentionner ceux qui ont gagné les Prix Riel 2020-2021. Depuis 1983, la Société de la francophonie manitobaine rend hommage à des francophones du Manitoba qui, de façon remarquable, ont contribué, surtout bénévolement, au développe - ment de la collectivité, tout en suscitant chez les nôtres le goût de vivre en français. La remise des prix virtuelle a eu lieu le jeudi 20 mai sur les comptes Facebook et YouTube de la SFM. Les gagnants sont : pour développe - ment communautaire : Crystal Desrosiers.

Crystal Desrosiers a fait preuve d'un dévouement exception - nel en tant que bénévole pendant 20 ans au sein de l'Union nationale métisse Saint -Joseph du Manitoba; pour le patrimoine : Doris Lemoine. Passionnée du patrimoine et de l'histoire, Doris Lemoine a 'bénévolé' à la Maison Gabrielle-Roy depuis sa création en 1995; pour la communication : Marc Marion. Cet avocat très engagé a été nommé pour son travail bénévole au sein du CA de Presse -Ouest Ltée, la société éditrice du journal La Liberté, dont il est le président depuis 2013; et pour la politique : Justin Johnson.

Il est chef de la direction à l'Association des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba , AMBM. Justin Johnson attribue à son passage au Conseil jeunesse provincial le mérite de l'avoir motivé à s'engager dans la communauté. Félicitations. Translation I want to highlight the winners of the 2020- 21 Prix Riel awards. Since 1983, the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, SFM, has been honouring French-speaking Manitobans who have remarkably contributed, mostly through volunteering, to the development of the community while promoting a taste for living in French.

The awards ceremony was held virtually on May 20th on the SFM's Facebook and YouTube page, with the following winners: the Community Development award went to Crystal Desrosiers, who demonstrated exceptional commitment as a volunteer in the Union nationale métisse Saint- Joseph du Manitoba for 20 years; the Heritage award went to Doris Lemoine,

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3747 a history buff who has been volunteering at La Maison Gabrielle-Roy since its establishment in 1995; the Communication award went to Marc Marion, a lawyer recognized for his commitment to and volunteer work with the board of directors –as president since 2013–of Presse -Ouest Ltée, which publishes the French newspaper La Liberté; and the Policy award went to Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Manitoba's Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM), who credited his time at the Conseil jeunesse provincial for spurring him into working for the community.

Congratulations. English I did want to mention I discovered in a newspaper clipping that my grandfather, J.S. Lamont, and Justin Johnson's grandfather met together 84 years ago in 1937 when a medal featuring Louis Riel was pre - sented to a Métis couple on their 50th wedding an- niversary. There's a real joy to finding these old connections. And since this is the last day before we break, I want to thank the Speaker, clerk staff and other members. There's a saying that even a stopped clock can be right twice a day, so I hope people will remember that even I can be right twice a day.

And I also want to wish the very best to Larry Kusch, who will be retiring shortly. I've always appreciated his no -nonsense, calm demeanour, his dedication to his profession and the fact that he pre - tended to laugh at my jokes. Well played, Mr. Kusch. It's been a very difficult year, and, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, best to you for a very well - earned retirement. Merci. Miigwech. Thank you. Deputy Speaker's Statement Mr. Deputy Speaker: Prior to oral questions, I have a statement for the House.

Four of our pages are serving their last day in the Chamber, and I want to share a comment with the House. First comments are from Maggie Rodger: I am in the 11th grade of Oak Park High School. I will be graduating from June 2022, and I'm hoping to continue my education with a bachelor of arts of – in psychology at Dalhousie University. Being a page in this past year has given me the heightened respect and gratitude, not only for our MLAs, but for everyone in the sidelines making this process possible.

Se eing that person–the legislative process and details –our democratic system has been insightful and inspiring. It has been–it has cemented in my interests in politics and current events. * (14:10) Working with the Legislature during the pan- demic, when the responsibilities of governments were so crucial to the people of Manitoba, was a once-in-a- lifetime experience–hopefully. That being said, I'm very happy that I've been vaccinated on May 27th, and I am anxious for life to return to somewhat normal state.

I'm am externally grateful for the opportunity to support all of you and to get to know you a little bit this past year, and it was a privilege and is –this year I will never forget. Next, comments from Ruofan Lin: Experiencing my entire senior year in the midst of this pandemic was tough, but I appreciate myself and my class of 2021 for getting me through it together. I'm graduating from Fort Richmond Collegiate and entering the faculty of arts and science at the University of Toronto with a focus on s ocial science.

I hope that–to pursue a career in law, applying what I have learned here at the Manitoba Legislature. So, all the best there. Being the page for the Legislative Assembly was definitely one of the highlights of my year and I cannot believe it's ending so soon. Working with the other pages, Dave, Ray, Cam, MLAs and other legis- lative staff have been an opportunity of a lifetime. With the now –newfound experiences acknowl - edged, I will continue helping people with develop- mental disabilities, while sharing my passion for art and writing with new people I meet.

Thank you for a wonderful year and stay safe and healthy. Next comments are from Jordan Glaspey: I really enjoyed the time here at the legislative– Legislature–Manitoba Legislature. It was a–far one of the best experiences of my life. I really enjoyed learning about the legislative process, learning the – meeting the MLAs and getting to know the staff. My favourite memory from the year here is definitely the night that I called over 10 v otes. This experience has been enjoyable and I hope to see you all again.

3748 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 Last, comments from Taryn Klippenstein: I am grateful for the opportunity to work as a page in the Page Program. It gave me an insight of our political system and –I would not have otherwise experienced. Next year, I will be attending the University of Winnipeg and explore faculties and programs–offered courses focusing on social issues and needs. Because of my experience in the program, I have decided to pursue an education and career in helping people.

Maggie, Ruofan, Jordan and Taryn, on behalf of the Manitoba Legislature, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours, and it has been a delight to have you all here working and get to know you, and with your–the abilities to do the votes and–10 or more, sometimes, a night–it was extremely impressive. So, all the best from all the MLAs, the clerk staff and all the legislative staff. I wish you all the best. Thank you. Now for oral questions. ORAL QUESTIONS Government's Pandemic Response Second and Third Wave Preparation Mr.

Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): Well, let me say to Maggie, Ruofan, Jordan and Taryn that we certainly appreciate all your hard work here. I hope that it's been a meaningful learning experience and that you'll take some of the positives that happened here forward with you, and all the best in what's next. So thank you so much. In March of 2020, Manitoba faced a challenge like no other: the onset of the COVID -19 pandemic. Now, Manitoba did not have the numbers that were as severe as in other provinces during that first wave.

It was the hard work of Manitobans that gave this Province time and space to plan ahead to address the challenges that we saw in other parts of Canada. But did we prepare? No. Did we plan ahead? No, this government did not. We now have some of the worst outcomes of anywhere in Canada. Why did the Premier squander the head start that Manitobans gave him after the first wave? Hon.

Brian Pallister (Premier): Maggie, to you and to–also to Ruofan and Jordan and Taryn, I wish you all the very, very best on behalf of our government in your–all your endeavours, not exclusively your academic ones, but of course we're excited to hear that you're pursuing your education, that you're going to be going forward to career development paths that you're going to enjoy, I'm sure. And I hope that you take with you a valuable experience here and use it as you move forward in other ways.

You've served here at a different time than any other pages have ever served, with additional stresses on you and on all those around you, too. And so I hope that you've learned through that how to face challenges together and to work as part of team, as you have. And I also want to say a thank-you to the rest of the team here who are serving in a time of COVID, in a time that is trying. It is undoubtedly a demanding time that we will all remember, and not necessarily treasure.

But I hope we can treasure the lessons we've learned about working together and preparing, most certainly that's what this government has been focused on since the outset. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Kinew: Last summer, experts warned that we needed to prepare for a second wave. But this govern- ment didn't do that. Instead, the Premier launched his ill-fated ready-set-go ad campaign. At the same time, the Premier then went on to shut down the health incident command centre.

