Manitoba Hansard — Sitting 37 (29th Legislature, 3rd Session)

29-3-37

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Speaker The Honourable Peter Fox Vol. XVl ll No. 37 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 12th, 1971. Third Session, 29th Legislature. Printed by R. S. Evans - Queen's Printer for Province of Manitoba

ELECTORAL DIVISION ARTHUR ASSINIBOIA BI RT LE-RUSSELL BRANDON EAST BRANDON WEST BURROWS CHARLESWOOD CHURCHILL CRESCENTWOOD DAUPHIN ELMWOOD EMERSON FLIN FLON FORT GARRY FORT ROUGE GIMLI GLADSTONE INKSTER KILDONAN LAC DU BONNET LAKESIDE LA VERENDRYE LOGAN MINNEDOSA MORRIS OSBORNE PEMBINA POINT DOUGLAS PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE RADISSON RHINELAND RIEL RIVER HEIGHTS ROBLIN ROCK LAKE ROSSMERE RUPERTSLAND ST. BONIFACE ST. GEORGE ST. JAMES ST. JOHNS ST. MATTHEWS ST. VITAL STE.

ROSE SELKIRK SEVEN OAKS SOUR IS-Kl LLARNEY SPRINGFIELD STURGEON CREEK SWAN RIVER THE PAS THOMPSON TRANSCONA VIRDEN WELLINGTON WINNIPEG CENTRE WOLSELEY NAME J. Douglas Watt Steve Patrick Harry E. Graham Hon. Leonard S. Evans Edward McGill Hon. Ben Hanuschak Arthur Moug Gordon Wilbert Beard Cy Gonick Hon. Peter Burtniak Hon. Russell J. Doern Gabriel Girard Thomas Barrow L. R. (Bud) Sherman Mrs. Inez Trueman John C. Gottfried James Robert Ferguson Hon. Sidney Green, QC. Hon. Peter Fox Hon. Sam Uskiw Harry J. Enns Leonard A. Barkman William Jenkins Walter Weir Warner H.

Jorgenson Ian Turnbull George Henderson Donald Malinowski Gordon E. Johnston Harry Shafransky Jacob M. Froese Donald W. Craik Sidney Spivak, Q.C. J. Wally McKenzie Henry J. Einarson Hon. Ed. Schreyer Jean Allard Laurent L. Desjardins William Uruski Hon. A. H. Mackling, Q.C. Hon. Saul Cherniack, Q.C. Wally Johannson D. J. Walding A. R. (Pete) Adam Hon. Howard Pawley Hon. Saul A. Miller Earl McKellar Hon. Rene E. Toupin Frank Johnston James H. Bilton Ron McBryde Hon. Joseph P. Borowski Hon. Russell Paulley Morris McGregor Philip M. Petursson J. R. (Bud) 13oyce Leonard H.

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THE LE GISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 2:30 o'clock, Wednesday, May 12, 1971 Opening Prayer by Mr. Speaker. 849 MR. SPEAKER: Presenting petitions; Reading and Receiving Petitions; Presenting Reports by Standing and Special Committees. The Honourable First Minister. MOTIONS OF CONDOLENCE HON. EDWARD SCHREYER (Premier)(Rossmere): Mr.

Speaker, becaLS e I anticipate that there may well be debate on the adjourned debate on the motions of receiving the reports of the Standing Committees, I wonder if I could have leave of the House to proceed with condolence motions now relating to the three deceased former members of this House. (Agreed) Well, Mr. Speaker, as members well know, it is customary near the beginning of each session of this Chamber to move that condolence motions be sent to the families of form er members of this Assembly deceased, who passed away some time between the last session and this, and Mr.

Speaker, I rise at this time in accordance with this tradition of recalling to memory the public service of former members of the Legislative Assembly who have passed on during the preceding year. This afternoon we recall to memory a former MLA and Cabinet Minister who needs no oral monuments to enhance his name, and whose re cord of service to the people of Manitoba for the physical monuments that he left, the spirit he kindled throughout the province, are in evidence all over, all about us, and will endure for many years to come.

Maitland Bernard Steinkopf, Queen's Counsel, had a devotion to Manitoba and trans lated that devotion with an inspiring passion and boundless energy into deeds and achievements that will be long remembered and recognized. It is no accident that we have selected this day, May 12th, to recall the work of Maitland Steinkopf, for this is a day that is special for Mani toba, a day that I am sure must have had a special significance to him.

It was on this day that the Manitoba Act was given Royal Assent in the Canadian Parliament enabling Manitoba to enter Confederation as Canada's fifth province, and 96 years later, on May 12th again, 1966, Manitoba•s flag bearing the province's coat of arms was raised for the first time in ceremonies throughout the province. This too was a significant occasion for Maitland Steinkopf who, in his capacity as Provincial Secretary, had piloted the bill establishing the flag through this Assem bly in that year. "There is something special about Manitobans, " he often said.

"They have a spirit you don't often find anywhere else," He believed this intensely and during the seven years he served as Manitoba Centennial Corporation Chairman, first to guide the province's activities in observance of Canada's national centennial and then Manitoba•s own Centennial of 1970. He aroused that spirit and brought it alive through the length of the province with imagination, innovation, enthusiasm and a driving force and zeal that few men have been known to possess, so it is most appropriate to think about and honour the memory of Maitland Steinkopf on this day.

When he first took his seat in this Chamber at the age of 50, he had already made a mark of distinction in business, public service and philanthropic endeavours. Every cause that claimed his attention had been enriched by his leadership and his ability for getting things done, sometimes over considerable obstacles and local opposition. Born and educated in Winnipeg, he graduated from the Manitoba Law School, was called to the Bar in 1936. From then and until 1945 he practised law and became associated with a variety of business enterprises.

During World War II he joined The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders as a private, later transferring to the Royal Canadian Ordinance and ending up with the rank of Lietenant- Colonel. For distinguished military service he was awarded the MBE military decoration. He established in his business career the first shoe factory in Western Canada, was one of the founders of Polo Park Shopping Centre, and was president or served on the board of a large number of investment, insurance and other cor porations in Canada, and to some extent in the State of Israel. His public service encompassed many spheres of activity.

After the war he directed the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Association Drive in Canada. He took an active interest in the Girl Guides and the Association for the Retarded Children. He was the first president of the Manitoba Travel and Convention Association. He chaired campaigns for the

850 May 12, 1971 (MR. SCHREYER cont'd) . . . . . March of Dimes and for the State of Israel bonds and the United Jewish Appeal. He served on the board of governors of the University of Manitoba and in 1967 was appointed the first Chancellor of Brandon University. The list is impressive and goes on. Among the many honours awarded him were the 1965 Human Relations Award of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews and the Medal of Service of the Order of Canada 1970.

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from River Heights in the general election of 1962, and was a member of the Cabinet of the government of Manitoba as Provincial Secretary and Minister of Public Utilities from June 12, 1963, until his retirement from politics in 1966. It was while he was a cabinet minister that he was appointed Chairman of the Manitoba Centennial Corporation to co-ordinate the province's activities for the Canadian and Manitoba centennials, a post he continued to hold full-time and without salary until his death.

May I say, as a very personal observation, that I had an acquaintanceship with Mr. Steinkopf that would stand a decade. I recall so well the episode in 1964 when circumstances caused his resignation and subsequent re-election to this Chamber, a course of action that I was associated in arguing for, and which was ultimately understood without recrimination. In 1969 and 1970, I had the privilege of working closely and constantly with Mr. Steinkopf in many of the policy and financial considerations relating to our Centennial ' 70. It was a relationship of trust and confidence throughout.

The action-packed years he spent in law, in business, in the army, as an MLA, as a cabinet minister, and in countless community endeavours were a bright prologue to his finest hours as the architect and motivating force of our Centennial cele brations and· organization lying behind that. Many villages, towns and cities in our province became aware of and affected by his pre.sence, guidance and inspiration during these memorable days of our Centennial year and prior to that.

His lasting physical memorials will be the many Centennial structures built in Manitoba during the past few years and, more particularly, the spirit of the province which he stimulated and aroused in the hearts and minds of many of our citizens. Mr. Steinkopf often observed: "The greatest satisfaction in life is making dreams coim true." Death came to him November 21, 1970, a few weeks from the end of a most successful Manitoba centennial year, but not before he had the satisfaction of seeing unfold before him the major fruits of his untiring labours.

Death came only a few weeks after his doctors had order ed him to cut down on his activity. Maitland Steinkopf in many ways can be said to have given his life to public causes. He will be sorely missed and long remembered. Honourable members, I know, will want to join in paying tribute to a great man who truly served his province and who won the respect of many, if not all.

Accordingly, I would like to move, seconded by the Honourable the Leader of the Op position, that this House convey to the family of the late Maitland Bernard Steinkopf, Queen's Counsel, who served as member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family. MR . SPEAKER presented the motion. MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable Leader of the Opposition. MR.

SIDNEY SPIVAK, Q. c. (Leader of the Opposition)( River Heights): Mr. Speaker, I thank the First Minister for the opportunity of joining in the condolence resolution. In 1962 I was privileged to nominate Maitland B. Steinkopf as a candidate for the con stituency of River Heights. I was his campaign manager in that year and again in the by election of 1964, and of course any of those who really knew Maitland Steinkopf know how im possible .it was to speak of managing a campaign when he was the candidate. He was not the kind of man who could easily be contained or presented in a normal political campaign.

It is fitting, Mr. Speaker, that we pay tribute to his memory in this House because he loved and respected this Chamber and its life. But this House can sometimes be a cruel place. This House can be hard and it can be bitter. This House was cruel to Maitland B. Steinkopf, but his response to that cruelty can be used as a model by all those who may from time to time be cut or hurt during the life of this Chamber.

To those who would know Maitland Steinkopf, or who would understand that response he made, I would say that in the two centennials we had in 1967 and in 1970, in the variety and the ceremony and the sentiment and the fun, he showed all of us his view of Manitoba, his love for it untinged by any anger or resentment.

May 12, 1971 851 (MR, SPIVAK cont'd) .•... Maitland Steinkopf was truly a colorful man, and in these times when irresponsibility is too often mistaken for color, that is high praise for any public figure. Anyone who worked with him can attest that he was, from time to time, one of the most aggravating men on earth. He was aggravating because he refused to be discouraged by practical objections or by practi cal problems. As often as not, his ideas were greeted with the statement: "But that's impos sible." And as often as not he did them anyway, and they worked.

And under his leadership during our Centennial he infected many in Manitoba with the ability to attempt the apparently impossible and to succeed. And so in a way, Mr. Speaker, there are monuments to this man and to his energy in almost every community in Manitoba. He spoke often of bricks and mortar that we put into our centennial projects, into our cultural complex here in Winnipeg, into the auditorium in Brandon, into the skating rink at Berens River, into the hall at Teulon, into the Errick F. Willis memorial in the Peace Gar dens, into the Wilderness Park in St. James-Assiniboia.

All of these things and the many others have made life in Manitoba better, and that is part of the legacy of this man to his prov ince, but, perhaps more important, for a little while during our Centennial year we stopped our bickering and our worrying about our place in this nation and were simply proud of all that has been built here in Manitoba over the years. That pride - and it echoes in our daily life - is another part of Maitland Steinkopf• s legacy. When Her Majesty the Queen visited Manitoba last year, she visited with our people and not only with our leaders.

