1st Session - 43rd Legislature, Vol. 61b, May 23, 2024 (2024)

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

TheSpeaker: Good afternoon. Please be seated.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

Introduction of Bills

Bill214–The Manitoba Hydro Amendment Act
(Net-Metering Agreements)

Mr. Derek Johnson(Interlake-Gimli): I move,seconded by the member for Fort Whyte (Mr.Khan), that Bill214, TheManitoba Hydro Amend­ment Act (Net-Metering Agree­ments), be now read a firsttime.

AnHonourable Member: You need adifferent seconder.

Mr.Johnson: Okay. I move, seconded by the member for Selkirk(Mr.Perchotte), that Bill214, The Manitoba Hydro Amend­mentAct (Net-Metering Amend­ments), be now read a first time, for the second time.

Motion presented.

Mr. Johnson: The Manitoba HydroAmend­ment Act is amended to allow resi­den­tialcustomers who operate a solar PV system to request Manitoba Hydro enterinto a net-metering agree­ment. Manitoba Hydro must enter into the agree­mentif the customer's solar PV system meets the require­ments set out in the regula­tions,the customer has the necessary permits and the system is not likely to cause aserious adverse impact.

Theperson who wishes to install a solar PV system can request ManitobaHydro to approve the proposed system for the purpose of a net-metering agree­ment.If Manitoba Hydro approves the proposed system and the customer installs thesystem within six months, Manitoba Hydro must enter into a net-metering agree­mentwith the customer.

Undera net-metering agree­ment, the customer pro­vides electricity generated bytheir solar PV system to Manitoba Hydro. Manitoba Hydro must award the cus­­tomer credit, measured in kilowatt hours,that is equal to the difference between the amount of electricity thecustomer produced and consumed in a billing period. The credit must be appliedto the customer's future bill.

The Speaker: Further intro­duction of bills?

Oh. Isit the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

Bill 26–TheResidential Tenancies Amendment Act

Hon. LisaNaylor(Ministerof Transportation and Infrastructure): I move, seconded by the Minister ofFinance (MLA Sala), that Bill26, The Resi­den­tial Tenancies Amend­mentAct, be now read a first time.

Motionpresented.

MLANaylor: I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill26, The Resi­den­tialTenancies Amend­ment Act.

Thisbill serves two critical functions. First, it furthers our work of making lifemore affordable for Manitobans by enhancing rent regula­tion measures. Second,these amend­ments will expand the inventory ofrental units by leveraging existing com­mercial build­ings for conversion to resi­den­tialinventory by en­abling landlords to recover some of their costs when investingin conversions.

These amend­ments strike a balance between the interests of tenantsand landlords, while addressing stake­holder feedback and promoting greatertrans­par­ency.

I ampleased to present this bill to the House for its con­sid­era­tion.

TheSpeaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

Ideclare the reso­lu­tion carried.

Com­mit­teereports?

Tabling of Reports

Hon.Malaya Marcelino(Ministerof Labour and Immigration): Hon­our­able Speaker, I am pleased to table theManitoba Labour Board Annual Report 2022 to 2023.

Ministerial Statements

Lee Williams

Hon. GlenSimard(Ministerof Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism): Honourable Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the late LeeWilliams, who was a community mobilizer, faith leader and advocate forfair employment practices for Black- and African-descent rail workers.

LeeWilliams was born in Waco, Texas, on November 2, 1907. The Williams familyimmigrated to Canada when Lee was just a child. He and his descendants chose tomake Manitoba their home. Along the way, they established deep roots thatformed the foundation of our province's Black- and African-descent community.

Mr.Williamsworked as a sleeping car porter for the Canadian National Railway during the1930s and 1940s. Due to the prevailing anti-Black racial bias of the time, thiswas the only role available for Black men within the railway system.

Honourable Speaker, Mr.Williams' biggestsuccesses came through challenging the hiring and advancement processesof the Canadian 'brotherwood' of railway employees and Brotherhood of SleepingCar Porters. His advocacy led to the dismantling of segregated employment practices in 1964, allowing Black andother employees of colour, as well as women, to be eligible for all jobswithin the railway system. His dedication and persistence helped pave the wayfor positive change in the railway industry.

Althoughhuman slavery was formally abolished in Canada in 1834, anti-Black racism,segregationist and discriminatory ideas and practices persisted.

Mr.Williamsplayed an active role in ensuring his voiceand those of his fellow Black workers were heard. This was done at great riskto his own job security, in order to stand up for his beliefs that allemployees had the right to be treatedequally. Mr.Williams courageous­ly advocated for and succeeded ingetting equitable treat­ment and improved wages for Black porters, chal­lengingboth the national railway system and his own union.

Along the way, Mr.Williams engaged incommunity mobilization efforts thatstrengthened the bonds within Manitoba's Black churches and community. Heserved as a deacon and was involved in one of Winnipeg's oldest Blackchurches, Pilgrim worship church known as–now known as Pilgrim Baptist Church.His dedica­tion to his family, his faith andhis community in­spired a lifetime of service.

Today, many of Mr.Williams' descendantsremain connected to the church, ourprovince and the preserva­tion and celebration of Black culture andhistory in Manitoba. His daughter, Valerie Williams, has con­tinued withadvocacy work as co-founder of the University of Manitoba's Black Alliance,UMBA. UMBA strives to advance the awarenessabout Black/African-descent people's contributions to Canadian society by hosting various events like theirannual Black History Month celebrations and other initiatives.

Increasingly,political service is becoming more representative of all who live in ourcommunities. Today, two of Manitoba's firstBlack MLAs hold highly esteemed positions: the Deputy Premier andMinister of Health, and Manitoba's Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade and Natural Resources. I am honoured to serve the people of Manitoba alongsideboth of them.

Honourable Speaker, there are a wealth of contribu­tionsfrom Black- and African-descent pioneers such as Lee Williams. That's why I support celebrating Black historyyear-round.

Histrailblazing actions and thoughts continue to inspire generations. He served asa father figure to many while fightingagainst unfair employment practices rooted in anti-Black racism. Wecommemorate his advocacy efforts that not only changed his own future, but thecareer paths of generations of railway employees.

Thankyou.

*(13:40)

Ms. JodieByram(Agassiz):Honourable Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the late Lee Williams, whobravely paved the way for change by standing up for the rights of Black workersin the railroad industry.

LeeWilliams passed away in 2002, but his legacy lives on. He was a porter for theCanadian National Railway, which was the only railway job that a Black mancould have had at this time, which was through­out the 1930s and 1940s.

Williamsand other Black men experienced discrimina­tion and deplorable workingconditions. In remembering these experiences, he once said, quote: We weretreated as third-class citizens. They gave us food that should have been thrownaway.

Mr.Williams eventually became good friendswith former prime minister John Diefenbaker, whom he successfully lobbiedto force CNR to create better working conditions for porters. Lee fought forthe rights of porters on two fronts, one of which was from within his ownunion, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees, who had signed theagreement with CNR that Black men could only work as porters for the railway.

Thanks to the effort of Lee Williams and hisallies, Lee went on to oversee the dismantling of segregated employment within CNR, making it so that Blackpeople and other people of colour–including women–could be eligible forother jobs in the railway industry.

Although these accomplishments are already extra­­ordin­arily–extraordinaryon their own, Lee Williams also became one of the first Black porters to be pro­motedto a conductor position and later a supervisor on the trains.

Mr.Williamswas and always will be a Manitoba hero who is worthy of our remembrance. Itherefore encourage all Manitobans to learn about Lee Williams and his heroicefforts that led to the betterment of Canadian society.

Thankyou.

TheSpeaker: Any further min­is­terial statements?

Members' Statements

Recog­nizing YouthLeaders in Burrows

Mr.Diljeet Brar(Burrows):Honourable Speaker, as the member for Burrows, I am continually inspired by theremarkable youth leadership displayed by young Manitobans, especially from ourvery own Maples Collegiate, Sisler High school and the dedicated team Burrows.

Withus today in the gallery we have Riya Rudan, whois a student lead on Eco Crew at Maples Collegiate and will be stepping up as student councilco-president next year.

Wealso have with us Bisman Randhawa, who is currently serving as MaplesCollegiate student council co-president, president of Maples4Women andvice-president of Sikh heritage committee.

Next,we have Emily Mann who leads the Maples Debate as team captain and team lead ofMaples Theatre Tech.

And,finally, Megh Modha, who also served as student council co-president and is amental health advocate, honoured for helpingdrive the #HockeyTalks month and Project 11 campaigns.

Joiningthese four fantastic students we also have Maples vice-principal, KamalDhillon.

I am fortunate to work with many incredible youth leaderson team Burrows: Komalpreet Sangha, Helen Geli, Harjeet Ladhar and PrabhnoorSingh, who was once a member of team Burrows and is now the first turbaned VPin the history of UMSU.

I alsowant to recognize Anshreet Gill, president of Sikh heritage committee, and theincredible Youth in a Green War co-leaders Hannah Bagalay and Franchesca delRosario, who promote environmental sustainability at Sisler High school.

Youth leadership is not just a title; it's a forcedriving positive change across our province. Thank you all for yourpassion and dedication. Please join me in wel­coming these great young leadersin the gallery.

Thankyou. Miigwech. Salamat. Shukria.

Tamira Luise Tully

Mr. Ron Schuler(Springfield-Ritchot): OnMarch 20, 2024, the population of Manitoba went from 1,474,439 to 1,474,440 people, with the newestaddition of Tamira Luise Tully or, as I call her, Princess.

Tamiraarrived in Manitoba at 2:20 a.m. and in the heavyweight category of six pounds,one ounce. And at 19 inches long, she let it be known that she was here to makeher mark on society.

Her mother, Brigitta Tamira Schuler Tully, workedfor 29 hours to make this big event happen. Her father, Peter Calvin Tully, was there to help in any and all ways possible. Shealways has a very proud and loving opa, known by most MLAs here as themember for Springfield-Ritchot.

PrincessTully also has a very large and loving extended family. To mention just a few,there is her uncle and her aunt, Stefan and Maya Schuler, and her aunt, CorinaSchuler, currently living in Toronto, who just love her.

It wasjust few hours after being born that I had the opportunity to meet my littlegranddaughter for the first time, and I immediately fell in love with her. Herpouty little lips and amazing shock of hair instantly had me, and as I held herin my arms, she slept, well, like a baby.

Ithank God for the wonderful gift of a perfect little Tamira Luise Tully and forthe protection of her mother Brigitta through the whole ordeal, and yes, forher very supportive father, Peter.

In thegallery today we have joining us Tamira Luise Tully and Brigitta and PeterTully, and I ask my colleagues to welcome them today to the ManitobaLegislative Assembly.

Filipino BilingualProgram Students

MLA Mintu Sandhu(The Maples): I rise to recog­nizetheachievements of 12 grade 8 students from ArthurE. Wright school. They arejoining us in the gallery today.

Establishedin September 2018, these students are theFilipino Bilingual Program's inaugural group, making way for futurestudents in the school.

With the guidance and the support of theirteachers and families, these students have embraced the chal­lenge oflearning to read, write, speak and sing in a language that holds deep culturalsignificance. For many, Filipino is not just a subject to be learned, it ispart of their identity.