The Premier and his Cabinet refused to hire more health-care workers. Instead, they turned around and demanded that those jobs be cut. It was a failure of focus and a failure of leader - ship, and it led to great costs and hardships borne by the people of Manitoba. It meant the second wave was worse here than anywhere else in Canada. Why did the Premier fail to prepare Manitoba for the second wave? Mr. Pallister: I know that the member is anxious to exploit COVID for political gain.

He should not pay disrespect to the preparatory work done by thousands of people throughout the government, the hard work that was done by people throughout our province and the private sector as well. And the volunteer sector deserves mention. And I would like to today pay special mention and again say, as I know all members of the House would agree, that we owe a special debt of gratitude to all our front-line workers in the health sector. This pandemic has placed incredible stresses on all of us, incredible stresses on families and on

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3749 individuals, but also on those who serve our needs in the health-care sector. And so, to our physicians, our nurses, our respiratory therapists, our first responders, all our medical workers and all the staff who support them in the institutional care they provide, I want to say a special thank -you for working together as part of team Manitoba throughout this entire pandemic. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question. Mr. Kinew: Well, then give nurses a fair deal.

We all saw the tragedies happening in long -term care in Ontario and Quebec. This Premier and this Cabinet didn't seem to learn those lessons. Instead of listening or learning, the Premier's failed Health minister claimed the deaths of seniors was unavoidable. Premier and his government, that same minister, they attacked doctors who tried to raise the alarm, and the Premier himself refused to call in the military even as seniors died in personal-care homes. A shameful tragedy at Maples and other care homes was the result. Now, this government still hasn't learned these lessons.

In the budget that they brought forward after the second wave this year there was no new money for long-term care in Manitoba. Why did the Premier fail to protect seniors living in personal-care homes? Mr. Pallister: Well, again, what the pages will note is the willingness to exploit an opportunity on the part of an opposition politician, and they'll also note that it's very easy to be right in every one of your opinions when you're not on the field of play, you're not actually the ones in charge of the decision -making. That's the hard job. This is why there are no statues of critics around the world.

It's easy to do. You don't have to have any expertise; you just si mply look at things and then complain, and this is what the opposition does. It's part of their job and, I think, defensible in some ways. However, when it goes further, to disrespect our health-care leaders, it's not defensible. When it goes further, to disrespect our vaccination team–over 4,200 immunization staff–an incredible 4,200 immu- nization staff vaccinating all over the province; 733,000 first doses alone to date.

Think about that and think about the incredible work those folks have done and say thank you to them for that wonderful dedication to team Manitoba. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a different question. Mr. Kinew: Seven more intensive-care-unit patients transferred out of the province yesterday alone, which brings the total number to 43–incredible, indeed. Think about that. The second wave of the pandemic revealed holes in our health-care system that were created and then made worse by this PC Cabinet. Staffing shortages in the intensive-care units.

Not only did the Premier fail to address these challenges, this Cabinet went and made things worse. There were fewer critical -care nurses in Manitoba in January of 2021 than there were two years before. * (14:20) That means this Cabinet saw the second wave and decided we needed even less ICU capacity after we made it through that. These are holes that this government should've filled. Why did the Premier fail to address any of the gaps in our health-care system revealed by the second wave? Mr. Pa llister: Again, just piling up on the false assertions today, sadly.

The reality is that the NDP commissioned a report on ICUs and emergency rooms by a Dr. David Peachey when they were in government and then didn't adopt any of the recommendations, which we acted upon in our first four years of government. Luckily, this pandemic didn't happen in 2016, because we increased the number of equipped, staffed ICU beds 40 per cent in that first four -year period. And now we've doubled it again during COVID. This is an incredible accomplishment. Our health- care leadership deserves credit, not criticism, for accomplishing this. I would also say thank you to our contact tracers.

We have almost 1,000 contact tracers that have been working throughout this pandemic to notify folks, to help protect them when they've come into contact with someone diagnosed with COVID. That's tremendously important work. Over 200,000 calls have been made by those contact tracers. And we're talking about a significant amount of effort a t a stressful time by a lot of dedicated people. So I want to say a special thank -you to them for being part of team Manitoba.

3750 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Kinew: Thirteen hundred nurse vacancies in Winnipeg alone, hundreds of more nurse positions empty across the province: Brandon, Dauphin, Thompson, everywhere. These are the results of cuts that this government has made. You can measure the accuracy of these figures in the amount of patients sent out of province, the only province that has had to ship ICU patients to other jurisdictions.

That's because of the cuts that were uniquely severe under Manitoba's PC government. It is a failure to serve the people of Manitoba. It's a failure to learn the lessons laid bare by the pandemic. The Premier should be accountable. Will he apologize today for cutting ICU nurses in Manitoba? Mr. Pallister: Doubling the ICU capacity from the start of the pandemic and increasing it by 40 per cent over what the NDP left behind after two decades of power is nothing for our health- care leadership to apologize for. They should be proud of their actions. No one could've anticipated the needs.

We're happy to be in the Confederation, happy to have offered support to others throughout our time as a province here. And now that we need assistance, I say thank you to the government of Ontario, thank you to the government of Saskatchewan, for offering that assistance. Just as we would to them in their ti me of need, they are doing now. I also want to say thank you to the federal government.

But I especially want to say thank you to our small-business community and tell them that we know how valuable–and how appreciative we are of their work, their community contributions, their creation of jobs and opportunities for summer students, for people, for full-time positions. That's why we've offered three quarters of a billion dollars of support as a government. No province has done more for their small -business population. We value you and we say thank you for being part of team Manitoba. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary question. Mr.

Kinew: No province has failed harder at the government level t han Manitoba. The cuts that this Premier and his Cabinet instituted in the health -care system are part of the reason that those small busi - nesses were hit so hard. One lesson we've all learned during the pandemic is that a health- care investment is an inve stment in the economy as well, and yet there appear to be 30- some Manitobans who have failed to learn that lesson; they're all members of the PC caucus. This is the Premier's legacy: the worst outcomes in COVID across Canada, a failure when it comes to the COVID response. It hurt Manitobans.

It made life worse in this province. Does the Premier accept responsibility for his and his government's failure to respond to the pandemic? Mr. Pallister: I'm excited to accept the responsibility of leading a gove rnment that is made up of people dedicated to the service of Manitobans and that will never shirk in that responsibility: steady, united and focused. The member opposite hasn't had that experience, but I have. We're experiencing challenging times. We don 't quit in challenging times, not here in Manitoba.

We don't quit in challenging times in Manitoba because we stand up to those challenges and we face them head-on. And we'll continue to face them head -on, not by running away, not by lying about our record in a book, not by running on false pretences and hiding our record from the public, not by doing any of those things. That's what a coward would do. Standing up and facing the challenges head on, that's what Manitobans do because Manitobans aren't shamer s. They see through the member's tactics.

They're people who rise to the challenge, and Manitobans will rise to this one, just as they have throughout their proud history. Thank you very much for your service, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Former Manitoba Residential Schools Request to Search for Burial Sites Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Indigenous families cannot heal until the full extent of a system designed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into Canadian society is understood–work that all levels of government must take on. When asked about systemic racism, the Premier has said, and I quote, actions matter at least as much

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3751 as adjectives. End quote. But this same Premier was slow to respond to the discovery of 215 Indigenous children. And when asked–the Premier and the provincial government –yesterday to support the investigation of all Manitoba former residential schools, they deferred to the federal government. Will this government support in all ways the efforts to investigate Manitoba's fo rmer residential schools for unmarked graves of Indigenous children? Hon. Eileen Clarke (Minister of Indigenous and Northern Relations): I thank the member opposite for the question.