She attended a football game, and a federal cabinet minister was moved from his seat beside her in favour of a member of the Royal Canadian Legion. She met and spoke with children and with our older citizens. During that Royal Visit we trod rough shod on many of the rules of protocol, but that was Maitland Steinkopf's way, and in breaking protocol the visit of our Queen somehow gained an excitement and a spontaneity that no other Royal visit has had, and that too was Maitland Steinkopf's way. It's hard to eulogize a phenomenon, because Maitland Steinkopf was a phenomenon.

I'm proud that Maitland Steinkopf was one of the most distinguished members of the Jewish faith ever born in Canada. He followed his family tradition of community service. He was unselfish and dedicated. His energy, his determination, his zest for living were unique. His ability to move in any circle, the rich or the poor, young or old, urban or rural, was unique. Even his speaking style, with its own brand of personal humour, was unique; but he changed the face and the spirit of Manitoba. The ability to do that has been given to very few.

Maitland Steinkopf was also a devoted family man, but his wife and his family had to share him with our province and for that we thank them. Perhaps the most importand and most enduring monument to this fine M!ll!i.toban is in the effect that his powerful personality had on so many who knew him or who worked with him. By his example he taught a style of public service that concerns itself with all the things we can be here in Manitoba rather than just what we are.

He taught an optimism and an excitement that has seemed to be out of. style, and he taught a simple but very important thing - he taught us the fun of living in Manitoba. The word 11fun11 sounds trite, Mr. Speaker, but that merely shows how little we have appreciated it, how we relegated it in our own life to our children, but during our Centennial he talked most, almost all of us, into doing something ridiculous, some ridiculous thing, and we all enjoyed them. And I think that this is a very important lesson indeed. In these times, Mr. Speaker, there are too few men whose stature distinguishes them.

There are too few men who are colorful. Maitland Steinkopf was one of these men and we will continue to miss him, but this man's legacy remains in the tangible bricks and mortars of the centennial projects across Manitoba and the remembered experiences of our centennial years and in the unique and creative style of public service that characterized his whole life among us. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Assiniboia. MR. STEVE PATRICK(Assiniboia): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on behalf of the members of our party on this condolence motion.

I think it was a shock for many members of this House and the people of Manitoba when they learned of the late Mr. Steinkopft s death. It was my pleasure and privilege to know Mr. Steinkopf on a personal basis even before he or I were members of this House, and I always admired this gentleman. I know he was a member for a short time only and left politics on a voluntary basis, but his record. is surely a remarkable one in this province. One of his last positions was the Chairman of the Centennial Corporation and he devoted a great measure of his life to this board.

In our Centennial year he gave more to his province than can be

852 May 12, 1971 (MR, PATRICK cont'd) ..... expected of any one person. I found him to be a warm person and he had a very wide circle of people who enjoyed his companionship and his cheerful human ity. His friends were the little people, the big people, the sports people and the young people, but, most important, he was a doer; he had the capacity to get things done. So, Mr. Speaker, I regret the passing of this great outstanding Manitoba and I wish to associate the Liberal members with the motion of condolence to Mrs. steinkopf and the family. MR.

SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Rhineland, MR . ,JACOB M, FROESE (Rhineland): Mr. Speaker, I too would like to join with other members who have already spoken, in passing along condolences to the Steinkopf family. We who have been in this House for some time, and I know many others, know the hard worker that Mr. Steinkopf was right to the end of his untiring effort that he made on behalf of the people of this province, especially during Centennial year. As has been said, Mr.

Steinkopf received his education in Winnipeg but he also had a rural background, and I feel that this gave him a better understanding of the people in rural Manitoba as well as in the Greater Winnipeg area. Mr, steinkopf has left his mark as Centen nial Chairman. He stood up for his beliefs and his convictions, and this is something that I appreciate and I'm sure many Manitobans appreciate very much.

He was a lawyer, as has been said, but he was also a businessman and certainly this brought with him a wealth of ex perience when he was Minister of the Crown in the former government of this province and, as a result, Manitoba has benefited from this during his term of office. I had a very high personal regard for Mr. Steinkopf and I extend to the family my deepest sympathies to the bereaved. I'm sure his wife and family must miss him sorely. MR , SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Fort Garry. MR. L,R, (Bud) SHERMAN (Fort Garry): Mr.

Speaker, I'm one of several members of this Chamber who served under the late Maitland steinkopf in his capacity as Chairman on the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Centennial Corporation, As such, I would like to speak for them and their colleagues on that board at this time in aligning ourselves with the senti ments that have been expressed in connection with the memory of Maitland Steinkopf. Mr. steinkopf led that board with energy; he led it with imagination, with wit and with a deep compassion for the aims, the aspirations and the sensitivities of all the people and all the different peoples of Manitoba.

For all his great gifts, Maitland steinkopf's greatest gift and greatest contribution was his ability to see and appreciate the Manitoba mosaic in full. The success of his Board of Directors in guiding and supervising the role of the Centennial Corporation in this province• s magnificent Centennial celebrations, was due in its greatest measure to him, and to him alone. All who served with him there and elsewhere shall always miss him and shall always feel their lives strengthened and enriched by having worked along side him.

On behalf of all members of that board, I would like to extend deepest sympathies to Mrs. steinkopf and the family. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for La Verendrye. MR . LEONARD A, BARKMAN (La Verendrye): Mr. Speaker, having also served under Mr. steinkopf on the Manitoba Centennial Board, I feel I would like to say a few words.

I shall never forget the imagination this person had for new and lively ideas, and not only with the Centennial Corporation but in whatever capacity he served, and his deep concern for the interests of youth and also his devotion for people from all walks of life gave me a lesson that I shall never forget as an individual. Perhaps the greatest gift that he gave to the people of Manitoba was a hundred per cent effort of himself. Rural Manitoba especially will miss his warm and his kind attention that he gave them. In 1967, when I visited Israel, Mr.

Steinkopf practically arranged the whole trip in Jerusalem for me. He did not do this only for my welfare, I'm sure, but also because of his great dedication towards the Jewish people. So Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with this condolence motion. MR , SPEAKER: Are you ready for the question? The Honourable First Minister. MR , SCHREYER: Mr. Speaker, I now refer to the late Peter James McDonald, former MLA in this Assembly for the electoral division of Turtle Mountain, I have a very good personal recollection of the late Mr.

McDonald's years in this Assembly in that he serv ed here in the years 1962 to 1966. I recall that after the former Lieutenant-Governor, Errick Willis, left this place to become Lieutenant-Governor, that he was succeeded by Mr. Dow and in turn by the late Mr. McDonald, whose memory we are now bringingto mind, I recall very well that Peter McDonald used to be a very happy-go-lucky sort of

May 12, 1971 853 (MR, SCHREYER cont'd) . . . . . person in this Chamber. He did have an interest in agri cultural policy and used to contribute to the debates on the estimates of the Department of Agriculture in particular, but I remember him most for his happy-go-luckiness. I really think that when he left this Assembly in 1966 that he left it without any ill will or rancor whatsoever to any other member here, and certainly with no enemies.

And because he was of the temper ament and disposition that he was, I used to feel safe in referring to him by nickname from time to time - not in the Chamber of course, Sir, but in the place across the hall. I believe Mr. McDonald had something to do with that coffee shop being given the nick name "Senate. " He referred to this as the Senate Chamber of the Manitoba Legislature. And because of his initials, I'm sure it was because of his initials, P. J. McDonald, that I used to from time to time refer to him by the nickname "P. J. the D.

J. 11 and in turn he used to refer to me as 11the kid." That's all; nothing more; just "the kid, 11 and I suppose that when one is in this Assembly at the age of 25 or 26, as I was at that time, that it was perhaps an appropriate kind of nickname to be tabbed with. Mr.

McDonald's death leaves to mourn his loss his wife and three daughters and one son, and accordingly I move that the following motion be conveyed to the family: I move, seconded by the Honourable the Member for Souris-Killarney, that this House convey to the family of the late Peter James McDonald, who served as a member of this Assembly, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family. MR. SPEAKER presented the motion. MR.

SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Souris-Killarney. MR. EARL McKELLAR (Souris-Killarney): Mr. Speaker, I thank the First Minister for the privilege of joining in this condolence motion for the late Peter J. McDonald mentioned, the former member of this Legislature, the Member for the Turtle Mountain constituency. All of us who were in this Legislature at that time will remember Peter McDonald I think for a long time. He sat in the seat where the Honourable Member for ste.

Rose is presently sitting, and all of us here at that time took a great interest in Peter because he was always visiting every one of us continuously on both sides of the House. Peter will be remembered in the Killarney district for being an excellent farmer, a farmer who was interested not only in grain growing, but in purebred cattle. He showed these cattle at practically every show in the Province of Manitoba and also at the Royal Winter Fair on many occasions. His cattle were known all over Western Canada for their breeding, and I am sure that many people, many farmers, will be sorry to hear of his passing.

During the time that he operated his farm, he went into the business field in the Town of Killarney and operated an International-Harvester dealership of which he disposed about the time he came into the Legislature. Previous to coming into the Legislature he was Mayor of Killarney for four years from 1958 to 1962, and previous to that he sat on the council.

And I think if any one project in the community of Killarney that Peter McDonald can be remembered for during his service on that council, it's the improvements that were made to that park around the lake, and I think many of you that haven't seen this park, this park is really one of the finest, I think, in all of Manitoba, and it's kept and maintained by the Town of Kl.Harney still. He did sit in here for four years and he did take

part in many debates, principally on agriculture as the First Minister mentioned, because of his great interest in that field. But he also, I can safely say that he kept the Cabinet Ministers on their toes in caucus with his many points of view and I think many of those points of view were taken to heart as he ex pressed them, of his desire to make rural Manitoba a better place to live. About 1967 he disposed of his property, farm property, and his dwelling in the Town of Killarney on the lakeshore, and he moved to Victoria, B. C. and at that time he was in reasonably good health.

But later, the last two years, his health began to fail and I've only found out recently that it was because an attack of hepatitis about twenty years ago left the damage on his liver, and it gradually came to the point where, just a little over a week ago, Peter passed away at the age of 58 years of age.

His contribution to Manitoba and principally to the southern part of Manitoba, the Killarney area, and to the constituency which he served, the constituency of Turtle Mountain, will long be remembered by the people who he represented, and at this time I would like to, on behalf of members of our caucus, join in this motion of condolence to the members of the family and expressing our sympathy to each one of them.

854 May 12, 1971 MR, SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Portage la Prairie. MR. GORDON E. JOHNSTON (Portage la Prairie): Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues in the Liberal Tu.rty, I would like to associate ourselves with the Member for Souris-Lansdowne in his able eulogy to the late Mr. Peter McDonald, and also the Premier. The late Mr. McDonald and the three members who are here with the Liberals today all came in at the same time, 1962, and we found him to be a very charming person.

He could debate with heat but not with rancor, and I think that, as was mentioned by the Premier, this man, when he did leave politics he didn•t leave enemies behind; he left a good feeling and he was a good citizen; and perhaps all of us can bear in mind that in public life we come on the scene and we leave the scene, and if we can leave with the same good feeling that the late Mr. McDonald left, we will have accomplished something. MR, SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Rhineland. MR, FROESE: Mr. Speaker, I too would wish to join.with other members in passing condolences to Mrs. McDonald and fu.mily.

Having known Peter since he was elected to the House in 1962, he took a great interest into the proceedings of this House and, as has been mentioned, he had a very happy and a carefree attitude - I'm sure members will remember that; and, too, in my opinion he was quite outspoken. Whenever he did get up to speak he would not mince words; he would come out with the facts and I think this was appreciated. As has also been pointed out, he went to the west coast for enjoyment no doubt, and probably for bet ter treatment, and now he has gone to his reward to yet a better land.

