Manitoba Hansard — 17 November 2022 (Sitting 3, 42nd Legislature, 5th Session)

42-5-3

Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session – Forty-Second Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXVII No. 3 - 1:30 p.m., Thursday, November 17, 2022 ISSN 0542-5492

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

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

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

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

31 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, November 17, 2022 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Clerk (Ms. Patricia Chaychuk): It is my duty to inform the House that the Speaker is unavoidably absent. Therefore, in accordance with the statutes, I would ask the Deputy Speaker to please take the Chair. Mr. Deputy Speaker (Andrew Micklefield): O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province.

Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen. We acknowl edge we are gathered on Treaty 1 territory and that Manitoba is located on the treaty territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk nations. We acknowl edge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit. We respect the spirit and intent of treaties and treaty making and remain committed to working in partner- ship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration. Welcome, everybody. Please be seated. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS INTRODUCTION OF BILLS Bill 2–The Official Time Amendment Act Hon. Eileen Clarke (Minister of Municipal Relations): I move, seconded by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr.

Johnson), that Bill 2, The Official Time Amendment Act, now be read for a first time. Motion presented. Ms. Clarke: This bill will amend The Official Time Act to a llow Manitoba to consider adopting per - manent daylight saving time. Currently, under The Official Time Act, daylight saving time in Manitoba begins the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November. This bill will pave the way for Manitoba to ob- serve daylight saving time year -round, if the United States enacts similar legis lation and Manitobans in- dicate a preference for a year -round observance of daylight saving time.

The proposed amendments are intended to be pro- active steps to 'entable'–enable Manitoba to seamless- ly maintain a con sistent time zone approach. This approach would ease business relations, trade and the transportations of goods and travel. Public and target- ed stakeholder en gagement on the proposed shift to end year -round observance of daylight saving time will begin early in 2023. All Manitobans will be en- couraged to participate. I am pleased to present this bill in the House for its consideration. Thank you. Mr.

Deputy Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Bill 3–The Vital Statistics Amendment Act (Name Registration) Hon. Reg Helwer (Minister of Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services): I move, seconded by the Minister of Indigenous relation– reconciliation and Northern Relations, that Bill 3, The Vital Statistics Amend ment Act, name 'regisnation' – registration, be now read a first time. Mr.

Deputy Speaker: It has been moved by the honourable Minister of Labour, Consumer Pro tection and Government Services, seconded by the honourable Minister for Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations, that Bill 3, The Vital Statistics Amendment Act (Name Registration), be now read a first time. Mr. Helwer: This bill provides for additional charac- ters and single name options to be used on founda - tional identity docu ments, when in accordance with cultural practice.

Manitoba has worked for many months to expand the characters accepted by both The Vital Statistics Act and the vital events regis try to ensure traditional Indigenous names can be accommodated more readily. We both know the care with which parents select the names of newborns. Names are deeply personal

32 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 and reflect our culture and our ancestry. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented how admin- istrators of residential schools renamed students at the time of enrolment. The commission called upon gov- ernments to enable survivors to reclaim their birth names. In order to begin imple menting Call to Action No. 17, waiving of these for survivors, we needed to first to update our legis lation and registry system to expand the accepted characters. We worked with other provincial partners and federal gov ernment to smooth the path.

The amendments before us today bring Manitoba into alignment with other jurisdictions such as Ontario and Alberta. These amendments create the foundation upon we can build and implement Call to Action No. 17. I am grateful for the hard work of my department to prepare these amendments and set the stage for greater cultural sensitivity with respect to name recognition. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Committee reports? TABLING OF REPORTS Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr.

Deputy Speaker, I'm pleased to table, pursuant to The Statutes and Regulations Act, a copy of each regulation registered under that act, after the last regulation tabled in this House and more than 14 days before the commencement of the session. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Mr. Deputy Speaker: Ministerial statements–and the required 90 minutes notice prior to routine proceedings was provided in accordance with rule 26, subsection (2). Would the honour able minister please p roceed with the statement. Municipal Government Awareness Week Hon.

Eileen Clarke (Minister of Municipal Relations): I am honoured to rise before the House today to recognize November 21st to 25th as municipal government awareness week. This is the second year in a row that our govern- ment has celebrated municipal government awareness week, and there is a good reason why it is fast be - coming an annual tradition. Municipal governments play a crucial role in our province.

As the level of government with the closest and most direct impact on the people who live in their communities, municipal governments make important decisions for all Manitobans, regardless of ability, identity or background, on issues related to local ser - vices, programs, facilities and infrastructure. * (13:40) Municipal governments provide essential ser - vices such as waste management, road maintenance, fire and police services, land -use planning, building inspections and emergency management.

The provi - sion of these services ensu res the safe and efficient functioning of communities and it provides the oppor- tunity for communities to flourish economically, socially and culturally. I would also like to acknowl edge the good work of the Association of Manitoba Munici palities for their unwavering support and advocacy on behalf of Manitoba municipalities.

Advocating for the unique needs and interests of Manitoba bilingual communities, I would also like to take a moment to recognize the hard work of the Association of Manitoba Bilin gual Municipalities advocating for the unique needs and interests of Manitobans. The Association of Manitoba Municipalities' annual fall convention, taking place this year between November 21st and 23rd, is a chance for municipal elected officials and adm inistrators to come together to share ideas, to learn, to grow and to build capacity to better serve their citizens.

We strongly support these efforts, and we wish the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and all of the convention attendees, a rewarding and successful convention. This proclamation all come –also comes with an opportune moment as Manitobans recently elected the current slate of local representatives during the muni- cipal elections that took place on October 26th.

I'd like to wish all the new and returning mayors, councillors and reeves grace and wisdom as they fulfill their duties, a duty entrusted to them through the traditions of our representative democracy, to earnestly and effectively represent the best interests of their constituents as they work to build strong, safe, accountable and healthy communities. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I ask all colleagues to join me in celebrating Manitoba municipal awareness week. Thank you.

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 33 Mr. Matt Wiebe (Concordia): Today, I'm happy to recognize the contributions of our municipal govern- ments for municipal governance awareness week. Municipal governments are essential for the over- all functioning of many of the services Manitobans rely on, whether it's waste collection, libraries, emer- gency response services, drinking water, active trans- portation, road maintenance and so much more.

Municipal governments work tirelessly every day to make important decisions that directly affect the day- to-day lives of local citizens in their municipalities. Municipal governments are often first to identify the priorities of local citizens and bring forward initia- tives that resolve those issues in our communities. As elected representatives at the provincial level, we know a strong partnership with municipal govern - ments is absolutely key to ensuring we build a better Manitoba for everyone.

As we celebrate the immense contribution of our province's municipal leaders, I also want to recognize the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, which re- presents Manitoba's incorporated municipalities, in - cluding the City of Winnipeg. This association, funded solely by its members and collaborative business arm, represents the voice for municipalities. It provides support and advocacy on behalf of Manitoba municipalities and helps ensure strong partnerships across the provincial and federal levels of government.

Unfortunately, it's clear that the PC government has not worked towards a strong partnership with Manitoba's municipalities. Funding for municipalities has remained frozen for seven straight budgets, which has put immense pressures on municipalities. The PCs also scrapped the 50/50 funding agreement for transit, which left municipalities such as Winnipeg without millions in support. Bill 37 stripped local decision making from local gov ernments and weakened local democracy. We urge the PCs to reverse their regressive ap - proach and work in true part nership with Manitoba's municipal governments.

In closing, I'd like to once again thank Manitoba's municipal gov ernments for the work that they do, that has often–that often goes unnoticed. No doubt, municipal governance and leadership deserves to be recognized and celebrated. Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): I seek leave to speak to the ministerial statement, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Does the member have leave? [Agreed] Mr. Lamont: It's a pleasure to speak on municipal government awareness week. Municipal governments face a unique challenge.

They have expensive problems and they often lack the financial levers to deal with them effectively. And it has to be said that one of the greatest cultural divides in the world–not just Manitoba or Canada, but in the world–is the division between urban and rural or city and country. Part of it is that we actually have to have different solutions for each. People have jokingly referred to what happens in larger cities as sewer socialism. Someone I mentioned this to preferred public -library socialism.

But when you live in a city, when the moment you wake up, you tum on your light to electricity from publicly owned Hydro. You brush your teeth with water from the public water supply, which goes to a public water treatment plant. You walk on public sidewalks and drive or take bus –public bus over public roads. Walking to the local public school, college or university, and you'll take an ambulance to public health care, and if there's an emergency you'll get paramedics, fire and police–all public.

When we invest in these and make these policies correctly, it means you can have a safer, cleaner and more prosperous community. They're invest ments, they are not costs, and we can –because we can ac- complish much more together as we pool our funds to cover everyone, than we can separately or as in - dividuals. By contrast, in rural areas, water may come from a well and go to a septic tank. You may have a gravel road, and a hospital or a school may be a ways away. There may be no 911. Firefighters may be volunteer. And if a family is in crisis, it may be easier to address their issues.

A small community can come together and offer support. When they're a larger city, you have to have programs to ensure that people who are vulnerable are cared for. The municipal event–investments we make in pub- lic services increase everyone's prosperity. While we strive to ensure that all Manitobans 'benet' from and have access to investments, we have to 'recontize' the same

34 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 policies that work in the cities of 800,000-plus will not work in a city of 800, and vice versa. So when Conservative politicians defund and freeze municipal funding, education, health, police, social and community services –as this government has spent years doing–individuals and the private sector can't pick up the slack. Instead you get system breakdowns, as we're seeing right now.

We are committed to policies that work to– supporting municipalities, especially the City of Winnipeg and the Association of Bilingual Municipalities of Manitoba, to ensure that they all have funding to–they need to invest for all our benefit. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Introduction of Guests Mr.

Deputy Speaker: Before proceeding to private members' statements, I'd like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the public ga llery, where we have with us today from Mosakahiken Cree Nation: Chief Vincent Bercier, and his traditional name is also Red Feather; Councillor Sandra Lambert; Councillor Flora McNabb; Allard Nasikapow; Councillor Rueben Grey; Councillor Alfred Tobacco; Councillor Joey Martin; Angela Leask-Campbell and Floyd North, who are guests of the honourable Minister of Natural Resources and Northern Development (Mr. Nesbitt).

On behalf of all honour able members, we wel - come you here today. We also have seated in the public gallery from Calvin Christian collegiate 27 grade 11 students under the direction of Brittany Zoilkoski –I hope I said that right. This group is located in the constituency of the honourable member for Transcona (Mr. Altomare). We welcome you here to the Manitoba Legislature as well. I know we have one other group, but I didn't get a page with specifics, but I know we spoke earlier, so welcome here to you guys also. In fact –and anybody else who hasn't been welcomed, you're welcome as well.

