LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF
Friday, February 21, 1992
The House met at 10 a.m.
PRAYERS
MATTER OF PRIVILEGE
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Leader
of the Second Opposition): Mr. Speaker, I rise
on a matter of privilege.
My
motion, by the way, will be followed by a substantive motion.
I
was not in the House yesterday afternoon to hear some remarks made by the
honourable member for
Mr.
Speaker, I have never in my life experienced such a misrepresentation of fact
as was made in this House yesterday afternoon.
I made some statements at the vigil.
I particularly made sure that there was no media there, because I do not
want vigils to turn into any kind of media event. I want them to be a meeting of men and women
who feel that this issue is one in which we must work together.
I
stated very clearly that it was not a political issue, and I made reference to
every single MLA who was there that I saw.
I went up to the member for Radisson (Ms. Cerilli) afterwards and
apologized to her because I had not seen her in the circle and said that I
would have mentioned her name as well.
I
indicated in my comments to this vigil that I was frustrated that we had to
keep coming back to these vigils. I
mentioned my concerns about my two daughters, my 22‑year‑old, who
is afraid to go out at night; and my 19‑year‑old, who, because she
is an equestrian and spends often long evenings in a barn and is often there by
herself with her horse, that we always were concerned about what might happen
to her in such a circumstance.
Mr.
Speaker, nowhere in those remarks did I indicate that vigils were useless. Nowhere in those remarks did I say they were
of no value.
*
(1005)
I
think anyone who has been in this House since 1986 knows that I have on a
number of occasions risen and spoken of the issue of violence towards
women. I have also spoken about violence
towards men, because I think unless we change attitudes, there is going to be a
continuation of violence towards all human beings.
I
believe it is appropriate for the member for Wellington (Ms. Barrett) to
apologize, but if the member for
THAT
this House do refer the statement of February 20, 1992, made by the member for
Ms.
Becky Barrett (
Mr.
Speaker: That concludes the matter,
satisfactory to the Chair.
PRESENTING PETITIONS
Ms. Becky Barrett (
Mr. Dave
Chomiak (Kildonan): Mr. Speaker, I
beg to present the petition of Phuong Nguyen, Linda Froese, Gord Siddorn and
others, requesting the government show its strong commitment to dealing with
child abuse by considering restoring the Fight Back Against Child Abuse
campaign.
Ms. Judy
Wasylycia-Leis (
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Mr. Speaker: I have reviewed the petition, and it conforms
with the privileges and practices of the House and complies with the
rules. Is it the will of the House to
have the petition read?
The
petition of the undersigned citizens of the
THAT
child abuse is a crime abhorred by all good citizens of our society, but
nonetheless it exists in today's world; and
It
is the responsibility of the government to recognize and deal with this most
vicious of crimes; and
Programs like the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign raise public
awareness and necessary funds to deal with the crime; and
The
decision to terminate the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign will hamper
the efforts of all good citizens to help abused children.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of the
I
have reviewed the petition, and it conforms with the privileges and practices
of the House and complies with the rules.
Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?
The
petition of the undersigned citizens of the
THAT
child abuse is a crime abhorred by all good citizens of our society, but
nonetheless it exists in today's world; and
It
is the responsibility of the government to recognize and deal with this most
vicious of crimes; and
Programs like the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign raise public
awareness and necessary funds to deal with the crime; and
The
decision to terminate the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign will hamper
the efforts of all good citizens to help abused children.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of the
I
have reviewed the petition, and it conforms with the privileges and practices
of the House and complies with the rules.
Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?
The
petition of the undersigned citizens of the
THAT
child abuse is a crime abhorred by all good citizens of our society, but
nonetheless it exists in today's world; and
It
is the responsibility of the government to recognize and deal with this most
vicious of crimes; and
Programs like the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign raise public
awareness and necessary funds to deal with the crime; and
The
decision to terminate the Fight Back Against Child Abuse campaign will hamper
the efforts of all good citizens to help abused children.
WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislature of the
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS
Bill 42‑The Amusements Amendment Act
Hon. Darren Praznik
(Minister of Labour): Mr. Speaker, I would like to move, seconded
by the honourable Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns), that Bill 42, The
Amusements Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les divertissements, be
introduced and that the same be now received and read a first time.
Motion
agreed to.
* (1010)
Bill 43‑The Farm Income Assurance Plans Amendment Act
Hon. Glen Findlay
(Minister of Agriculture): Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Rural Development (Mr. Derkach), that Bill 43, The
Farm Income Assurance Plans Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les regimes
d'assurance‑revenu agricole, be introduced and that the same be now
received and read a first time.
His
Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of
this bill, recommends it to the House. I
would like to table also the message of the Lieutenant‑Governor.
Motion
agreed to.
Bill 44‑The Milk Prices Review Amendment Act
Hon. Glen Findlay
(Minister of Agriculture): Mr. Speaker, I would
like to move, seconded by the Minister of Rural Development (Mr. Derkach), Bill
44, The Milk Prices Review Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur le controle
du prix du lait, be introduced and that the same be now received and read a
first time.
His
Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of
this bill, recommends it to the House. I
would also like to table the message of His Honour.
Motion
agreed to.
And Consequential Amendments Act
Hon. Jim Ernst (Minister
of Urban Affairs): Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister
of Consumer and Corporate Affairs (Mrs. McIntosh), that Bill 45, The City of
Motion agreed to.
Bill 46‑The Jury Amendment Act
Hon. James McCrae
(Minister of Justice and Attorney General): I
move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness), that Bill 46,
The Jury Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur les jures, be introduced and
that the same be now received and read a first time.
Motion
agreed to.
Bill 47‑The Petty Trespasses Amendment Act
Hon. James McCrae
(Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the
honourable Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness), that Bill 47, The Petty
Trespasses Amendment Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur L'intrusion, be introduced
and that the same be now received and read a first time.
Motion
agreed to.
Bill 49‑The Environment Amendment Act
Hon. Glen Cummings
(Minister of Environment): I move, seconded by
the Minister of Justice (Mr. McCrae), that Bill 49, The Environment Amendment
Act; Loi modifiant la Loi sur L'environnement, be introduced and that the same
be now received and read a first time.
His
Honour the Lieutenant‑Governor, having been advised of the contents of
this bill, recommends it to the House. I
would like to table the message of the Lieutenant‑Governor.
Motion
agreed to.
*
(1015)
Introduction of Guests
Mr. Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, may I direct the
attention of honourable members to the gallery, where we have with us this
morning Mr. Howard Pawley, the former Premier of the province, now a professor of
political science at the University of
Also
this morning from
Also
this morning from
On
behalf of honourable members, I welcome you all here this morning.
ORAL QUESTION PERIOD
GATT
Supply Management Proposal
Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of
the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, supply management and the
protection of supply management in
Mr.
Speaker, in trying to achieve that consensus, eight provinces out of 10 signed
a declaration to the Prime Minister to speak strongly on behalf of supply
management and to take a strong stand in Europe and in the
I
would ask the Premier: Will he override
his Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Findlay) and now take a strong stand to sign
the declaration to the Prime Ministers so that we can in fact have a consensus
position with agricultural ministers to protect supply management in this
country?
Hon.
Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker,
if the member will examine that petition, it talks about, in the course of the
GATT negotiations, ultimately giving the top priority to protecting supply
management. We have always said that we
will not abandon any of our farmers. We
will take a balanced approach, and we will not favour one group of farmers to
the exclusion of others.
We
know that the greatest challenge that is facing western
We
have therefore put on the table a balanced approach, a balanced approach that
says we will do everything possible to strengthen Article 11 under the GATT to
protect our supply management and to ensure that we roll back and remove so far
as possible the export subsidies on grain so that our grain farmers can make a
living forever in future, so that families can pass along their farms, so they
can continue to farm in this country, in this province.
Mr.