Certainly during his time that he was a member, he established a very personal relationship with many of the members of the House at that time, among which I feel privileged to be one of them. At this time I would like to join with other members and extend condolences to the McDonald family. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Swan River. MR, JAMES H. BILTON (Swan River): Mr. Speaker, I rise at this time to join in the condolences that are being extended, simply because it was my privilege to sit beside Peter McDonald in 1962. We came in as freshmen to contribute what we could in the interests of the province.

And growing out of that association, Mr. Speaker, a long-lasting friendship developed. As has been said, Peter in the cut and thrust of debate not only carried his share in this House, but also in the caucus in the interests of the people of Manitoba, As a fresh man along with Peter, our professor was the late Harry Shewman who sat in this House, and in giving our attention to him, as we did from time to time, I feel that together we contributed our part. Peter, as it has been said, passed away at an early age because of an illness he suf fered years ago, and at times, Mr.

Speaker, during his service in this House, he had reactions from that illness no doubt, but in spite of it all he carried on and I was sorry to see Peter leave us. And in joining in these condolences, I want to extend to his wife, daughters and son, my deepest sympathy. MR, SPEAKER: Are you ready for the question? The Honourable First Minister. MR, SCHREYER: Mr. Speaker, there is no one in this Chamber that was in this Chamber that served here during the time of the late William Scraba. I must say that in my own case I did not know Mr.

Scraba personally, neither obviously as a member of this Chamber or outside as a private citizen. He served in this Legislative Assembly from 1945 to 1949 as a Liberal-Progressive member, and prior to that as a member of the Winnipeg City Council and School Board. Mr. Scraba was born in Dominion City in 1907 and received his education in Winnipeg public schools and Winnipeg high schools. He was a member of the Canadian Institute Pros vita and also the Ukrainian Professional Businessmen• s Club and the Ukrainian National Home.

Over the period of years that he served on City Council, School Board and this Assembly, it can be said that he did give of his time and years as a public servant. He leaves in the im mediate family his mother and one son. I move, seconded by the Honourable the Member for Portage la Prairie, that this House convey to the family of the late William Scraba, who served as a member of the Legis lative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community and public service, and that Mr.

Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family. MR, SPEAKER presented the motion.

May 12, 1971 855 MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Portage la Prairie. MR. G. JOHNSTON: Mr. Speaker, I would thank the Premier for the privilege of seconding the motion of condolence to the family of the late William Scraba.

I, also, was not privileged to know this gentleman, but I think I can say safely that the record as expounded by the Premier speaks for itself; that this man gave a great deal of his life to public service in our province, and he was a credit to his party and to his family; and on behalf of the members of the Liberal Party, we would like to extend our sincere condolence to the family of the late William Scraba. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Morris. MR. WARNER H. JORGENSON (Morris): Mr.

Speaker, I should like to associate the Official Opposition with the words of condolence that have been expressed by the Premier and the Member for Portage on the passing of the late William Scraba. One gets some idea how rapid the turnover is in this place when you realize that, as the Premier has indicated, no-one in this House sat at the same time that he did, only in 1949, and that doesn't seem like too long ago. But we would like to be associated with the words of the Premier in expressing our condolences to the members of Mr. Scraba•s family. MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Rhineland. MR. FRO ESE: Mr.

Speaker, I too want to join with other members in paying recog nition to the late William Scraba. I think for any man to run for public office, as has been stated by the First Minister, in the schools, civic and also in the Legislature here, certainly means that he has given much of his time and effort to the devotion to serving the public, and I think it's only timely that we give recognition and appreciation for services of this kind. INTR ODUCTION OF GUESTS MR.

SPEAKER: Before we proceed, I should like to direct the attention of the hon ourable members to the galleries where there are 44 students, Grade 11 standing, of the Neepawa Collegiate. These students are under the direction of Mr Stankovic and Mr. Bailey. This school is located in the constituency of the Honourable Member for Gladstone. There are also 65 students, Grade 9 standing, of the Glenwood Collegiate. These students are under the direction of Mr. Surowy and Mr. Ferniuk. This school is located in the constituency of the Honourable Member for St. Vital.

And there are 21 students, Grades 9 and 10 standings, of the Arborg School. These students are under the direction of Mr. Friesen. This school is located in the constituency of the Honourable Member for St. George. On behalf of all Honourable Members of the Leg islative Assembly, I welcome you here today. REPORTS BY STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES MR. SPEAKER: Adjourned debates. On the proposed motion of the Honourable Member for Radisson. The Honourable Member for Roblin. MR. J, WALLY McKENZIE (Roblin): Mr.

Speaker, before I dwell with the few re marks that I have to express with regard to the report of this committee, I'd like to extend our condolences to the family of the Minister of Agriculture, of whom I hear of the passing of his Mother, so it's regretful that he is not able to be with us today. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to have had the experience of the Committee of Agri culture in my constituency.

I read their report and I congratulate them for their efforts and for extending to the people of Roblin constituency and the province their presence and their interest in matters which were of some considerable concern to the various communities around this province. And I'm pleased to have had the privilege to speak to the committee at Roblin very briefly, along with six or seven others, and draw to the attention of the committee a rather broad picture of the problems and concerns of that particular area. And I would say, Mr. Speaker, it was very revealing to those in attendance at that meeting that day.

In ques tioning the committee, the Minister of Agriculture handed me his report on the guaranteed annual income for farm people, and no doubt we will be dealing with that matter later in the House. The agricultural picture that has been painted in this bill is one that interests me considerably, Mr. Speaker, and I note the committee have expressed themselves with regard

856 May 12, 1971 ( l\ffi. McKENZIE cont'd) . . . . . to Bill C-176 and I think the position of the government on this very important matter as far as the farmers of western Canada - and Canada in fact - are concerned, has been revealed to me by the manner in which they have already voted on that issue iil Ottawa. I would like to take a moment to express my concern to the committee and to the government for the compulsions that they seem to indicate and think that this type of legislation needs.

I found it very interesting to go back in Hansard and check out the record where the Honourable First Minister spoke on compulsions and various agricultural programs, in April 1964, and the First Minister, I think, shares my views with regard to compulsory market ing schemes when he said - and I'll quote from that day of Hansard, Page 1875: "l am dis appointed and sad to see the report being used to thwart hog producers in their attempt to get a formal vote.

" He says, "So sure was I that this might happen that I tried to prevail on the chairman at the time late last fall, or perhaps I should say late last winter, to do his utmost to see that this report would not be used as an excuse for not granting a vote, should one be asked for by hog producers. " 1hat basically is the position that I associate myself with in regards to Bill C-1 76 and to the marketing of hogs in this province.

I can't see this agricultural policy of this nature with compulsion; and with none of the producers being given permission to have a voice in the committee or elect themselves to operate it by themselves, I think is rather a step in the wrong direction. And where do we end, Mr. Speaker, with this type of compulsory program under government control? ·And that question, of course, Mr. Speaker, admits no simple answer, but the dif:ficulties that are inherent in limiting the hog industry in this province or the other agricultural phases of our economy, takes I would say the individual liberty, Mr.

Speaker, and the individual initiative away from each and every primary producer in such legislation. And I would ask, Mr. Speaker, what incentive is there in an agricultural program or in an agricultural policy where the markets are controlled by government legislation or controlled by government boards or controlled by government committees? I would humbly submit that, if the producers were operating these boards, elected to and were operating themselves, I would support that type of legislation.

Regarding this report of the Agricultural Committee, I would submit that the com pulsory attitude, compulsion by government and that approach, should be changed to read "compulsory if a referendum of at least two-thirds of the producers indicate that this is the wish of the hog-producing industry of the province." And Mr. Speaker, my reasoning is based on a simple age-old formula that is still practiced in most jurisdictions around the world to day: In the market place free competition, in my opinion, brings maximum growth - and I think historically you'll find that in most jurisdictions around the world.

On the other hand, if you have an overdose of unfair or unfettered competition, that in itself can be self-destruct ive, and when the strongest competitor - in this case I'm speaking to a government-controlled hog marketing commission - is the only survivor, what happens? Competition is dead and the market place has disappeared.

So in the economic sphere - and there has to be some know ledgeable people amongst government members opposite who understand economics - I would say that the central and the prime task of government should be to preserve and foster com petition in a free market with the producers running the market place themselves, and I sub mit to the government and I submit to the Minister and the committee, that they should have set up rules to stimulate and to encourage free competition amongst equals, and guard against any monopoly or super power in the middle of the market place. I further suggest, Mr.

Speaker, to the committee, that they should have been trying to strengthen the weak competi tors - and again I'm talking about, at this stage of the game, the farmers of this province or the farmers of western Canada, or the hog producers - we should be trying to strengthen the individual, not coddle him and weaken him further in his position. May I also point out to the committee, Mr.

Speaker, that at the same time we're doing those things, I think we must encourage the strong competitors and not tear them down, and I in those remarks refer to some of the comments that were brought to the attention of the House earlier by the Honourable Member from Morris, because after all, I think govern ments should remain the rulemaker in an issue such as that, but not the referee, because which team does government belong to when they get into a place such as that? And of course, Mr.

Speaker, this is not new-found wisdom that I'm trying to draw to the attention of the com mittee, by me or any other political figures in this province or in Canada. And yet, histori cally, I find that governments for the last 25 years have frequently acted in utter disregard of

May 12, 1971 857 (MR. McKENZIE cont'd) . . . . . the lessons of history. In politics today we have Liberals who would maybe be classed as illiberal advocates of statism. We have Tories or Conserva tives who don•t advocate or support the competitive free enterprise system. We have New Democrats with programs that are not new nor democratic, so it's just - all our political parties, I think, in my opinion have managed to convince themselves that there is massive public demand for more and more central planning and direct intervention by government in our economy; and I sincerely believe, Mr.

Speaker, that Canada, as of May 12, 1971 - today - is a classic example of what I am talking about. And I would submit that the politicians and the political parties honestly believe that the man on the street wants more and more govern ment to spend more and more of his money and exercise more and more control over him, and Bill C-176 is one of those real examples which I would say would be one of the most regressive pieces of legislation that would ever come out of the parliament of Canada if they proceed under the present guidelines.

Again I say to the committee, in compulsion of this nature with government exercis ing the control, when we are looking at these cures for the problems of the economic problems of the farmers, are we listening to the pressure groups or are we listening to the voices of the people, the grass roots? And I submit, like in regard to the compulsory hog marketing board, I'm for the producers controlling the board and running it themselves, by election, by them selves. And with those few remarks, Mr.

Speaker - I'm not going to quarrel with the com mittee - I would hopefully draw to their attention that the policies outlined in the report were - adopted with the best of intentions but that does not necessarily reduce some of the disastrous effects that might . . . . But, as we proceed in the House I am sure we will resolve the matter. I support the submission regarding the problems that we are having in our dairy in dustry in this province. I wonder would the honourable members believe that in my little village some 150 miles from Brandon, we have to buy our milk from Brandon?

That's where we get our fresh milk, and we live in a farm community, all kinds of cattle around there, but we are bringing milk, so you can get an indication from that how sick the industry is, the dairy industry, and I'm sure the members of the committee are well aware of it. The economic problems of rural Manitoba are, no doubt as the committee found out, of great concern to many, many people today. Villages are becoming ghost areas; business places are closing their doors, and this is no dream. It's as real as I am standing before the House this afternoon.

The post office started the evolution of business and people leaving, and then the country store left; now we have some of the grain companies are closing their elevators in the country. I just wonder how many more studies are needed to prove the point to government and to the people that are guiding our economic destiny that we don't need any more studies. The problem has been studied for years and years and years, and there is no way that rural Manitoba, in my opinion, can survive another study of the problems that are real and dangerous as I stand here now. So with those few remarks, Mr.