So it was–few up here as well, so welcome here. MEMBERS' STATEMENTS Lundar Trap Club Hon. Derek Johnson (Minister of Agriculture): Mr. Deputy Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize a non -profit sport club in the Interlake - Gimli Constituency, and they join us here today. The Lundar Trap Club is an organization dedi - cated to allowing enjoyment and competition in the sport of trapshooting. They have a junior shotgun program every spring for youth aged 12 to 18.

The goal for the junior program is to keep the sport alive and to teach youth gun safety, respect a firearm and to appreciate the privilege of being able to participate in the sport. The Manitoba Junior Shotgun Association held their provincials at the Winnipeg Trap and Skeet Club in July. Lundar had three youth participants who each took the provincial championship in their age cate - gories. Logan Halldorson-Bruce, Zachary Halldorson, Matty Law are–who are here with us today. This year, the club hosted its annual goose shoot for its 46 th year and the winning team brought in a total of 198.94 pounds.

A fundraiser dinner was en- joyed with an additional fundraising of $1,000 for the Children's Hospital. * (13:50) The Lundar Trap Club, with their many volun - teers, are dedicating to enriching the lives of youth. This is but one of the reasons I believe the Interlake is a fantastic place to call home and raise your family. There are dozens of supportive role models for chil - dren in all of their interests.

Seated in the gallery along with L ogan, Zachary and Matty are Jeff Halldorson, Valerie Bruce, Lundar's reeve Virgil Johnson–Coldwell, I guess I should say, Reeve Virgil Johnson, Catherine Johnson as well as Patty and Allen Johnson, all of whom are exceptional role models for youth in the Interlake. Please join me in recognizing the Lundar Trap Club and our outstanding marksmen. Simon Monteith Ms. Amanda Lathlin (The Pas-Kameesak): Today I am honoured to recognize the truly admirable and scientific mind of a young educator.

Simon Monteith, also known as Simon the Scientist, is a Cree youth originally from Opaskwayak Cree Nation currently living in Winnipeg and attending Lakewood School. At only 10 years old, he has spent almost three years making inspiring educational videos from his kitchen in Winnipeg. Early into the pandemic, Simon and the world's best production assistant, his mother Jacqueline Monteith, began creating videos to explain scientific concepts for young viewers. Beginning with concepts

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 35 such as the coronavirus, he has ste adily progressed throughout many other advanced topics and concepts. Simon aims to take the videos –helpful and ac - cessible for all, by building concepts from the ground up with the help of his mother. He has been hosting an online series of live sessions to keep kids entertained and informed on scientific concepts during the pandemic. In order to make his videos accessible, there is also simultaneous American Sign Language inter - pretation throughout every video on his YouTube channel.

He even dedicated a video to covering assist- ant–assistive technology, all inspired by the needs of his sister Ella. Simon has –Simon was the recipient of the MPower award and Rick Hansen Difference Maker of the Year Award in 2021, and in June, Simon finished as a semi-finalist in the annual Canada-wide Powwow Pitch competition. Simon continues to grow his YouTube channel, Simon the Scientist, but needs some help to make it grow even more. He is currently working with Frontier School Division to bring monthly STEM activities to Indigenous communities.

The passion that Simon has for sharing his know- ledge and his early start surely have set him on a path for scientific success in his future, and we should all celebrate his accomplishments and encourage his continued adventure in educating. Joining us today is Simon the Scientist himself, Simon Monteith, along with his mother Jacqueline Monteith, his sister Ella Monteith -Lathlin, Lisa Monteith, Jaylene Irwin, Thelma Nice, Sheri Wasilewski, Lisa White, Isabella Franzin and William Franzin.

Please join me in thanking Simon for reminding us the pursuit of education is for more than just our - selves, but also for the betterment of others. We look forward to seeing your next videos. Ekosi. Dr. Elizabeth Grant Hon. Reg Helwer (Minister of Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services): Last week, November 8th, to be exact, a Steinway & Sons model B semi -concert grand piano was given the name Liz. This may seem a little odd, but there's a story here. This piano, donated in collaboration with Brandon University and the Grant family, was dedicated to the lasting legacy that Dr.

Elizabeth Grant has created within the Brandon school of music –Brandon Uni versity School of Music. If you talk about choir music in Brandon or Westman, Dr. Grant's name always comes up. Some- one will speak about the wonderful experience they had with one of her choirs, about her passion, about how much they learned without realizing they were learning. In 1981, Dr. Grant founded the Brandon Conservatory Chorale as a project for her master's in music education. Under Dr. Grant's leadership as conductor, the chorale grew to well over 100 singers.

She has received many awards, but the best award is the impact she has had on students, teachers and performers throughout Manitoba. She's been a musical adjudicator from Vancouver to Halifax, and is a popular clinician at local, pro- vincial and national events. Dr. Grant has also led many successful groups to international events and competitions. Dr. Grant traveled to the Steinway & Sons factory in New York with her family, and personally chose the handcrafted piano now know affectionately as Liz. She chose the piano that she felt had the best per - sonality to accompany a choir.

The piano is expected to provide exceptional service for students and musicians at the Brandon University School of Music for more than a century. This amazing donation was made in possible by the immense generosity of Dr. Grant's family, and the 88 sponsors of the piano keys. These key donors have funded an endowment to provide proper care of this instrument to ensure Dr. Grant's legacy and music is heard for generations. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the impact that Liz has had on our community and on Manitoba. Manitoba Hydro Rates Mr. Adrien Sala (St. James): Mr.

Deputy Speaker, Manitoba Hydro belongs to Manitobans. But whether it's setting electricity rates behind – [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: –closed doors or selling off pieces of the Crown without telling the public, the PC government

36 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 has a pattern of interference when it comes to Manitoba Hydro. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: Over the last several years, the PC government has repeatedly proposed big rate hikes. It's important that this government is held to account so that Manitoba citizens and businesses aren't being overcharged for utilities. This pattern of interference has been going on since the PCs took office in 2016. They increased hydro rates at th e Cabinet table for the first time in modern Manitoban history in 2020.

They did so through use of an omnibus bill, sneaking a rate hike in right before the holidays, Mr. Deputy Speaker. This interference would be bad enough, but then this year, the PC government–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: –changed the rules with bill 36, allowing hydro rates to be set at the Cabinet table on a go - forward basis. The PC's repeated interference with Manitoba Hydro has made life more expensive for Manitobans– [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: –at a time when the cost of living is already unsustainably high.

The Manitoba NDP believes in making life more affordable for Manitobans by keeping utility rates affordable. Manitoba Hydr o recently projected net income this year of $559 million. Inflation is running at over 8 per cent. Increasing hydro rates just doesn't make sense at this time. That's why we've proposed a rate on hydro–a freeze on hydro rates for Manitobans. It's time for government to do the same. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order, please. Order, please. Tyndall Park Constituency Staff Ms.

Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): I'm very happy to rise this afternoon and introduce and pay tribute to my constituency tea m, who have joined us up in the gallery. I would like to begin by introducing Tito Robert, who I have known my entire life. He has been with our office since 2016 and works every morning to ensure our office is up and running, and that it is a comfortable and oftentimes a very fun atmosphere for our staff and all constituents who utilize it. Now Carl has also been with the office since 2016, and is like a younger brother to me.

Carl does a bit of everything, from events to McDonald's to case work, and is my go-to person when I need an answers from the various departments. I really value his educa- tion, drive and shared thoughts on philosophy as he continues to teach me about reasoning in politics. Thirdly, Prabjot has been with the office since 2019, and she's so patient with my all of my often very forgetfulness that comes with scheduling. Every Saturday, Prab joins me at McDonald's, where she helps with casework, advertisements and claims.

She works two jobs, knows how to rock a nice vehicle, teaches me lots about local businesses and has become a very good friend to me. * (14:00) Lastly, I'd like to introduce our newest addition, Rheanne, who joined our office this past May. Rheanne radiates kindness and I only wish that she would work in our office m ore. She's going to be a teacher and I know will be a phenomenal asset to our education system because of her compassion, curios - ity and her incredible attention to detail. Mr.

Deputy Speaker, Jack Canfield says: Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with positive, nourishing and uplifting people. I find such comfort knowing that we have this in our office. Thank you, Tito Robert, Carl, Prab and Rheanne for your passion, motivation and dedi cation towards our community. I know that I am inc redibly biased, but I think that we have the best team. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. ORAL QUESTIONS Health-Care System Privatization of Services Mr.

Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): Just like Brian Pallister, the Premier is trying to push through more cuts and more priva tization of health care. It used to be the case in Manitoba that if you had a hip or a knee surgery, you could get physiotherapy free of charge. But not after the PCs took office. Now, Manitobans have to pay for this formerly public health-care service to the tune of hundreds of dollars.

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 37 That's what privatization in health care looks like under the PC government. And, by the way, Mr. Pallister and this former Health minister, they fired many of the health-care workers who provided this physio. So, can the Premier tell this House: In her pursuit of private health care, does she think that priva tizing physio, charging Manitobans more money and firing those health-care workers was a good idea? Hon.

Heather Stefanson (Premier): I know what we have been doing on this side of the House is listening to Manitobans, taking action and getting things done on behalf of Manitobans. We do know that the Leader of the Op position and all members opposite take an ideological ap - proach when it comes to the delivery of health- care services in our province. We know that provinces right across this country have been able to increase the capacity of surgical and diagnostic procedures within those provinces. In Manitoba , that was curtailed as a result of the ideology of the NDP gov ernment, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

We don't want to go back to those dark days of the previous NDP government. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Kinew: The dark days when Manitobans used to be able to get physiotherapy for free? [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: Absolutely. Every single time we – [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –will s tand up for public health care– [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –for the people of Manitoba. We know that this government also–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr.

Kinew: –saw fit to privatize nursing in Manitoba: every year, tens of millions of dollars more sent to private nursing companies. Since they took office, there are 400 fewer nurses working at the bedside in Manitoba. And, by the way–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –on top of that, there are more than 2,000 nursing jobs sitting empty right now at this moment as we are gathered here. They want more money for private companies and we see less people working at the bedside. Does the Premier agree that privatizing nursing and pushing more nurses into the private sector was a mistake? Mrs.

Stefanson: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I can tell the Leader of the Op position what was a mistake is that the NDP gov ernment at the time put ideology over patient care. And I can tell you, we will never ta ke that ap - proach. We will always stand for patients in the province of Manitoba. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary. Mr. Kinew: Just like Brian Pallister, this Premier is pushing more cuts and more private health care. Let's talk about the patients who needed Lifeflight Air Ambulance during the third wave of the pan- demic.

Manitoba was the first jurisdiction that saw our health-care system collapse. That happened under this Premier's watch, w hen she was the Health minister. We know that this gov ernment privatized Lifeflight Air Ambulance. What was the result during the third wave? Well, we saw that patients were being transported aboard flights that didn't have the proper equipment and by staff that didn't have the proper training to care for people that sick. Does the Premier now recog nize that privatizing Lifeflight Air Ambulance was wrong? Mrs. Stefanson: Well, Mr.