Doer: I would ask the Premier also
to include in his position for a balanced approach the whole area of
transportation policy of
The
declaration calls on the Prime Minister to intensify and reinitiate
multilateral discussions with the heads of other governments. Mr. Speaker, other governments and other
Premiers and other Ministers of Agriculture also want to remove the subsidies
of grain in the European market and also want to remove and have a balanced
approach to the negotiations going on in GATT, but they believe as part of that
balanced approach that we should be unequivocal in our support and develop a
consensus on supply management systems.
It is not an either/or, it is a pro‑Canadian position for the
agricultural producers of
*
(1020)
Now
why will this Premier not join other Premiers and other governments in signing
the balanced declaration to the Prime Minister for a strong and united stand at
GATT for all Canadian producers, including supply management producers? Has the Premier written these people off?
Mr.
Filmon: Well, Mr. Speaker, that is
precisely the point I make, that it is not an either/or.
The
wording on that says: the highest
priority to protecting supply management.
It is directed only to supply management, and it cuts adrift the grain
farmers of western
I
will not cut them adrift like the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) is
prepared to do, Mr. Speaker, for his politics.
I will take the balanced approach, and I will ensure that at all times
we are working to protect both sides, strengthening Article 11 and ensuring
that we roll back the export subsidies for our grain farmers.
Mr.
Doer: I will send a copy of this
declaration over to the Premier, because it calls for a support of all the
elements of a balanced position pursued by the federal government. Mr. Speaker, the declaration talks about a
balanced approach to trade.
Surely the Premier knows that the Premier of Saskatchewan and the
Minister of Agriculture of Saskatchewan, which is also vitally concerned and
has a number more grain farmers than we do in
I
would ask the Premier to re‑evaluate their position on this declaration
and join the other eight provinces that have signed and have joined in a
consensus position to the Prime Minister, provinces that also want a balanced
approach to trade, and make sure that we have 10 provinces speaking with the
same voice on supply management to
Mr.
Filmon: Mr. Speaker, just so that
the Leader of the Opposition does not in any way mislead anyone who might be listening,
the petition does not refer to a balanced approach. The petition says: declaration to the Right Honourable Brian
Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada, in support of Canadian supply management
programs‑‑period, nothing else.
Then
it says that the undersigned respectfully request the Prime Minister of Canada
to immediately intensify and renegotiate multilateral negotiations as a matter
of the highest importance.
*
(1025)
So
we are saying, this is the highest importance; rollback of export subsidy is
not the highest priority. If we took
that position, Mr. Speaker, we would be condemning to no economic future most
of the grain farmers of western
I
will not do that to 20,000
Health Care System
User Fees
Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis
(
The
Premier should know that the Premier of Nova Scotia, Don Cameron, and his
Finance minister have both said that Liberal Premier of New Brunswick Frank
McKenna's support for user fees in our health care system should be seriously
considered.
Was
this matter of user fees in our health care system on the agenda at this
meeting yesterday between our Premier and the Premier of
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. The question has been put.
Hon.
Gary Filmon (Premier): No, Mr.
Speaker.
Ms.
Wasylycia-Leis: Mr. Speaker, I would
like to ask the Premier, since this is a very serious issue in terms of our
health care system and the future of medicare:
Will this Premier do what some other Premiers like the Premier of B.C.
has done and state unequivocally that he is prepared to strenuously fight
against the notion of user fees in our health care system and that he is
opposed to any‑‑
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. The question has been put.
Mr.
Filmon: Mr. Speaker, I said that in
Ms. Wasylycia-Leis: Mr. Speaker, we certainly appreciate that
unequivocal‑‑
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. Question, please.
Goods and Services Tax
Harmonization
Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis
(
Hon.
Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker,
I think we should expect a little honesty out of the opposition from time to
time, not just talk about open and honest government that we do have.
The
fact of the matter is that there has not been a proposal for harmonization with
the GST that we have in any way endorsed or accepted or been involved with, Mr.
Speaker, and despite confused media coverage on the issue‑‑
An
Honourable Member: Oh, it is the
media's fault.
Mr.