It has indeed been a difficult few days since we heard in the media of these 215 graves that were uncovered in BC. And I met this morning with many of our visitors out front of the Legislature building, talking about their experiences. And some of them are residential school survivors. They talked about how this is affect ing them. And we also talked about the sites in Manitoba, and it was interesting to learn where some of the additional sites are, beyond the 14 that are acknowl - edged.

And we look forward to 'fither' –further dia - logue with these individuals and moving forw ard to do more on behalf of their families. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a supplementary question. Ms. Fontaine: When the member for Keewatinook (Mr. Bushie) asked the Premier to explain how he planned to support sections 71 to 76 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission yesterday, the Premier said to the member, and I quote, probably has more information on this specific piece than I do. End quote.

It is not the responsibility of Indigenous peoples to continue to educat e over and over again that this work needs to happen. It is the responsibility of all peoples and, obviously, all levels of government to do this work. Deputy Speaker, it was disappointing that the Premier did not put any official words on the record yesterday when we debated our MUPI. And so, you know, I would ask the Premier to get up today and ask–to commit the resources towards investigating all former Manitoba residential schools for graves of Indigenous children. Ms. Clarke: I thank the member opposite for this discussion.

The truth and reconciliation Call to Action No. 75 calls on the federal government to work with provincial, territorial, municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former residential school students and current l andowners to develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, documentation, maintenance, commemoration and protection of residential school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children have been buried. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Johns, on a final supplementary question. Ms.

Fontaine: I don't think that was an answer, and we know what that recommendation is. Provinces must do better than just deferring to the federal government on these issues. They must take this seriously and make a firm commitment to implementing all of the TRC's calls to action and work collaboratively and respectfully with Indigenous peoples and with all levels of government to inves - tigate all of Manitoba's former residential schools. The Alberta government has announced its intention to fund research into undocumented deaths and burials of Indigenous children who were killed in residential schools.

Members opposite must do the same. Words are simply not enough, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Will the Premier get up right now and commit to funding this important work and ensuring that children get back to their families? * (14:30) Miigwech. Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Ensuring the lessons that should be learned and must be relearned by all of us about the tragedy of residential schools is a critical part of our commitment to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

I can only say to the member, who was an Indigenous activist, an Indige nous adviser, I under - stand, a paid Indigenous staffer giving advice on Indigenous policy to the previous government for many, many years, that none of this happened– [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: And so when the member gets up and tries to score political points on this issue, that is

3752 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 unseemly; it's inappropriate; it's just simply shameful and wrong. Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: I will say–I'm answering the member's question, if s he would be still long enough to listen. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: We're committing to act where it wasn't happening when the member was in govern - ment, and we're committed to act seriously in conjunction with partnerships, leaderships in the federal level, at the Indigenous level, to make sure that these failures–[interjection] Mr.

Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Pallister: –over many, many years, do not continue. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Manitoba Bridge Grant Program Expansion of Eligibility Criteria Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): Manitoba small businesses are struggling during this third wave. Many business owners have continued to operate throughout the pandemic, just barely getting by. Now they've reached their limit and the Manitoba Bridge Grant program is not accepting any new applications. Businesses have been incurring all kinds of expenses to keep their customers and staff safe for the past 15 months.

Far too many of them are ineligible for supports. Will the minister reopen the Bridge Grant pro - gram to new applicants today? Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): We know that the member's no friend of business, trust me. What our government has done is we've invested over $657 million –sorry, $671 million in supports to businesses. Along the way there's been over 70,000 individual payments that have gone out to businesses. That includes 15,000 supports for businesses in the Bridge Grant program.

We've also made additional investments in sick leave program that will benefit businesses–just in the last month alone we're upwards of $60 million –as well as additional supports to restaurants, some of the businesses that had been dramatically impacted by Manitobans. Our government is very much committed to support local businesses to get through the pandemic, and that's exactly what we've done. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Fort Garry, on a supplementary question. Mr.

Wasyliw: I think all you have to do is drive around downtow n Winnipeg and see all the closed storefronts to get a real visual idea just how much this government and this minister respects and supports small business. Now, the Bridge Grant program is overly complicated and its undersubscribed. It's not giving business owners the relief that they need. It has restrictive eligibility criteria and has left too many small-business owners out in the cold entirely.

After 15 months, new businesses have started to spring up; however, they've been hit with the third lockdown, and they're not getting any help from this government. Will the minister do the right thing and revamp and reopen Bridge Grant eligibility today? [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. Mr. Fielding: We know how much of a hypocrite the member opposite is, as he usually uses his class 'warfore'–fare approach and tax businesses, so it's kind of ironic that he comes in to somehow support them.

What this government has done is they put more money to support businesses than most governments and some of the most generous supports in the country. As I mentioned, just over the last number of weeks alone we've invested over $71 million in third supports–fourth supports, rather, for the Bridge Grant program, over $60 million of supports for sick le ave program to make sure employers and employees are supported. We've invested more than 30–$3.6 million to support business or–of things like restaurants above and beyond that. All total, over $671 million in supports.

We're going to do what it takes to support businesses– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time is up. The honourable member for Fort Garry, on his final supplementary question.

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3753 BITSA Legislation Tabling Timeline Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): You know, Mr. Deputy Speaker , Manitoba small businesses deserve support, not childish name-calling. Now, the minister is leaving far too many small businesses out in the cold, and for the rest of the province, he prefers to keep them in the dark. The budget implementation bill has yet to be tabled. They began this session hiding 19 bills, and now the session's about to end and the details of the budget have been hidden from view.

In previous years, BITSA cut funding to transit and to the City of Winnipeg, and last year it included a 3 per cent hydro rate hike. This is a government that runs away from transparency and accountability. Why is this minister hiding away this important legislation? Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): We know what the Leader of the Opposition–the leader from Fort Garry does–do–decided do during the pandemic. He decided to 'filibust' major supports for things like the pandemic. When Manitoba needs it most, what did they do?

They 'filibusted' the Legislative Assembly in the last year for close to one third of the session. It, quite frankly, is shameful activity. We ministers, as well as the Premier (Mr. Pallister), have been out daily in terms of briefing people in terms of what needs to happen for the pandemic to make sure we're protecting Manitobans. Our last budget provided $1.1 billion of supports to protect Manitobans and make sure we're advancing Manitoba past this pandemic to get businesses back on the road to recovery. Grace Hospital ER Staffing and Wait Times Mr. Adrien Sala (St.

Jam es): I recently shared the experience of a community member whose 93-year-old mother was left in the Grace ER hallway for a total of five nights in a row. This story touched many people in west Winnipeg, and others have since reached out to share their own stories. What's become clear is that the Grace ER is in a state of crisis. Patients are being left to sleep in hallways, many are not receiving their medications on time, and there are issues with severe overcrowding and understaffing. The minister needs to intervene to protect staff and patients.

What is the minister doing to address the crisis happening in the Grace Hospital ER today? Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Acting Minister of Health and Seniors Care): Each and every day, our health - care workers ar e dealing with an unprecedented, historic challenge, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And they're doing so under difficult circumstances, under trying circumstances. But they are doing so in a way that I think all Manitobans should be proud. We know that these are ch allenging times for all of those who are in the health- care system.

We also know that they are stepping up and doing the job that not only they were trained to do but we know that they love to do, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Regardless of the hospital that they' re in, despite the challenges that they're facing, we also know that we will be better on the other side of this, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because that is how Manitobans react to a crisis: they step up, they do what needs to be done, and they improve after that. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. James, on a supplementary question. Mr.

Sala: They are dealing with an incredibly difficult situation that's been made infinitely worse by the cuts that have been made by this government. Mr. Deputy Speaker, during the third wave of the pandemic, Manitobans want to know and trust that our hospitals are the safest place they could go. The Pallister government's own wait times task force warned them that consolidation would put real pressure on remaining emergency rooms, such as Grace, but they did not listen to calls for more capacity. The result is a deteriorating situation with backed-up patient flow and a lower quality of care.