Deputy Speaker, I know the Leader of the Op position and members opposite are more concerned about their own ideology and will put that ahead of patient care in the province of Manitoba. We will not take that approach. In fact, in the last two years, 12,000 Manitobans have received success ful surgeries in private pro - viders in Manitoba, and 4,500 of those in the last six months alone. Those are 12,000 Manitobans who received the surgeries that they needed, took them out of the pain that they were sitting in. And I can tell you, what would members opposite do?

They wou ld have denied every one of those 12,000 Manitobans the surgical procedures that they needed and they wanted and they deserved, Mr. Deputy

38 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 Speaker. I can tell you, we will stand for patients and we will put them first every single day in this province. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a new question. Safe Consumption Site Government Position Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): If a smoker gets lung cancer, should they be provided with a nurse to deliver cancer therapy to them? Yes. If an unvaccinated person gets COVID and ends up in an ICU, should they have a nurse there to provide them with critical care? Yes.

If a person living with addictions overdoses, should we provide them with a n urse to administer naloxone? Most Manitobans would say, yes –except for the Premier. She says, no. That is what she does when she denies health care in the form of a super - vised consumption site. Why does Manitoba's–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –Premier refuse to provide this form – [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –of health care, this form of life -saving intervention that could be delivered at a supervised consumption site? Hon. Heather Stefanson (Premier): Mr.

Deputy Speaker, the only person that would be denying Manitobans the access to the health-care services that they need is the Leader of the Op position and mem- bers opposite, who would– who'd take an ideological approach when it comes to the delivery of health-care services. I just mentioned 12,000 Manitobans; 12,000 Manitobans that were waiting, who had been left in pain waiting for their surgical procedures because they take an ideological approach when it comes to this. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we will put patients first every day in this province. Mr.

Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Opposition, on a supplementary question. Mr. Kinew: Ideology is when you try to fear monger about health-care facilities. Supervised consumption sites–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –are health -care facilities. Supervised consumption sites are health -care facilities. Super - vised consumption sites are health-care facilities. They employ nurses, paramedics and other health-care professionals who can deliver life -saving medical interventions.

By the way, they can also refer people to primary care, to foot care and also to treat - ment and recovery services. Everyone knows that we have to stop treating the addictions issue as a justice problem and to start treat- ing it for what it is: a health care problem –everyone that is, except for the Premier. Everyone knows that a supervised consump tion site is a health -care facility: Why is Manitoba's Premier denying Manitobans acc ess to this health - care service? Mrs. Stefanson: Well, Mr.

Deputy Speaker, coming from the captain of fear mongering in this Chamber, I will say to the Leader of the Op position that, in the Throne Speech, we announced and committed 1,000 new treatment s paces for Manitobans who are trying to get off of their addictions. * (14:10) Mr. Deputy Speaker, we will continue to take that recovery approach. That is an approach that has a scientific evidence to ensure that we reduce the deaths associated with those who are suffering from ad dic- tions problems. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mrs. Stefanson: We will continue to take that scien - tific–[interjection] Mr.

Deputy Speaker: Order. Mrs. Stefanson: –approach. We will continue to help those recover from addictions problems in Manitoba. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final supplementary. Mr. Kinew: You have to keep people alive long enough so that they can get to treatment, and a supervised con- sumption site is one way to help–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –doing that. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. Mr. Kinew: The Premier is fear mongering. That's – [interjection]

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 39 Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –why we all know that she made some - thing up last week. She talked about California supervised consump- tion sites–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –and she said, and I quote, the unintend- ed con sequences of what happened in Californi a, that's exactly what happened, and they've been doing this for decades. End quote. That's simply untrue.

The only reason the Premier would make that up is because she's trying to scare Manitobans about what these things are when, in fact, what they are , are health-care facilities: nurses, paramedics working to help people living with addictions and giving them the opportunity to stay alive long enough so that they can seek treatment in the future. Again, the addictions issue needs to be– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The member's time has expired. Mrs. Stefanson: Well, again, Mr. Deputy Speaker, the only person that is fear 'margering' in this Chamber so far today is the Leader of the Opposition. And I can tell you, Mr.

Deputy Speaker, that we will continue to take an evidence-based approach, one that is a recovery -focused approach, one that has scientific evidence of saving lives for those who are suffering from addictions in Manitoba. We will con- tinue to take that scientific, evidence-based approach. We will not put ideology over patient care in the province, like the Leader of the Opposition and mem- bers opposite. We believe Manitobans deserve to get the health care they need when they need it, and we will ensure that they get that.

Patient Transfers to Children's Hospital Decision to Cancel Out-of-Province Patients MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): Deputy Speaker, Children's Hospital has long treated critic - ally ill children flown in from Nunavut and north- western Ontario. It's reported that , starting in August, that policy changed, barring transfers from Nunavut to Winnipeg, where they're usually treated. Doctors were forced to scramble to find space for children dealing with serious respiratory infections. I ask the minister: Who within the health system made that decision? Hon.

Audrey Gordon (Minister of Health): In addition to the 12,554 Manitobans who received surgery and care here in this province, an addi tional 13,886 cases will be completed by the end of March of next year. That's a total of 26,440 Manitobans receiving care here in the province that would be denied by members opposite. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for Union Station, on a supplementary. MLA Asagwara: Deputy Speaker, it's parti cularly disappointing when the minister avoids answering a question about sick kids.

The chief critical-care provider at Ottawa's pedi- atric hospital, Sonny Dhanani, reports that phys ician leaders at Winnipeg's children ICU were facing, and I quote, a lot of moral distress, end quote, at the prospect of turning children away. It was reported that transfers to other jurisdictions can face long delays due to transport guide lines and lack of available flight staff. Those long delays for children facing very serious respiratory illnesses hap- pened this summer.

I ask the minister again: Who made the decision to close access to Children's Hospital to Nunavut and northwestern Ontario, and when did the minister become aware– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The member's time has expired. Ms. Gordon: Members opposite continue to put false information on the record and to rely on fake news and their narrative of fear mongering, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but members on this side of the House are focused on ensuring Manitobans receive the care that they need right here in this province. That is our focus, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

That is why we made the announcement of $200 million and to add two hundred –2,000 additional health pro fes- sionals to the system so that we can provide care to children, to youth and to all Manitobans right here in the province. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honour able member for Union Station, on a final supplementary. MLA Asagwara: Mr. Deputy Speaker, I'm asking the minister about sick kids from Nunavut and north- western Ontario who couldn't get care here in Winnipeg.

40 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 So, let's be clear: last year, this gov ernment said that it had the capacity for adult patients right up until the moment they didn't; ultimately, flying 57 very sick ICU patients to other juris dictions. Manitobans were kept in the dark at that time. The minister needs to be clear and provide a message to Manitobans about what she's being told about the situation at our Children's Hospital. In August, Manitoba's pediatric hospital closed its doors to patients from Nunavut and northwestern Ontario.

Why did the minister make the decision to stop accepting critically ill children? Ms. Gordon: Well, the members opposite can con- tinue to fear monger and continue with their narrative of fake news. We will continue to help Manitobans. We will continue to strengthen the public health system. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I know that children's hos - pitals are located in provinces all across this country. Perhaps the member for Union Station is referring to another ch ildren's hospital, but at the Children's Hospital here in Manitoba, the service is available.

But again, as I said before, it's just more fake news from members opposite. Manitoba Hydro Rates Request to Repeal Bill 36 Mr. Adrien Sala (St. James): Mr. Deputy Speaker, just weeks after being passed, bill 36 is costing Manitobans more money. Just yesterday, Manitoba Hydro said that they will have to raise rates on Manitobans more and more because of the targets that the Tories are forcing on them. That means 5 per cent rate hikes a year. And the only reason rates are going up that much is because of bill 36. Bill 36 is costing Manitobans more: Will the minister repeal it today? Hon.

Cameron Friesen (Minister responsible for Manitoba Hydro): Mr. Deputy Speaker, it's been a sad journey for this member for St. James on this issue. He has meandered. He has stalled. He has stumbled. He has turned down dead- end streets. But now, he seems like he is stuck in a traffic circle in his lane of misinformation and distortion. So, while that member tries to put his turn signal on and get back on track, let's help him out. Manitobans will not be fooled by their narrative. They know that the NDP produced $24 billion of debt at Hydro. Manitobans know that that ma tters.

And Manitobans know that, when it comes to the NDP party, they have absolutely no solutions at Manitoba Hydro. We will continue to keep rates low for all Manitobans. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable member for St. James, on a follow-up. Mr. Sala: What Manitobans know is that this govern- ment legislated a huge hydro rate increase on them, and on this side of the House we stand for rate freezes in Manitoba. We –increasing costs, affordability on this side of the House. Manitobans are already s eeing the effects of bill 36, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The bill is forcing Hydro to raise rates on Manitobans.

That's what Hydro said only yesterday. And it's all because the PCs interfered and forced Hydro to agree to the PC plans. This means that Manitobans will have to pay even more on their hydro bills only because of PC interference. Will the minister stop forcing Hydro to raise rates and repeal bill 36? Mr. Friesen: And round and round he goes, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker, that member talks about interference. For months, he insisted that the most im- portant principle was the in dependent process man- aged by the PUB. Who said that? The member for St. James.

And then he stood up last week and said, actually, I had my fingers crossed, our plan in the NDP is to inter fere with the PUB and go zero, zero, zero, zero, but not tell Manitobans that that math means double-digit increases in year 5. * (14:20) We won't be fooled. Manitobans won't be fooled. We're standing on the side of low rates while they con- tinue to mislead Manitobans. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honour able member for St. James, on a final supplementary. Mr. Sala: Just want to thank the minister for giving us two terms: year 5. Thank you very much for your confidence.

Bill 36 means higher bills for Manitobans, ac - cording to Manitoba Hydro. Those are the facts.

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 41 PC interference in Hydro is costing Manitobans. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: That's all–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: –we've learned from bill 36. And bill 36 guarantees further rate hikes of 5 per cent–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Sala: –a year. Despite the minister's claims, it's clear that bill 36 will cost Manitobans more. Will he admit that b ill 36 is costing Manitobans more and repeal the bill today? Mr. Friesen: Reality check for the member for St.

James: Manitoba Hydro has some of the lowest rates in all of North America. Under our government's plan, Manitobans will continue to play some of the lowest rates in North America. But yesterday's Hydro press release read as a direct indictment of the NDP fake plan. It said that regular, modest increases are necessary to keep the lights on, to move to electrification of vehicles, to do planned maintenance, to meet their labour obligations. Let's understand: even though the NDP can't do math, Manitobans can.

And they know that the result of four zeroes in a row is a fifth year with a double - digit rate shock hike to Manitobans. Won't they just admit that they're really promising Manitobans 20 per cent increases in year 5? Mr. Deputy Speaker: The–[interjection]–order. The honourable member for Notre Dame. Home Care, Seniors Advocate and PCH Beds Government Priority in Throne Speech MLA Malaya Marcelino (Notre Dame): Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Throne Speech was a disappointment for seniors' health care. There's no commit ment to ad di- tional PCH beds and no mention of home care.