Filmon: When the Leader of the
Opposition (Mr. Doer) says that the provincial government should remove the GST
and does not even understand that it is not a provincial tax, Mr. Speaker, we
can understand that there is great confusion out here about that tax. Harmonization is not on the table, and our
counterproposal does not involve harmonization, I want to assure the member for
*
(1030)
Goods and Services Tax
Harmonization
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs
(Leader of the Second Opposition): Mr.
Speaker, I am delighted that the Premier has now said very clearly in the House
that there is not to be harmonization in any way, shape or form, either at the
border or elsewhere in the
Hon. Gary
Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker,
harmonization means taking the GST and input tax credits and everything totally
together and making us adopt the federal plan of GST. We have said no to that before, and we have
never wavered or varied from that position.
That remains the issue.
If
the federal government wants to put all kinds of permutations and combinations
together, we said as all Premiers did, all 10 Premiers, and that includes the
Premier of
I
cannot understand the Liberal Party being on both sides of the issue. On one hand they say, do something about job
losses in
Report Tabling Request
Mrs. Sharon Carstairs
(Leader of the Second Opposition): If the
Minister of Finance (Mr. Manness) and the Premier (Mr. Filmon) did not keep
mixing up their uses of the words "twinning" and
"harmonization" as well as their members of staff doing the same
thing, then perhaps the public of
Will
the Premier today table his so‑called plan, which he is now prepared to
discuss with the Premier of Nova Scotia, but is not prepared to lay before this
House or the citizens of this province?
Hon.
Gary Filmon (Premier): Mr. Speaker,
I know that the Leader of the second opposition party has not had to engage in
any of these negotiations before. She
has never been involved in this kind of process. Negotiations involve people putting forward
proposals and counterproposals back and forth.
It does involve people attempting to arrive at some resolution that
meets our tests, and one of our tests is nonharmonization. That meets some other objectives, which may
well be to try and repatriate some of the shopping that is taking place across
the border and re‑establish some of the thousands of jobs that have been
lost here in
I
think that is a worthwhile objective. I
think it is an objective that all of us would want to work towards. I would say to you that it is a significant
objective. I know that I heard Premier
Rae say that there are $2 billion of losses annually to
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please.
Mrs.
Carstairs: Mr. Speaker, first of
all, I certainly would not take any negotiating skills lessons from the
Premier, because he has lost in every round with the federal government.
Mr.
Speaker, why is this government unprepared at this moment in time to share with
the people of this province a plan that they are prepared to discuss with other
Premiers? Why are they denying open
government, which they say they approve and applaud in this Chamber and in this
province?
Mr.
Filmon: Mr. Speaker, because it is
not a plan that has been approved or finalized.
It is a series of alternatives being presented that has to be agreed
upon ultimately by 10 provinces and the federal government. Therefore, when you are dealing with drafts
and texts and all kinds of proposals, that is the kind of thing that causes
confusion.
That is the kind of thing that I know is great
fodder for the Leader of the Liberal Party (Mrs. Carstairs) to ask questions on
when nothing has been agreed to, nothing has been accepted, nothing has been
refined or decided upon, so that gives her things to speculate on. We are not in for speculation. We are in for solutions. We are in for solutions that will be good for
the
School Divisions
Election Postponement
Mr. Dave Chomiak
(Kildonan): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister
of Education.
Rumours about the government's position on boundary review have been
circulating for months. Now that the
minister has written trustees with the proposal regarding postponing school
board elections for one year and now that a deputy minister has indicated that
is a government option, will the minister indicate what the government's policy
is on postponing school board elections for a year.
Hon.
Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): Mr. Speaker, I have met with the trustees and
what the trustees have asked me is that any initiative put forward by this
government be a well‑considered initiative. We are still considering the issues at this
time.
Mr.
Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, can the
minister outline what the process being undertaken is, how long it will take,
when it will be tabled‑‑
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. The question has been put.
Mrs.
Vodrey: I will be announcing the
process when the mandate is fully considered and prepared. It is a priority for this government. It is a priority for us in education at this
time.
French Language Division
Mr. Dave Chomiak
(Kildonan): Mr. Speaker, my final supplementary is: Will the government review include the
government's initiative for the imposition of a French‑language school
division within the city of
Hon.
Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): The mandate will be announced when all the
issues have been considered, and it will be announced as a priority when the
announcement is made.
A
Aboriginal Education
Post-Secondary Accessibility
Ms. Jean Friesen
(Wolseley): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister
of Education.
Now
given that this minister's government has cut back on ACCESS programs, cut back
on community colleges, and given also that the federal government's new funding
programs for aboriginal education also severely restrict access to a number of
programs, I would like to ask the minister what specific steps she has taken to
change what I believe is a tragic situation.
Hon.
Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): We consider the training opportunities for
the people of
Ms.
Friesen: Mr. Speaker, I do not think
I heard any specific steps she has taken.
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please.
Community Colleges
Post-Secondary Accessibility
Ms. Jean Friesen
(Wolseley): Is the minister aware that
Mr.
Speaker: Question, please.
Ms.
Friesen: I would like to ask the
minister again: What action is she
taking to ensure that this situation ends and that she will end the waiting
lists at community colleges?
Hon.
Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): We are very concerned about the range of
educational opportunities in this province.
We are moving toward community college governance and, as we move toward
community college governance, those colleges will be able to be very responsive
in their regional areas to the kinds of training opportunities that are
required.
* (1040)
Funding
Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware that in
the last budget, post‑secondary education suffered the second‑‑
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member, kindly put your
question, please.
Ms.
Friesen: Is the minister aware‑‑
Mr. Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member, kindly put your
question now, please.
Ms.
Friesen: Given the post‑secondary
education‑‑
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. I have asked the honourable member on two
separate occasions to kindly put your question. Put your question now, please.
Ms.
Friesen: Would the minister assure
the House that she is going to at least restore the funding that was cut from
her department last year, the second largest cut to government departments?
Hon.
Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Education and Training): The funding available for community colleges
will be announced when the budget is announced in this House.
Stephenfield Reservoir
Irrigation Licensing
Mr. Paul Edwards (St.
James): Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government
revealed that it had granted two new trial irrigation licences to farmers in
the Winkler area to draw water from the
It
is a rare occasion that I agree with the member for
I do
not want to steal his thunder, but he said yesterday, it is a little
hypocritical or two‑faced when this government is saying they need water
for industrial‑residential and at the same time they are issuing
licences.
I
agree with the minister on that calling of the Minister of Natural Resources
(Mr. Enns) on his hypocrisy in this case.
I am using the words of the member for
I
ask him, therefore: Why has he abandoned
his earlier commitment that
Hon.
Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): Mr. Speaker, to the honourable member for St.
James‑‑and Portage la Prairie‑‑let me assure the
honourable member that due to the foresight of my immediate predecessor, the
honourable member for
There has been in fact a Boyne River‑Stephenfield reservoir
advisory board established to facilitate and to manage the local operations of
the Stephenfield reservoir. They have
concurred with these decisions and are monitoring the situation. It is anticipated that the final results of
the review will not be available until the spring of '92. It will then be determined whether or not
these licences can be, in fact, made firm.
Mr.
Edwards: Mr. Speaker, can the
minister explain how it is that his government is considering spending millions
of dollars to divert water from the
Mr.
Enns: Mr. Speaker, the honourable
member should be aware that within that south central region, Carman, Morden,
Winkler, Altona, perhaps the most progressive, if I may use that term, and
productive region of our province, there has always been a certain amount of
irrigation capacity available. The
problem that the 15 municipalities have that comprise the Pembina task force,
who have made that application that he refers to, with respect to additional
water, is that they are in urgent need of augmenting the water supplies to that
region. That is going to be considered
in due course by the Clean Environment Commission and/or other agencies of
government.
I
can assure the honourable member no decision of government has been made in
that respect, but specifically to the operation of the Stephenfield reservoir,
the federal government and the provincial government spent some $300,000,
$400,000 on increasing the capacity of the reservoir. That project was completed in the year 1990,
and that operation of that reservoir has not been changed fundamentally. The priorities of the residential and
municipal water requirements, as stated by The Water Act, are being fully met.