What steps is the minister taking to address the long-term staffing crisis at the Grace Hospital today? Mr. Goertzen: In fact, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the very report that the NDP commissioned outlined the fact that there were historic wait times in Manitoba–more than any other province in Canada. Those wait times are reduced by the measures that were taken by this government. In terms of investment, not only are there $750 million more annually that are invested through operations in the health- care system, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but a new emergency room was opened at the Grace.

There's been new capital investments in St. Boniface. There's new capital investments in Flin Flon and all places around Manitoba.

3754 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 Where the NDP spent their time closing ERs, we are opening and staffing emergency rooms, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Sp eaker: The honourable member for St. James, on a final supplementary question. [interjection] Order. Mr. Sala: The Grace is effectively a community hospital that has been thrown into the deep end without the necessary investments to support tertiary care. That's what the wait times task force warned this government. Now, predictably and unfortunately, the Grace Hospital is overwhelmed.

The Pallister government's rushed consolidation is having a real and negative impact on those seeking care in my community. Why isn't the minister taking action to solve these issues immediately? * (14:40) Mr. Goertzen: Well, there's no question, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that the pandemic is having an impact when it comes to care, but those care providers have stepped up in remarkable ways, not only in the hospitals but ensuring that new vaccines, which didn't even exist a year ago, are being distributed throughout the province. Thousands of individuals have joined that team to distribute vaccinations.

More than 870,000 doses have been administered in the province just in the last few months. That is the hope that's being provided to the entire health- care system, to Manitobans. I know that that member is trying to raise these issues, either try to scare people or to fear mo nger, Mr. Deputy Speaker. There are real challenges, but there's also real hope. I hope he sees that hope and demonstrates it. Addiction Treatment Supports RAAM Clinic Opening Hours Mrs.

Bernadette Smith (Point Douglas): The moment a Manitoban struggl ing with addictions makes a decision to seek help, they need immediate access to supports in order to make a change. That moment doesn't necessarily happen on weekdays or during business hours. I'll table a document for this House which shows that, in the past four months, RAAM clinics have only been open an average of 1.8 hours a day. This is simply not enough to meet the need for immediate, accessible care to fight their addiction.

Will the minister commit today to funding clinics and organizations who are ready to do this work so they can support Manitobans battling addictions around the clock, or does the minister think that 1.8 hours a day is adequate support? Hon. Audrey Gordon (Minister of Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery): I would like to t hank the member for Point Douglas for her question. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I was so pleased to announce yesterday more than $819,000 being invested by our government to expand capacity at our two Winnipeg RAAM clinics.

And I also want to just thank all th e physicians and health- care staff that work at not just the Winnipeg clinics but our–all our RAAM clinics across the province for the tremendous work that they're doing during this difficult time to support individuals that are struggling with mental health and addictions and substance use. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I hope the member opposite will join me in thanking those health -care profes - sionals as well. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Point Douglas, on a supplementary question. Medically Assisted Treatment Beds Mrs.

Smith: The VIRGO report called for greatly enhanced funding for addiction supports. The minis - ter is talking about a drop in the ocean of what is needed. Three hundred and seventy -two–and I'll repeat that number–372 people lost their lives this past year because they couldn't access the resources and supports they needed. To make matters worse, families trying to desperately get their loved ones care are facing long waits because there are less detox and medically assisted treatment beds since this government came to power.

Will the minister commit to reversing her govern- ment's cuts and to opening more detox and medically assisted treatment beds, or will she continue to use the pandemic as a human shield for failing to do her job? Ms. Gordon: I do want to say it's unfortunate that the member for Point Douglas continues to rise in the House and put inaccurate information on the record, disrespecting the health-care workers and all the fine individuals that are working during this difficult time to provide services to individuals that are struggling.

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3755 Mr. Deputy Speaker, since the VIRGO report was released in 2018, our government has invested $50 million in 33 initiatives. And I would like the member for Point Douglas to apologize to all the RAAM clinic individuals that work every day for bringing forward a resolution on May 12th– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time is up. The honourable member for Point Douglas, on a final supplementary question. Safe Consumption Site Mrs.

Smith: Researchers, advocates and folks with lived experiences have long called for safe consumption sites because they know that they save lives. We are the only province in western Canada without a safe consumption site. The minister likes to reference the VIRGO report. Well, Deputy Speaker, the VIRGO report recom - mends a safe consumption site, but this government deliberately removed it from the final copy. We need consumption–safe consumption sites to support folks now.

Will the minister listen to the research, follow the lead of other provinces and commit to opening a safe consumption site today, or does she believe –as the Premier, her boss, does –that addictions is a moral failing? Ms.

Gordon: The member for Point Douglas continues to increase the volume of her voice, but the information that is not being increased is the accurate information that needs to be placed on the record and the thanks that needs to be sent out from the member for–to all the health-care workers and service delivery organizations, of which there's over 40, that are working so hard during this difficult time to provide services to individuals that are struggling with addictions and substance use. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, since April of last year, over 2,268 individuals have been helped by our RAAM clinics.

Will the member for Point Douglas thank the health-care workers and all the individuals that– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time is up. COVID-19 Pandemic Third Wave Request for Safe Reopening Plan Mr. Dougald Lamont (St.

Boniface): This government has routinely ignored warning after warning on the pandemic, and we're concerned the same is happening with the economy because we've seen a ton of pre -pandemic legislation that was rammed through with a COVID stamp stuck on the side to justify it, but it's legislation that often undermines public institutions and won't help the vast majority of Manitobans or their businesses. Now, today's the last day to directly ask questions 'til October, an d we don't even have a glimmer of a post-pandemic opening plan.

When, if ever, will Manitobans be able to get a recovery plan from this government? Hon. Brian Pallister (Premier): Well, in due course. But of course in the immediate present we live in, we are the hotspot of COVID cases in North America and of course we're going to continue to focus on having good enforcement. And so I want to say thank you to all of our enforcement people. We have more than 3,250 people who helped with that, and sadly, that's necessary. But I wanted to say a special thank -you to all Manitobans who have followed the public health orders and continue to follow the public health orders.

It's important to do that. It's important to do that to stop the spread of COVID and its variants. And so I want to say a special thank-you to all the Manitobans out there that are making the sacrifice of doing the right thing and respecting those public health orders. The longer that we do that, the shorter the period of recovery will be. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. Boniface, on a supplementary question. Mr. Lamont: We're very concerned because this government's track record on risk management has been a disaster.

We are deeply concerned that, as we face a fragile reco very, that the government is basically gambling everything on a housing bubble that many banks are projecting could burst. There's a difference between optimism and wishful thinking, and this government for a year has seemed to have based just about ever y decision on ignoring reality instead of coping with it. In the pandemic, good planners have set out best, worst and expected scenarios. The failure to prepare

3756 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 the third wave we're enduring right now meant we had a worse than worst case scenario. But w hen it comes to the economy, is the government going to release a plan and can it be reality-based for a change? Mr. Pallister: I'll ask the member to consider what this country would've looked like if we had a lot more vaccines a lot sooner, like dozens of countries around the world, and then ask himself if that's not the sad reality of the situation we face today.

And if it is, then perhaps the federal government does bear some responsibility for procuring vaccines later rather than sooner. That being said, I want to say a special thank-you to the young people of this province. We have 18,000– approximately 18,600 grade 12 students who'll be graduating this year. Congratulations to them. And this should be a moment to revere and to celebrate for them and their families. It's a moment, like last year's grad, that's kind of tinged by the nature of COVID. So I want to say to them: We're proud of you. You're our future. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We celebrate you for everything you've done and everything you've learned and everything you're going to do to contribute to a better world, a better Manitoba, a better planet. Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for River Heights, on a final supplementary question. * (14:50) The honourable member for River Heights, if you could unmute? Physical Activity Programs and Team Sports Participation of Vaccinated Population Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): I'm sorry. Mr. Deputy Speaker, physical fitness and athletic activities are important to good health, especially in young people.