Manitoba has lost personal-care-home beds since this government came to office, and home-care work- ers in Winnipeg have told me that this gov ernment's cuts are making it impossible for them to do their jobs. Why was there no commitment to more personal- care-home beds and home care in this year's Throne Speech? Hon. Scott Johnston (Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care): I need to correct the member. The Throne Speech indicated significant investment in the health-care system, which obviously includes seniors.

In regards to personal -care homes, there was an indication within the Throne Speech that we are going to be fulfilling the challenge of long -term care, and that's one of the things that the seniors strategy is going to address. And that's what the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) initiated our particula r min istry to do, and we will be doing that. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honour able member for Notre Dame, on a follow-up question. MLA Marcelino: Mr. Deputy Speaker, no additional PCH beds were mentioned, no mention of home care. And that's why Manitoba needs a seniors advocate to hold this government to account.

But, again, this year's Throne Speech makes no commitment to accountability and no commitment to a seniors advocate; this, despite the call from many concerned about seniors in our province. Why did the Throne Speech not include a com - mitment to a seniors advocate? Mr. Johnston: Appreciate the question from my friend because it gives me an op portunity to indicate the significant investment that was designated to the Ministry of Seniors and Long-Term Care.

When this ministry was initiated, we had a budget of $54 million, $54 million going towards the support of seniors, which I will be advocating on–or have been advocating on. But the NDP voted against that invest- ment. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. [interjection] Order. [interjection] Order. MLA Marcelino: Mr. Deputy Speaker, no commit - ment to a seniors advocate, no commit ment to in - creasing the number of available PCH beds and no mention of home care. Workers in home care are really feeling the impact of this gov ernment's cuts.

New tools to track their time has reduced their time with clients by as much as 50 per cent. They were looking for this to change, but this Throne Speech was just more of the same. Why wasn't home care a priority in this year's Throne Speech?

42 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 Mr. Johnston: I can assure the member that home care is a priority for this gov ernment and that, there- fore, the senior strategy is being developed to be able to address that, as well as o ther initiatives that are going to fulfill the needs of seniors in the province of Manitoba. Post-Secondary Education Funding Concerns Mr. Jamie Moses (St. Vital): The Throne Speech offered no commit ment to increasing funding for Manitoba's post -secondary in stitutions. Instead, the government said it'll take a look and see at the issues with funding.

Well, here's the issue with funding: The PC gov- ernment has cut funding by 18 per cent since they took office. Now, while they now appear to be w alking back their plans for a performance base for funding, they still aren't adequately funding post -secondaries, they're still not making tuition affordable and still not making education affordable. So, will the minister reverse course, listen to students, listen to in stitutions and increase funding today? Hon.

Jon Reyes (Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration): Post-secondary education is a critical component ensuring that we have skilled and talented individuals who can help r estart our economy as we move forward through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our gov ernment will continue to invest over $1 billion every year in post -secondary edu cation. This year's funding announce ment includes a $12-million boost in ongoing grant funding to support the nursing seating expansion initiative. I don't know where the member's been.

We've made some really good an nouncements and we're moving forward with post -secondary education here in Manitoba. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honour able member for St. Vital, on a supplementary question. Mr. Moses: There's no need for the PC gov ernment to be taking a look at funding. I'll tell you the issue: It's the fact that this gov ernment, since they've taken office, have cut post-secondary institution funding by 18 per cent. Students and institutions will tell the government that their cuts have had real impact on their education and especially on students' wallets.

Will the minister do the right thing and adequate- ly fund Manitoba's post -secondary insti tutions, and will he do so today? Mr. Reyes: Our Speech from the Throne delivers on our gov ernment's commit ment to making life more affordable and communities more stronger and com - petitive. That is why we are investing more than $1 billion in post -secondary edu cation, more than $217 million in student loans, grants and bursaries and more than $44.7 million to graduate an addi tional 400 nursing students.

We have been taking bold action and listening to Manitobans, something the NDP did not do in their 17 years of government. Mr. Moses: The fact is, Mr. Deputy Speaker, cuts to post-secondary in stitutions hurt Manitoba students and they hurt the quality of their education. And at the same time, they also hurt our economy and our com - petitiveness. Rather than continuing with their post-secondary funding cuts, the PC gov ernment should commit to adequately funding post -secondary insti tutions and making education more affordable and more ac cess- ible for all Manitobans.

Will the minister take that course of action instead of his reckless path, and will he do so today? Mr. Reyes: As outlined in the Speech from the Throne, our gov ernment has a strong vision of de - livering world-class education while making life more affordable for all students. The NDP had no plan. They took an ideological approach to post-secondary education, making our in- stitutions less competitive and while taxing our stu- dents to the max.

The NDP's plan is higher and higher taxes and forcin g our students to move out of Manitoba. * (14:30) We, on this side of the House, want our students to study and stay in Manitoba, and we'll continue working with our post -secondary stakeholders for a better and brighter future for our students right here in Manitoba. We are on the side of affordability. Why can't the member be? [interjection]

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 43 Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Homelessness, Addiction and Mental Illness Throne Speech Measures to Combat Crime Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): I was appalled when I read in the Throne Speech that it linked – directly links mental health and violent crime. I quote: Our gov ernment will continue to tackle the underlying issues of homelessness, addictions and mental health by provi ding increased supports for front-line law en forcement officers through technol- ogy, specialized training, increased police presence and support for more officers.

These measures will help provide the tools and staffing necessary to deal with those who've resisted help, preyed on others and chosen a life outside the law. It is not a crime to be homeless, have an addiction or a mental illness. These folks don't belong in remand or a jail cell, they need shelter, treatment and therapy, which they can't get because this gov ernment has abandoned them on the street. We'd like to know exactly who wrote and who signed off on this shameful policy that will do nothing to combat violent crime? Hon.

Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Well, I would hope that the member opposite would take another look at the an- nouncements that the gov ernment has made, take another look at the Throne Speech, which committed to 1,000 spaces to help those who are dealing with addictions, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Take a look at the commitments that this govern- ment, this Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) and this minister have made to the homelessness strategy, Mr. Deputy Speaker, to ensure that there is shelter for those who need shelter.

There are initiatives that have been rolled out befor e the Throne Speech; there are initiatives within the Throne Speech. And I can assure the mem- ber there'll be even more initiatives that come forward. And I'm sure that when the oppor tunity comes, he'll vote against all of them, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honour able member for St. Boniface, on a follow-up. Peter Nygård Assault Allegations Inquiry into Filing Charges in Manitoba Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): The thing is, there are organized criminal gangs in this town who are respon sible for violent crimes.

They run drugs, they buy and sell women and girls and they're accused of violent crimes, including sexual assault, threats and intimidation. But this gov ernment is ignoring the elephant in the room, because Peter Nygård is currently accused of all of that. He's got a class -action lawsuit against him in New York alleging decades of shocking crimes, including in Manitoba: sexual assault, human trafficking, bribery, threats and inti - midation. He targeted minor women, including Indigenous women, and he silenced journalists with threats of criminal libel and employees and survivors with non-disclosure agreements.

He's facing charges in Toronto, Montreal, New York, but not in Manitoba. If this gov ernment were really interested in finding out what's gone wrong with justice and crime in Manitoba, they'd call an inquiry into Peter Nygård. Why won't they? Mr. Deputy Speaker: The member's time has expired. Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Member opposite has gone down this path before. Of course, everybody in this House is appalled by any allegations against children, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

However, the member opposite has often come to this House and directed–wanted the government to direct prosecution. This is not China. This is not North Korea. If he's actually looking for –now, I know that his leader in Ottawa said that he ap preciates the govern- ment of China and how they operate their gov ern- ment; we are not going to direct prosecutions against politicians. We're not going to direct prosecutions against individuals politically. That is done by the Crown who has a Crown standard by which they charge, and it's done independently.

If he wants to live in a country where politic ians charge individuals, there's many countries– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired. Youth Justice Committees Request to Re-establish Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): In the Throne Speech, the gov ernment made reference to needing more police in Manitoba over and over again, and it's concerning that their only solution to tackling homelessness, addictions and mental health is to increase supports specifically for police.

44 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 There is strong evidence that alternatives, like restoration and remediation, provide better opportun- ity for people to heal. An example of this could be youth justice com mittees. In the past, they were a great resource for young people. But the previous NDP government cut them. Would this Conservative government consider re- opening youth justice committees? Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Community justice support re - mains, Mr. Deputy Speaker. But I would say this when it comes to law en- forcement.

The federal Liberal government brought in legislation in 2019 called bill 75, which essentially makes it impossible to deny bail to violent offenders. As a result, there are more violent offenders with outstanding warrants than there's ever been–three times as many in Manitoba. Now, we need the federal government to actually take action on that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but we're not content and our Premier's (Mrs. Stefanson) not content to do nothing while we wait the federal gov ernment to do some - thing.

So, w e will have a high -risk integrated warrant unit that will go after those who have a warrant, who are high risk to reoffend, who are violent. We know who they are. We know where– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honourable minister's time has expired. Immigrant Women Experiencing Trauma Purchase of Facility for Newcomers Ms. Janice Morley-Lecomte (Seine River): Manitoba is known as a welcoming place and provides newcomers with the supports they need to transition. Can the Minister of Families explain what's being done to support new comer women who have exper - ienced trauma and violence? Hon.

Rochelle Squires (Minister responsible for the Status of Women): Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and I'd like to thank my colleague for that excellent question. Mr. Deputy Speaker, 18 years ago a remark able woman named Sister Lesley Sacouman had envision- ed a place, a refuge for women who were fleeing violence and persecution in other countries around the world, and she created the Holy Names Hou se of Peace, which is just down here on Edmonton Street. And for 18 years, she's run this place very suc - cessfully.

And this year, they wanted to move forward and ensure the sus tainability of the Holy Names House of Peace by purchasing the building in which they were renting. Our gov ernment was really proud to announce $500,000 towards the purchase of that building in the Beyond Bricks capital campaign for the Holy Names House of Peace, so that this house will remain forevermore a place of refuge and a port– Mr. Deputy Speaker: The minister's time has expired.

Northern Highway and Road Maintenance Department Vacancy Rate Concerns MLA Tom Lindsey (Flin Flon): This gov ernment has allowed highway maintenance vacancies in the northern region in particular to grow to dangerous levels. Since 2017, the rate of vacancies in the North has grown by 17 per cent, now sitting at a whopping 47 per cent vacancies. This means that nearly one out of every two positions is sitting empty. Lack of maintenance, like snowplowing, has dan- gerous effects on people's lives because they do have to drive on those roads.

Can the minister explain why he has allowed highway maintenance vacancy rates to grow to such dangerous levels? Hon. Doyle Piwniuk (Minister of T ransportation and Infrastructure): Mr. Deputy Speaker, we know that in our department, the biggest priority is making sure that we actually have safety on our highways. And we are recruiting up north making sure that we have recruitment–making sure that our highways are cleared when it comes to snowfall.