Speaker, I congratulate the committee. I think they have done a good job and I hope that they will continue to go around this province and listen to the grass roots and listen to the people, and if government will get in that frame of mind and follow the guidelines of this committee of the farmer himself, I am sure that we will get some good legislation and maybe we'll solve some of the dangerous problems that I see today. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for St. George. MR. WILLIAM URUSKI (St. George): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On hearing several members speak yesterday, and today the Member for Roblin, there's only a few comments I'd like to make on some of the remarks that they made. Yesterday, the Honourable Member for Lakeside spoke on a topic that indicated that this was not the only government that carried on a dialogue with the farmers. Well, I would like to remind him of the dialogue that he car ried on with the farmers when he was Minister of Agriculture. I remember the evening in Gunton, Manitoba, when the turkey producers the time that they came to the farm, were actively organizing to form a Turkey Marketing Board.

We had invited the Minister to attend a meeting at the local hatchery in Gunton and it was very good of him to oblige and he attended this meeting. But I would like to tell you throughout this meeting that he indicated no support of any nature toward the setting up and the formulation of a marketing board until he was well aware of a unanimous decision of the farmers in the industry, and then - and only then - was a marketing board set up. Mr. Speaker, the honourable member mentions in his speech - who gave them the

858 May 12, 1971 (MR. URUSKI cont'd). . . . . board? This is another good indication of what kind of dia logue went on with the farmers. They come out and tell you what they don't like, what they're going to do for you, and not ask the opinions of the farmers as to what is necessary for the rural community. The Honourable Member for Birtle-Russell commented yesterday on the Agriculture Committee touring the province and trying to indoctrinate the people into NDP philosophy.

Well, I'd like to tell him that the only thing that I could see that would relieve this, as the honourable member indicated, was to show the true ineffectiveness of the members of the Opposition on that committee, and that, if anything, that it changed a lot of people's opinion on which way to vote in the next election. The Honourable Member for Roblin commented, and I'm very happy to hear his sup port of the committee's report and of various aspects that the committee has made, but it's quite a change, Mr.

Speaker, of the approach that the honourable member took when he ap peared before tte committee in Roblin and made a personal submission about the life in the rural area.

He made mention at the committee that this government, or there was an indica tion that this government was the great cause to the depopulation in the rural areas, but when it was brought to his attention by members and the Minister of Agriculture that whether or not did he realize that redistribution, which was conducted several years ago, was a good indica tion that depopU:iation had been occurring for the last number of years in the rural areas, and if he did not know that this was going on, I think it was time that he was made well aware that this was happening all over the province of Manitoba.

He also makes mention that free competition or free enterprise and competition brings the best growth. Mr.

Speaker, if that is so, then I would say and I would say to all the indus tries in Manitol:a, get your cotton-pickin' hands off the money of the people when you are com ing for help when you're in trouble, because if we are going to do the same, and this is being done in the province, in and across Canada, then I would say the same circumstance should be done to the farmers; that if we are goinb to be in free competition with the rest of the world, then treat everyone the same and not in a similar manner of grants and incentives to industry and leave the farmers out in the cold.

Now if we leave him, as the honourable member suggests, in free competition, we should not weaken his position. Well, Mr. Speaker, what are we really doing? The honour able member has suggested leave him be in a free market place so that the industry, in all its glory and neat organization, can pick him apart, because what is happening? Today you go into the market place to try and buy your goods, while the fellow who is buying them says, "Well I can get it from Joe Blow for so much, " and the poor farmer is left in the cold, wonder ing what he should do.

So then he almost has to abandon his needs and say, "Well, will you take it off my hands for the price that you offer it to me?" And I say no; I say to the farmers that the only w�.y that you will make an impact on yourself and on the rural areas and on a decent income Zor yourself and your children, who will be and want to be rural residents and live in the country, that the only way you will do it is by organization and by togetherness and that's where you will overcome the neat picking apart of the people of the rural areas by our corporate structure.

I say to the government of Manitoba and to all governments that there's only one course that thin government can take, is that we have to really make up our minds who are we friend to. Are we friend to the corporate structure or are we friend to the working man or to the farmer? I don't think in my mind that you can become a friend of both. You are either supporting the little man or you are supporting big business, and I give this advice to our government: which way do we want to go? One kst remark I would like to make.

I would like to congratulate the members of the Farmers Union on their demonstration at the Legislature several weeks ago. I attended in the group - I was not on the steps. I spoke with several people from my constituency on the problems they are having. I would only like to impress on them that this is a small step of the pressure that they have to bear on government, and on this government, and on the government in Ottawa under whose jurisdiction the major brunt of the agricultural industry lies on, and to them I say that this should b� just a small beginning, and keep the pressure up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Gladstone. MR. J. R. FERGUSON (Gladstone): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I listened with great interest to the comments of the Member for St. George and his views on marketing '

May 12, 1971 859 (MR. FERGUSON cont'd) ....• and the function of the Agricultural Committee. I was one of the ones that was fortunate enough to be on it, and as our chairman, the appointed chairman, wasn't attending, we had our genial chairman from Radisson fill his shoes and I think he did a very commendable job. There were 18 meetings held altogether. Unfortunately, none of them were held in my constituency and I think that by this neglect that possibly the members missed seeing one of the better parts of the province of Manitoba and meeting the people there. Going back to the Member for St.

George, I thought that possibly his agricultural contribution was going to be again that he would move that the Minister of Agriculture be com mended for the wonderful job that he's done. We all appreciate the $100. 00 that we just re ceived, and I am quite sure if we could dig up another by-election or two and keep these coming, it would at least be some contribution he has made to agriculture. -- (Interjection) -- Carry on fellows.

Agricultural economists are projecting, and this seems to be the slant that all the governments are taking nowadays, the federal and the provincial, is the economists' views, and the first and foremost is the fact that they are attempting to get rid of three out of four of the farmers.

My colleague from Roblin stated that we're going through, basically in rural Manitoba we're going through a social upheaval much the same as happened in the Industrial Revolution or something like this - not on quite as large a scale, but first we did away with our post offices - then we did away with our country stores; now we're doing away with -- we're having rail line abandonment carried quite extensively, elevators are going to be closed down, our schools are closed down, and consequently the cost-price squeeze that we hear so much about.

The smaller farmers have been in a very good position to carry on, their overhead has been small; but with the drastic reduction in our pork prices, our egg prices, there just is no way that they can carry on. Now, where these people are going to go I don't know. There' s talk of re-education, bringing them into the city, giving them jobs. Well I don't think that this seems to be any answer .

I think if the worst comes to the worst, and I think it's that stage now, that these people could be subsidized and allowed to retain their positions on their farms, even if they have to be given a sort of a guaranteed wage, because there is no way that you can bring a family into the city now, with the unemployment, with the social problems that are arising. I'm not saying they don't exist in the rural - they do, but they are on a larger scale in the city; and the thought also of setting up this great viable unit thing that we hear so much about. I would like to know what constitutes a viable unit.

There just seems to be no way, in my estimation anyway, that you can take any individual and give him a formula and say, "Well, now, here' s the amount of money you have to borrow; here's the way you carry on, and God bless you. " It seems to me that a lot of our boys today are going to need a lot of help from the Lord because there is nowhere else that they are going to get out of this deal.

Basically, our heavy taxation has taken away incentive to produce, and the succession duty at the other end of the line, if you happen to live long enough and have an estate, it's more or less - - it isn't a succession duty any more, it's a confiscation, unless you have started a very good program of estate planning, and one of the more sensible statements I heard in the Ste.

Rose by-election - I think it was made by the Minister of Transportation, where he said that, I think it was $200, OOO as a basic tax-free exemption on succession duty, and I think it would bear some consideration. · Now to get back to marketing boards. and what they stand for, and being projected and talked about by my good friend from St.

George, I would suggest that if we are going to go this far, as Bill C-176 is telling us that we should do, and this is supposed to be gone out to the grass roots and brought on by the wishes of the people, I would suggest that possibly we put the farmers on a 44-hour week and we give them tariff protection on their produce and we raise the prices of our food up to a point where our wages will equal the organized labor: I mean, if this is what we are going to go through, if we are going to go into a controlled economy, let's make it well controlled.

There is nothing I would like better than a 5-day, 44-hour week on a farm providing I was going to be guaranteed a wage, and I would be quite willing to go along with it, but this is not just the basis that the farm population have gone along with.

They are more or less free thinkers; they still pride themselves on being free enterprisers, and I think that a program probably of an expansionist in agriculture instead of digressing all the time, I think possibly if we spent our money in looking for markets and developing markets, develop ing products that the people will buy, it would certainly be a step far ahead of having govern ment come out. I mean, if we want Communism and being told what to do, we can do it, and this is the way we are headed.

860 May 12, 1971 (MR, FERGUSON cont'd) ..••. We have a perfect example row of the Federal Government, and I think this relates to our agricultural report, and it's made by Mr. Runciman, the Chairman of the Canada Grains Council, and this is to do with the marketing of rape, rye and flax, which is a bill introduced by Mr. Lang which is just enabling legislation, but by the same token why was it brought in? Basic ally, did the people that are producing the bushels of grain demand or ask for it ? I would doubt it very much.

There may have been a class or a group of people that did, but I'm quite sure that the people who are producing the bushels of grain and these commodities certainly didn't. And as Mr. Runciman, the Canada Grains Council chairman, says, "There is justifi able concern in the minds of purchasers of Canadian rapeseed that Canada' s Cinderella crop will be put under the thumb of the Canadian Wheat Board. " Under the thumb of the Canadian Wheat Board. "A futures market is essential to the marketing of rapeseed in the competitive world oilseed market.

Were rapeseed included with flax and rye under Canadian Wheat Board control, as is proposed in the Wheat Board Act amendment recently introduced in the Commons by Canadian Wheat Board Minister Otto Lang, Canada would no longer have a meaningful rape seed market." Well, there is a perfect example of the person that is supposed to be representing the far mers of Canada and this is the way that he' s talking about the marketing system: We have the market; it's guing up year by year; the production is following the markets that are avail able; the thing is going along fine, and here we have a fe llow come along and say, "Well, here' s guvernment out to grab something else again and for what reason?" I don't know what the Mem ber from St.

George' s thoughts are on this; he didn•t mention it. But I would suggest that in any commodity where the production and the market place are meeting on a profitable basis for all concerned, that there is no justifica tion or any other reason why government should be sticking their nose into it, and C-176 and livestock, the Canadian Wheat Board on these three grains is a perfect example of it; as a farmer I want no part of it and I'm quite sure that the producers of my area don't either. Now, getting back to the report, I feel that there were some good points in it.

The machine dealership relationship between the companies and the dealers, I feel bears some look ing at. Its projection now is that 50 percent of the dealers in rural Manitoba, the implement dealers, are going to be bankrupt by the end of the year. I think that the warranty responsibil ities of the companies should be clearly outlined in the contracts. I think that the availability of repairs on long weekends and holidays and this sort of thing, that this is another thing that should be made quite clear to the public.

There' s no doubt that you would have to have a bit of a cost factor in there to stop people abusing the privilege, but also, to use an example, suppos ing you had a machine break down on a Friday. There would be no way you could get parts on a Friday, the Saturday, the Sunday; Monday would be a holiday; Tuesday there would be such a backlog that you wouldn't get your parts probably until Wednesday or Thursday. I don't think that any industry can gu along with this sort of a guarantee. Mind you, this could be extreme cases. The general parts distribution is quite good.