InWinnipeg, where the Filipino community is the largest immigrant group, theintroduction of the Filipino language as the official language of instruc­tion opens doors for intergenerational learning,cultural preservation. By investing in the heritage language education,we ensure that Manitoba's diverse cultures continue to thrive in generations tocome.

The benefits of bilinguals extend far beyond aca­demic achievement. By embracing bilingualeducation, we not only empower students to succeed academic­ally butalso equip them with the valuable skills that will serve them well into theincreasingly inter­connected world.

Colleagues,I ask you to join me in welcoming and honouring the 12 students with theirteachers, parents and Filipino Bilingual Program at Arthur E. school.

Thankyou, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Katy Martin YWCAAward Winner

Ms. JodieByram(Agassiz):Honourable Speaker, I had the great opportunity to attend the YWCA Women ofDistinction Awards that was recently held in Brandon. This evening recognizedand celebrated the work of many women across our Westman area.

I mustcongratulate the many nominees. These amazing women have all made significantcontribu­tions which have made a difference in our com­munities and the Westmanarea. These contributions have beendemonstrated through business, volunteerism, arts and culture,leadership, social action, mentorship, healthy living, recreation or wellness.Please know that your dedication has made a difference.

*(13:50)

Itgives me great pleasure today to recognize and welcome Agassiz constituent KatyMartin, who joins us here in the gallery with her mom, Carmen Jarvis. Katy is arural Manitoba artist and winner for this year's Women of Distinction Award forthe category of Arts, Culture and Design.

Katyhas been a lifelong artist and has found joy, creativity and inspiration inrural settings. She was born in northern Ontario, attended the University ofGuelph and earned a bachelor's degree in fine art, soon after receiving adegree in education.

Katy is a mom, wife, artist, entrepreneur andeducator. Currently living in Neepawa she works as an art teacher as wellas an artist. She has worked on local mural projects and has had sevenexhibitions.

Herpaintings are inspired by light colour com­binations, deep meaning and many arenature-themed, showcasing her incredible talent.

Katywill be hosting the Gold Thread Gala event. This evening will be showcasing herrecent painting collection inspired bybreathtaking views of Wasagaming. This will be held in the park at thebeautiful Clear Lake Danceland on Friday,July 5. If you're looking for a road trip this is a great way to exploreManitoba and see local talent.

Onbehalf of all Manitoba Legislature–on behalf of us here at the ManitobaLegislature, congratula­tions on your recent award and a big thank you for yourhard work and for sharing your vision and talents with many Manitobans.

HonourableSpeaker, I ask that all members of the House join me in wishing Katy continuedsuccess with her arts career.

Acknowl­edgingTeacher-Librarians

Hon. Nello Altomare(Minister of Education and Early ChildhoodLearning): Libraries change lives, especially the lives of our children. Wehave libraries to thank for igniting our curiosity and making us life­longlearners.

In the River East Transcona School Division,school libraries are enhanced by the incredible teacher-librarians, who work side-by-side with teachers,library techs, to create alternative and interactive spaces forlearning.

As aformer educator, I know full well that stu­dents have unique learning styles.That's why we need knowledgeable individualsthat are dedicated to making every school a welcoming environment through theirdynamic work with students. Teacher-librarians are attuned to their needs andadapt curriculum so that it can apply to every different learning style.

They are often both literacy and technologyexperts. In RETSD, these teacher-librarians advocate for every child'sright to read through the promotion of literacy in every school. They modelproper digital citizenship for students to learn responsible use of technology.Every student needs these tools so that they are respect­ful and safe online.

Makerspaceprograms, which are really unique in River East Transcona, also give studentsthe oppor­tunity to work in unison to solve problems, invent, build and play,creatively and in a safe environment.

Throughmakerspace projects, students are left with unique skills, experiences thatthey can use throughout their lives. Whether it's building a model bridge,creating an art installation or a robotics pro­ject, students come awayempowered, with broader understanding of what life will have in store for them.

All inall, the future is bright thanks to teacher-librarians and the technicians whoensure every child can succeed at school. Please join me, members, in thankingteacher-librarians and technicians from the River East Transcona SchoolDivision, and I thank you, Hon­our­ableSpeaker, for this op­por­tun­ity to honour their work.

Thankyou again.

Introduction of Guests

TheSpeaker: Before we move on to oral questions, I'd like to intro­duce someguests in the gallery. First we have Josh Braun, who is the guest of the Leaderof the Official Op­posi­tion (Mr.Ewasko).

Next Iwould like to draw the attention of all hon­our­able members to the publicgallery, where we have with us today guests from the Heart & StrokeFoundation. They're here at the Legislature for their MLA En­gage­ment Day. Wehave Katrina Rogan, Audrey Goertzen, Shannon Bayluk, Dale Oughton, KaitlynArchibald, Christine Houde, Robyn Stewart. They're all the guests of the hon­our­ablemember for Union Station (MLAAsagwara).

On behalf of all hon­our­able members, we welcomeall the guests here today.

Oral Questions

Call for the TuxedoBy‑election
Inquiry into Use of Gov­ern­ment Resources

Mr. WayneEwasko(Leaderof the Official Opposition): HonourableSpeaker, I understand that the Premier was in a rush to call the Tuxedo by‑election,but he probably forgot to call a Cabinet meeting and ex­press to his colleagueson the rules of by‑elections.

As the Minister of Families (MLA Fontaine) lovesto say, they've only been here for a minute, Honour­able Speaker.

Yesterday,the Minister of Municipal Relations thought it was appropriate to announce newfunding. And who does the media interview but frustrated Manitobans like Camp Massad, headquartered inTuxedo.

Will the Premier apologize for his minister'sattempt to use government resources for his own partisan ad­vantage in aby‑election, and will he commit to co‑operating with theCommissioner of Elections?

Hon. Wab Kinew(Premier):You know, there is a by‑election going on right now. We've got a greatcandidate. We're running on health care, the same thing we ran in, in lastyear's provincial election. We're fixing health care for you, the people ofManitoba.

On theother side of the aisle, their message to the people of Tuxedo is apparently,no fair, we're not ready, even though everybody knew since 10 p.m. on October 3, 2023, that there was going to be a by‑election.

What's more, Heather Stefanson herself announced onApril 25, giving them more than 10 days before her official date of resignationto get ready. Then, after that, we gave them a further two weeks to get readybefore dropping the writ. And then after that, here we are multiple days laterand apparently just later on this afternoon, they're going to bring forward acandidate to put in front of the good people of Tuxedo.

Werespect you in Tuxedo. We're working hard to earn your support. We're fixing–

TheSpeaker: Member's time has expired.

The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, ona supplementary question.

Mr.Ewasko: And our side of the House actually believes in a nomination race,Honourable Speaker, as opposed to plopping in a candidate that run a fewelections ago.

Allocating new funding and implying that it'savail­able to groups the minister knows are headquartered in Tuxedo is aclear violation of both the letter and intent of The Election Financing Act.It's a blatant attempt to use government dollars to win over people theminister's reckless cuts have alienated.

Theminister had every opportunity to address the $4‑million cut before theby‑election was called.

If theintent was not to violate the act, why did he delaythe announcement for a maximum political impact?

Mr.Kinew: You know, I firmly believe if you want to be in charge of ourprovincial health‑care system, you should be able to nominate a candidatefor a by‑election. That's why we've had a nurse running for the people atTuxedo since writ drop day. We're fixing your health care.

On theother side of the aisle, well, there's a ton of literature on the PC nominationrace, where they're throwing shade atonce–one another. Once again, nothing haschanged since Heather Stefanson's divisive campaign.

Butthis time, not only are they trying to divide Manitobans against one another;they're trying to divide people with PCmemberships in Tuxedo against one another. And if the member oppositewants to talk about nominations, perhaps he'd like to indicate why the PCexecutive moved up this nomination date to today, when one of the candidatesapparently is not even going to be in the country.

TheSpeaker: The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition, on a final sup­ple­mentaryquestion.

Mr. Ewasko: Honourable Speaker, once again, there's nothing new withyou-know-who, the MLA for Fort Rouge. He'sdodging, he's ducking the questions. Why? Because he knows that the Minister ofMunicipal Relations broke the law yet again.

Honourable Speaker, I'd like to table a CBCarticle that directly refutes the talking points of the Minister ofMunicipal Relations, who has stood in this House and insisted less is more.

Thefact of the matter is, this NDP government madea $4-million cut to community groups and refused to act when called onit until it was politically expedient.

*(14:00)

ThePremier can stand in his place and attempt to explain it all away, but the factis, they've just added in 7.5percent of the $4-million cut. Theminister could have promised this funding last week when the groups were in thegallery; he did not. He waited for political impact.

Whydoes the Premier think, once again, that he and his–

TheSpeaker: Member's time has expired.

Mr. Kinew: Three questions about the good people at Tuxedo, andhere's the third answer. We're working hard for you, the people of Tuxedo, witha balanced approach. Yesterday, S&P Global said that our gov­ern­ment iscommitted to fiscal sus­tain­ability and that we've charted a path towardsbalance for you, the good people of Manitoba.

At the same time, we're investing in health care, and we've gotpeople from the front lines on our team, with the hopes that perhaps you'llsend more people from the front lines of health care to work with us. Ontheother side, it's the same old playbook of division, except this time, they'veturned on each other. That's why later today, you're going to see the op­posi­tionbenches clear out when the nomination meeting starts at 4 p.m. so that they cango campaign against one another.

Ofcourse, they've stacked the deck in favour of one of their own staffers at theexpense of one can­didate who's out of the country and apparently is going tobe joining by Zoom. That's not demo­cracy. That's taking Tuxedo for granted.

Wenever will. We're fixing your health care and working hard to earn yoursupport.

Prov­incial FloatPool Nurses
Em­ploy­ment Incentives

Mrs.Kathleen Cook(Roblin): When I asked them in Estimates yesterday what incentivesthe NDP are provi­ding to get nurses into our public health-care system, thebest the minister could come up with was that they were, quote, listening.Luckily, the Premier had more to say about the topic.

The Premier said in Estimates yesterday that the chief mechanism toend mandatory overtime will be to expand the prov­incial float pool. But I'llremind him that float pool nurses are represented by Shared Health, meaningfloat pool nurses have rejected the contract the Premier is currently claiminghe designed to incentivize them.

The Premier also said in Estimates yesterday that float pool nurses would have the same work-lifebalance and financial incentives offered to agency nurses.

So my question is: What ad­di­tional incentiveswill the Premier offer to float pool nurses who have cur­rently deemedhis offer insufficient?

Hon. Wab Kinew(Premier): Fixing health care is a top priority for people rightacross this province, and that's why we were honoured to receive a mandate fromyou, the people of Manitoba, to get to work. Already, our prov­incial HealthMinister has led an im­por­tant series of remaking health care after years ofcuts and chaos that we saw under the PCs.

Thenew tentative agree­ment that we've arrived at offers a series of incentivesfor people to leave the agencies and to come back in the public health-caresystem. Many people say that what we're working on is an im­por­tant goal. Infact, one person actually said, and I quote:"I think we all agree that reducing reliance on agency nurses is anim­por­tant goal." End quote.

And doyou know who said that? It was the member from Roblin in this Chamberyesterday.

TheSpeaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a sup­ple­mentary question. [interjection]

Order.

Nurses Working PartTime
Em­ploy­ment Incentives

Mrs.Kathleen Cook(Roblin): I did say that, and it's too bad that the NDP gov­ern­mentisn't doing anything to accom­plish that goal.

The new collective agree­ment has, quote, an incentive that willdraw nurses back from private agencies to working at the bedside in the publicsystem. End quote.

But as I noted yesterday, we know the agree­ment has a stipulationthat agency nurses can no longer work in their home region. We also know thePremier's refusing to give any details on how he'll verify agencies inManitoba.

But what we don't know, as the Premier has so far refused toanswer, is how these changes will impact nurses who need flexibility with theirhours and how they will impact health-care services to Manitobans.

I'llask again: What incentive is the Premier offer­ing to nurses who want to staypart time? It's nothing.

Hon. Wab Kinew(Premier): Well, we're offering nurses who want to continue theirexisting work arrangements more money. And what we're offering to people who want to come back from the privateagencies and join the public system is not only 12 grand a year, but apromise that you'll be able to rejoin the public system within 48 hours.

Our plan, while still a lot of work ahead, is begin­ning to showresults. Our Health Minister has already doubled the prov­incial float pool.

I really have to wonder about the members oppo­site who lead offquestion period with saying we're doing a great job running our Tuxedoby-election cam­paign and then follow up with saying that our health-careinitiatives are im­por­tant goals that we share in common.

Listen,we agree. Fixing health care is the top priority. But if this is the case,maybe you shouldn't nominate anyone in Tuxedo whatsoever and just let us havethe seat.

TheSpeaker: The honourable member for Roblin, on a final sup­ple­mentaryquestion.

Mrs.Cook: I'll table another docu­ment provided to MNU members regarding thecollective agree­ment. It clearly states that the new $12,000 incentive is for full-time hours only. As the Premier noted inEstimates, one of the main reasons nurses leave to work for agencies isso that they can work flexible part-time hours to have the time to spend withtheir kids and live their lives.

But the Premier is now telling these nurses thatthey no longer have that option. He claims he is incent­ivizing themback, but in the same breath telling them they only get a top-up if they workfull time. In the same agree­ment he claims he designed for them, he takes awaythe choice of flexibility and work-life balance. That is not an incentive; thatis a threat.

Whatdoes the Premier have to say to nurses who are not able to work full time?

Mr.Kinew: What I say to all nurses in Manitoba is that finally you have a gov­ern­mentthat's listening to you. What I say to nurses in Manitoba is that you have aHealth Minister who knows what it's like to work mandated OT, who comes fromthe front lines them­selves.

What Isay is that here's a candidate in Tuxedo right now who comes from the frontlines at this very moment, who, when is notcanvassing in Tuxedo, is working at the bedside to care for you and otherpatients across the province. The member opposite is standing up anddemanding more money for nurses who work part time? Check. That's in thetentative agree­ment.

Butwhat we're saying is they also get extra $12,000 if you agree to the prov­incialfloat pool to earn more money. More money for part time, more money for fulltime, but most im­por­tantly, a better approach to health care. That's whatwe're running on. The only thing they ever run on is trying to turn Manitobansagainst one another, even people within their own party.

Manitoba Advocatefor Children and Youth
Com­mit­tee Presenters–Inti­mida­tion Concerns

Mrs.Lauren Stone(Midland):Hon­our­able Speaker, during the com­mit­tee for Manitoba Advocate for Childrenand Youth, countless presenters stated that they were fearful to speak up andwere threatened if they came forward. Many others slated to present did notshow up.

Thefear of punishment and con­se­quences by this NDP gov­ern­ment discouraged manyindividuals from sharing their voice and their stories about children and youthin care.

How is this minister responding to theseallegations of threats from her de­part­ment?

Hon.Nahanni Fontaine(Ministerof Families): The member for Midland knows that in the com­mit­tee of MACY,those concerns that were raised were not about the De­part­ment of Families,and I take excep­tion to the member standing up in the House and putting wrongfacts on the record. In fact, the member for Midland will remember that membersthat came to present expressed concerns about agencies.

So I'mgoing to ask the member to stand in her place and retract the wrong facts thatshe just put on the record.

Children inCFS Care–Protest at Committee

Mrs.Stone: Instead, I will table a letter that was sent to care providersstating, and I quote: It's not ap­pro­priate for youth to attend a rally thatpertains to their care. Children in care cannot partici­pate. This, coming fromthe minister's de­part­ment.

Childrenin care and youth in care deserve to have a voice and deserve to have theirvoices heard. Just because youth are in care does not mean that they shouldn'tbe able to exercise their demo­cratic right to protest.

Why isthis minister infringing on Charter of Rights and Freedoms and using coercivetactics to prohibit the peaceful gathering of individuals here at the ManitobaLegislature?

MLAFontaine: The member for Midland has to get it straight. She has to figureout what side she's on. Either she's on the side of kids that are in care orshe's on the side of making up all kinds of facts to fix–to fit her narrative.

Infact, the member of Midland would know that the children that we're talkingabout were the children from Spirit Rising House. So on the one hand, themember gets up in the House and ask us, what are you doing about Spirit RisingHouse, and then on the other hand, she's trying to defend Spirit Rising House,an organi­zation that gave unprescribed, unauthorized drugs to vul­ner­ablechildren.

*(14:10)

Shameon you. [interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order, please.

I'djust remind all members to direct their com­ments through the Chair, throughthe Speaker, and not directly at other members.

Mrs. Stone: All Manitobans and all Canadians deserve to protest and deserveto have freedom of speech and freedom of protest, and I will always respecttheir right to speak freely.

Underthis NDP gov­ern­ment, doctors are quitting because their voices are beingsilenced. Foster parents are fearful for speaking up. Inter­national studentsare being threatened for deportation if they protest. And now youth are beingtold that they are not allowed to exercise their demo­cratic right to speak upabout–against this NDP gov­ern­ment.

Doesthis minister want to censor all Manitobans orjust the Manitobans that disagree with her decisions?

MLAFontaine: Again, I'm getting whiplash from the member opposite of herflip-flopping on what day it is today, on who she's going to support.

I justwant to put this on the record: it is sheer audacity for the member opposite tostand up and talk about violating Charter rights in this Chamber, when everysingle member opposite took away the Charter rights of Indigenous children tocome back and sue the gov­ern­ment for dollars that they were rightfully owed.

Whotook away the con­sti­tu­tional rights of Indigenous children? You all did. Weactually settled and made Indigenous children whole. The member opposite–[interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order.

MLAFontaine: –keeps getting up in the House and putting erroneous facts on therecord. She needs to figure out–

TheSpeaker: Member's time is expired.

Energy Use–Five-YearProjection
Timeline for Release of Data

Mr. Obby Khan(Fort Whyte): Manitoba Hydro'sCEO, former CEO and board chair have all gone on the record saying thatManitoba will run out of energy capacity andproduction in the next five years. The Minister of Finance committed to provi­dingdata within three weeks on how much energy Manitobans use in the nextfive years. It's now been 14 weeks and this minister has not provided anything.

Now the Minister of Environ­mentis hiding infor­ma­tion from Manitobans, and worst, she is hiding her environ­mentalact changes within the BITSA bill. This Minister of Environ­ment had committedto pro­vi­ding data within three weeks ofcom­mit­tee meetings, and now it's been 14 weeks later and she hasn'tpro­vided anything.

So the question is simple, to theMinister of Environ­ment: What is she hiding from Manitobans?

Hon. Adrien Sala(Minister responsible for ManitobaHydro): I'm happy to have a chance to respond to the question here, fun­da­mentallyabout Manitoba Hydro and what we're doing to move the province forward afterseven and a half years of Manitobans having a gov­ern­ment that was not focusedon ensuring Manitobans were having their energy needs met in a good way.

For seven and a half years, whatdid we see in Manitoba? We saw a gov­ern­ment focused on raising rates andpriva­tizing pieces of Manitoba Hydro.

We know that's not the directionthat Manitobans want to see us go. They want a gov­ern­ment that's going tofocus on ensuring that we have the energy we need to build our economy, to meetour needs, to make sure we develop affordable, reliable energy and we keepManitoba Hydro public.

TheSpeaker: The honourable memberfor Fort Whyte, on a supplementary question.

EfficiencyManitoba Standing Committee
Number of Geothermal Pump Installations

Mr. Obby Khan(Fort Whyte): That question wasclearly for the Minister of Environ­ment. I said that three times. I'm not surewhy the Minister of Finance needs to stand up and mansplain for the Minister ofEnviron­ment. She's more than capable of asking the questions.

So I'll ask the Minister of Environ­mentagain. At the Efficiency Manitoba com­mit­tee,Manitobans learned that only a handful of geothermal pumps have beeninstalled in Manitoba under the NDP. The gov­ern­ment ran on installing 5,000heat pumps in Manitoba at the price tag of $200million to Manitobans.

So can the Minister of Environ­menttell us today how many heat exchangers and geothermal projects have beeninstalled in the province of Manitoba?

Hon. Tracy Schmidt(Minister responsible for EfficiencyManitoba): I would just like to start my comments by just saying that Itake great exception to the comment of mansplaining. On this side of the House,unlike members opposite, we are a team.

It is my–[interjection] Themembers opposite, including the member forFort Whyte, can keep spewing their divisive rhetoric, but I am pleasedto work with the Minister of Finance and the minister of Hydro on our policy. Ican't wait for our affordable home energy program to be delivered to Manitobansto save Manitobans money and also reduce our greenhouse gas emissions here inManitoba.

TheSpeaker: The hon­our­able memberfor Fort Whyte, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

NaturalGas Customers
Hydro Advisor Recommendations

Mr. Obby Khan(Fort Whyte): So for thosekeeping track, that's 64 non-answers by the Minister of Finance and nowone–nine answer by the Minister of Environ­ment. We still can track her there.

The NDP are breaking theirpromises to install 5,000 homes with new geothermal systems. And then theyfired the CEO of Manitoba Hydro, the only person that had a plan for Manitoba'senergy future.

But wait–it gets worse. The NDPthen hired a special adviser that said, on the record, he wants to increase theLiberal-NDP carbon tax and rapidly phase out natural gas, while over 600,000houses in Manitoba use natural gas.

Can the Minister of Environ­ment tellus what is she going to do for the other 600,000 houses in Manitoba that usenatural gas to heat their homes?

Hon. Tracy Schmidt(Minister responsible for EfficiencyManitoba): Again, we can't wait to deliver our affordable home energy program. I've been working veryclosely with the minister for Manitoba Hydro and our energy advisers to work ona new energy policy here in Manitoba. And at the centre of that policy is goingto be affordability–affordability, as well as environ­mental pro­tec­tions.

Theminister of Hydro and myself have been work­ing very closely on this,and we can't wait to deliver our geothermal program here in Manitoba. We under­stand that members opposite can't see our visionbecause for seven and a half years they had no vision on this file.

Skilled TradeApprentices
Request to Restore 2:1 Ratio

Mr. Richard Perchotte(Selkirk): Hon­our­able Speaker, Itable a briefing note on the top 10 workforce short­ages in Manitoba. It comesfrom the Advanced Education minister's own briefing binder. These short­agesinclude heavy-duty mechanics, plumbers, welders, and automotive service andvehicle repair technicians. There are over 2,300 apprentices in theseoccupations, yet the minister has slashed training ratios in half.