Since last year, we're going to –preparing for the worst but hoping for the best, and we're going to make sure that our –we actually hired 40 new –retired staff members to come back to help with plowing our snow-clearing opportunities. And so this is what we're doing, Mr. Deputy Speaker. We're doing recruitment too, and I'll talk more about that. MLA Lindsey: Hoping for the best clearly isn't going to be good enough. Clearly, it isn't good enough today. The roads aren't being properly–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 45 MLA Lindsey: –cleaned and maintained, and when you're sitting at nearly 50 per cent vacancy 'ren,' bringing back–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. MLA Lindsey: –some retired workers isn't going to be a long-term solution. Has the minister done anything to ensure the long-term viability of the maintenance positions in the North? Has he got a plan to hire people that are going to be there long term? Can the minister answer that? Mr. Piwniuk: Well, Mr.

Deputy Speaker, I just want- ed to say to the member from Flin Flon, he wanted to keep the minerals in the ground like his leader. Meanwhile, the exploration that's happening in the North, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is a challenge for our department when it comes to good jobs up there. They're actually hiring for the mining industry. So, the thing is, our recruitment is also–I met with many First Nations communities, and one thing I've said to every chief, that we're actually hiring.

We have–see the op portunity with our First Nations communities up there, op portunities for careers in gov ernment, and we are going to make sure–[interjection] * (14:40) Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Piwniuk: –that we recruit them. And it's this big opportunity that we have with our First Nation com- munity, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The honour able member for Flin Flon, on a final supplementary. MLA Lindsey: I'm not sure which question the minis- ter was answering, c learly wasn't the one that was asked. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order.

MLA Lindsey: What we need to know is why 64 positions in the northern region have been cut. They're gone. And now the minister can't even fulfill the obligation to fill those positions that are left. These vacancies are impacting safety. The minister knew people were going to retire, and yet he did nothing. Now he hires them back, knowing full well they're going to retire again. What's he doing to fill those positions on a permanent, long-term solution? Mr. Piwniuk: Mr. Deputy Speaker, you know, we are recruiting big time up in the North when it comes to our department.

We are investing $1.5 billion for road safety when it comes to reconstruction, especially up in the North. Highway 6 is going to be–we're going to be investing $51 million on Highway 6. Highway 39, we're in - vesting another $20 million. So I know –Mr. Deputy Speaker, I don't know what the member wants, but we're doing the good job up there and we're going to continue it. Mr. Deputy Speaker: The time for oral questions has expired. Petitions? Seeing none–I'm sorry, I did not see. PETITIONS Learning Disability Supports Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr.

Deputy Premier, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background to this petition is as follows: Individuals with neurodiversity and learning dis- abilities frequently have long wait times to get support and often fall through the gaps in current prov incial supports. When a child with a learning dis order turns 18 years old, there's little in the way of helpful ser - vices except through the Learning Dis abilities Association of Manitoba, which, sadly, has been undersupported and underfunded, both by the present and previous governments.

Individuals with learning dis abilities can have a high IQ and have great potential succeed–to succeed in work and life if they receive timely help to fully address and overcome their learning disability. However, if their needs are not met, some with learning disabilities are frustrated with delays in being diagnosed and being placed in an educa tion system which does not appropriately ac commodate them.

These difficulties often result in individuals dropping out of school, experiencing a life of inconsistent em - ployment, juvenile delinquency, crime, and likely will require ad ditional health care costs that could have been avoided.

46 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

(1) To urge the provincial government to provide online resources for children and adults with learning disabilities and IQs above 75, including: Online videos featuring individuals with learning disabilities explaining their situation in a strength - based way to help create awareness. (

b) A centralized listing of all resources for those with learning dis abilities, including relevant support systems for families, schools, edu cational and em - ployment institutions; and (

c) A free online webinar series and resources to enable individuals with learning disabilities to access government services. To urge the provincial government to provide ad- ditional resources to ensure that the present two- year wait-time list for assessments for learning disabilities is reduced to less than one month. To urge the provincial government to partner with organizations to provide supports for individual and/or group supports for those with learning disabil- ities who are transitioning to adulthood.

To urge the prov incial gov ernment to improve funding for Community Living disABILITY Services and other organizations which could provide supports for those with learning dis abilities in order to reduce wait times. To urge the prov incial government to recog nize that individuals with learning dis abilities with a normal or high IQ have great potential for working provided they have adequate supports, and to set up initiatives to help these individuals get and keep jobs.

To urge the prov incial government to mandate that all teachers must take courses on learning disabil- ities during their post -secondary education to better understand and educate in order to end the discrimina- tion they often experience in the classroom. Signed by Templ e Duncan, Salem Roby, Mars Livingston and many other Manitobans. Hearing Aids Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Tyndall Park): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly. The background to this petition is as follows:

(1) A hearing aid is a battery -powered electronic device designed to improve an individual's ability to perceive sound. Worn in or behind a person's ear, they make some sounds louder, helping people hear better when it's quiet and when it's noisy.

(2) People who suffer hea ring loss, whether due to aging, illness, employment or accident, not only lose the ability to communicate effectively with friends, family or colleagues, they also can experience unemployment, social isolation and struggles with mental health.

(3) Hearing loss can also impact the safety of an individual with hearing loss, as it affects the ability to hear cars coming, safety alarms and call 911, et cetera.

(4) A global commission on the state of the research for dementia care and prevention released an update consensus –updated consensus report in July 2020, identifying 12 key risk factors for dementia and cognitive decline. The strongest risk factor that was indicated was hearing loss. It was calculated that up to 8 per cent of the total number of dementia cases could potentially be avoided with management of hearing loss.

(5) Hearing aids are therefore essential to the mental health and well -being of Manitobans, especially to those at significant risk of dementia and Alzheimer's, a disorder of the br ain affecting cogni - tion in the ever-growing senior population.

(6) Audiologists are health- care professionals who help patients decide which kind of hearing aid will work best for them, based on the type of hearing loss, patient's age and ability to manage small devices, lifestyle and ability to afford.

(7) The cost of hearing aids can be prohibitive to many Manitobans, depending on their income and circumstances. Hearing aids cost on average $995 to $4,000 per ear, and many professionals say the hear - ing aids only work at their best for five years.

(8) Manitoba residents under the age of 18 who require a hearing aid, as prescribed by an 'oranocologist' or audiologist, will receive either an 80 per cent reimbursement from Manitoba Health on a fixed amount for an analog device, up to a maximum of $500 per ear, or 80 per cent of a fixed amount for a digital or analog programmable device, up to a maximum of $1,800. However, this reimbursement is not available to Manitobans who need the device who are over the age of 18, which will result in financial hardship for many young people entering the workforce, students and families. In addition, seniors representing 14.3 per cent

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 47 of Manitoba's population are not eligible for re - imbursement, despite being the group most likely in need of a hearing aid.

(9) Most insurance companies only provide a minimal partial cost of a hearing aid, and many Manitobans, especially retired persons, old- age pen- sioners and other low -income earners do not have access to health insurance plans.

(10) The Province of Quebec's hearing devices program covers all costs related to hearing aids and assistive listening devices, including the purchase, repair and replacement.

(11) Alberta offers subsidies to all seniors 65 and over and low-income adults 18 to 64 once every five years.

(12) New Brunswick provides coverage for the purchase and maintenance not covered by other agencies or private health insurance plans, as well as assistance for those whom the purchase would cause financial hardship.

(13) Manitobans over age 18 are only eligible for support for hearing aids if they are receiving Employment and Income Assist ance, and the reimbursement only provides a maximum of $500 an ear. We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

(1) To urge the provincial government to consider hearing loss as a medical treatment under Manitoba Health.

(2) To urge the provincial government to provide income-based coverage for hearing aids to all who need them, as hearing has been proven to be essential to Manitobans' cognitive, mental and social health and well-being. * (14:50) This petition has been signed by many Manitobans. Thank you for your patience. Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (Official Opposition House Leader): Deputy Speaker, o n House busi ness– [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Are there any further petitions? Seeing none, orders of the day. ORDERS OF THE DAY Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (Official Opposition House Leader): On House business. House Business Mr.

Deputy Speaker: On House business. Ms. Fontaine: Pursuant to rule 34(8), I am an - nouncing that the private member's resolu tion to be considered on the next Thursday of private members' business will be one put forward by the honour able member for Union Station (MLA Asagwara). The title of the resolution is Calling on the Provincial Govern- ment to Stop Its Private Health -Care Agenda and Invest in Manitoba's Public Health-Care System. Mr.

Deputy Speaker: It has been announced by the official–the honour able officia l gov ernment–or op- position House leader, that pursuant to rule 34(8), the private member's reso lution to be considered on the next Thursday of private members' busi ness will be one put forward by the honourable member for Union Station. The title of the reso lution is Calling on the Provincial Gov ernment to Stop Its Private Health - Care Agenda and Invest in Manitoba's Public Health- Care System. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House Leader): Could you please resume the debat e on the Throne Speech.

THRONE SPEECH (Second Day of Debate) Mr. Deputy Speaker: It has been announced by the honourable Government House Leader that we will resume debate on Throne Speech. The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition? [interjection] I'm told that I'm required to specify that we are debating the proposed motion of the honour able member for Borderland (Mr. Guenter), standing in the name of the honour able Leader of the Official Opposition. Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): I ap preciate that kind intro duction, Mr.

Deputy Speaker, and certainly am honoured to rise in this esteemed Chamber once again to speak to the govern- ment's Throne Speech. Before I do, I want to talk a bit about the MLAs who moved and seconded the reply in address to the Throne.

48 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 A motion was moved by the member for Borderland (Mr. Guenter) and the member for Fort Whyte (Mr. Khan), and, of course, you know, the gov- ernment puts up who they think are their up- and- comers to speak first and second, and so this re pre- sents what the PCs see as their future.

So with the member for Borderland, I've had a chance to hear him speak a couple of times in reply to the throne, and I've noticed that every time he gets up he talks about the com munities that are part of Borderlands, and he often talks about, you know, the folks in these communities and pays tribute to them in some kind of way. So I've noticed that he's never mentioned the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation as part of his constituency.

And even though you look at the map of Borderlands–it's right there in the middle, maybe even shaded it in red so that it catches the eye on the Elections Manitoba map–the member has never seen fit to acknowledge that. And then you've got the member for Fort Whyte, who we read in the paper today not only received half a million dollars from the provincial government, but he also received half a million dollars from Tina Jones, which, if you're keeping track at home, means he received at least $1 million towards his various business ventures, and yet still has not been able to make a go of it.

And so, we read in the paper today that – [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –his defense is that he's not good at making money. But I don't think– I think very soon in court, he's going to find that not being good at making money is not a defense when somebody is suing you. So, I'll leave that with the member for Fort Whyte to consider, while I'll consider the much more interesting question of who is Tina Jones working with that she would launch a lawsuit against a sitting member of the PC party.