I'm not going to say too much about the hog marketing end of it. My colleague the Member for Morris covered it quite adequately - and from Roblin. But I think, again, I would like to quote just one of the things that were said by one of my constituents, as a matter of fact, at Virden I believe it was where he said, "We are convinced that an aggressive market develop ment program will do more to solve pork marketing problems than regulated controls.

" Now I think that basically this is the stand of our party; it's the stand I think of the farmers that are producing most of the goods in Mani toba, and this .I'd like to . . . . . , Mr. Speaker. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Ste. Rose, MR. PETE ADAM (Ste. Rose) : Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for St. George, that the debate be adjourned. MR. SPEAKER presented the motion and after a voice vote declared the motion car- ried. MR. SPEAKER: On the propose'd motion of the Honourable Member for The Pas. The Honourable Member for Fort Garry. MR. SHERMAN: Mr.

Speaker, we have appreciated the opportunity to state our case on the contents of the report of this committee up to this point, and the opportunity to caucus the report. Our caucus position on it has been expressed in days past by members on this side, There is nothing that we would add at this time. We're prepared to let the report gu fo rward. MR. SPEAKER :Are you readyfor the question ?The HonouraJJle Member for Osborne.

May 12, 197 1 861 MR. IAN TURNBULL (Osborne): Mr. Speaker, this report on Munici pal Affairs contains a number of matters that I would not normally wish to speak on in the House except for one matter which was the Item No. 10 which was my res olution suggesting that the government consi der some program for litter control in the Province of Manitoba. Ev en with that motion to refer that matter back to the committee I think I would not have ri sen today to speak if it had not been for an incident that I heard of over the noon hour; and it relates, Mr.

Speaker, to the control of pollution and litter in the Province of Manitoba. That res olution as I drew it up last sessi on and as it was referred to the committee had regard to the possi bil ity of implementing some program which would hopefully reduce the amount of glass that we find in urban areas and in rural areas. And there are many many arguments for that reduction, Mr. Speaker.

Last sess ion I would not have gone so far as to advocate banning the bottle but after what I heard over the noon hour I think that a ban on such non-returnable, non-disposable bottles would be a wise move for the government to adopt. The bottles that I am consi deri ng and talking about, for the Member from La Verendrye, are bottles that contain liquid. He can make up his own mi nd which liquid he wishes to consider.

I think that we've had -- or the committee had anyway and I was a member of the Municipal Affairs Committee -- it had a number of reports from various manufacturers and from inde pendent bottlers and from a group called Pollution Probe which set forth the reasons for the need for controlling glass production in the form of non-returnable, non-disposa ble bottles.

I can recall well when this particular resolution came up before the committee for debate and for a vote, I can remember well the artificial ity and sanctimoniousness of the members oppo si te and others on my own side when they thought that the matter of the control of glass in the form of non-returnable bottles was a thing that really was a motherhood issue, it really should not be of concern to practi cal men of affairs, it obviously was a matter for university students, unemployed ones at that, for long-haired professors, for maybe teachers, freshman MLAs and others.

However, after I perused the various briefs that were submitted and thought that the matter of litter control should be deci ded in a decisi ve way by the committee, I was willing to let the matter be referred back. But today at noon hour I heard an example of what I'm sure members opposite would consider to be free enterprise, and that free enterprise si tuation is one that I wish to descri be now; because I think the matter of litter control, the matter of controlling non-returnable and non-disposable bottles could well be a motherhood issue of concern only to those who have perhaps nothing else to do.

But what I heard at noon hour, Mr. Speaker, was not a matter of motherhood, it was not a matter of concern only to univers ity professors, it was not a matter of concern only to those who had nothing else to do, it was a matter of concern to 30 employees of an independent bottling company in Dauphin and Brandon. This issue, Mr. Speaker, is no longer one of mere motherhood, no longer an issue that we need only consider if we feel that litter control is something that the government might do because it has nothing else to do in the near future. The issue I'm speaking of, Mr.

Speaker, relates to the Independent Bottlers of Manitoba and I must emphasize that -- of Manitoba. Manitoba-based company, employing Manitobans. And I want to read for the benefit of the Member from Birtle-Russell and others who I don't think were on this committee, a

section of the brief that was presented to the committee by the Independent Bottlers Asso ciation during the hearings of the committee. The number of independent bottlers are eight in Manitoba, Northwest Beverages being one of them and I'm quoting the brief that was presented. It says that: "All these companies are independent com panies, that is they are not branch plants of the major soft dri nk companies even though they produce and market under franchise arrangements with those major companies.

As a group we employ 200 people and our market areas were originally determined by the economics of the returnable, reusable glass bottle. " Now I want to give you now, Mr. Speaker, the type of free enterprise that is operating in Manitoba, the type of free enterprise that I think and others on this si de and I'm sure in their better moments, members of the Opposition think too, an example of free enterprise that shows how Manitobans and Manitoba companies lose money, have to reduce the ir staff because of ownership outside of the Province of Manitoba. At noon hour today, Mr.

Speaker, one of the men who presented the brief of the Independent Bottlers Asso ciation was in this building. In order to maintain his profit margin and in order to retain the amount of glass that his bottling operation needs, this particular bottler raised the deposi t for returnable bottles to five cents. Now for those who weren't on the committee I might point out that the Pollution

862 May 12 , 1971 (MR. TURNBULL cont'd. ) • • . • . Probe Report and other reports indicated that bottles would not likely be returned by members of the public if the deposit value was less than five cents. In other words you had to go up over five cents before the bottle would be returned. So in Dauphin, and for very practical, sound reasons, the independent bottler raised the deposit to a nickel. He did this in order to regain, to have returned the glass that he needed to continue his bottling operation. Well there is good sound business reasons there and I'm sure members opposite can appreciate them.

I must point out that he didn't do it in order to please' members of Pollution Probe or to please university professors or to please me or to please anybody else, he did it in order to make money, and I'm sure that that is a principle that those over there can understand. They may not understand the deterioration of our environment, they may not understand problems of ecology, but making a buck is something they can understand; I hope they can understand that. They say they can anyway although I sometimes wonder.

Well the upshot of this increase in the deposit was the - what I can only call the inter ference of a non-Manitoba company, a company owned, as far as I know in the United States, certainly a company whose operations in Western Canada seem to be controlled from Montreal and that company is that "get-with-it" company called Pepsi-Cola. When the independent bottler raised his deposit to a nickel Pepsi-Cola decided that they would remove the man's franchise. Now members opposite can understand what the removal of a franchise means to a private small businessman.

I'm sure they can understand that, and I hear nothing to the contrary so they must. The removal of the franchise has meant this, Mr. Speaker: that the plant, the Northwest Beverage Limited Plant, has been closed down. It is no longer bottling. It means -- (Interjection) -- Well we'll get to that too if you want, and it's another problem perhaps you don't understand too well. So we have then ••. MR. SPEAKER: Order please. I should like to advise the honourable member that I have allowed a certain amount of latitude in respect to the issue he's debating.

I was hoping he would debate the issue of whether we are to accept this report or not. I realize some of the content of what he was saying is pertinent. I would suggest, however, that he get back to the point at hand. The Honourable Member for Osborne. MR. TURNBULL: Mr. Speaker, I'll take your advice as well as I may. My point will be that of course I find the necessity of referring my resolution back to the committee for further study one that is unaccePtable and I have to decide in my own mind of course whether I must as a result vote against the acceptance or receipt of the report.

The result of the removal of the franchise, Mr. Speaker, by the Pepsi-Cola Company from the Northwest Beverages Limited has meant that the company has closed down and that some 30 people are unemployed. Now the solution to that small Manitoba businessman's problem, Mr. Speaker, is simply that this Legislature and this government introduce legisla tion which will ban non-returnable, non-disposable bottles, because if that is done, if that is done - (Interjection) -- Well we'll get to your bill in a minute. All right, just wait a second I'll deal with that. I find your arguments not too difficult to deal with.

So we have then, Mr. Speaker, some 30 people unemployed by this Northwest Beverages Limi ted Company. The solution is to ban the bottle. But the bottle, Mr. Speaker, the non-returnable, non-disposable bottle makes up only some 15 percent of the containers that are used for soft drinks; another 20 percent of these liquids, soft drinks, are bottled in cans. So I would think, Mr.

Speaker, that rather than have the matter for litter control referred back to the committee for further study, that a motion or a bill be introduced in this House banning both, banning both the non-returnable, non-disposable bottle and the can, be cause they make up 20 percent of a total 35 percent of containers that are used to package soft drinks. !m ight point out , Mr.

Speaker, that the market areas of these independent bottlers who rely upon the returnable bottle, which is what I'm advocating and which is the reason I must vote against, I think, this report, the returnable bottle is the type of container on which the economics of these small bottlers has been determined. It says that right in their brief, Mr. Speaker: "Our market areas were originally determined by the economics of the returnable, reusable glass bottle. " So I think, Mr.

Speaker, that the need to ban both non-returnable bottles and cans is one that is very pressing, and one that we should pass, not only for the motherhood issues of preventing pollution, of controlling pollution, of enhancing our environ ment and getting rid of some of the garbage that comes up from the other side ever so often,

May 12, 1971 863 (MR . TURNBULL cont'd) .b ut also one which has a very practical conclusion in provid- ing jobs for Manitobans, and I think that that is one issue that we can all understand. Now I would point out , Mr . Speaker, that there were a number of briefs that were pre sented to the Municipal Affairs Committee and I'm going to cite some of these, all of which as far as I can make out from the

summary of them advocated banning the non-reusable drink containers. The city administrator of Brandon, Mr . Scott, he wanted to ban non-reusable drink containers; Mayor Suter of Souris suggests dissolvable bottles; in other words, he would like to get away from the pre sent type of non-returnable, non-disposable bottles.

Reeve Ab Chapman, he wants to make all bottles and beer containers returnable; Roy . . . of Russell, he wants to ban non-reusable containers; Hugh Dunlop of Dauphin, he thinks the Liquor Commis sion should accept refunds and the refunds should be doubled -- (Interjec tion) -- Bud Boyce I thought didn't want to ban bottles, but Mayor Netson of Dauphin, non-returnables should be barred; and Harvey Goldberg for Pollution Probe , non-returnable , non-reusable beverage containers are dangerous. Mrs.

Frank Martin is opposed to litter, and points out that in Norway there 's a five percent refund on all containers; and Kenneth Hanley wants them banned too, and so does Reeve D. Lawrence of the Metro Additional Zone Association. So that the committee, Mr. Speaker, heard many briefs that advocated wh at I'm suggesting now, and I think with the situation that I heard about over the noon hour that perhaps it is time for the government to act and stop studying the matter . Item 11 of the Municipal Affairs Co=ittee report refers to that infamous Bill No . 102, and I would like, Mr .

Speaker , to bring the rural members opposite who are fresh from the farms and rustling cattle and things, into touch with the situation as it exists in the City of Winnipeg . I would like to read to them, because I know that they will not listen too well to what I have to say - I want to read to them what the Deputy Medical Health Off icer of the City of Winnipeg had to say about Bill No . 102 .

He says that one of the results of the introduction and the passage of this Bill 102 would be that the retail, and I'm quoting now, "The retail outlets may· conceivably comply with the law and refund a specified amount but then elect to dispose of the collective bottles in the municipal refuse anyway." Well I think that that - and there are repre sentatives of the Municipal Councils over there , I think they will recognize that that likely would be a problem if it occurred, and in the opinion of the Deputy Medical Health Officer it would occur as the re sult of the passage of Bill 102 .