Canshe explain to Manitobans why she wants to put half of these apprentices out ofwork and make Manitoba's labour shortages worse?

Hon.Jamie Moses(Ministerof Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources): Hon­our­ableSpeaker, it's too bad that the workers in Manitoba had to suffer through sevenand a half years of a gov­ern­ment who didn't invest in their training or edu­ca­tion.

But,happy to–happy day for those workers. So glad that they have a gov­ern­ment, isnow invested in their edu­ca­tion, that now cares about ensuring they havehigh-quality and safe training. That's what we prioritize, what we'll continueto prioritize to ensure that workers have the best chance of growing oureconomy in Manitoba.

TheSpeaker: The hon­our­able member for Selkirk, on a sup­ple­mentaryquestion.

Mr.Perchotte: Once again, no answer from that side, Hon­our­able Speaker. Thisminister hasn't talked to a single busi­nessworried about the NDP's cuts and forced layoffs. If she did, she wouldhave known her actions certainly wouldn't help industry train more skilledworkers.

TheWinnipeg Construction Association says 80percent of its memberswill need to cut the number of apprentices they can hire due to these ratiochanges. Hon­our­able Speaker, 63percent will be forced to lay offapprentices.

Willthis minister change direction, prevent these layoffs from happening, andcontinue with the two-to-one ratio?

Mr. Moses: Hon­our­able Speaker, the member 'opposis' is just wrong. That,actually, line of comments that he made is not true. Employers–employees willnot lose their contracts. No contracts will be terminated as a result of thechange. In fact, what we're actually doing is investing an ad­di­tional$1.5million in training seats for ap­prentice­ships.

Itmeans that more Manitobans, they have the op­por­tun­ity to enter into skilledtrades, boost their skills and help us grow our workforce and grow our eco­nomy.That's work that we're proud to do on this side of the House.

TheSpeaker: The hon­our­able member for Selkirk, on a final sup­ple­mentaryquestion.

Mr.Perchotte: Hon­our­able Speaker, the minister has zero clue. You can makeas many seats as you want; if you don't have the journeymen there, they won'tfill the seats.

*(14:20)

We are estimating over 114,000 job openings over thenext five years. Almost 70percent of those jobs will open becauseworkers are retiring. The journey­men will be gone, hey? We are now looking atthis minister cutting that apprenticetraining in half, kicking them off the job and forcing them into un­em­ploy­mentline.

I willask again: Will he prevent these job losses and continue with the two-to-oneratio?

Mr.Moses: Well, the one-to-one ratio is good enough for Doug Ford in Ontario.I mean, here in Manitoba, we prioritize high-quality training. And weprioritize safety. That's the sort of initiatives that I think–[interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order.

Mr.Moses: –we can all get around as we build a stronger Manitoba workforce:$1.5million for ad­di­tional workforce training and ap­prentice­ships tomake sure that we're boosting the skills of Manitobans and growing a strongerand brighter economy.

Let's be–get one thing clear: No contracts aregoing to get terminated. Manitobans will still be able to work as weincrease the safety and as we increase the high-quality training–[interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order.

Mr. Moses: –right across Manitoba for all skilled trades, some­thing that members opposite never, ever understood.

TheSpeaker: Order, please. Order, please.

Iwould caution members about saying some­thing along the lines of what anothermember said is not true. And I would alsocaution members about some other comments that I've heard in this series ofquestions and answers that–a little bit of respect both ways, andbe–please be very careful about the language that we're using.

Thehon­our­able member for Turtle Mountain–Riding Mountain.

Funding to CombatAquatic Invasive Species
Inspection Station Locations and Opening Date

Mr. Greg Nesbitt(RidingMountain): Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker. We've got turtles.

Manitobansare still looking for answers from this Minister of Natural Resources. Theminister has promised $500,000 in ad­di­tional spending on aquatic invasivespecies this year, and two new watercraft inspection stations.

Yet,day after day, he refuses to tell munici­palities, media and the public how hewill spend all this money, where these new inspection stations will be locatedand when they will be open.

I urgethe minister to give this House and all Manitobans a clear answer today: Whatis he spending this money on, where is he locating these new in­spectionstations and when will they be open?

Hon.Jamie Moses(Ministerof Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources): Well,Hon­our­able Speaker, maybe the member opposite should get outside theperimeter because the water stations have been open for two weeks.

Hon­our­ableSpeaker, we know that the previous gov­ern­ment failed when it came to naturalresources; not only slashing the de­part­ment, but failing to keep up with thereal threat of aquatic invasive species. That's why we took it seriously andinvested an ad­di­tional $500,000 in making sure that we can prevent the casesof zebra mussels and all aquatic invasive species right across Manitoba.

We'll continue to do this work to protect ourwater­ways right across Manitoba.

TheSpeaker: The honourable member for Riding Mountain, on a supplementaryquestion.

Closure of ClearLake
Economic Relief for Businesses

Mr. Greg Nesbitt(RidingMountain): Manitobans are tired of the non-answers from this minister.

Whilehe's excited that people can still bring their beach toys to Clear Lake, busi­nesses are already losing out withcancelled bookings and an uncertain future. The Province has a duty to step upwith support so these busi­nesses can continue to serve visitors this season inthe–and in the years to come.

Boththe Tourism Industry Association of Manitoba and Indigenous Tourism Manitobahave asked the prov­incial and federal gov­ern­ments for $1million toprovide economic relief and support visitor experiences.

So Iask the minister and his gov­ern­ment today: Will he commit to putting up halfof the economic relief package?

Hon.Jamie Moses(Ministerof Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources): Well,Hon­our­able Speaker, I know the challenges that busi­ness com­mu­nities willhave in the Wasagaming area as a result of the federal gov­ern­ment decision onClear Lake.

And Iknow that because I met with them per­sonally in Wasagaming. And I also knowthat for our part as a gov­ern­ment, we take it seriously, and that's why we'vestepped up our efforts to prevent the spread of zebra mussels right acrossManitoba with an ad­di­tional $500,000 invest­ment.

Thereality is that I want to make sure all Manitobans know that as they movewatercraft in between water bodies inManitoba, they should always clean, drain and dry their watercraft to preventthe spread of zebra mussels across Manitoba.

That'smy message to you, to my–message to members opposite and to all Manitobans, sowe can protect our waterways in Manitoba.

TheSpeaker: The honourable member for Riding Mountain, on a final sup­ple­mentaryquestion.

Aquatic InvasiveSpecies
Waterway Testing for Zebra Mussels

Mr. Greg Nesbitt(RidingMountain): I have asked this minister three times whether he's testing therivers and waterways downstream of Clear Lake. If there are zebra mussels inClear Lake, their effects will be felt downstream in Minnedosa, Brandon,Portage la Prairie, Winnipeg and all points in between, including FirstNations.

Manitobans must be assured thatthis gov­ern­ment takes invasive species seriously, and that efforts are underway to monitor and prevent their spread into downstream tributaries and com­mu­nityinfra­structure.

So I will ask a fourth time: Isthis gov­ern­ment taking this in­cred­ibly im­por­tant action? And if they are,will they share the results with this Assembly and the public?

Hon. Jamie Moses(Minister of Economic Development,Investment, Trade and Natural Resources): So, Hon­our­able Speaker, I'lltry to an­swer the question more directly so Manitobans can be clear on theanswer.

Arewe testing? Yes. Are–do we have more watering stations? Yes. Did weinvest more money to fight against zebra mussels? Yes.

That'sreal action to keep all of our waterways safe in Manitoba, some­thingmembers opposite never did.

$10-a-DayChild Care
Summer Availability Inquiry

MLA Cindy Lamoureux(Tyndall Park): Summer issneaking up quickly, and Manitoba parents want assurances that their childrenhave affordable child care. The cost of child care often costs parents more inthe summer because of out-of-school schedules.

Will the minister guarantee toManitoba families that their $10-a-day child-care con­tri­bu­tion will be inplace for all school-age children this summer?

Hon. Nello Altomare(Minister of Education and EarlyChildhood Learning): I do want to thank the member for that question. It'san im­por­tant one. It's one that, we know, where inflation and rising costsare hitting families hard.

That's why in Budget 2024 weoutline a whole suite of inflation-fighting measures that have paid dividendsright now, including for families. We are going to be rolling out $10-a-daychild care, as it was outlined in our budget.

It'stoo bad that member didn't vote for the budget, because that would've happenedgoing forward anyway.

Thank you.

The Speaker: The honourablemember for Tyndall Park, on a supplementary question.

Quali­fi­ca­tionCriteria

MLA Lamoureux: He can outline itright here for us here today.

Numer­ouscon­stit­uents and facilities have reached out to me as recent as this morning, indicating that they have not yetheard anything from this gov­ern­ment when the $10-a-day child care willbe imple­mented.

In fact, one con­stit­uent told methat her daycare bill will literally double, from $400 to $800 for four weeks.Families should not be forced to give up careers or use sick time or holidaysbecause the cost of child care is more than their paycheque.

Willthis gov­ern­ment clarify for Manitoban families what ages, if any,children will be able to qualify for $10-a-day child care this summer?

MLAAltomare: Again, I do want tothank the member for that question, because it's an im­por­tant one be­causeit highlights the very im­por­tant work being done in the early learning andchild-care sector in my de­part­ment.

These people have been workingtirelessly since we've been elected. I can tell that member as well that we're creating thousands of spaces–affordablespaces–for parents and families in our com­mu­nities, and these are thethings that we were voted in to do.

They voted in an NDP gov­ern­mentto get the work done that wasn't clearly being done before. We'll continue todo this; we'll work tirelessly with our people that work in the early learningand child-care sector to make sure that there's space that's affordable andavailable for parents.

The Speaker: The honourablemember for Tyndall Park, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Child-CareSpaces at Tyndall Park School
Request to Reinstate Construction Plan

MLA Cindy Lamoureux(Tyndall Park): So again, notimeline or plan for when this $10-a-day child-care plan will actually takeeffect for Manitoban families.

This gov­ern­ment's own child careand schools policy promises that all new schools must include a child-carecentre but, unfor­tunately, plans to create a new school in Tyndall Park andnumer­ous other com­mu­nities have been cut by this NDP gov­ern­ment.

Trustees have been calling for newschools, many of which would have also had new child-care centres. The memberfor Burrows (Mr.Brar) and I recently had a meeting with Winnipeg SchoolDivision 1 on this very issue.

Will the gov­ern­ment reversetheir decision and restore the constructionof Tyndall Park school, to assist with the des­per­ate need of child care innorthwest Winnipeg?

*(14:30)

Hon. Nello Altomare(Minister of Education and EarlyChildhood Learning): Again, I do want to thank the member for that questionbecause it's im­por­tant one.

You can't cut what was neverplanned, what was never budgeted for. That was clearly what went on before. Ican tell you the irresponsibility of the former gov­ern­ment in promising thesethings that were never paid for, never budgeted for, played on the emotions ofparents that want the best for their children.