Once hospitalizations and ICU cases are down, will the government allow full participation in fitness and athletic activity, including team sports, in communities and regions which reach a specific proportion of the population vaccinated as, for example, in communities with 80 per cent of Manitobans 12 years of age or older having had at least one of their vaccine doses? And will the government also use rapid testing, as Utah has shown works, to keep team spor ts safe? I table a copy of the Utah studies. Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Acting Minister of Health and Seniors Care): I know that public health, led by Dr.

Roussin, has often indicated that, whether it's schools, which he believes should be the last things to close and the first things to open, or youth activity is extremely, extremely important and they've done everything they can during this pandemic to keep those opportunities going for youth. But we also know that there's been a disruption and that has bee n hard on young people. We hear that from many young people.

So I do know that, in the planning for reopening– and we all hope that can be sooner than later; we have a fight right now when it comes to the third wave, but when we look at reopening that is one of the priorities that public health has placed: ensuring that young people can have that activity that they so desire and that they so need for their physical and mental health, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Manitoba Teachers' Society Partisan Politics in the Classroom Mr. Shannon Martin (McPhillips): Now, Mr.

Speaker, the leadership of the Manitoba Teachers' Society wrote an opinion editorial in the Winnipeg Free Press stating partisan politics do not belong in the classroom. Our government agrees with this statement. However, we are seeing MTS do the exact opposite. Can the minister shed light on recent activities in the classroom with the Chamber? Thank you. Hon. Cliff Cullen (Minister of Education): Clearly, opposition parties have lost their moral compass when it comes to partisan political classroom visits.

We've seen from the Manitoba MTS president, and I quote, our province's teachers need many things in the classrooms, but partisan politics isn't one of them. End quote. We know MTS is now affi liated with the Manitoba Federation of Labour. The Manitoba Federation of Labour is affiliated with the NDP. Manitoba federation policy says that union–affiliated union members are encouraged to take out personal memberships. I table supporting documents.

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3757 Mr. Deputy Speaker, does the NDP believe that teachers should be asked to purchase political memberships? Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action for Education System Mr. Nello Altomare (Transcona): I wish I had time to respond to that, but I got to get to this very important question here. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the extreme centralization and control spelled out in Bill 64 means a less responsive school system. The truth and recon- ciliation's calls to action were released five years ago.

It called for the establishment of senior Indigenous educational leadership at the assistant deputy level or above. That hasn't happened. It likewise calls for a –denominational schools to foster an understanding of other cultures and religions, including Aboriginal spiritual beliefs. This, too, is not accomplished. It's time for action and action now. When will the minister implement the TRC's calls to action for schools in Manitoba? Hon.

Brian Pallister (Premier): We continue to implement the reco mmendations of the missing and murdered inquiry and the previous reports done by informed individuals of RCAP and of the TRC. We'll continue to focus on implementing these and making what wasn't happening happen: a recovery, a real healing, a real reconciliation. I want to say a special thank -you to all of our government employees throughout government service, the Crown corporations, the so-called MUSH sector. This has been a challenging and difficult time for all of us, for our families and for the work environment, in particular.

And so I think it would be wise for all of us to say a thank -you and an appreciative word to them. I also want to say a special thank -you to all our staff here. We know that this has been a challenging time for you, as well, an d for your families. The sacrifices you've made do not go unnoticed and we say thank you. We appreciate the opportunity to work here. You create an opportunity for us to do so. And, also, to all my colleagues in the Legislative Assembly, wish you the best as we depart.

I know the work will continue and I look forward to seeing you again, hopefully in an Assembly where we can all gather together safely, in the October –early part of October. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The time for oral questions has expired. Deputy Speaker's Statement Mr. Deputy Speaker: And I have a–just a statement to–for the House. As adjournment time for the summer is today, I would encourage that members of the Chamber remove all contents of the desks now. I would further encourage members to recycle as much as material as possible.

The blue bins are –in the Chamber – designated in the recycling of the Hansard only. The– only the other materials could be –like, the recycle– may be placed in the large recycling containers in the message rooms located outside the Chamber. And since I'm up here already, I would like–I just had the greatest time of my political career, actually, being in this Chair. There's been some trials and tribulations, but I actually got through and I just want to thank all the members.

I want to thank the clerk staff and the legislative staff and all the pages for making this opportunity for me the –one of the best I've had in this Chamber. And I want to thank the Speaker to give me the opportunity to do this in the last six weeks. And, like I said, this was great, and you guys were all–been good to me and I really appreciate everybody. And I just want to wish everybody a great summer, have the time with your constituents and be there for your families and all stay safe. Thank you very much. * * * Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition? Mr.

Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): On a point of order. Point of Order Mr. Deputy Speaker: On a point of order. Mr. Kinew: I have to say, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it's very heart -warming to hear you share those words, and I think there's nothing partisan about your service, and so there's nothing partisan about me saying this. It's been a pleasure having you in the Chair, and you've certainly answered the call of duty by doing a great job. And, of course, we expect the Speaker to return and we wish her well. But, of course, real pat on the back to you for your service here.

3758 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 Want to thank also the Sergeant -at-Arms, the Clerk, the legislative staff, the pages, Hansard, translation, everybody for doing an amazing job. It's been a session to remember so far, and the session isn't even done yet, so how about that. But I do hope that everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy the summer, once it's safe for us to do so. And, once again, just want to pass on our thanks on behalf of our team. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Government House Leader, on the same point of order. Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): Mr.

Deputy Speaker, I don't think it's a point of order, but I do think it's a good point that the member opposite raises, and I would echo my comments to you as I echoed before. And you mentioned to me during the royal assent ceremony after the long list of bills was done, you said to me that you couldn't have imagined doing what you're doing in high school, but I think your high school class–which was only, I'm sure, a few years ago–would be very, very proud of the efforts that you've put in here, acting as our Speaker.

And, you know, it's hard to believe that it was a little bit more than a year ago when we shut this place down because we had no idea how we would function in the way that we were being asked to function. And since then, it is remarkable to see the changes in this Assembly; of course, the few number of members and the number who are joining us virtually. And that has been very important because it allows the voices of constituents to come into this place.

There was a time for a while where MLAs couldn't–they could listen, they could be online, but they couldn't actually voice the concerns or views of their constituents, and that's not how an Assembly or democracy is supposed to function. So thank you to all the clerk staff, all of the Assembly staff, our pages, everyone who made this function in the way that it did. We certainly hope that in the fall we can all be here as 57. It'll be a little strange, but I think it would also be a welcome thing to all come back together.

So, I wish you all a sa fe summer, everyone, and thank you for your great and dedicated service to this Assembly, to the democracy of Manitoba and to the people of Manitoba. They all appreciate it. Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker: I guess it really wasn't a point or order, but thank you for the kind words. And one –couple people I need to also remind myself to remember here, is I want to thank my co-chairs: the honourable member for Brandon East (Mr. Isleifson) and the honourable member for La Rivière for helping me out here.

They were of great assistance to me and that's–we worked as a great team and so I want to thank them too, especially too. Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Want to follow up and personally, and on behalf of our team, congratulate you as Deputy Speaker. You've done an admirable job and with a good sense of humour. We certainly appreciate that. I also want to thank the Clerk's office and the Assembly staff and the Chamber staff for everything that's been done to make this session–which combines real in -person and virtual people, MLAs who are working hard to do their best for the province of Manitoba.

It's been quite an experience and quite a session, and we owe a lot to all those in the Assembly staff who made it possible. Thank you. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Again, I want to thank everybody for the kind words, and it wasn't a point of order. * * * Mr. Deputy Speaker: But we'll move on to petitions. * (15:00) PETITIONS Mr. Deputy Speaker: And–the honourable member for Union Station (MLA Asagwara)? [interjection] Oh, okay. The honourable member for River Heights, you might as well continue. Menstrual Product Availability Hon.

Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Yes, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The background to this petition is as follows: Many individuals have faced challenges in obtaining and affording period necessities. In Manitoba, women, non-binary individuals and trans people have been denied free access to essential

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3759 period necessities, such as pads, tampons, menstrual cups and reusable options. The lack of free access to period items results in the perpetuation of poverty and deprives individuals of reasonable access to a basic health necessity. This petition aims to ensure that these items are free to access in public schools and within Manitoba's health-care system, and that no individual who requests them can be denied on the basis of gender or sex identity.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the Minister of Health and Seniors Care to implement free access to period necessities within public schools and Manitoba's health-care system. To urge the Minister of Health and Seniors Care to acknowledge the prevalence of people within Manitoba who are unable to afford essential period items. Signed by: Michayla Carlson, Debbie Martyniuk, Krista Marjorie Reguay [phonetic] and many, many others. Mr. Deputy Speaker: In accordance with rule 133(6), the –when petitions are read they are deemed to be received by the House. Right to Repair Mr.

Jim Maloway (Elmwood): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background for this petition is as follows:

(1) Manitoba consumers believe products should last longer, be repaired when broken, and that planned obsolescence h as environmental consequences that threaten a sustainable future.

(2) In 2021, the European Union set minimum design requirements for many electronic devices with new right-to-repair legislation.

(3) The right to repair enables consumers access to the re sources necessary to fix and modify their products, appliances, including cellphones, washing machines and refrigerators.

(4) The right to repair also allows consumers and electronic repair businesses access to the most recent versions of repair manuals, replacement parts, software and other tools the manufacturer uses for diagnosis–diagnosing, maintaining or repairing its branded electronic products.

(5) The right to repair further allows consumers to reset an electronic security function of its branded electronic products if the function is disabled during diagnosis, maintenance or repair.

(6) In addition, the right to repair ensures manufacturers replace electronic products at no cost, or refund the amount paid by the consumer to purchase the electronic product, where they refuse or are unable to provide manuals or replacement parts. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows: To urge the provincial government to adopt right- to-repair legislation requiring manufacturers of electronic devices and appliances, including washing machines and fridges, to make information, parts and tools necessary for repairs available to consumers and independent repair shops.

And this petition is signed by many Manitobans. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Any furth er petitions? Grievances? ORDERS OF THE DAY GOVERNMENT BUSINESS Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): Could you please canvass the House for leave to alter the Estimates sequence for today only so that in room 254,

section –the

section of Executi ve Council be replaced by Enabling Appropriations, followed by Finance? Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is there leave to alter the Estimates sequence for today only so that in room 254,

section Executive Council will be replaced by Enabling Appropriations, followed by Finance? Is there leave? [Agreed] Mr. Goertzen: And then, for the last time this spring, could you please resolve into Committee of Supply? Mr. Deputy Speaker: As stated by the Government House Leader , we're going to resolve into the Committee of Supply. Mr. Deputy Speaker, please take the Chair.

3760 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY (Concurrent Sections) ROOM 254 ENABLING APPROPRIATIONS * (15:10) Mr. Chairperson (Dennis Smook): Will the Committee of Supply please come to order. This

section of the Committee of Supply will now resume consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Enabling Appropriations. As previously agreed, questioning for this department will proceed in a global manner. The floor is now open for questions. Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): I'm wondering if the minister can tell us, in the 2020- 2021 budget, $100 million was set aside for emergency con - tingencies. I'm wondering if he can advise whether any of that money was spent, and if so, on what? Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): I think I was asked that same question earlier on, on Friday, on that.

So, no, we haven't tapped into the $100- million fund for emergency expenditures as of yet. There is an appropriation in climate and–the climate department that deals with, kind of, you know, forest fires and what have you. I think it's a 49- or 50-million-dollar fund that's there. Obviously, those are one –probably one of the areas that we would go to for it. But no, we have not tapped into the $100-million fund as of yet.

Generally, what happens through the Estimates process, again, is, you know, departments have, you know, budget lines in their department and so they utilize kind of those things, and once, you know, those budgets are expended already, then we would tap into certain things like the emergency budget, the $100 million that we're talking about here. So, yes, I'll refer them back to the previous answer, but that's essentially the answer again. Mr. Wasyliw: Yes, maybe it was confusing the way I asked the question. I'm not talking about the current budget year.

I'm talking about the previous year–in the previous year, whether or not that $100 million was touched, and if so, in what way. * (15:20) Mr. Fielding: I'm going to get you to turn to page 13 of our budget document; it identifies the

summary of expenditures. And if you look at the –closer to the bottom–emergency expenditures, as I mentioned, was allocated for $100 million. So far we're allocated –so far after third quarter now –the real numbers come in at Public Accounts in September –but after third quarter, $47 million of that $100 million had been allocated. Again, that doesn't include the last quarter. If you do flip the page to page 14, you know, the page–just–the number that I quoted does not include any of the COVID expenditures–so on page 14 of the document to go through our COVID expenditures.

Not sure if that's where the member, you know, that's the information he's looking for, but that $1.977 billion is what we anticipate spending for the year-end. But again, of that $100 million specifically, after third quarter this year, it's $47 million, and the final number will come out after the fourth quarter's done in Public Accounts, which is tabled at the end of September. Mr. Wasyliw : Those are our questions on the Enabling Appropriation section. Mr. Chairperson: Hearing no further questions, we will now proceed to consideration of the resolutions.

At this point, we will allow virtual members to unmute their mics so they can respond to the question. I will now call resolution 26.1: RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding $4,770,000 for Enabling Appropriations, Enabling Vote, for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2022. Resolution agreed to.

Resolution 2 6.2: RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding $1,303,476,000 for Enabling Appropriations – [interjection]–I'll just repeat that: RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding $1,303,467,000 for Enabling Appropriations, Internal Service Adjustments, for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2022. Resolution agreed to. Resolution 26.3: RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding $40,000,000 for Enabling Appropriations, Green and Carbon Reduction Fund, for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2022. Resolution agreed to.

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3761 Resolution 26.4: RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding $178,306,000 for Enabling Appropriations, Capital Assets-Internal Service Adjustments for the f iscal year ending March 31st, 2022. Resolution agreed to. This completes the Estimates for the department of Enabling Appropriations–[interjection] The member for St. Boniface (Mr. Lamont) needs to mute himself. This completes the Estimates of the department– for Enabling Appropriations. FINANCE Mr. Chairperson (Dennis Smook): The next set of Estimates to be considered by this

section of the Committee of Supply is for the Department of Finance. Shall we briefly recess to allow–[interjection] no, the minister is –we don't want to–critics the opportunity to prepare for the commencement of the next department? An Honourable Member: No, let's proceed. Mr. Chairperson: Okay, there–we will proceed. Does the honourable minister have an opening statement? An Honourable Member: Mr. Chair, I don't –sorry, Mr. Chair, I don't have an opening statement, but I do have some additional information I think the member asked on Friday that I could maybe table for the member.

Is that–is the will of the committee to table that information? It was on the made-in-Manitoba climate and green fund. An Honourable Member: Yes. An Honourable Member: Okay. Mr. Chair, it sounds like there's a will to do that. So, the question was by the member–it was about the made-in-Manitoba climate and green– Mr. Chairperson: Could I just –I need to recognize the honourable minister before he can continue there. [interjection] And could you also confirm the leave for–request because I didn't recognize you so it's not on record. So if you could please repeat that so that we can ask the question.

What we'll do is we'll do the opening statements first and then when we get into questions, that'll be the time for you to provide us that information. Does the honourable mini ster have an opening statement? Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister of Finance): I don't, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chairperson: Does the official opposition critic have an opening statement? Mr. Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): I don't. Mr. Chairperson: Seeing no opening statements, under Manitoba practice, debate of the minister's salary is the last item considered for a department in the Committee of Supply.