So he goes on to say that Bill 102 should go a step further . He suggests that the outlets collecting the bottles should be required by law not to dispose of such bottles, but ensure that they either be returned to the soft drink companies for cleaning and refilling or sold to a business enterprise that would be using the glass in some kind of recycling operation. I think that's a good suggestion, Mr . Speaker . And he points out further that in effect the manufac · turers would be forced to limit production to bottle s of that type which are suitable for cleaning and refilling. In other words, Mr .

Speaker , if I read that and interpret it correctly, he is saying in effect that the present type of non-returnable non-disposable bottle is not suitable for recycling and refilling and therefore there should be a shift away from that type of glass to another type of glass that is suitable for recycling and refilling; and to me that may well mean that he suggests the use of the present returnable bottle rather than the non-returnable bottle .

However , he goes on to point out that as most of the problem of litter arises not only from non-returnable non-disposable bottles but also from cans, he suggests that under Bill 102 - and this is something of course I don't think the members opposite thought of when they intro duced the bill - that under Bill 102 there should be regulations passed by Order-in-Council, and that these regulations, according to him , should provide for a limitation of the total number of manufactured cans to a fixed percentage of the total outlet of soft drinks. Well, Mr .

Speaker , I can't disagree with the solutions and the remedies that the Deputy Medical Health Of ficer has for Bill 102 . Bill 102 was a weak proposal, one that really wouldn't have solved the problem, partly because it attacked only one type of container . I think though that what we have in this letter , Mr .

Speaker, is a series of proposals which indicate that rather than go through all this procedure here of changing the Act and amending the Act to make it stronger and make it go · further and passing regulations and what not, instead of doing all that, we can come to the most simple conclusion, that is to ban the non-returnable and non-reusable bottle and ban the can, and if we did that we would return to the situation of a few years ago and perhaps the problem arising from these bottles would be removed. Now I think, Mr . Speaker, that the situation that is pre sented to us today is one that

864 May 12, 1971 (MR . TURNBULL cont' d.) . warrants considerable debate by members of the House . We can either joke about getting rid of litter and controlling litter in some way, or we cian con tinue to study it or we can take action, and I would prefer a little action on the matter , Mr. Speaker , rather than further study. I might point out that every Canadian gets rid of some 1, OOO pounds of garbage a year , and I think that in the United States the figure is something like 1, 800 pounds per year .

The United States economy we all know is a little more advanced than ours, and we can look forward to an increasing amount of garbage, unless more New Democrats get elected, when the amount of garbage will be reduced. Well, Mr. Speaker , I think that on those two items Bill 10 and Bill 11, if those items are to be referred back to the committee for study, that I will find great difficulty in voting for the acceptance and receipt of the bill into the House . However , the're are other matters in the committee 's report that I find are readily acceptable by me .

One of these is Item 3 which suggests that the definition of agra-business be altered in some way by proposing an amend ment which removes corporate and non-family farms from the provisions exempting farm buildings. Now I think that that proposal, Mr. Speaker, is one that indicates the extent of this government's support of what I might call, and this might surprise members opposite, what I might call free enterprise; because what we're talking about here , Mr. Speaker , is enabling those people who own family farms and who operate family farms, to operate them with some savings in tax.

I think that that's a good idea, Mr. Speaker , because it will help to protect those people who are now living on the farms and it will enhance their competitive position, and surely that is something that the members opposite can understand; enhance them of a competitive position by tax conce ssions. Now, I think that that particular measure could be adopted and for that reason, Mr.

Speaker, I really feel that that particular measure is very important, and I would not want to stand in the way of the adoption of the committee 's report; so I think that even though I' m opposed to the lack of action of the committee on the litter problem, I must support the report because of its emphasis on the family farm and the protection of the competitive position of the small family farmer . MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Riel . MR. DONALD W. CRAIK (Riel) : Mr .

Speaker , this pontifical display we 've just had from the Member for Osborne is one of the most typical of what's happening in this session, where a report is pre sented, a committee is struck to present a report, they do the work, they bring it in here and then all this time is lost on an item such as this, which albeit important, was discussed fully last year in a motion pre sented by the Member for Brandon, Private Member's resolution, and deftly turned down by the government last year, and then we get this pontifical display wasting the time of the report of the Municipal Committee today on this item. Mr.

Speaker , this is only an example of what is happening; we 're finding the government benche s burning up the time of this session which is now in its 24th day. We found in the esti mates that two-thirds of the time now has been used up in a similar fashion by the government, and the House hasn't even got rolling yet this session, half way through what should be a normal session. Now, speaking strictly to the topic under concern, this is the matter of the bottles issue .

The committee has dealt with this and I think the House is entitled to hear in clear-cut terms in the report of the committee what the recommendations are . We.'ve gone through all this po sturing last year, now we 're having the time of the committee taken up for posturing under a new guise on the same issue , and I think it's a waste of the House 's time . MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Pembina . MR. GEORGE HE NDERSO N (Pembina) : Mr. Speaker, we have just had another one of these stupid performances from the Member from Osborne -- and really it is a stupid perform ance .

Anybody that had been on this committee and had been in this House last year and know that this motion was presented by the Member from Brandon West and to know that we even voted against it in committee, if there ever 's been a bunch Of garbage it's coming from right over there . I just think it's terrible that a man with as fewbrainsas he has is ever elected. MR. SPEAKER: Does the Honourable Member for Osborne have a que.stion? MR. TURNBULL: I have a per sonal privilege, Mr. Speaker. I really think that . . MR . SPEAKER: Would you state your point of privilege . MR . TUR NBULL: I really think, Mr.

Speaker , that the personal attack of the Member from - wherever it is . . .

May 12, 1971 865 MR . SPEAKER: Order , please . I would request that at least one member sitting close to the front not to keep hollering que stions. It bother s my ear piece . The Honourable Member for Osborne . MR . TURNBULL: Mr . Speaker , I feel that the mem bers oppo site who are venerable and perhaps not overly informed about various matters find it difficult to accept arguments that are well documented, by not me , Mr. Speaker , but by :other s. MR . SPEAKER: Order , please. Would the honourable member state his point of privilege if he has one. MR. TURNBULL: My point of privilege , Mr.

Speaker , is that I really feel that the member should withdraw the remarks that have been made about my pontifical debate and about my stupidity . . · . MR . SPEAKER: Order . It's not a point of privilege . Are you ready for the que stion? The Honourable Member for Pembina can't que stion himself I' m sure . There is no other point before the House . . . Order , please. The Honourable the Attorney-General . HON . A.H. MACKLING, Q.C . (Attorney-General) (St . James): Mr. Speaker , I would move, seconded by the Honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs, that the debate be adjourned. MR .

SPEAKER presented the motion and after a voice vote declared the motion carried. MR . SPEAKER: Notices of Motion; Introduction of Bills; Order s of the Day . The Honourable Member for La Verendrye. OR AL QUESTION PERIOD MR . BARKMAN: Mr. Speaker , my que stion will be directed to the Minister of Mines and Natural Resource s. Could he tell us when will the commercial fishing season be open on northern Lake Winnipeg? MR . SPEAKER : The Honourable Minister of Mines and Natural Re source s. HON . SIDNEY GREEN, Q.C . (Minister of Mines, Re sources and Environmental Manage ment) (Inkster): Mr .

Speaker, such season as there will be will be open on June 1, 1971, but I warn the honourable member that it is not a full commercial fishing season. There is a limited whitefish season on the north part of the lake which the fishermen are well aware of. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for La Verendrye. MR . BARKMAN: Mr.

Speaker , that was going to be my supplement que stion but since you made your statement, why do those limitations differ on northern Lake Winnipeg from the regu lations, for example, of Playgreen Lake which allow other types of fish to be caught com mercially, when Playgreen Lake is connected directly to northern Lake Winnipeg? MR . GREEN: Mr. Speaker, that's a conundrum that I can't re solve. The honour able member might just as well ask why can't there be a fishery on the south part of Lake Winnipeg which connects with the north part .

The mercury testing that has taken place and the re stric tions that have been imposed upon us happen to separate what are apparently the same waterways. MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Birtle-Russell. MR . HARRY E. GRAHAM (Birtle-Russell) : Thank you, Mr . Speaker, I will direct my que stion to the First Minister in the absence of the Minister of Education or the Minister of Health. Could the Minister or First Minister now inform us when they are going to close the School for the Deaf in this province ? MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable the First Minister. MR . SCHREYER: Mr.

Speaker , I have received no report to ,indicate that the assump tion made by the honourable member has any foundation. MR . SPEAKER : The Honourable Minister of Finance . HON . SAUL CHERNIACK, Q.C . (Minister of Finance) (St . Johns ): Mr. Speaker , honourable members may be interested in knowing that I plan to bring down the budget tomorrow at 8:00 o' clock . MR . SPEAKER : The Honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs. HON . HOWARD R. PAWLEY (Minister of Municipal Affairs) (Selkirk): Mr .

Speaker , on April 27th the Honourable Member for Churchi ll , who is not present today, had requested information as to what areas in the northern part of Manitoba would be recei ving housing under the auspices of the Manitoba Housing Renewal Corporation. The housing for northern areas in Manitoba come under the wing of the Remote Housing Program, federal-provincial program of financing. The location of the units within that program are determined by a board consisting

866 May 12, 1971 (MR . PAWLEY cont' d.) ..••. of repre sentatives of the Manitoba MetisFederation, the Northern Association of Community Council s, Northern Affairs Department of Health and Social Development and the Manitoba Housing Renewal Corporation. And for the benefit of the Honour able Member for Churchill the centre s pre sently being looked at closely and appear to be included as likely locations for poor housing include Pikwitonei, Ilford, Crane River , Brochet, Norway House , Barrows, Red Deer, Big Black River , Pine Dock, Nelson House , Sherridon, Mallard and Manigotagan. MR.

SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Emerson. MR . GABRIEL GIBARD (Emer son): I would like to direct a que stion to the Honourable Minister of Transportation. I wonder if he could advise my constituents or myself of the time he would expect the road restriction to be lifted on Highway 201 from Dominion City to No . 75 ? MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of Transportation. HON . JOSE PH P. BO ROWSKI (Minister of Public Works and Highways) (Thompson): Mr. Speaker , that is determined by the weather .

We have testing equipment that goes out every few days and as soon as the testing equipment indicates the road can carry the regular load the re strictions will be lifted. It could be at the end of this week, I don't know. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Fort Garry. MR. SHERMAN: Mr .

Speaker , I would like to direct a question to the Attorney-General and ask him whether any excessive speed measures were taken by authorities in pur suit Monday night in a high speed automobile chase in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park that re sulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy and critical injury to three other young people ? MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Attorney-General . MR . MACKLING: Not that I' m aware of, Mr . Speaker, although I haven't perused a report of the incident. MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Rhineland. MR. FROESE : Mr .

Speaker , I'd like to address a que stion to the Minister of Highways. Is the government contemplating any change in the number of times that provincial roads will be maintained during the course of this year ? MR. BO RO WSKI: I take it you're referring to the system we had last year. Yes, there will be changes made this year. I can't tell you what changes will take place where, but there has been a revaluation of management-maintenance study which the previous government had contracted which cost us $1 80 , OOO . We tried it out last year, we have had complaints from certain areas.

We are making some changes and if you would like to know what changes are taking place in your area, I would suggest you check with our District Engineer . MR. SPEAKER : The Honourable Member for Riel . MR. CRAIK: Mr. Speaker, a que stion to the First Minister in light of the seriousness of the CNR announcement on rail abandonment . Can he advise the House what formal moves have been made by the Manitoba Government in this respect - the announcement for closing of 46 rail points? MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable First Minister . MR. SCHREYER: Mr .