Very interesting internal political question for the Progressive Conservatives to consider, because certainly, folks don't launch law - suits against sitting MLAs without thinking through the various ramifications–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: –and impacts and media that may arrive from such a story. [interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order. Mr. Kinew: So, on to–[interjection] Mr. Deputy Speaker: Order, please.

If there's a legitimate con versation to be had on any matter being discussed as part of Throne Speech debate, let's have that conversation at the appropriate time, not across the House while a member is speaking. The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition (Mr. Kinew). [interjection] Order. Mr. Kinew: So, on to the terrible, very long, very boring, tedious Throne Speech that this gov ernment brought forward, which I will also compare and con- trast, is very different from the short, boring and tedious speeches given by the members for Borderland and for Fort Whyte.

Really, when we see the gov ernment in the last year of their second term bringing forward a Throne Speech address that has nothing new in it, that is really a cause for concern for Manitobans who are looking for reasons to be optimistic and are looking for things to be hopeful about. But it is very much in keeping with the approach of the current Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) b ecause, of course, her approach is just like Brian Pallister.

And so, just like Brian Pallister, we see the same focus on private health care and on making health -care cuts, and we see nothing new on the question of afford- ability, on the cost of living, which is certainly one of the top priorities for people right across this great province. And even when it comes to the topic of crime and safety in the community, you know, the PC party has been having their political staff go out there and spin and saying that there's this big pivot happening and they're going to focus on crime. But we look at the Throne Speech and there's nothing new. There's nothing new.

Again, they're talking about programs that were cut under the Premier back when she was the minister of Justice. And when you go past that, there's really nothing in the Throne Speech document that is a novel program to meet the challenges that communities are facing these days. Of course, we've brought forward many of them. Just the other day, we were highlighting the important

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 49 work that groups like SABE Peace Walkers do to provide safe walks to seniors in our communities. We've outlined some of the steps that we want to take to end chronic homelessness in Winnipeg, which would not only deliver dignity to folks who are cur - rently living without permanent shelter in our pro- vince, but I think would help all of us feel like our province is doing better.

And I don't think it's escaped anyone's notice that, over the time that the PCs have been in office, that the amount of tent villages and the amount of people living in bus shelters has increased. And we see that, of course, many of the social issues we see in our province have gotten worse for the time that the PCs have been in office. And, really, it's not surprising. When you cut edu- cation, that has an impact. When you cut edu cation funding at the prov incial level and school divisions don't have the necessary services to provide in the classroom, they're forced to make difficult decisions.

And what we've seen across the province, both in the city of Winnipeg and across rural Manitoba and other cities like Dauphin, Thompson, Brandon, et cetera, is that quite often, educational assistant positions have been cut. And when you have a child with additional needs who's not getting the support in the classroom, that is going to have real-world impacts, not just on their ex- perience at school, but also potentially on the trajectory of their lives.

And so, we believe in a Manitoba where we invest in children, where we support those exceptional kids who sometimes have exceptional needs by provi ding more educational assistants, and that we follow this current COVID gen eration, if you will, those whose learning careers have been impacted by the pandemic, right through the K-to-12 system on to post-secondary and provide them with the supports that they need to succeed. And the reason why we say this is, of course, because that the best economic plan is an edu cation plan. * (15:00) And we're talking about health care.

We know that moving to more private health care is the wrong approach. Every time that the PCs have pursued this, it has had a negative impact on the people of Manitoba. When they cut outpatient physiotherapy services and made it a private for -profit health-care service in Manitoba, that had an impact on seniors. It had an impact on our health-care system because now the risk of re -injury was increased and thereby in - creased the number of folks who needed to get ad di- tional surgeries in the future.

But that also had a big impact on those folks' quality of life, when they had to pay out-of-pocket or to rely on private insurance to be able to receive the health-care services they need. We also know that when the gov ernment privatized government air services, among the major impacts that that had is that it resulted in the privatiza- tion of Lifeflight Air Ambulance and we saw many cases over the past few years in which patient trans - portation was negatively impacted. Of course, we saw patients who were travelling as part as a Northern Patient Trans portation Program, whose care was impacted.

We saw issues with Lifeflight Air Ambulance begin to emerge even prior to the pandemic, but most acutely during the third wave of COVID-19 in May of 2021, we did see issues emerge with the reliance on private air carriers. And, of course, Lifeflight Air Ambulance, when it was a public system being run by expert doctors, anaesthesiologists and those with an expertise in providing care in intensive care units and similar settings, it was an excellent service. And yet, this government chose to starve it and then to cut it and then to privatize it.

And so these are just a few of the examples, along with the ever -increasing amou nt of nurses who are being forced out of the public system by the decisions made by this gov ernment and who are winding up working for private agency nurses, the cost of which is now in the tens of millions of dollars per year. So when this government and when this Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) goes out into a scrum and says that they want to increase and they want to invite more private for-profit companies to come in and operate in our health- care system, we have serious concerns.

And, of course, when we talk about the issue of surgeries, we know that there is a finite number of surgeons in Manitoba and a finite number of nurses in Manitoba. And so, if you introduce more private for -profit companies, they are going to pull those surgeons and nurses out of the public system, and that is going to weaken those centres where we currently offer surgeries in a public setting, like at the Concordia Hospital, like at the Misericordia hospital. And you could go right down through the list.

I know that folks in Swan River are very concerned right now with folks that need eye surgery in their community.

50 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 And so these things are having real -world impacts. And for us, we know that this is a false choice. The PCs caused the chaos in our health -care system. They've c ontinued to make bad decisions along the way, which has only served to worsen the staffing crisis in the health -care system. And now, coincidentally, they want to champion private for - profit health care as the only potential solution. It's a false choice.

You could have used the same resources and invested them in the public settings to accelerate the amount of surgeries and to expand the amount of care that is delivered to the people of Manitoba. And I will say it does stand out quite a bit that this government refuses to tell Manitobans just how much each of the surgeries being conducted in America right now is –are costing the people of Manitoba. Surely, the government knows.

By this time, they will have signed off on multiple disbursements of payment to these American health-care companies, and so they will know both an aggregate and also at a specific level just how much these surgeries are costing. And so, why is it that they don't want to reveal this to the people of Manitoba? Is it because these surgeries are costing twice as much, perhaps three times as much, four times as much as here in Manitoba?

And so that's certainly a cause for concern because, again, the question remains: Why are we sending money to America and have we explored every opti on around expanding that invest ment in public care here in Manitoba? If the surgery in the States costs three times as much, I wonder, what could you do in the public setting here in Manitoba with three times the invest - ment per surgery case invested in our operating rooms, invested in surgeons who live here in Manitoba and in nurses who pay here –or, who live here in Manitoba, pay taxes here in Manitoba and work in our operating rooms and recovery rooms.

These are the questions that the PC team does not want to engage with. Instead, they want to shout about ideology and fear mongering when they, in fact, are the ones who are engaged in ideological decisions to starve the public system and to try to propose priva - tization as the only path forward, when that is a com- pletely false choice. Now, we know, of course, that they are fear mongering excessively when it comes to the topic of a supervised con sumption site. You had the Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) just making stuff up about super - vised consumption sites in California.

You read the comments; they're clearly designed to try and scare Manitobans away from these sorts of health -care facilities, but let's just cut through the false infor ma- tion that was being shared. Supervised consump tion site is a place where somebody could receive health care from a nurse or a paramedic or another health -care pro fessional. This might be a life-saving intervention, such as providing somebody who's overdosing with naloxone. This might be another form of medical care, such as a referral to a physician or a nurse prac titioner. This might be a referral to foot care.

It could even be, of course, a referral to a treatment centre or to a recovery program. And so, again, this is one tool, among others, which should be used here in Manitoba. And the evidence is clear. The experts are all aligned in their agreement that this should be part of the approach, and yet the gov ernment denies it, purely for ideological reasons.

And again, not only do they deny an evidence- based approach to responding to the addictions crisis based on an ideological decision that they've made; they then try to engage in a public relations campaign of fear mongering to cloud the issue and to try to distort the situation in a way that, I'll tell you, is inappropriate during an addictions crisis here in Manitoba. So these are just some of the issues that we take with the current government's approach.

And, certainly, when you have Manitobans living through a cost -of-living crisis all yea r long–this summer, dealing with such high gas prices; this fall, now looking at a head of lettuce in the store that costs seven bucks, right? Again, this is a major, major issue for families out there from all walks of life. Yes, low- income people are being hit hard. But middle-income people are being hit hard as well. In fact, middle - income folks spend a proportionally large share of their incomes on energy costs relative to other folks across Canada. And what is this government's response?

Well, it's to increase Manitoba Hydro rates yet again. And it's to do nothing as the price of gas continues to increase. And then they come back with a Throne Speech which merely recycles previous an nouncements and things that they've pushed out by way of press release.

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 51 You know, if you're driving to Costco in the snow right now, for all the pomp and circum stance of this Throne Speech, what actually was delivered there that's going to help you when you get to the store? And if you're the average parent out ther e who's driving to hockey practice or to the dance program and then to school, and you're worried about the fact that it seems like your kid's been sick for two months straight, and then you go to the store and there's no Children's Tylenol on the shelf, w hat, in this Throne Speech, is there to help you?

And, spe cifically, when we see Children's Hospital admitting nearly record numbers of patients through the emergency room day after day, what specific steps are being taken to alleviate that impact on our health-care system? So these are open questions that we know should be answered by having a government that would say, you know what, a government can't do everything, but here are some concrete, specific steps that we can do to take some of the pressure off in the form of energy costs and grocery costs that your family is dealing with.

And, again, we know that it's going to take years to fix the damage that the PCs cost to our health-care system, but here are some targeted, concrete steps that we can take to expand primary -care options to families and to the people of Manitoba. And so that's why my colleagues from St.

James and Union Station and I were very happy to join with other Manitobans and nurse prac titioners to put forward one specif ic, concrete proposal that would actually help that family out there who's worried about their kid being sick at a time of shortages in Children's Tylenol and really, really increased levels of busyness at the Children's Hospital. * (15:10) And the answer was simple: it was to make sure that the ACCESS primary-care centre is open before school and after school and late into the evening, which are, of course, those times when parents need them and when families have the ability to access them.

And I want t o just point out that, again, it was crucial, in my estimation, that we included nurse prac- titioners in this an nouncement, because nurse prac ti- tioners can deliver many of the services that a phys - ician can. They can act in a similar way to what a family doctor can in many situations –not all, of course, but in many situations. And of course, again, you know that there is a serious flaw with this government's approach to health care, because when they brought out the Peachey report in the early par t of their first mandate, nurse practitioners featured largely in the an nouncement there.

And supposedly, we were going to add hun- dreds of nurse practitioners here in Manitoba. But I would ask you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, to re- flect on when is the las t time you've heard this gov - ernment talk about a nurse prac titioner? Six years, perhaps? Right? And so it shows you that the entire cuts and reorganization and closure plan that they pursued was never about health care, was never about the patient. It was always about the money.