They finally elected a gov­ern­mentthat's going to look forward to provi­ding the supports in the schools thatthey need. In Budget 2024, two schools planned, two schools will be built, twoschools budgeted for. What did they do? Nothing.

Ridefor Dad Cancer Charity
MPI Speciality Licence Plate

MLA Mike Moyes(Riel): Hon­our­able Speaker,more than 1.2million men in Canada have prostate cancer, and80percent of them do not know it.

Esta­blishedin 2000, the Ride for Dad aims to change this. This event raises money toward research and aware­ness tohelp save men's lives and improve the quality of life for men and theirfamilies living with this disease.

Canthe Minister of Justice please update the House on this work his de­part­mentis doing with Manitoba Public Insurance to increase awareness and support ofthis charity?

Hon. Matt Wiebe(Minister responsible for theManitoba Public Insurance Corporation): For decades, Ride for Dad has beensaving lives by sup­porting the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation, raisingawareness about the importance of early detection and supporting innovativemedical research on the road to a cure.

ThisSaturday, the annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad will go from Polo Park toAssiniboia Downs through Selkirk and Gimli, raising awareness for funds alongthe way. The goal of every rider and every donor to the cause is the same asours: to have more Manitobans hear those four amazing words, you are cancerfree.

That's why I'm honoured today toshare that the–in the months ahead, Manitoba Public Insurance will bedeveloping a specialty licence plate to celebrate ride for dad and direct theproceeds towards their im­por­tant charitable work.

Thankyou very much, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Inter­national PeaceGarden
Timeline to Receive Operating Grant

Mr. DoylePiwniuk(TurtleMountain): Hon­our­able Speaker, this Minister of Sport, Culture andHeritage represents the gov­ern­ment on the board of the Inter­national PeaceGarden. At least, he should be.

So Ihave an easy question for him: Why is this gov­ern­ment refusing to releaseoperating grants for the inter­national symbol of co‑operation?

Hon. GlenSimard(Ministerof Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism): As I have answered before in thisChamber, big believer in the Inter­national Peace Garden. As the memberopposite is aware, I was at the AGM earlier this year. Glad to see that he wasthere as well.

We'rea big fan of Turtle Mountain national park, of the work that the Peace Gardendoes. And I will allow–[interjection] Hey, listen.

We believe in parks, we believe in Manitoba. Realsimple.

TheSpeaker: The honourable member for Turtle Mountain, on a supplementaryquestion.

Mr.Piwniuk: Hon­our­able Speaker, you know, the member–the minister has torealize that when the Inter­national Peace Gardens is in operation, they haveto get ready for the season.

Andthe thing is, the minister doesn't realize that the fact is we actuallyhave–the PC gov­ern­ment gave money right before this time because the fact isthey had to get ready for the tourism season.

Why is this gov­ern­ment not giving the grantmoney to Inter­national Peace Gardens for the co‑operation withthe–North Dakota, to match North Dakota's funding?

Hon. Tracy Schmidt(Minister of Environment and Climate Change): I'll take the op­por­tun­ity to educatethe member opposite that actually–I will educate the member opposite that thegrant funding to the Inter­national Peace Gardens actually is provided–[interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order.

MLASchmidt: –by the De­part­ment of Environ­ment and Climate Change, not thede­part­ment of sports, heritage, culture and tourism. So correction for therecord.

I'dalso like to share with the House some very exciting Green Team funding thatcame to the Inter­national Peace Gardens this year, out of the Office of Munici­palRelations, to the tune of $33,620 for their grounds maintenance.

So again, our gov­ern­ment is here to supportManitobans. We're here to support–

TheSpeaker: Member's time has expired.

Thehonourable member for Turtle Mountain, on a final sup­ple­mentary question.

Mr.Piwniuk: This minister should be ashamed of herself, because the fact iswhen it comes to the Inter­national Peace Gardens, they cannot even actually–[interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order.

Mr.Piwniuk: –at this point in time. They're looking for funding that–[interjection]

TheSpeaker: Order. Order.

Ishould not have to holler at the top of my lungs to call you folks to order.So, please, a little respect for each other and for the Speaker.

Mr.Simard: I just wanted to take–

TheSpeaker: The hon­our­able minister–the hon­our­able ministers–of Environ­mentwas not finished her answer. [interjection] Sorry, my mistake.

Thehon­our­able minister–the hon­our­able member for Turtle Mountain was notfinished his question.

Mr.Piwniuk: Thank you, Hon­our­able Speaker, for giving me another op­por­tun­ity.

Like,I said, the minister should be really ashamed because the fact is, you know,the Inter­national Peace Garden is actually looking for funding so that theycould cover for payroll. Right now they cannot cover their payroll right now.

Thisminister should be–

TheSpeaker: Member's time has expired.

Thehon­our­able Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage. [interjection]

Order.

Mr.Simard: I'm extremely proud to sit alongside theMinister of Environ­mentand Climate Change (MLASchmidt).

I'mextremely proud to be standing here with this team that invests in Manitoba,that invests in parks. And I'd like to welcome everyone from Manitoba to takethe drive down to the Inter­national Peace Garden. This spring, this summer,take in all of the beauty of that region. Go there for peace. [interjection]

Why you yelling? Why you givinghate a chance? Give peace a chance.

Some Honourable Members: Oh,oh.

The Speaker: Order. Order.Order.

The time for oral questions hasexpired.

As agreed to by the House on May21, this after­noon the House will debate second reading of Bill33, The–

ORDERS OF THE DAY

(Continued)

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

The Speaker: As agreed to bythe House on May 21, this afternoon the House will debate second reading ofBill33, The Change of Name Amend­ment Act (3), followed by Bill34, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis ControlAmend­ment Act, then Bill36, The Regulated Health Professions Amend­mentAct.

Speaker'sstill standing. [interjection] Order.

For each bill, the minister can speak for amaximum of 10 minutes, followed by an up to 15-minute question periodand answer period. The critic from the official op­posi­tion and the in­de­pen­dentmember may then speak for a maximum of 10 minutes per bill, following which, Iwill put the question on second reading of the bill.

Therefore,I will call second reading of Bill33, The Change of Name Amend­ment Act.

Debateon Second Readings

Bill33–The Change of Name Amendment Act (3)

Hon.Lisa Naylor(Minister of Consumer Protection and GovernmentServices): I move,seconded by the Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care(MLAAsagwara), that Bill33, The Change of Name Amend­ment Act (3),be now read a second time and be referred to a com­mit­tee of this House.

Introduction of Guests

The Speaker: Before we proceed with the–reading that, I'd like toacknowl­edge that we have with us in the gallery–seated in the public gallery fromthe Univer­sity of Manitoba English Language Centre, 25students under thedirection of Tracey Giesbrecht. And they're guests of the hon­our­able memberfor St.Vital (Mr.Moses).

* * *

TheSpeaker: It has been moved by the hon­our­able Minister of Trans­por­tation,Infra­structure, Consumer Pro­tec­tion and Gov­ern­ment Services, seconded bythe Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care (MLAAsagwara), thatBill33, The Change of Name Amend­ment Act (3), be now read a second timeand be referred to a com­mit­tee of this House.

*(14:40)

MLA Naylor: I am pleased to speak to the House today about Bill33, The Changeof Name Amend­ment Act (3).

Thisbill will exempt name-related changes under The Change of Name Act require­mentto publish in the Manitoba Gazette if the reason for the name change relates tothe person being transgender, two-spirit Indigenous, non-binary or genderdiverse. The amend­ments also update the legis­lation with gender-neutrallanguage.

Theproposed amend­ments will apply to both adult and child applications.Currently, in accordance with The Change of Name Act, once a legalchange-of-name application has been approved by the director of the VitalStatistics branch, a notice is published in the Manitoba Gazette. The person'snew name, their original name and city or town of residence are then publishedin the Gazette.

Under the current legis­lation, a person mayrequest a waiver to be exempt from the publication require­ments for specified reasons that may cause unduehard­ship. However, to obtain an exemption waiver, they must submit anexemption request to the director of the Vital Statistics branch. This processis onerous and creates un­neces­sary barriers to service for the trans,non-binary, gender diverse and two-spirit com­mu­nity.

Iwould like to provide you with examples of in­creased and un­neces­sarybarriers that the current legis­lation creates for the affected com­mu­nity.

Thefirst example relates to applications sub­mitted by Manitoba residents who wereborn in other Canadian juris­dic­tions. When an exemption is made under thecurrent legis­lation because publication of the name change will cause unduehardship, the Vital Statistics branch is not able to send a change-of-namenotification to the applicant's Canadian juris­dic­tion of birth, whichrequires them to update the applicant's birth record. If a notification is notsent, then it is up to the applicant to provide proof of change of name totheir Canadian juris­dic­tion of birth in order to have their birth recordupdated to their preferred name.

Applicantswho are born in Manitoba and are ex­empt from the publication require­mentcurrently ex­per­ience delays when applying for re­place­ment birthcertificates or change-of-name certificates due to ad­di­tional securityscreening measures. These measures are in place to confirm eligibility ofapplicants and to ensure infor­ma­tion is not being released to ineligiblerecipients, as these name changes are con­fi­dential.

Additionally, the Vital Statistics branch is notable to include these name changes in the reports being sent to otherservice providers like Manitoba Public Insurance and Elections Manitoba, whichresults in the applicant having to provide proof of their name change in orderto link their former and current names. This change will also save applicants$20 that's now spent on the gazetting fee.

Com­mu­nitymembers have been advocating for the Vital Statistics branch to remove the require­mentto publish legal name changes in the Manitoba Gazette in order to preventdiscrimination, harass­ment, or even violence. The Vital Statistics branch willimplement imme­diately once these changes are enacted.

I'mexcited about these amend­ments we're pro­posing here today. I know that theywill, in fact, benefit all Manitobans by building a more inclusive province.This is another step that our gov­ern­ment is taking to support the rights ofgender-diverse in­dividuals, and we will advocate for the right toself-expression and identification for all Manitobans.

I lookforward to the op­por­tun­ity to hear from Manitobans on this im­por­tantchange during the com­mit­tee stage.

Thankyou, Hon­our­able Speaker.

Questions

TheSpeaker: A question period of up to 10 minutes will be–no, 15–a questionperiod of up to 15 minutes will be held. Questions may be addressed to theminister by any op­posi­tion or in­de­pen­dent member in the followingsequence: first question by an official op­posi­tion critic or designate;subsequent questions asked by critics or designates from other recog­nized op­posi­tionalparties; subsequent questions asked by each in­de­pen­dent member; remainingquestions asked by any op­posi­tion member; and no question or answer shallexceed 45 seconds.

Thefloor is now open for questions.

Mrs.Kathleen Cook(Roblin):Can the minister clarify how they plan to ensure that, for those people whor*quest that their name change is not published, that that infor­ma­tion does not get accidentally released byofficials? What pro­tec­tions will the de­part­ment put in place?

Hon. Lisa Naylor(Minister of Consumer Protectionand Government Services): Sorry, I'm not sure I fully understand thequestion. I mean, obviously all the work that is done with the Vital Statisticsis completely con­fi­dential, so there's no accidental releasing of names.

Currently, anyone who changes their name legally, theiroriginal name and their new name, as well as their–where they live is publishedin the Manitoba Gazette. That is a fact for everyone who's changing their name.