Speaker , I can advise the honourable gentleman that the Minister of Labour who is charged with the re sponsibility for co-ordinating provincial government re sponse and activity with respect to railway matters affecting the province has been in regular communication with railway officials and others and perhaps is in a position to give further information at the moment; but I can assure my honourable friend that the Minister of Labour has been in constant co=unication with the appropriate people . MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of Labour . HON . RUSSE LL PAULL EY (Minister of Labour) (Transcona): Mr .

Speaker , the Honour able First Minister has indicated quite properly what has happened. As a matter of fact, just a few moments ago I was in telephone conver sation with the Vice -President of the Canadian National Railway and I want to correct an impression that may be in the paper tonight. I inadvertently misinterpreted the question directed to me by Barrie Mullen, the reporter who was the author of the news item . I was under the impression he was talking of rail line abandonment and said that I was not knowledgeable of the precise area .

However , what he was talking about was the possibility of a close down of 41 small station agencies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba of which I have knowledge and have had discussions on a number of occasions with the Canadian National Railway. I was speaking the other day to the Chairman of the Rail Transport Co=ittee of the Department of Transport, Ottawa, under whose juri sdiction this

May 12, 1971 867 (MR . PAULLEY cont'd .) ..... matter comes, dealing with Servo Centers of the Canadian National Railway . As a result of our representations, there has been a deferment made in an application and also that there will be a new approach of an educational value conducted by the Canadian National Railway personnel in this area . So it was not dealing with 41 close downs of rail line s, I misinterpreted; it was dealing with closing of station agents and stations across Manitoba and Saskatchewan and I' m meeting constantly with the railway on this matter . MR.

SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Fort Garry. MR . SHERMAN: Mr. Speaker, I wonder if I could direct another que stion to the Attorney General which I should have asked him a moment ago, as a supplementary; and ask him whether in view of the fact that a 16 -year-old boy was killed and three others were inju red, pos sibly � very critically in that accident , whether he would peruse the report of the situation concerning that accident and satisfy himself and satisfy the Chamber that no exces sive speed was under taken by per sons in pursuit . MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable Attorney-General . MR . lVl:ACKLING: Mr .

Chairman, I read into the que stions a que stioning of the policy of the police in active pursuit of someone who is in breach of the law and I resent the suggestion that there is impropriety on the part of the police in following that policy . I will review the report but I'm satisfied that the police act in these circumstance s in a responsible maQ.'ler . NIR. SHERMAN: On a point of privilege , there was no such underlying ... NIR. SPEAKER : No privilege . Order, please . Order , please . If the honourable gantle man wi shes a matter of privilege , I wish he would state it , instead of making a statement . MR .

SHERMAN: The matter of privilege , Mr . Speaker, is that in replying to my que s tion the Attorney-General seems to have imputed a meaning to my que stion which was not present . My que stion was based on a desire to determine whether there are precautions that may be taken and may be exercised in such high speed chase situations that would prevent that kind of tragedy. rvm. SPEAKER : The Honourable Member for Rhineland . MR. FROESE : Mr . Speaker , in the absence of the Minister of Agriculture , I will address my que stion to either the First Minister or the Act ing Minister of Agriculture .

Is the govern ment considering providing more adequate truck washing facilities at the Hog Marketing Co m mission since it 's an offence to leave the stockyards with a contaminated vehicle and there are complaints? NIR. SPEAKER : The Honourable First Minister . MR. SCHREYER: Mr . Speaker, I'm not aware that there is any definite inadequacy to truck washing facilities at the St . Boniface stockyards, at the Co mmission rather , the Hog Co mmission facilitie s, so I' ll have to take that que stion as notice and have the Minister of Agriculture get the information and reply. JVIR.

SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Birtle -Rus sell . MR . GRAH AM: Thank you, Mr . Speaker . I' d like to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Has the Minister made any plans to take the re sident students from the Deaf School and place them in foster home s in the province ? MR. SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of Health and Social Develo pment . HON . RENE E. TOUPIN (Minister of Health & Social Development) (Springfield) : Mr . Speaker , there has been no reason to do this. MR . SPEAKER : The Honourable First Minister . MR . SCHREYER: Mr.

Speaker, some time ago some honourable gentleman opposite , 1' m sorry I don't rem ember exactly who it was , was inquiring as to whether or not it would be pos sible to arrange for a visit by members of the As sembly to the Forest Co mplex at The Pas, and acc ordingly it has been arranged through the efforts of the Honourable Minister of Industry and Commerce for such a visit for the 27th of May, that is quite firm though subject to change , and the detailed arrangements, transportation etcetera, are being worked out and detailed information can be obtained from the office of the Minister of Industry . MR .

SPEAKER : The Honourable Member for La Verendrye . MR . BARKMAN: Mr . Speaker , I would like to direct a question to the House Leader . I wonder if it would be pos sible to draw up or supply us with a list of the Ministers and the Acting Ministers of each department ? MR. SCHREYER: The honourable member is asking for a list of Ministers and Acting Ministers? Well, Mr. Speaker, that I' m sure is no problem.

868 May 12, 1971 :MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for Riel . :MR . CRAIK: A supplementary question. Would he add the secretarial assistants of the caucus members that are assigned to the departments? :MR . SCHREYER : Mr . Speaker , unle ss the Honourable Member for Riel has some attraction to the secretaries, I don't see the point. :MR . CRAIK: Mr . Speaker , I don't find myself particularly attracted to the Member for St . George .•• :MR . SPEAKER: Order , please . Would the honourable member state his que stion? :MR .

CRAIK: It's whatever the legi slative parliamentary assistants are called, those that perform in other than a legislative role , could they be added to the list? :MR. SPEAKER : The Honourable Member for Lakeside. :MR . HARRY J. ENNS (Lakeside): A further supplementary que stion, Mr . Speaker, directed to the First Minister on the same subject .

Insofar as that it has been the custom or the understanding that the technical and executive assistants that ministers provide for them selves are often an advantage to be known to all members of the House for information purposes, would he also add them to the list of persons? So that we can avail our selves of the good offices of these gentlemen and ladies . :MR . SCHREYER : Well, Mr . Speaker , the information reque sted is not unreasonable .

On the other hand, it seems to me that it can be so easily obtained, simply by calling the office of the particular Minister and in that way find out and then to communicate in that way. There is no attempt to somehow make this information difficult to obtain . OR DERS OF THE DAY - MOTIONS FOR PAPERS :MR . SPEAKER: On the proposed motion of the Honourable Member for Charleswood. The Honourable Member for Charleswood. :MR . ARTHUR MOUG (Charle swood): Mr. Speaker , I beg to move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Pembina�that an order of the House do issue for a Return showing the following information:

(1) The number of people of ages 18, 19 and 20 who received welfare benefits during the period August 15, 1970 to May 1, 1971.

(2) The number of students who received welfare benefits from August 15, 1970 to May 1, 1971. :MR . SPEAKER pre sented the motion. :MR . GREEN : . . . matter stand. :MR . SPEAKER: (Agreed) On the proposed Order for Return of the Honourable Member for Birtle-Russell . The Honourable Member for Birtle-Russell . :MR . GRAHAM: Thank you, Mr . Speaker . I beg to move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Pembina that an Order of the House do issue for a Return showing the following information:

(1) The number of licensed drivers in the Province of Manitoba whose birthdate falls in each of the calendar years from 1906 to 1891;

(2) The number of licensed drivers in the Province of Manitoba whose birthdate is prior to 1891;

(3) The number of drivers in each of the years listed in numbers (1) and (2) above who have been examined by the Provincial Motor Vehicle Branch;

(4) The number of people in the Province of Manitoba whose birthdate falls in each of the years listed in number (1) and (2) above who have been denied a driver 's licence as a re sult of examination by the Motor Vehicle Branch . :MR . SPEAKER presented the motion. :MR. BO RO WSKI: Mr . Speaker , we have no objection to getting this information. I don't know how difficult or expensive it is to get it, but certainly we have no objection to trying to get it . We 're available . :MR . SPEAKER put the que stion and after a voice vote declared the motion carrie d. GOVERNMENT BILLS :MR .

SPEAKER: The Honourable House Leader. :MR . GREEN: Mr . Speaker , would you call Bill No . 31, please . :MR . SPEAKER: On the proposed motion of the Honourable Minister of Transportation. ,, The Honourable Member for Souris-Killarney.

May 12, 1971 . 869 MR . McKE LLAR: Mr . Speaker , I would ask the indulgence of the House to have this matter stand. (Agreed) MR . SPEAKER: The Honourable Minister of Labour . MR . PA UL LEY: Mr . Speaker , I beg to move, seconded by the Honourable the Minister of Mines and Natural Re sources the House re solve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider the report of the Special Committee of the Legislature on the Rule s of the House , together with the report of the Independent Committee on Members' Indemnitie s referred to this committee by re solution of the House on Tue sday, May 4, 1971. MR .

SPEAKER pre sented the motion and after a voice vote declared the motion carried and the House re solved itself into a Committee of the Whole with the Honourable Member for Logan in the Chair . CO MMITTEE OF THE WHOLE HOUSE MR. CHAmMAN: Report of the Rule s Committee 26(7) (

a) passed .•. The Honourable Member for Birtle Russell. MR . GRAHAM: When we left off last night, Mr . Chairman, we were dealing with the recommendation which in essence reque sted or suggested that all briefs be in writing, and that there be time limits on the length of the briefs and that if they were repetitious that we would only hear a limited number . Mr .

Chairman, I think I endeavoured to point out to the House the value in having an oral brief pre sented and I cited two cases where I felt that it had significant bearing on the re sults that came out of the meeting of the committee, and I would suggest to you, Mr . Chairman, that while this recommendation is the recommendation of the considered opinion of the members of the committee that the brief be written , I would suggest that maybe members of the House should consider, in the light of the two cases that I mentioned, the real value of an oral brief as compared to a written brief.

There is also another matter that does concern me, Mr . Chair man, and this is the matter of the time limit on a brief. I' m not a lawyer , Mr . Chairman, but I know the Honour able House Leader is a lawyer and I would suggest to him that there are times when his case in court can be argued very successfully in ten minutes and there are times when his case cannot be argued very successfully in ten minutes, if we set say a limit of ten minutes on any particular brief.

So that depending on the amount of matter that is involved in the case before the committee I would suggest that a time limit might in fact be very detrimental to the presen tation of a brief to the committee . I would suggest that the House consider very seriously such a matter if they are in fact going to attempt to put a time limit on debate or pre sentation to a committee . With those few remarks, Mr . Chairman, I' ll await the opinions of others. MR . CHAffiMAN: The Honourable Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. HON .

BEN HANUSC HAK (Minister of Consumer, Corporate & Internal Services) (Burrows): Mr . Chairman, I have a que stion I' d like to ask of the Honourable Member for Birtle-Russell. I' ve been listening to his comments very closely but I'd like to know, is he in agreement with the proposal made that a committee should be allowed to make its own rules of procedure ? MR . CHAffiMAN: The Honourable Member for Birtle-Russell. MR . GRAHAM: Mr. Chairman, which committee is he referring to ? The committee that is suggesting rule changes here or the action of the Committee such as a Law Amendments Co mmittee? MR .