Accordingly, we shall now defer considerations of line item 7.1(a), contained in resolution 7.1. Does the committee wish to proceed through the Estimates of this department chronologically or have a global discussion? Mr. Wasyliw: Global, please. Mr. Chairperson: Is it agreed that we will proceed globally? [Agreed] The floor is now open for questions. Mr. Wasyliw: I would certainly invite the minister to share the information that he's brought today. Mr. Fielding: Thank you to the member.

So just–the question was –the made-in-Manitoba climate and green fund, I think the question was how much money was allocated and expended in previous years. So, I have the numbers here: in the 2018-19 year, there was $142 million allocated. Now, that made up $102 million of the Conservation Trust and then also– and out of the green funds, I guess, if you will. And of that $142 million, $136,185,000 was allocated of that $142 million.

And then in 2019- 20, the amount authorized, it dropped because we didn't have the $102-million trust from 2018, so it was $40 million authorized, and of that expended was $33,305,000. * (15:30) So just wanted to put that information on the record. And that's pulled from our Public Accounts document for 2018- 19, I don't know the

3762 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 page numbers, but that's right from our Public Accounts document, Mr. Chair. Mr. Wasyliw: Now, the number of FTEs in consumer protection and business services increased from 184 to 229, and I'm wondering if the minister could explain what the 45 additional positions are. Mr. Fielding: The positions are as such: there was 44 positions for the Vital Statistics that cam e within the department now and one from the Funeral Board. So that made up the 45 additional positions –44 for Vital Statistics, same amount as last year, and then one for the Funeral Board. Mr.

Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister can tell us how many of the 44 Vital Statistics positions are vacant currently. Mr. Fielding: There's nine and a half positions that are vacant right now. We are hiring, this week and next week, three positions over the next–this week and next week–the next two weeks. There is also six and a half positions that will be hired later on in summer or later on the summer, so in June and July. And there is also five summer students that have been hired on that are part of the, you know, the staffing requirements right now. Mr.

Wasyliw: Has the minister outsourced any work from Vital Statistics to a third party? Mr. Fielding: No, we haven't. Mr. Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister could explain why Vital Statistics was removed as a special operating agency Mr. Fielding: So, we initially had them–or for a long period of time was operated as special operating agency. But we've moved away from that role. We feel if we can move it into the department you can benefit from greater efficiencies, kind of reducing red tape and benefiting from having it kind of a part of the department.

So you're able to kind of move a little bit quicker to deal with issues as they come up. Mr. Wasyliw: We've been hearing that there's a backlog to August 2020, especially for birth certi - ficates. I'm wond ering if the minister could explain why there's such a delay and what's being done to address it. Mr. Fielding: So we do recognize –and I think the member did ask me this in the House–we do recognize that there has been delays, and so we–our officials are ensuring that there's improvement in these areas.

The department's taking a multi -pronged approach to improving operations to service delivery, which includes renovating the existing historical office space to improve the client services and incorporating modern best practice information technology –so IT solutions, I guess, if you will–and balancing improve- ments to service delivery times and security and privacy concerns. Vital Statistics continues to maintain its three-day turnaround time to process rush applications for birth and marriage and death certificates for registry under life events.

So, again, you are able to get the enhanced–you know, if you need it more in a speedier process. Today, the Vital Statistics branch has registered over 11,500 deat hs that have occurred in 2020, and just with some of the stats, I guess, if you will, they have made–our department has made impor - tant improvements. Vital 'sasistics' –statistics–sorry, having a hard time pronouncing this, the last day of the session–has started to reduce the current backlog. Since our –since instating the backlog reduction plan in March 2021, the backlog for birth certificates to be issued has been reduced by about 18 per cent.

So, again, 18 per cent reduction of the birth certi - ficates; death certificates have gone down by 61 per cent, that's the wait times; and marriage certi - ficate issuance by 49 per cent. So there has been some improvements. We–as I mentioned earlier on, there has been additional hires–recently hired four additional c lerks and five STEP students, as I mentioned earlier, to assist with operations. Additional recruitment, as I mentioned, is happening right now with, I guess, it's three and a half positions and then the six and a half positions to be hired later on this s ummer.

So those are the efforts that are under way right now. I know there was–maybe I'll just address this right now–there was an issue in the media, I think it was raised in the House, too, of a lady that was having a hard time getting, I believe it was her birth certificate, if I'm not mistaken, because she needed some sort of benefits. I did ask our officials to reach out to that individual to ensure that they realized to get the federal benefits, you just need to be registered with us.

So whether you have the official, you know, birth certificate or not, you just need to be registered and you should be able to have access to the federal benefits. * (15:40)

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3763 Mr. Wasyliw: The minister had indicated that they have a standard of three-day turnaround for expedited process, but which costs an extra fee, but the regular process for birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates, what is the department's standard? What's supposed to be the regular turnaround and when are we getting back to it? Mr. Chairperson: The honourable Minister of Finance. Not ready yet? Okay, we will hold off. Mr. Fielding: I'll get better with my hand signals here.

It's –so the standard in place is to have turnaround for six to eight weeks. That's the standard our department has and we should be back to those levels by the end of June. And again, kind of the game plan, I guess, if you will, through kind of a pronged approach, you know, fixing the IT systems there, kind of the structural physical nature of it; we've hired additional staff; I guess it's the five staff we got –or no, we got five additional STEP students. They've hired additional staff and they're in the midst of hiring further staff.

And again, just the number that I mentioned before, I guess, is three and a half and the other six staff would be hired later on, so. Mr. Wasyliw: In the 2019- 2020 Vital Statistics report, page 14, they talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action No. 17: to allow residential school survivors and famil ies to reclaim names changed by the residential school system by waiving administration costs for a period of five years. There's some discussion in that report about a legislation change being made. I'm wondering if the minister can say what is the status of this?

Is this something that's going forward? Does it need a legislation change? Are you considering fee waivers for this initiative? Mr. Fielding: Our government is very committed to doing this. There has been some delays with the COVID, you know, issues that we've dealt with. Our department is still working with Indigenous com - munities. We do anticipate this happening later on, potentially at the end of summer or into fall, where this will be able to meet the commitment the government has made. Mr.

Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister can tell us what the current backlog wait times are for birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates. Given that if some of these things go back to August 2020, how is he going to be able to clear up the backlog by the end of June, which is just a matter of weeks away? So how much time does it currently take right now without all the staff in place? Mr. Fielding: Yes, I'm going to get the answer, just, in terms of the current wait times–respect to that.

I guess to answer the global question while I'm just waiting for officials to get the real answer, you know, I guess the plan–it's a three -pronged plan, for the most part. Number one is hiring more staff. I've gone through, kind of, the staffing that we have hired or in the process of hiring over the next two weeks. We have five STEP students; that's a part of it. We've made upgrades to, kind of, the IT types of systems, I guess, if you will, and the physical, like, structure of the actual building, if you will.

You know, there is overtime that's being–that our staff is utilizing right now to get caught up on things. There's also training that has happened.

And as I mentioned, there has been some good progress–not good enough for me to make sure that we're doing a better job, but there has been some progress in terms of an 18 per cent reduction in the waits for things like birth certificates, death certificates by 61 per cent and marriage licences by 49 per cent. * (15:50) And I will work–and my officials, just kind of get the current wait time, and so I could probably get back to you over the next question or two if you want to maybe move on and I can revert back to that once I do get the actual answer from our officials. Mr.

Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister could provide the current number of positions in the department and how many are actually filled. Mr. Fielding: There is 820.5 FTEs in the department, there is 186 vacancies, and right now our department is hiring or in the process–the lead-up for the process of hiring of close to two to three dozen staff. Mr. Wasyliw: Wondering if the minister can tell us what the vacancy rate is in Compliance and Enforcement? Mr. Fielding: There is 246.7 positions and there's 32 vacancies. Now part of that 32 vacancies, there's

3764 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 a good portion of these that are –the ones that I mentioned–that are either in the process or being hired. Mr. Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister can tell us which units in his department have the highest vacancy rates. * (16:00) Mr. Fielding: You know, we're just running a kind of report from our administration right now.