Whatthis does is protect people who are trans, non-binary, Indigenous two-spirit orgender diverse so that they aren't at risk of that name being made public.

Mrs. Cook: And, yes, if we accept that these changes are necessaryto protect people, it then follows that ad­di­tional measures should be put inplace, parti­cularly in an era of cyberattacks like we've seen in multipleplaces recently.

So,again, I'll just ask, is the de­part­ment planning to put extra measures inplace to ensure that this infor­ma­tion does not get hacked, released or sharedwith somebody it shouldn't be shared with?

MLA Naylor: The Vital Statistics branch has respon­si­bility forbirth certificates, death certificates, change of names and a host of extremelycon­fi­dential infor­ma­tion. It is, in fact, one of the most secure officebuildings I've ever been in. If you work in one part of the de­part­ment thatregisters a birth, for example, you actually cannot even enter the part of thebuilding where the certificates are printed off.

It–there's so much has been done. I think,historically, there were some sig­ni­fi­cant challenges in that de­part­mentthat were raised by the Auditor General several years ago, and they have allbeen addressed. And I have utter con­fi­dence in the con­fi­dentiality of thatoffice.

Mrs.Cook: So what measures will be put in place to prevent people from usingthe provisions of this bill for purposes other than what they are intended for?I'm speaking of people who might seek to change their name to avoid creditorsor other legal issues and ask to not have their name published.

Arethere any measures in place to prevent that?

MLANaylor: Well, if you're avoiding a creditor, it's a pretty big step to goto to change your gender and your entire life and identity.

So, Iguess, just like with the use of bathrooms, we have to have some con­fi­denceand belief that people living with the challenges of living in a trans­phobicworld don't take that lightly.

Mrs. Cook: To clarify, I'm not talking about trans people. I'mtalking about people who are going to see this as an op­por­tun­ity to usethese provisions for other purposes, for people who simply want to avoid thelaw.

I'm just wondering if there are any provisionsgoing to be put in place to prevent people who shouldn't be using theseprovisions from using these provisions.

MLANaylor: Yes.

There'san in­cred­ibly onerous–far too onerous–system that one needs to go through tochange their gender markers within theprovince. And so if someone is changing their name for reason of genderchange, that data is all available within the Vital Statistics branch.

Mrs. Cook:And does this bill create any new require­ments for Vital Statistics or thedirector of Vital Statistics? Is there any possi­bility that this will requiread­di­tional resources for the de­part­ment?

MLA Naylor: This bill actually will make the process a littlesmoother.

Right now, if someone is changing their name for reason of genderand they make a special request, they can go through the steps to have theirname removed from gazetting.

Instead,this makes it just an automatic step if people are changing for reason ofgender, that it won't be put in the Gazette. So it's actually less work, lessadmin­is­tra­tion in the de­part­ment.

*(14:50)

The other thing, the most im­por­tant thing, I think, besidesprotecting people's con­fi­dentiality, is that this then automatically updatesthe name change to other gov­ern­ment services like MPI and that kind of thing.

Any ofyou who've knocked doors have probably met someone at the door who has said,oh, that's not my name–

TheSpeaker: Member's time is expired.

Mrs.Cook: Can the minister tell us a little bit more about the changes thathave been made at Vital Statistics to clear the backlog and to address thesecurity and privacy require­ments raised by the Auditor General that shealluded to in a previous answer?

MLANaylor: Yes, absolutely. I had the pleasure of sitting in that meeting as amember of PAC when the Auditor General addressed many of the concerns in thatbranch a few years ago.

I'mreally proud of the work that's happened in that branch; the security measuresthat are in place; the ad­di­tional training that's been provided to staff; andthe updates to the–you know, to systems. Even our new death registry, which isfinally going to be electronic; so there's a lot of exciting updates andchanges.

Interms of backlog, there isn't one. We've cleared the backlog.

Debate

TheSpeaker: If there are no more questions, the floor is open for debate.

Mrs.Kathleen Cook(Roblin):I am pleased to rise and put a few words on the record with respect toBill33, The Change of Name Amend­ment Act.

Ilearned a lot in reading this bill and doing a little bit of research about it.I was not aware of what hap­pens when a person changes their name. I didn'tknow that it was published anywhere. I assumed that that was, you know, aprivate process that people under­went, so that was news to me.

Andunder this bill, this will provide an exemp­tion from the require­ment topublish in the gazette if the reason for the name change relates to the person being transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse,two-spirit Indigenous, non-binary or gender-diverse.

And Icertainly understand why some folks might want some privacy around this namechange, and I think the pro­tec­tion of privacy is very im­por­tant to most Manitobans; and certainly privacy in caseswhere there's potential for harassment.

Ithink that our side of the House has always supported privacy rights and makingpublic safety a priority. I think we support ensuring that our regula­toryframework here in Manitoba takes into account people's safety and the right tobe free from harass­ment.

Idon't have a lot of words to put on the record about this bill, so I'm notgoing to waste a lot of time doing so. I ap­pre­ciate that this has beenbrought for­ward, and with that I will conclude my remarks.

Mr.TylerBlashko, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair

The Deputy Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt themotion? [Agreed]

The motion is accordingly passed.

Bill 34–The Liquor,Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act

The Deputy Speaker: We will now move on to second reading ofBill34, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amend­ment Act.

Hon. Matt Wiebe(Minister of Justice and AttorneyGeneral): I move, secondedby the Minister for Agri­cul­ture, that Bill34, The Liquor, Gaming andCannabis Control Amend­ment Act, be now read a second time and referred to to acom­mit­tee of this House.

Motionpresented.

Mr.Wiebe: I'm pleased to rise today in the House for second reading ofBill34, The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amend­ment Act.

Therepeal would align Manitoba with provinces across Canada by allowing adults age19 and older to grow up to four cannabis plants per residence, as permittedunder the federal Cannabis Act.

Theproposed legis­lative amend­ments also create the author­ity for robust safetyand security require­ments to be esta­blished in regula­tion so that we cankeep our kids and our com­mu­nities safe.

Let'sbe clear, Hon­our­able Speaker. Consumer interest in growing their own cannabiswill vary. For the vast majority of Manitobans, they will choose to consume cannabis by doing so by purchasing it at awell-esta­blished retail market, and that will not change.

However,this bill provides Manitobans the flexi­bility to grow cannabis at home, shouldthey choose to do so, while abiding by the measures we will bring in to ensurethe safety and security for our kids.

Recreationalcannabis has been legal in Manitoba for over five years now. Eight otherprovinces allow home-grown cannabis in addition to the Yukon and the NorthwestTerritories.

Andso, as we move forward, we will have the benefit of learning the best practicesin other juris­dic­tions and learning from those changes, spe­cific­ally thosethat have related to safety and security.

The regula­tory framework will be developedthrough a robust con­sul­ta­tion in coordination with organi­za­tionslike MADD Canada, with law en­force­ment, and with others to prioritize thatpublic safety and with a specific focus on protecting youth.

Hon­our­able Speaker, I look forward to thisHouse's support for this bill.

Thankyou.

Questions

TheDeputy Speaker: A question period of up to 15minutes will be held.Questions may be addressed to the minister by any op­posi­tion or in­de­pen­dentmem­ber in the following sequence: first question by the official op­posi­tioncritic or designate; subsequent questions should be asked by critics ordesignates from other recog­nized op­posi­tion parties; subsequent questions asked by each in­de­pen­dent member;remain­ing questions asked by any op­posi­tion member, and no questionor answer shall exceed 45 seconds.

Mr. WayneBalcaen(BrandonWest): My first question for the Minister of Justice on this bill is, canhe explain whether the bill will allow for individuals renting an apartment orhouse to grow cannabis plants at the home, or is this spe­cific­ally forindividuals who own their own principal residence?

Hon. Matt Wiebe(Minister of Justice and Attorney General): This legis­lation, as I said, will allow aperson 19 years of age and older to cultivate cannabis in their residence, asdefined under part 4.1 of The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act.

However,I want to be clear: require­ments under other prov­incial legis­lation like TheResi­den­tial Tenancies Act, must becomplied with, and home grow may be restricted in rental properties, as areother activities as defined in The Resi­den­tial Tenancies Act.

Mr. Jeff Wharton(Red River North): Can the mem­ber explain how the bill–orhow we can ensure that the cannabis grown in a private residence will not beblended potentially with dangerous ad­di­tional sub­stances that could hurt notonly the user but the children in the home?

Mr.Wiebe: So I'm not sure if I heard the member's question correctly, so maybeI'll ask him to repeat it. I'm sure if he was asking spe­cific­ally aboutsafety of cannabis with regards to cannabis, or if he was imply­ing that othersubstances or other plants may be grown in lieu of cannabis. So maybe if he canjust clarify what his question was.

Mr.Wharton: Happy to clarify the question for the minister. Spe­cific­ally,the concern is for the minister to explain what–there is probably a potentialfor a blending in–while the individual's growing a plant, potentially maybeputting a more potential potent drug within the plant. Is there any pro­tec­tionor any way that that can be stopped during the growth of the plant in thehouse?

*(15:00)

Mr. Wiebe: I'm not sure. I don't have an intimate knowledge of horticulture in thesame way, apparently, the member for Red River North (Mr. Wharton) does,and so, you know, I ap­pre­ciate him raising this. Safety for children, though,is going to be paramount, and that's why when regula­tions are developed, we'regoing to be looking at best practices.

We arenot the first in the country to do this. In fact, we're just bringing ourselvesin line with other provinces under the federal act. But what that does is itgives us the benefit of looking at best practices in how we can ensure thesafety of children and others.

Mr. Balcaen: Just continuing on with my first question. So if a renter of anapartment or a renter of a house decides to grow this, and the landlord or theowner of the property does not want this, which law will super­sede which?

Mr.Wiebe: The Resi­den­tial Tenancies Act.

Mr.Wharton: The minister just mentioned in one of his answers about bestpractices. Who and what other juris­dic­tions that currently offer afour-plant-grow in their residence, who did he consult with?

Mr. Wiebe: So, again, just be very clear with members opposite, what thisrepeal of this act is initiating is the regula­toryprocess as being under­taken by the L-C-G-A. We have full con­fi­dencein the work that they are able to do. But if members are curious, it is eightother provinces which allow homegrown cannabis, as well as the Yukon and theNorthwest Territories.

Thisis a federal act, a federal act that, in fact, was brought in alongsidelegalization of cannabis. So other provinces have in many cases been doing thisfor five years, up to five years. And so we have full con­fi­dence in theL-C-G-A to be able to work with other pro­vinces, other juris­dic­tions, to getit right and to protect children here in Manitoba.

Mr. Wharton: Ap­pre­ciate the answer from the minister, but there reallywasn't an answer spe­cific­ally to my question, so I'll ask it again. He talkedabout best practices, not–I didn't put that on the record; he did. And eightprovinces are already doing it, so in talking to those other provinces, whathas he learned in order to incorporate safety into this bill?

Mr.Wiebe: So it's in­cred­ibly im­por­tant to recog­nize the work that theL-C-G-A does in terms of ensuring the safety of everybody when it comes tocannabis, and I would suggest, as well, with liquor in the pro­vince. That'swhat they do. They are a regulator, and they are good at what they do in thesense that they are going to take the best practices from across the country.They're going to implement it in a way that will prioritize safety; that's beenthe directive that we've given them and that all Manitobans would ex­pect. Sowe have full con­fi­dence in the work that they're able to do.