And to see them in the last year of the second term in office to now just say the quiet part out loud and say that they want to priva tize health care, again, doesn't surprise me. It certainly offends me as a Canadian, as some body who grew up knowing that universal, publicly ac cessible health care is a fun da- mental Canadian value and, of course, causes my colleagues and I to recommit to fighting for public health care in Manitoba and to seeing through the project of defeating the Progressive Conservatives in the next general election.

So I have an amend ment that I would like to propose to this Throne Speech reply. And I move, seconded by the member for Concordia (Mr. Wiebe), THAT the motion be amended by adding at the end the following words: But this House regrets that the provincial government has: (

a) demonstrated to Manitobans that the Premier is continuing former premier Brian Pallister's agenda of health -care cuts and privatization while giving cheques to billionaires; and (

b) refused to reverse its cuts to public health care and is instead pushing through further privatization of Manitoba's public health-care system, bringing the province closer to a costlier and inequitable American-style two- tier health-care system; and (

c) failed to address the current health-care crisis in Manitoba that is putting intense strain on front-line health -care workers and patients waiting in pain in emergency rooms, especially in pediatric facilities such as the Health Sciences Centr e Children's Hospital; and

52 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 (

d) continued to cut northern health care and mental health services in the North; and (

e) failed to fill widespread staff vacancies in home care so that seniors and vulnerable Manitobans have access to quality and timely care; and (

f) refused to call an independent public inquiry into Manitoba's pandemic response to learn from its mistakes and bring forward changes to improve the lives of Manitoba families and strengthen the health-care system; and (

g) continued to cut and un derfund K -to-12 education in Manitoba while class sizes keep on increasing, while offering no real plans to support adult education; and (

h) refused to address the addictions crisis by failing to provide investments into harm - reduction initiatives including safe consump- tion sites; and (

i) continued to make misleading statements on safe consumption sites by citing non-existent safe consumption sites in California; and (

j) refused to address the housing crisis by failing to build affordable social and supportive housing; and (

k) failed to act to improve access to mental health services across the province, particularly for youth and children and those living in remote and rural areas, as well as supports for children in Child and Family Services care; and (

l) failed to take actions to address the epidemic of missing and murdered women, girls and two-spirited people and failed to offer any concrete supports to help prevent domestic violence and to help those fleeing domestic violence; and (

m) failed to outline how the provincial government will reduce the number of children in Child and Family Services care and support those who have left the system; and (

n) continued to make life more expensive for average Manitobans by raising taxes on renters, cutting services, hiking hydro rates, attacking workers and increasing the price of essentials at the grocery store while offering no supports for producers; and (

o) refused to support workers while freezing their wages and 'endermining' workers–sorry, I'll correct that –undermining workers in the public service by leaving positions vacant in important sectors such as highway safety and health care; and (

p) continued to attack collective bargaining in the province while failing to bring in paid sick days or health and safety supports for working Manitobans to keep them safe and healthy at work; and (

q) refused to take concrete initiatives to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples of Manitoba yet again by failing to complete legally required duties or make progress to repair the damage caused by former premier Pallister's hurtful comments; and (

r) refused to increase funding for municipalities like Brandon, Dauphin, Selkirk, Gimli, Thompson and Flin Flon, leaving their budgets frozen for the seventh straight year; and (

s) failed to take meaningful action to combat climate change, while pushing ahead with a plan to privatize provincial parks; and (

t) failed to mention the fact the Province has failed to even start the Lake Manitoba -Lake St. Martin Channels project while under- spending by millions of dollars in infra - structure projects such as highway mainte - nance and repair, and failing to staff road clearing services adequately especially in northern Manitoba; and (

u) continued its attack on post -secondary students and ins titutions by forging ahead with the plan to cut funding for universities and colleges while increasing tuition and failing to support English language services for newcomers and refugees; and (

v) failed to offer any vision for supporting the people of nor thern Manitoba as the provincial government continues–point of order–[interjection] No? Yes? You're not going to find that out of order ? Okay–failed to offer any vision for supporting the people of northern Manitoba as the provincial government continues to cut essential busi - ness supports for the people of the North; and

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 53 (

w) offered no supports for producers suffering from high input costs and other challenges during this cost-of-living crisis; and (

x) failed to support francophone services in Manitoba; and (

y) failed to support an expansion of broadband services in rural and northern Manitoba; and (

z) failed to mention how the provincial government will work towards creating an equitable Manitoba for everyone, particularly people of colour, women, Indigenous peoples and members of equity seeking groups; and (aa) failed to fill vacancies in important positions in the Justice Department such as Crown attorneys in locations across the province; and (bb) failed to implement a comprehensive plan to support pe ople with disabilities during this cost-of-living crisis.

As a consequence of these and many other failings, the provincial government has thereby lost the trust and confidence of the people of Manitoba and this House. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Motion is in order. It has been moved by the honour able Leader of the Official Opposition (Mr. Kinew), seconded by the honourable member for Concordia (Mr. Wiebe), THAT the motion be amended by adding at the end– of–the following words: But this House regrets that the provincial government has– An Honourable Member: Dispense. Mr. Deputy Speaker: Dispense? Dispensed. For the record, I wish to note one grammatical change, in

section (

v) for victor, should read: "continues to cut", not "continues cut". The amendment is in order. The floor is open for debate on the amendment. Hon. Rochelle Squires (Minister of Families): It is a pleasure and an honour of mine to rise today and to put some words on the record about our government's Throne Speech, and to point out that this is my seventh Throne Speech that I have had the honour of providing comment on and being a part of.

And I just want to start off by thanking my con- stituents for giving me this great honour of represent- ing them in this House each and ever y day and for being their repre sentative since 2006. It really has been an honour of a lifetime and a real duty to serve this wonderful community of Riel. * (15:20) It is also–I'm very pleased to be able to stand and put a few facts on the record, par ticularly following many of the false assertions that were recently put on the record by the Leader of the Official Op position. Particularly, I find it particularly offensive when he talks about our record on child welfare.

And I would just like to po int out that when his gov ernment had formed office in 1999, there were only 5,200 children in care, and when his government left office in 2016, there were over 11,000 children in care. They nearly doubled the number of children in care. And I point that out, Mr. Deputy Speaker, be - cause the legacy of those–that impact is sig nificant, and the legacy is resonating in our community today.

And we are really needing to work hard in terms of providing supports for families to stay together, as well as supports to those who have exited the child- welfare system, and who are met without any con - nection to their com munities, met without any con - nection to their families. Mr. Brad Michaleski, Acting Speaker, in the Chair That broken circle needs to be repaired.

And that is something that was evident in this year's Throne Speech, in regards to our commit ment to enhancing many of those initiatives, really threading that safety net, so that we can build a better society for all those, particularly those most vulnerable. I want to just revert back to my constituency for a quick moment and thank one parti cular bright star in the con stituency of Riel, whose name is Chloe Crockford.

Now, Chloe is a student in Collège Jeanne- Sauvé, and she took a st rong advocacy position on menstrual products in schools, and she believed that all students in Manitoba should have access to men- strual products while they were in school. And, of course, we know that many students were previously missing school because they had their period and didn't have products to go to school. And Ms. Crockford and her classmates wrote to me and shared their concern. And I point that out that that was real democracy in action. That was student advocacy, using their voice.

54 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 They wr ote to me. I met with these students – many of the students from Collège Jeanne-Sauvé, and took it back and worked on a memorandum of under- standing with, of course, Shoppers Drug Mart, and in collaboration with my co -chair on the Poverty Reduction Committee, the Minister of Education, and we worked towards an agree ment. And we're very, very proud that in–earlier this fall, in September, we announced at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé that we are now providing free menstrual products to all students in the province of Manitoba.

And we are also moving for - ward with providing free menstrual products to all of our shelters and our women's resource centres. And, of course, one of the reasons why we wanted to expand the products into the women's resource centres is we know sometimes that there are girls who are not going to school, that are currently truant from school, and our hope is is that if they need to get product, and they might go into a women's resource centre, they will not only receive the product that they need, they may also be able to be connected with some of the supports that they really depend upon.

And a lot of that initiative is thanks to a remark able young woman who was not afraid to use her voice and to advocate for something that she believed in, and then, of course, working through the appropriate channels. Also in my constituency of Riel, earlier this fall, our government hosted a very remarkable–a very important initiative, and that was the $87-million affordability an- nouncement that our Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) made, of course, with all of caucus, in the heart of Riel at a com- munity centre in my constituency.

And this affordability package, not only did it put money in the pockets of parents who were working towards providing their kids' back-to-school lists and, of course, dealing with the rising cost of groceries, which, of course, we know is 11 per cent increase on– inflationary increase on food and the rising costs. We wanted to provide parents with some contributions in that regard. We also provided low -income seniors with $300 per senior so that they could be having some relief when they are going to the gas pump.

Whether they're paying, you know, Justin Trudeau's carbon tax that we know that the NDP, of course, s upport, or they're paying for rising inflation, we wanted to provide them with an additional benefit. And then something that hadn't been done in several years was we wanted to adjust the general assistance category for EIA clients who do not have dependent children. So, of course, these clients are ones that would not have received any additional money through any of these programs that are specific for parents, and we wanted to ensure that they were not left out in the cold.

And so a $50 increase to their monthly budget was just the first measure that we did in the fall. The second measure, which I'll talk about a little bit more in greater detail, was when we expanded some program benefits and gave more in our general assistance for our EIA Rent Assist program so that they would have between a $35 increase and a $70 increase, depending on the size of their family, in their monthly rental benefit in addition to the $50 that we'd provided in October. And this was really important. These rates had not been increased since–for the last 20 years.

In fact, the entire time that the NDP were in office, they looked at the rates only once, and they gave a very minimal increase to those rents –or to that general assist ance category only once in their time in office. Our govern- ment has worked on increasing the Rent Assist. In fact, we've quadrupled the Rent Assist budget since we formed office because we do believe that all Manitobans deserve a safe and affordable place to call home. We've also now increased the EIA benefit. Another thing that we've done is that we've cre - ated a special disability income-support program.

This is a program for people with severe and prolonged dis- abilities and people who have impediments to entry into the labour force, who have a shorter term disabil- ity. We've created a special income -support program and very pleased that that program is going to be ramping up starting January 1st with additional bene- fits for people who have dis abilities and who are on the disability income-support program. Our government also knows that there are many challenges for people who are precariously housed or unsheltered.

That is why our gov ernment has intro - duced many measures like the Rent Assist that I was– had mentioned earlier, but also making strong invest- ments, ensuring that that safety net is strong. And we provided an increase of $9 million just a few weeks ago to many of the shelters who ensure that people have a safe and warm place to get in from the cold during this winter seasons. We've provided this long- term sus tainable funding in their agreement so that they can plan their budgets accordingly and that they can ensure that they continue to care for those in need.