So I will have that probably in a minute or two, but just in the essence of our time, if the member would like to ask another question, I can most certainly come back to that issue once we do have the report and I can give him all the information on that. I just–again, it's just taking a few minutes. I want to make sure we're using the time effectively. Mr. Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minis ter can tell us what the vacancy rate is in audits as well as in Collections? Mr. Fielding: You know, we are running this kind of report so I'll have a little bit more details.

Maybe just in, again, the essence of time, while we're waiting for this report to come out, which should be any minute, is there some other areas that the member would like some question–some answers on? And I'm assuming we're going kind of maybe down a vacancy rate. Is there certain other areas that you'd like some answers to? And then I can maybe provide them all at the same time once I get the report from our administration. Mr. Wasyliw: While I'm looking at the supplemental Estimates book for Workplace Safety and Health, it was budgeted last year for $8,599,000, it's been dropped to 8,293,000.

I'm wondering if you could explain that reduction, is that position eliminations, and if so how many and what were the job classifications for that? Mr. Fielding: Okay. Getting some results here back. So, there's three kind of answe rs I'll answer, I guess, overall. The Workplace, Safety and Health, the budget did go down. Now, everything is related to salary adjustments, so there has been a change in FTEs.

Now, what that really means is, you know, maybe someone retires, they may be at a higher salary level than a new person that may come in to fill these positions, so there isn't any less FTEs, but the salary has gone down. So all that total budget is related to kind of reductions in salaries as people retire, all that sorts of stuff. The next –one of the others is –the member asked for was Collections. And so there is 20 people in 20 FTEs. There's no vacancies there. So no vacancies there. In audit, there are 79 FTEs in audit and there is 40.8 vacancies. Mr.

Wasyliw: What's going on with audits that half your staff are missing? Mr. Fielding: So a number of factors. * (16:10) Number one, there is a normal attrition level. For the most part, we were just looking at previous years. There generally tends to be at least a couple dozen. So it is higher, for sure, with 40 as opposed to maybe a 24, you know, you'd have it. There is hiring–ongoing challenges, I guess I would say, in that area, and that sector, I guess I'll call it. For the most part, you know, they're–seem to be a little bit older. So people are closer to retirement age, so I think there is some turnover.

A little higher workforce turnover, I guess, would make up the reasons for the higher turnover than previous years. Mr. Wasyliw: How has that affected the number of audits that have been happening on a yearly basis? And what would be the average number that we would normally do and what is it currently? Mr. Fielding: Yes. So there is less on -site audits, and that's kind of more of a, you know, kind of a by-product, like, I guess, of COVID, obviously, you know, trying to keep people out of the work–you know, kind of workforce–not workforce, but the work area, right.

So, same thing with kind of all our inspections and stuff like that. Obviously we don't want people spreading COVID, so there's more desk audits that are going on right now. There is a number of the staff –as I mentioned there's upwards–between two to three dozen, kind of, you know, staffing types of jobs that are either in the process of being hired or, you know, actively being sought out after. And really, you know, what I'm hearing from our staff is what's impacting more isn't necessarily the staffing levels; it's the fact it's COVID, right. COVID is having an impact, for the most part.

June 1, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 3765 Mr. Wasyliw: In t he last year's budget, Manitoba Labour Board had $1.6 million allocated for staff. It's now down to $1.4 million. And again, is that position reductions, and if so, how many? And what were those positions doing? Mr. Fielding: So, there is no position reductions in the Labour Board; the salary –the difference is just related to salary adjustments. So, kind of the same thing: when you have people retiring, you may have someone new that works into that role that may not be at the same salary level, I guess, if you will.

So, there's 14.5 positions; so that's unchanged from previous years. Mr. Wasyliw: The Employment Standards has gone down from almost $3.5 million to 3.2. And, again, I'm wondering if the minister can confirm: is that any position reductions or is that just salary adjustment because of a younger workforce? Mr. Fielding: So, yes, to answer the question, there's no change in FTEs, which is 37.6, which is in the previous years. It is all related to salary adjustments, so kind of the same kind of, you know, reasons why, I guess, if you got other people that are moving in.

There is vacancies –that might be the next ques - tion for the member–6.8 positions are vacant. Mr. Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister could provide the committee with how many above - guideline rent increase applications were made in 2020 and 2021, and how many were approved. * (16:20) Mr. Fielding: So, our officials are just getting kind of the answers about the rent guidelines. I will provide that. Just to go back, the m ember asked a question about the highest vacancy rate for the department. So, I do have some information on that.

I do have a whole listing, but I guess I narrowed it down to maybe the top three –I'm not sure if that is appropriate for the member. But the first will be Treasury Board Secretariat, which is a 39 per cent vacancy in Treasury Board Secretariat. The second is intergovernmental; there's 35 per cent vacancy in intergovernmental. And the third is finance, policy and planning, which is at 33 per cent. Now, some of these departments are bigger than others, but I think the member had asked for the highest vacancy rate. So those are the top three.

Again, I guess we could, you know, if the member wants, you know, a few other, you know, kind of, whatever–number four, five, six or seven, I can provide that as well. And we are looking for the other information, so I'll–maybe I'll stop here and I'll wait for the answer if that's appropriate for the–Mr. Chair. If that's appropriate for you, Mr. Chair, I'm jus t waiting for the answer. I think I've got some additional questions coming. One sec. Mr.

Wasyliw: I'm wondering if the minister could provide how much money Hydro has made from the sale of Teshmont, and as well how much did the government make in the sa le of its T esmont [phonetic] shares? Mr. Fielding: Still looking for the above -rent guidelines, so we're going to get back to you once I have that information. Just to deal with the current issue about–in terms of how much revenue we gained.

So, just wi th the company, I believe it was an engineering company, where the government –or Hydro, rather, owned a portion of that–those shares and then they essentially cashed those in when the situation was different. Now, that would go onto the net income of the corporation, so I am going to refer that to the Minister of Crown Services (Mr. Wharton) and he can respond, because it will go on that balance sheet, essentially, of Hydro and it would–incorporated in their net income. Mr. Wasyliw: Now, the minister had mentioned in some earlier discussions that the government took out two 100-year bonds for Hydro.

And I'm wondering if you could tell us how much were those bonds, who is the bond holders, what is the interest rate, and basically are we able to get out o f them early and how do they basically work? I believe, I think, that the minister's own com - ments, it's unprecedented; we've never done bonds like that in Manitoba. * (16:30) Mr. Fielding: To answer the bond question, you're right. As it was reported earlier on, there was two century bonds. And so that's something that isn't a usual for a government –for the most part, kind of long-term bonds, maybe a 30 year.

So it was an opportunity with extremely low interest rates. It was in the tune of about $600 million, and I believe the interest rate was around

3766 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 1, 2021 2.95 per cent. So obviously we know that it's cheaper right now than pretty much any time in the recent past. And so if you can access money for 100 years at 2.9 per cent, you're doing well. Now, this was a private fund, and so, you know, we don't have permission essentially to release who that is. This wasn't done through the normal course where you're going to the public markets. Sometimes we get–do get approached by –whether it be private pension funds or other things like that, in respect to agreements or other–lending some money, that's a part of it.

So, that is an opportunity the government had taken: two century bonds for upwards of $600 million at 2.95 per cent for a century. Mr. Wasyliw: What would be the going rate at this time for a 30-year bond? Mr. Fielding: A 30- year bond goes for about 2.87 per cent right now. Now, with that being said, you know, I think probably everyone would realize that this is a

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Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	42-3-73b
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	42nd 3rd hansardpdf 73b.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	c5233314cd39c47eba718191de61a5de9bea011c

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