Mr.Wharton: Who did the LGCA consult with?

Mr.Wiebe: Right, so, again, to be clear, what we're doing here this afternoonis we are hopefully moving through second reading of Bill34. And whatBill34 does is it actually repeals a section of the act that was created when cannabis was legalized here inManitoba, and what this will then do is then start the process for theL-C-G-A. Once the Legislature has given our–given–made this change at the legis­lativelevel, that will allow for those regula­tions to follow.

So,again, great work that's done over there. I think the minister–or, the memberopposite, who may have, in fact, been the minister respon­si­ble, wouldprobably share my feelings about the L-C-G-A, but I believe that they're doinggood work, and we want to work with them to ensure safety for all.

Mr.Wharton: Absolutely ap­pre­ciate the great work that the staff at LGCA do.However, I will correct the record. I was the member–the minister for Liquor& Lotteries, not the member–the minister for LGCA; that runs under Justice,as the minister knows.

However,again, eight provinces have–are already doing this. Just wondering if the ministerand/or the LGCA staff were able to com­muni­cate. And some of those bestpractices, the minister has put on the record. That's my question. Yes or no?

Mr.Wiebe: Yes, certainly, this work has been begun in the sense of making surethat we get the legis­lation right. And that's why it's im­por­tant to movequickly on this.

Unfor­tunately,this bill was held up with many others here in this Legislature, several daysof what I've heard described as procedural poppyco*ck, you know, day after day,holding up im­por­tant legis­lation.

This is another example of that legis­lation thatwas held up, and I do hope that the member opposite will allow us to pass this,get to work with the L-C-G-A and get these regula­tions right.

Mr. Balcaen: I'm sure the procedural poppyco*ck would not have continued ifthe House leader had moved the agenda forward as she was supposed to.

However,my question on this legis­lation is, the age of majority in Manitoba is 18. Whyis the age 19 being put into this legis­lation?

Mr. Wiebe: Well, first of all, I'll just say it's interesting, after ourdays and days of debate on Bill30, now the member opposite just concedesto the House that, in fact, it was just a political ploy by the House leader toblock legis­lation to get a deal. I'm kind of surprised by that.

Youknow, I think the member opposite should maybe stop reading notes from failedConservative candidates in Tuxedo–well, I guess time's ticking, it could be suc­cess­fulcandidates in Tuxedo.

Anyway,I digress, Hon­our­able Speaker. I think there's an im­por­tant question hereabout the age of 19. Other provinces have certainly done that, but he mightwant to ask Brian Pallister exactly why age 19 was chosen.

Mr.Balcaen: Again, as I brought up in other ques­tioning, we wouldn't have these long drawn-out debates on billsif they were put forward properly and we didn't have to ask so many questionsand put so many words on the record.

However, with that I will say, what is theminister's plan with the revenue loss that is going to come from peoplethat now grow their cannabis instead of buying it, and how will this impact thesocial and sup­port­ive programs that this NDP gov­ern­ment keeps talking aboutthat they support so much?

Mr.Wiebe: Well, I ap­pre­ciate that the member oppo­site is now putting on therecord clearly that our gov­ern­ment does take social respon­si­bility veryseriously, and spe­cific­ally when it comes to the use of drugs, of alcohol,prioritizes those and wants–we want, as a gov­ern­ment, to ensure that they'reused in a respon­si­ble way.

Ithink it is, as I said, a fairly small part of the market. Time will tell.

But wedo want to ensure Manitobans that we are taking the social respon­si­bilitypiece of this very serious­ly, and that's why we're continuing to fund andensure that there's strength in those programs. And that's going to be an im­por­tantpart of what we're doing going forward.

Mr.Wharton: Again, on social respon­si­bility, will the minister be looking atmoving forward potentially with a regula­tion on increasing the funds towardssocial respon­si­bility to ensure that Manitobans that are growing their ownplants are fully aware of the out­comes that are possible and the health risksand other areas that need to be funded so that gov­ern­ment is going their job?

Mr.Wiebe: Again, we expect the market to stay strong in terms of the retailcannabis market and, you know, in fact, this is some­thing that, you know, isstill a developing market, but certainly one that we expect to stay fairlystrong and continuing to be stable, even with these changes.

Butagain, I believe that we're all on the same page here. I'm hearing the membersopposite applaud­ing our gov­ern­ment for the social respon­si­bility aspect that we've already under­taken, and they will beassured that we're going to continue that. That's going to be a focusgoing forward.

Mr.Balcaen: My final question for the minister is, with this new legis­lationand bringing forward cannabis growing now, is this a segue into the next stepof bringing hard drugs decriminalization into Manitoba?

*(15:10)

Mr.Wiebe: No, and the member's heard this answer multiple times, spe­cific­ally from the Premier (Mr.Kinew) ofthis province and, in fact, heard it in debate this morning every single timeit was brought up.

Andit's quite unfor­tunate. I think we heard the Deputy Premier(MLAAsagwara) speak very clearly aboutthe need for unity on im­por­tant issues, especially im­por­tant issueswhere we're talking about the health and well-being of Manitobans, and in manycases their very lives.

Thisis not a point to try to divide Manitobans on, and I hear once again the memberopposite taking that hard right turn into that language of division. He went tothe doorsteps with that message. I hope he's learned his lesson, and I hopetogether we can work on passing im­por­tant legis­lation like this.

Mr.Wharton: We know the minister has not an­swered the question on whether–andwho–what other provinces that he spoke to to work on best practices that he puton the record. So I'll ask him, though, did he have a chance to speak to thecurrent retailers that have been growing this sector and, again, revenue forour province that'll help in edu­ca­tion, health care and other services? Hashe talked to the private sector about what impacts this potentially could haveon their busi­nesses?

Mr. Wiebe: Well, of course, Hon­our­able Speaker, we've been in constantcontact and com­muni­cation with the retail–retailersand the retail market. Those folks under­stand, again, that this is afairly niche potential market and there might even be some op­por­tun­ities forthem to enter this market and supply this market.

I findit curious, though, that this is where the for­mer minister goes. And I know he'scurrently under an ethics com­mis­sioner in­vesti­gation,and I'm not suggest­ing that they want to broaden out that in­vesti­gation,but maybe all members opposite who have any kind of interest in the cannabismarket, you know, maybe want to just make sure that their ethics com­mis­sionerforms are properly filled out.

Debate

TheDeputy Speaker: Seeing no further questions, the floor is open to debate.

Mr. Wayne Balcaen(Brandon West): Again, always ap­pre­ciate the op­por­tun­ity to put some wordson the record, especially when it comes to bills that will have an impact onour com­mu­nity and law en­force­ment spe­cific­ally.

So Iwas hoping in my bill briefings and in discus­sions with the minister that Iwould get op­por­tun­ity to understand what clear regula­tions were going to beput into place to guarantee the safety and security of children and youth whenpotential toxic substances are being grown within a residence. And I say thisnot to downplay cannabis marijuana.

However, cannabis products are very toxic to youngchildren, and there has been numer­ous cases of in­gestion on record that showsthe negative health effects to the youth. So I certainly would like to see veryrobust regula­tions that will protect our youth and children when this legis­lationis finalized.

Alsohave to ask, who will monitor these grows, and who will monitor the sale of theseeds to produce these cannabis products?

Again, with every piece of legis­lation, there'sextra author­ity and extra work that has to be done by people on theback end, and parti­cularly, and near and dear to myself, is the work that willbe put onto law en­force­ment. This will put ad­di­tional pressure on law en­force­ment,who will undoubtedly get called to in­vesti­gate whether there's four plants,whether there's six plants, whether there's five, whether there's three.

So,again, it will put that pressure back onto an alreadyburdened law en­force­ment system, and I thought that the Minister of Justice(Mr.Wiebe) would have supported law en­force­ment rather than putad­di­tional burden onto them.

I'malso wondering if thought has gone into the op­por­tun­ities that this will becreating for organized crime and organizedcrime groups. And I'm led to believe that it must have, because thisminister brought in legis­lation that we spoke at length on here regardingcriminal property forfeiture and the effects that that has on organized crime.

So I'msure the minister has put two and two together that organized crime will fullyinject them­selves into this op­por­tun­ity; this new lucrative op­por­tun­ity.

So Hon­our­ableDeputy Speaker, what I can say is that our Criminal Property Forfeiture Units,their in­vestigators and organized crime investigators in every major centre in Manitoba will become extremelybusy.

I'llleave this with one final note, Hon­our­able Deputy Speaker, is that greatleaders make difficult decisions and oftenstand alone. Our current legis­lation ensures Manitoba is a leader inprotecting the safety and well-being of its citizens.

Iwould encourage the minister to finally show some great leadership and leavethe present legis­lation as is, status quo.

Thankyou, Hon­our­able Deputy Speaker.

The DeputySpeaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

Bill 36–TheRegulated Health Professions Amendment Act

TheDeputy Speaker: We will now consider a second reading of Bill36, TheRegulated Health Professions Amend­ment Act.

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara(Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care):I move, seconded by the Minister for Justice, that Bill36, the regulatedhealth pro­fes­sionals amend­ment act, be now read a second time and bereferred to a com­mit­tee of this House.

TheDeputy Speaker: It has been moved by the Minister of Health, Seniors andLong-Term Care, seconded by the Minister of Justice (Mr. Wiebe), thatBill36, The Regulated Health Pro­fes­sions Amend­ment Act, be now read asecond time and be referred to a com­mit­tee of this House.

MLAAsagwara: Our gov­ern­ment is taking steps to maintain high levels of trustand trans­par­ency in health pro­fes­sionals through proposed changes to theregulated health pro­fes­sional amend­ment act.

Underthis proposed legis­lation, cases would be opento the public when a health pro­fes­sional's registra­tion orcertificate of practice is being con­sidered for cancellation by their collegedue to a conviction for an offence relevant to the suitability to practise.

We'veseen examples where people who testified in court or filed complaints against aphysician were invited to attend the council meeting at which the physician'sregistration was cancelled, but the meeting at which this action was taken bythe council was not open to the public.

Concernswere raised that this lack of trans­par­ency and decision-making was harmful tothe integrity of the health system overall. We shared those con­cerns and tooksteps to help address them.

Trans­par­ency by colleges in their decision-makingis im­por­tant to foster public trust, parti­cularly in responding tosituations like this in which there has been a sig­ni­fi­cant breach of thattrust by a regulated health pro­fes­sional.

Manitobansmust be able to trust their health-care providers and, when that trust isbroken and a health pro­fes­sional is convicted of an offence that impacts thattrust, it's im­por­tant the public understands how the colleges respond.

Theproposed amend­ments contain limited excep­tions. Colleges would be required todisclose the rea­sons for invoking exceptions orally at the meeting and makethem available to the public in writing.

Theexceptions include: matters involv­ing public securitythat may be disclosed at the meeting; financial, personal or othermatters which may be disclosed that are a nature–that are of such nature,rather, that the desirability of avoiding public disclosure of those mattersoutweighs the desirability of adhering to the public principle that meetings beopen to the public; a person involved in a civil or criminal proceeding may beprejudiced or a person's safety may be jeopardized.