We also launched a Food Security Fund for the first time ever. This fund has never done before in the province of Manitoba. And this Food Security Fund

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 55 was available to everybody who offers food services. Whether it was through a soup kitchen or a food bank, we opened up an intake for them to apply because we knew that their dollars were not going as far as they once were. And this was really brought to our attention, and I really want to highlight the Bear Clan who at the start of COVID had created an impromptu food service. They weren't previously in the food space, but they started to provide food to people in a low-barrier way.

And this program grew to the point where they were feeding 700 individuals a day, and they were doing that, thanks to a grant provided to them by the federal government that all of a sudden just quit at the end of the summer. And so the Bear Clan had come to our government and said, we don't know what to do; the federal gov ernment is not funding this program anymore, and we now have 700 people that are not receiving their–won't be receiving food, that will go hungry. Will you help us out?

And I just really want to thank my colleagues in government for allowing me to respond to this request that came in from community, and not only did we say that, yes, we wanted to help the Bear Clan to continue the operations at their food bank, we wanted to open that up because we knew other organi zations were struggling. And so we launched that Food Security Fund. * (15:30) I also want to just mention a few other initiatives.

The other day, I had the great pleasure of spending some time with two remark able women, Diane Redsky and Melissa Stone, at the grand opening–or, the ribbon cutting of the Astum Api Niikinaahk pro- gram, which is a 22-unit housing project in downtown Winnipeg, that, of course, is being made available in– by funds from our gov ernment as well as from the federal gov ernment. But our gov ernment is very pleased to be giving $2.58 million towards this village in downtown Winnipeg. And tenanting is expected to begin immediately, and that is real–you know, it's housing in action.

We are getting people into housing, as well as provi ding them with those mental health wraparound supports. We know that, oftentimes just giving someone the keys to a new place, w hile it may be a good step, it's not the only step, and we need to ensure that there are supports for those individuals in regards to ensuring that they maintain housing and that they can continue on in their journey towards independence.

And so really I want to take a moment to just con- gratulate Diane Redsky and Melissa Stone and every- body involved in this remarkable village, and really want to welcome home those 22 individuals who will be soon getting keys to their new place. So, with that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I'm just really, again, once again, honoured to rise and to provide some comments in my capacity as the MLA for Riel and as the Minister of Families. Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Mr.

Mark Wasyliw (Fort Garry): Manitobans understand that we are one com munity, and that we care about one another and we want to see our neigh- bours living healthy and stable lives. Manitobans know that some of their neighbours are struggling right now, that they may have mental health issues, they may be struggling with addictions or they may be struggling with the stressful effects of poverty. And Manitobans understand that if somebody is drug sick, they're not going to be making rational choices.

If somebody is in the throngs of a mental health crisis, they'll have –struggle to make the right choices at the right times. And, under the stress of poverty, many of those who are feeling its effects may be reactive and do things out of desperation and the need to survive. Manitobans understand that for our province to be healthy and our community to be healthy, we have to support everyone. We have to support those that are in the thralls of addiction; we have to support those that are struggling with mental health issues, and we have to support those living in poverty.

And until we do, we won't be a healthy community. Manitoba NDP believes that every single Manitoban is–has worth, has dignity and needs to be respected and seen by this gov ernment. And we believe you cannot leave anybody behind. And until we do that, we won't come together as a community. Now we've–the Throne Speech spoke a lot about community safety. I've had a front-row seat to that as a criminal lawyer for the past 22 years. And, unlike this government, I actually spend a lot of time with people who are involved in the criminal justice sys - tem.

I absolutely spend a lot of time with people with mental health issues, with addictions, who are suf - fering the negative effects of poverty. And, unlike this government, who–their world is very small, and they don't see these Manitobans; they

56 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 17, 2022 don't know these Manitobans and they don't want to know them. And we're seeing, at this time, that they're demonizing Manitobans. They are trying to divide Manitoba into somehow the good Manitobans and the bad Manitobans. And, after six years in gov ernment, they are sur- prised to discover that there is crime in Manitoba. They are surprised to discover that there is a home- lessness crisis in Manitoba. And they are surprised to discover that there is an addictions crisis in Manitoba. So, they tell us enough is enough. Where were they six years ago?

Why is this only a priority now? Well, we know the answer to that: it's politics, it's an election. Their newfound interest in com munity safety is cynical, disingenuous and certainly not sincere. And it's about ginning up fear of one Manitoban over another for purposes of politicking. To win a few extra votes in a few ridings, this gov ernment wants to turn Manitoban against Manitoban. It's absolutely shameful. So, this government doesn't have any lawyers in it and our Justice Minister has no experience with the justice system, and his pronouncements routinely dis- play that ignorance.

And it's very crass politics be - cause they talk about the victims of crime without understanding actually who in Manitoba commits crime. And one of the biggest fallacies of this govern- ment is that they don't understand that the people that often commit crimes are often the same people who are victims of crime. We are talking often of the same people. I will recall, just one week in my practice, where I had a client of mine who was walking home late at night and she had been sexually assaulted. And she was so fearful after that that she armed herself with a knife.

She was so traumatized by what had happened to her that she began to drink heavily that week and ended up in party houses where you could drink for days non-stop with–as much as you want. And during one of those parties where she was trying to block out the trauma, she got so angry and hostile at being abused that, for unexplicable reasons, she pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the people at the party. This all happened within three days of each other, where she was both victim an d victimizer. But that kind of nuance is lost on this government.

They want to punish that woman without under standing her, without understanding how she got there and without actually doing the work to prevent that situation from ever happening again . They want to sacrifice those Manitobans so they can win a handful of votes in suburban Winnipeg. Everybody sees this. One of the most conserva - tive columnists in the Free Press has called this gov - ernment out for this ridiculous, 1990s strategy on crime. I mean, this is the last refuge of scoundrels.

Now–and let's look at how we got here after six years and this government magically discovering that, oh, there might be some issues about com munity safety. Well, if we actually want to talk about the root causes of crime in Manitoba, the main root cause of crime in Manitoba is the failed policies of this PC gov- ernment. Let's talk about it. They made a mess of health care. They made a mess of our edu cation system. They've allowed our roads and bridges to crumble. They turned one of the fastest growing economies in Canada to now one of the slowest and sluggish.

We are one of only three provinces that has lost GDP in the last three years. They've hollowed out our public service. You can't even get a birth certificate under six months. You can't get a work permit without waiting four months. And that's all new. Prior to 2016, you could get a work permit in a month. You could get your birth certificate in two weeks. This government has lost 18 per cent of our civil service. They can't even hire back people now because it's such a gong show that they don't want to stay, so they can't retain anybody new. And we've stopped being able to serve people.

We've stopped being able to give them basic public services. * (15:40) So, Manitobans see this. It's obvious to everyone except this gov ernment. This gov ernment has their head in the sand and hugs themself at night with gaslighting and alternative facts or whatever they do to help them sleep. But t he reality is, is that these problems aren't going away, and building up this straw man of an unsafe Manitoba –the one that they were administering for the last six years–is not going to get Manitobans to forget how absolutely mean -spirited and incompetent this government is.

So, the reality is, if crime has gotten worse in Manitoba, it's gotten worse because of this gov ern- ment, because of their failed policies. So, when this government took office in 2016, nobody was living in a bus shelter. There wasn't a runaway addictions crisis in Manitoba. We didn't have a signi ficant homeless crisis in 2016. You know, accessing mental health

November 17, 2022 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 57 wasn't perfect or great in Manitoba in 2016; now it feels impossible. Child poverty was on the decline when this gov - ernment took office. It is back on the rise. There are cases of trench foot being found in downtown Winnipeg; that's something from 100 years ago. That's a direct result of the cuts to the social policies of this government and their fallout effects. This government has cut social housing. They've sold off social housing stock. They've let others deteri- orate to the point where they can't ethically rent them out.

They have agreed to 100 per cent-above- 'guiderine' rent increases, some people getting rent in- creases of 30 per cent in a year. And we wonder why people are homeless. They've cut social services and income supports. They've kept Manitoba's minimum wage artificially low–the second lowest in Canada. And even when they're shamed into raisi ng it up, it's still the second lowest in Canada. They brought in wage -freeze laws so that people with unionized jobs would also see their income cut every year by inflation.

The cost of housing has skyrocketed to the point– and we need to talk about this more in Manitoba –a smaller percentage of Manitobans own a home now than before 2016. Less Manitobans can afford to live in a house that they own in Manitoba because of this government. And considering home ownership is the No. 1 way that middle class people build wealth, this government has made Manitobans poorer. Nothing announced in the three –in the Throne Speech is going to have an impact on crime. And it's just more of the same; it's gaslighting.

How is this government going to be tough on crime when they are going to war, yet again, with front -line criminal justice workers? And I'm talking about Crown attorneys. So, this government says, yes, we're tough on crime. But you know what? The people that actually have to ad- minister the justice system, they've been without a contract since March. This government will not nego- tiate in good faith with them, will not give them a reasonable settlement. And what we're seeing at the Crown attorneys' office is that they have 17 vacant positions. A nd just like nurses, they're burning out. The workload is intense.

When you have that many vacancies, the pile of files on your desk gets higher and higher, and things get missed, mistakes get made and the people that are supposed to be administering the justice system can't do their jobs properly and they're burning out and getting stressed out. And they're getting jobs in Calgary and Edmonton and getting $80,000 bump up in pay to do it. And we can't keep people in the North; we can't keep people in the Winnipeg office. So, if this gov ernment was really serious about crime, they would respect the front-line workers. But, of course, they're not.

And it's empty and it's hollow, and we see that with this fight that they're now picking with Crown attorneys. How on earth is this gov ernment tough on crime when they can't even keep courtrooms open? We heard recently that Shamattawa was shut down be - cause there was not a proper facility in that commun- ity to actually hold court. They are now going to force the residents–some of the poorest in Manitoba–to take a $1,000 flight to Thompson to appear in court. This government has no solutions. They've allow- ed it to get this way and it's just going to compound it.

Many people will get warrants because th ey can't actually afford to get them selves to Thompson from an isolated fly -in commu nity in order to get them - selves to court. This gov ernment has no answer to that. But, of course, they're tough on crime, and they're going to punish those people for the circum- stances they created, for the problems they created, for the barriers they created. You know, this gov ernment talked a lot in the Throne Speech about the intensive bail supervision program, like that was going to solve everything.

This is a band-aid solution, but there's a couple points that need to be made here. They thought so little of this program that –our Premier (Mrs. Stefanson) was Justice minister at the time in 2017. She cut it. This government made a big deal about the integrate d gang unit. Again, they thought so little about it in 2017, this Premier–then the Justice minister–cut it. So, five years later, when they magically discover community safety before an election, they are basic- ally reversing t

Document details

Collection	Manitoba — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	42-5-3
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	42nd 5th hansardpdf 3.pdf
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	db71f52cc1aaa04ad18b6ed926c36e2ae5e2fd57

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