HANUSCHAK: Mr . Chairman, if we read page 8 of the 13th of April Journals, or Votes and Proceedings rather , the item that we are pre sently debating is that provision be made in the rule s of the House whereby committee s may make regulations governing represen tations to be made by the general public , and I was just at a bit of a loss to know whether the honourable member is in agreement with that recommendation or not ? MR . GRAHAM: Mr. Chairman, may I suggest that we have other rule s such as Rule 70 where the House makes the decision rather than the Committee . MR . CHAmMAN: The Honourable First Minister.

MR . SCHREYER: Mr . Chairman, I' m not one that has ever regarded himself as a master of the rule s of the House . On the other hand, I feel that I have some easy comfort -- in a sense comfortable acquaintance with the rule s and I feel moved to speak as a result of what was said last night by certain members who took

part in the debate with respect to this

870 May 12, 1971 (MR . SCHREYER cont' d.) . recommendation from the Rule s Committee No . 7. The Member for Rhineland and the Honourable Member for Rock Lake and I believe the Honourable Member for Souris-Killarney, all seemed to have as a premise of their remarks, either stated or unstated premise of their remarks, that the appearance before a Committee of Parliament or the Legislature was a right of anyone who wi shed to appear before it and I must say, Mr . Chairman, that notionally this is what all members I think, including myself, would like to think is the case .

But the fact of the matter is, the long history of Parliament and its usage is that the right to appear before a Committee of Parliament to anyone outside of Parlia ment is a grace and not a right. And closely allied with that fact is that the Committee of Parliament or of the Legislature itself determines its own rules of procedure , that is, Mr .

Chairman, it is under stood that the rules of procedure arrived at and agreed to by a standing committee are not to be inconsistent with the rules of procedure of parliament itself, but certainly within the context of parliamentary rule s and forms a great deal of latitude is left to the committee . It 's always been so and it's understood that standing committees should be given this latitude.

That is why I think that it is entirely proper and appropriate that Recom mendation No . 7· comes in as just that, a reco mmendation, and members opposite will note that the last word of the first paragraph of Rec ommendation 7 is the word "suggested". In other words, the Rule s Committee is suggesting that we adopt as a suggestion in turn for the com mittees themselves certain rule s of procedure and it is up to the committees to determine for themselves whether or not it wishe s to adopt these re strictions or these rules either in whole or in part . Now I really have to take this opportunity, Mr .

Chairman, to remind the Honourable Mem ber for Rhineland and others, that the custom in the Manitoba Legislature is one of greater latitude and opportunity for citizens to make representation than is the case of practically every other Legislature in Canada. As long as my honourable friend from Rhine land is aware of that fact then it is a little easier to accept some of the criticism and comments he makes. But it bothered me for awhile, Mr .

Chairman, to think that the Member for Rhineland might not be aware of the fact -- and it is a fact -- that in the Legislatures of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia - and I mention the last two deliberately; Alberta and British Columbia - there is no legislative practice or tradition or usage whereby members of the general public automatically appear before Law Amendments Committee to make representa tions.

In fact it must be said that there is no Law Amendments Committee as such, but special ad hoe committees that are established from time to time , and then when members of the general public wish to appear before the committee it is by invitation and by grace, not by right . Now this is not to say, this is not to suggest that the Legislature s of Alberta and B .C. are somehow derelict in their re sponsibility to give the greatest possible acce ss to members of the general public since this is the way the Mother of Parliament operates and our Federal Parliament and most of the provincial Legislatures.

What bothered me, too, Mr . Chairman, was the suggestion last night which was countered so effectively by my colleague the Minister of Mines and Re sources, the suggestion from some members opposite that by suggesting the certain changes in the rule s and form by which a com mittee shall operate that we were somehow as a government making proposals that would impinge upon citizen rights.

I was distur.bed by that and therefore I take this opportunity to elaborate just a little further on the arguments that were put forward by my colleague the Minister of Mines, by reminding honourable members that, for example , in the Federal Parlia ment committees proceed first of all to set forth a rule indicating how much time shall be allotted to each member of the committee in which to ask que stions or to comment on a bill or subject matter before it.

So not only are members of the general public re stricted to appear by way of invitation and time limits but also members of the committee itself agree that there shall be certain limitations as to time and this is the way the committees operate .

So strictly do they adhere to requirements of time limitation and so on that the Montreal Star was moved to comment just a few days ago that a Senate House Committee on Constitutional Reform in its hearings that it was holding in different citie s across the country that they would not extend the time limit even as much as two minutes. -- (Interje ction) -- Frankly I must say that I do be lieve that the critical editorial by the Montreal - no actually it's the Globe and Mail of Toronto , of the chairmanship of Senator Molgat, was excessively critical .

I do believe that the criticism of the Chairman is excessive because the Chairman is the servant of the committee and the committee imposes these time limitations. Why? Because the committee is not interested in '

May 12, 1971 871 (MR . SCHREYER cont' d.) ..... citizen rights, the right of free speech ? Or is it because the committee realize s that in order to deal with the volume of work at hand that certain com mon sense and practical limitations must be adhered to ? And let us not pretend that there has been some change only in recent years, that in the "good old days" as some would call it, that there was this greater latitude or a greater degree of freedom of speech in parliament and its committee s. The fact of the matter is, and I repeat, with emphasis, Mr.

Chairman, that the idea that someone could appear before a Committee of Parliament to make repre sentation has always been regarded as a matter of grace extended by the Committee and by Parliament and not a matter of right .

On the basic theory that our form of government is representative democracy, Parliament is an institution of repre sentative democracy and members have rights in democratic repre sentative institutions, but even the rights of members themselves, and that would apply to members from both sides of the House , are subject to certain limitations in order to accomplish the public business. . • . . . Continued on next page

872 May 12 , 1971 MR. CHAffiMAN: The Honourable Member for Morris . MR. JORGENS ON : Mr. Speaker, one of the traditions that has been followed throughout the years in attempting to arrive at some decision as to a change in our rules and procedures has been the tradition of attempting to arrive at those changes by a general consensus of all parties rather than the arbitrary decision imposed by the government. The only exception to that that I know of was the most recent changes in the House of Commons when the bill to bring in rule changes were brought in by the government and imposed by the majority.

This is not the way to bring in rule changes and we have attempted in this Legislature at this session to bring about, by mutual consent, changes in the rules that we feel will result in the more effec tive operation of this Legislature and of the committees.

We may as a committee - and I take my share of the responsibility for the introduction of the rules that are before us now, the rule changes that are before us now as a member of that committee along with my colleagues the Member for Minnedosa and the Member for Swan River - but I want to emphasize this point, that unless there can be general consensus among all members of the House that the rule changes that are proposed are desirable and indeed can bring about the desired changes, then I wonder whether it is wise to proceed arbitrarily - and I'm not suggesting for a minute that the government intends to do that at this time.

I think it's fair to say that the reason that the committee considered this particular rule change is because we were attempting to overcome a situation that had developed during the course of the last session during the consideration of Bill 56 when there was an endless series of bills , many of which were quite similar in nature , the only variation in the presentation was in many respects the length of time that it took to present them. It could be , it could well be , Mr. Chairman, that the committee over-reacted to that situation.

It could well be that we were mindful of the long hours that the committee sat and we endeavoured to bring about some chang es that we felt might overcome this particular problem, but in the li ght of some of the state ments that have been made, I'm not sure now whether we have submitted the right kind of recom mendations for consideration and I, upon reflection - and I think it's only fair that I state this position here now - I wonder if the alternatives that are proposed may be worse than the orig inal problem that we were confronted with and indeed the problem that we were attempting to overcome .

I must say, Sir , that I have been very much impressed with this system that we have in this province of Law Amendments, When I sat in my first Law Amendments Committee , and that was before I was a member of this Legislature, I thought they were all crazy, You know, one gets accustomed to a certain system and I was accustomed to the system that had been in use in the House of Commons, but after watching it operate , and particularly in the last few years when I've been a member of that Law Amendments Committee , I have come to believe that much of the legislation that passes through this House ends up much better legislation as a result of going through Law Amendments, There have been representations made before that committee - and certainly that was the case in the last session, certainly it was in the case before that - but there were literally bushels of amendments brought in to legislation during the last session as a result of the very learned and experienced views that were placed before the committee on the part of people who were interested in the legislation that was brought before the committee, I would be very reluc tant to want to see that kind of information, that kind of learned experience, reluctant to see the committee deprived of that kind of learned experience because I think it's a very valuable and I might say inexpensive way of getting good advice in making sure that legislation that passes through this House is legislation that will do exactly what we intend it to do, and it's very often that legislation does get approved by this House that does not, because of the wording or be cause of something that we are not familiar with, does not meet the desired objectives, So I now wonder whether or not it is better to attempt to overcome what might be a prob lem that may not recur again, In order to ensure that we continue to get the kind of representa tion and the kind of advice and the kind of help that does come before this committee , whether or not we should not now have a second look at this recommendation and simply see if there 's going to be a greater volume of the kind of representation that we experi'enced last year or whether it was a one shot deal as a result of Bill 56.

I think it also should be a lesson to the government that when the people do become aroused over legislation that is being proposed in this House that they disagree with, that you can expect the kind of reaction that took place on Bill 56, on bills such as Bill 56,

May 12, 1971 873 (MR. JORGENSON , cont'd. ) • I would also like to raise one other point. If there is going to be any discrimination used on the part of the chairman or whoever is going to make the decision as to what group will ap pear before the committee or what brief will be heard, I would not want to be that chairman.

He's going to find himself in the position that no matter what he does he's going to be charged with discrimination of one kind or another, and I wonder if that is not a worse evil than the difficulty of having to sit through perhaps longer hours in listening to briefs but making sure that everybody who has a point of view to express on legislation - and my experience has been that there hasn't been that many of them outside of Bill 56 and perhaps one or two others; the level of interest in legislation that has passed through the Law Amendments Committee is not that great that we can't afford to sit a few more hours to make sure that everybody who wants to be heard can be heard.

I'm not disagreeing in any way at all with what the First Minister said about the right of this Legislature to make its decisions and I'm not disagreeing at all in what he said about people thinking that it is their right to appear before that committee; it is not a right, it ls a privilege that is extended to them by the Legislature, but it is one that I believe we should continue to extend. MR. CHAIRMAN: The Member for Rhineland. MR. FROESE : Mr.

Speaker, in hearing the First Minister speaking on this particular motion before us , I would like to tell him that I'm well aware of situations in other provinces - I shouldn't and I wouldn't say fully aware because I don't know the details in all of them - and I know too that they are much more restrictive in other provinces than we are, and I feel that we in Manitoba are privileges to have a committee of this type and to have a privilege for the citi zens to be represented and to make their views known to legislators of this province.

I think this House as a result is superior to the other provinces on the matter of this being by grace and not by right. I think over the years when you have such a custom established it becomes a right and certainly our people would feel that this is a right as far as they were concerned to be and to make representations to the committee. I think if this was done away with all of a sud den, I think we would hear repercussions from outside as to why this was done and for what reasons .

Certainly I pride myself on having such a provision in our rules and in our House and I think honourable members of this House too must pride themselves for having this. When Mr. Trudeau became the Prime Minister in Canada we know what happened there, that there was certain muzzlings , and I am sure that we don't want to have this said of the Manitoba Legisla ture. By passing this provision before us , certainly we are then endorsing the principle of placing restrictions on presentations made to the committee. I visited the B. C.

House ju st last winter and honourable members who were colleagues of the government here , they were plead ing to have some of these very provisions that we have in Manitoba and they wanted those very rights in British Columbia. They were asking for them, and I think members should keep this in mind, that we have something here that we should not just drop that suddenly and without fully co

Document details

Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	29-3-37
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	29th 3rd hansardpdf 37.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	d34b84b770fade3b43ce008fd98f962339c95ef3

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