These amend­mentswill ensure increased trans­par­ency and account­ability in decision-making bycolleges, enabling the public to observe, rather, how they deal with a breachof the public's trust when one of their members commits an offence relevant totheir suitability to practise is the norm and not the ex­cep­tion, and ensuringthat if they deter­mine that the public should not be permitted to observe howthey deal with such a breach to the public's trust, they must provide thepublic with clear reasons why this will not be permitted.

*(15:20)

Ourgov­ern­ment continues to take steps to change the culture in health care, bothfor those delivering the care and for those receiving it. Bringing in thislegis­lation will help rebuild trust and con­fi­dence.

Thankyou.

Questions

TheDeputy Speaker: A question period of up to 15minutes will be held.Questions may be addressed to the minister by any op­posi­tion or in­de­pen­dentmember in the following sequence: first question by the official op­posi­tioncritic or designate; subsequent questions asked by critics or designates fromother recog­nized op­posi­tion parties; subsequent questions asked by each in­de­pen­dentmember; remaining ques­tions asked by an op­posi­tionmember. And no question or answer shall exceed 45seconds.

Mrs.Kathleen Cook(Roblin):Could the minister elaborate on who they've consulted on this bill?

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara(Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care): I ap­pre­ciate that question from themember opposite, and I certainly understand her enthusiasm for wanting to getsome clarity around how we came to this point.

So wecertainly have consulted with the colleges. We have consulted with folks on thefront lines of health care and health-careleadership. We've also heard directly from Manitobans who access healthcare on a regular basis that this is a step that they're thrilled to seehappen.

And Ido want to note that there are survivors in our com­mu­nities here in Manitoba,including in rural Manitoba, who spoke out very, very bravely due to trustbeing missed–trust being broken at the hands of a physician in this province.And that incident and those concerns also inspired the steps being taken withthis legis­lation.

Mr. Obby Khan(FortWhyte): I want to thank the member for bringing this bill forward. Ofcourse, trans­par­ency, trust, safety for patients is of utmost importance, Ibelieve, for everyone in this building.

Justcurious if the minister can maybe comment on other jurisdictions across Canada,what they may be doing, are other provinces on board with this, are they aheadof us, are they behind us? Where does Manitoba fit in that scope of work acrossjuris­dic­tional scan?

MLAAsagwara: Other juris­dic­tions are taking their own parti­cularapproaches. Other juris­dic­tions deal with regulated health pro­fes­sionals–professionsact, or whatever structures they have, alittle bit differently. So it varies across the country.

I willsay that there has been a lot of con­ver­sa­tion at the national level, be itminsters or health leaders in the organi­zations and bodies talking about theways in which you can enhance trust and trans­par­ency with the general public.

Collegeshere in Manitoba are doing that work in­de­pen­dently as well. I was thrilledto be able to meet with the college of physicians and surgeons, who not onlysupport this but are also looking at other mea­sures as well, to make sure thatthe public has in­creased trust and not less.

So itvaries across the country, but I would say that Manitoba's doing a great jobunder our gov­ern­ment in working with our partners to move in the rightdirection.

Mrs.Cook: Which regula­tory colleges would imme­diately come under theprovisions of this bill?

MLAAsagwara: So this legis­lation does impact the current colleges that fallunder the regulated health professionals act. So I think that a lot of folksauto­matically think of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, butthere are several other col­leges that fall under this as well. And as newcolleges are brought under the legis­lation as we pro­gress, they will alsofall under this new legis­lation.

So ourhope is in that making sure that, you know, all colleges are not only wellaware–which, at this time, they are–we're making folks who are going to fallunder the act aware as they proceed, but that folks will also take steps ontheir own to enhance trans­par­ency and trust with the public.

Mr. Khan:I'm curious if the minister can maybe comment on how many other regula­torybodies in Manitoba currently already release details of the deci­sions to thepublic, whether it be within the medical field or outside of the medical field,if other public bodies are releasing this infor­ma­tion.

MLAAsagwara: I don't know that I fully ap­pre­ciate the entirety of thatmember's question, but I'll speak spe­cific­ally to this legis­lation.

And sothis legis­lation and the amend­ment will ensure that all those convicted of anoffense related to–or having their–rather,having their license removed as it related to a conviction that'sspecific to their field of practice, that those proceedings will be public andthose proceedings or decisions around that will be trans­par­ent for thepublic.

And sothere are other incidents where somebody may be reprimanded or steps takenbased on an of­fense that is not specific to their licensure, but this legis­lationis specific to an offense that relates to their practice and having theirlicense revoked or changed in some other manner.

Mrs.Cook: This bill contains some pretty broad ex­ceptions that colleges canuse in order to hold these hearings in private, as they do currently. And I'm justwondering if the minister has any concern about colleges using those exceptionsmore broadly than is intended.

MLAAsagwara: The exceptions that are outlined, while they may seem broad, are fairly specific in nature. Theypertain to issues around safety, issues that may prejudice an–a separateproceeding of some kind. I can certainly–I take the member's point, however,and that is where the decision to make sure that whatever the colleges decideto do needs to be made public, is key.

If,for whatever reason, choose to not have the proceedings happen publicly, theyhave to not only provide that orally; they have to provide that publicly inwriting. So there's an account­ability measure that's been imple­mented in thislegis­lation to help address that, and it's always im­por­tant to note that weare a listening gov­ern­ment and we'll continue to enhance legis­lation toprotect folks in the health-care system as needed.

Mr. Khan:We might be getting lost in the weeds here a little bit, but after reading someof the amend­ments in the subsection bill breakdown, I'm curious if theminister has an idea or, if in the bill, there's a timeline on when the publicwill be notified of the meeting to review disciplinary hearing to cancel thelicences?

MLAAsagwara: That's a really good question. That's some­thing that I can takeaway.

Thecolleges, under their regula­tions, would have stipulations around that. Butcertainly, you know, this legis­lation allows for folks who have some­thingthey didn't have previously, and that is a level of trans­par­ency and account­abilityfor the decisions made by the colleges.

In myex­per­ience with the colleges thus far, they have been very, very willing totake measures and steps that will enhance trust, foster trust, rebuild andrepair trust.

And soI think that if anybody, any Manitoban, has concerns about whether or not, youknow, legis­lation goes far enough, or the colleges can do more, I know thatthey're very open, like our gov­ern­ment, to hearing that and addressing it.

Mrs.Cook: I know that there is still a fair amount of work to do to bring other professions under The Regulated Health Professions Act, and I'm just wonder­ing ifthe minister foresees these provisions being an impediment to other professionsbeing brought under the act.

MLAAsagwara: No. Not at all.

Mr. Khan:To follow the previous question, does the minister believe that massagetherapists would fall under this Regulated Health Professions Act? There havebeen numer­ous reports in the last few years of sexual assault and misconductwithin a massage therapist's work­place. So I'm just curious if this bill wouldbring massage therapists under there, and if not, does the minister believethat they will, at some point in the future, be covered under this bill?

MLAAsagwara: No. This legis­lation has nothing to do with bringing anybodyunder the regulated health pro­fes­sionalsact. It's specific to strengthening legis­lation to protect the public and tofoster trust and trans­par­ency when a health-care provider violates thattrust.

There'sa lot of work being done to bring different serviceproviders and pro­fes­sionals under the regulated health professionalsact. Our gov­ern­ment is actively doing the work of enhancing capacity in thatarea, recog­­nizing that it's been in place now for many years and it's stilltaking probably more time than what a lot of people would like in order for organi­zationsto fall under that legis­lation.

Debate

The Deputy Speaker: Seeing nofurther questions, the floor is open to debate.

* (15:30)

Mrs. Kathleen Cook(Roblin):I am pleased to rise and put a few words on the record with respect toBill36, The Regulated Health Professions Amend­ment Act. As the ministerhas stated, the intent of the act is toincrease trans­par­ency. Generally, that's a laudable goal, parti­cularlywhen it comes to the pro­tec­tion of patients in Manitoba.

And Iknow that there was a sig­ni­fi­cant media attention and public outcry recentlywith respect to a couple of high-profile physicians who were convictedcriminally and had their licences revoked. And I know that some other provinceshave done–taken similar measures, and that this act will bring Manitoba intoline with some of those other juris­dic­tions including Alberta, BC, Ontarioand Newfoundland.

Iimagine there was sig­ni­fi­cant stake­holder con­sul­ta­tion done on the bill,because there are a great number of regulated health professions in Manitobaoperating with their own self-governing regula­tory colleges, who would be,eventually, once they're all brought under the act, subject to this legis­lation.So I take the minister at their word when they say that the colleges aregenerally sup­port­ive of or understand this legis­lation and the intent of it.

Certainly,I believe that Manitoba patients have a right to know if a doctor or otherhealth-care pro­fes­sional has been convicted of a criminal offence, and that'swhy their licence has been revoked. It's im­por­tant in terms of improvingtrans­par­ency in Manitoba and patient safety.

And sowith that, I will conclude my comments on Bill36.

Thankyou very much.

The Deputy Speaker: Is it thepleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]

Themotion is accordingly passed.

House Business

Hon. Uzoma Asagwara (Acting Government HouseLeader): I would like to announce that the Standing Committee onSocial and Economic Dev­elop­ment will meet on Monday, May 27, 2024, at 6 p.m.to consider Bill29, The Body Armour and Fortified Vehicle Control Amend­mentAct; Bill30, The Unexplained Wealth Act (Criminal Property Forfei­tureAct and Cor­por­ations Act Amended); Bill31, The Captured Carbon StorageAct; Bill33, The Change of Name Amend­ment Act (3); Bill34, TheLiquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amend­ment Act; Bill36, the regulatedhealth pro­fes­sionals amend­­ment act; Bill201, The Manitoba Emblems Amend­ment Act (Prov­incial Stone); Bill211,The Drivers and Vehicles Amend­ment Act (Manitoba Parks Licence Plates).

Thankyou.

The Deputy Speaker: It has been announced that the Standing Com­mit­teeon Social and Economic Develop­ment will meet on Monday, May 27, 2024, at 6p.m., to consider Bill29, The Body Armour and Fortified Vehicle ControlAmend­ment Act; Bill30, The Unexplained Wealth Act (Criminal Property For­feitureAct and Cor­por­ations Act Amended); Bill31, The Captured Carbon StorageAct; Bill33, the change of name act (3); Bill34, The Liquor, Gamingand Cannabis Control Amend­ment Act; Bill36, The Regulated Health Professions Amend­ment Act; Bill201, TheManitoba Emblems Amend­ment Act (Prov­incial Stone); Bill211, The Driversand Vehicles Amend­ment Act (Manitoba Parks Licence Plates).

** *

Hon. Matt Wiebe (Minister of Justiceand Attorney General): As per the leave–the sessional leave request thatwas made earlier, as there is no further House busi­ness, I would ask leave ofthe House to see the clock as 5 p.m.

TheDeputy Speaker: Is there leave of the House to see the clock as 5 p.m.? [Agreed]

The hour being 5 p.m., the House is–sorry? [interjection]The House is adjourned and stands adjourned until Monday at 1:30 p.m.