Mr.
Edwards: Mr. Speaker, finally for
the same minister: Can the minister
indicate on what basis these new trial irrigation licences are going to be
granted, which are in total contradiction of his earlier statement that water
would not be taken from the
Mr. Enns: Mr. Speaker, I am tempted to infringe on the
rules of the House to indicate just how important diversified agriculture is to
Mr.
Speaker, I know that I am already stretching my privileges in this regard. I think I have answered the question. The priorities of domestic residential
municipal demands first are being met in every way with the provision of these
two provisional licences at this time.
Budget Reduction
Mr. Leonard Evans
(Brandon East): Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the
Minister of Health.
Because of underfunding by this government, the administration of the
My
question to the minister is: Is this the
result of the minister's previous order to the urban hospitals to cut $19
million out of their current budgets?
Hon.
Donald Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I was afraid my friend would not
get back on this topic today.
My
honourable friend talks about cutbacks at
What
my honourable friend does not want to talk about is the 1986‑87 decision
that he was very much a part of as the senior cabinet minister from western
*
(1050)
Mr.
Speaker, I want to tell you that in 1989‑90 this government, with more
funding and more budget to
I
want to tell my honourable friend his allegations of cutbacks are false,
fearmongering.
Service Reduction
Mr. Leonard Evans
(Brandon East): Will the minister take time to take another
look at the extent to which hospital services are being reduced at BGH and
satisfy himself that the level of health care services are being
maintained? I ask that because I know
the minister has detailed information through Manitoba Health Services
Commission and is fully familiar with the extent of the cutbacks and the $1.3
million that they are going to be required to find.
Hon. Donald Orchard
(Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I did
not hear my honourable friend's "cogent" remarks. Would that be appropriate? I want to tell my honourable friend that the
$1.3 million at issue at
We
have continued with that policy, Mr. Speaker, because it is an appropriate
policy, allowing managers in the hospital to manage the budgets that are given by
the
Is
my honourable friend denying the wisdom of the NDP policy decision of Howard
Pawley in 1987‑88 wherein they said, there shall be no deficits at our
hospitals? Is he refuting that policy
now? Because I am not.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, there is no reduction in service in
Mr.
Leonard Evans: Mr. Speaker, I have a
final question for the minister, and I know we cannot debate. I would like to talk to him about the daycare
surgery, the CAT scan, the new‑‑
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. Question, please.
Mr.
Leonard Evans: ‑‑expansions
at
Mr.
Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Brandon East, put
your question.
Mr.
Leonard Evans: Will the minister
confirm that because of inadequate funding by his government even more cutbacks
and layoffs at
Mr.
Orchard: Mr. Speaker, my honourable
friend is doing it again. He is calling
a $9‑million increase in funding to
Now,
my honourable friend mentioned a very key word.
He mentioned day surgery. I want
to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that this government has brought in a day surgery
program to
As
you move services to the community, you do not continue to fund excess capacity
at the hospital. The administration of
Stephenfield Reservoir
Irrigation Licensing
Mr. Edward Connery (
Hon.
Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): Mr. Speaker, of course my hope would be that
it would be not a question of having to withdraw access licensing privileges of
any producers in
Let
me come back to the Stephenfield reservoir for just a minute. Since its inception, built in 1963, there has
always been no question as to its priority purposes, to provide residential,
municipal water supplies for that region, the Carman‑Morden area, but
since its inception in 1963 there was surplus capacity, and that surplus
capacity has been wisely licensed out to those who request it for irrigation
purposes. That format, that operation of their reservoir has not changed.
Water Rights Priorities
Mr. Edward Connery (
Mr.
Speaker: The honourable member,
kindly put your question, please.
Mr.
Connery: Will the minister indicate
to the House the list of priorities for water demands within the
Hon.
Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): Under The Water Rights Act that I am charged
with, the responsibility of administering the priorities of allocation for
water are very clear. They are domestic,
residential, municipal, industrial, recreational, followed by irrigation.
Mr.
Speaker: Time for Oral Questions has
expired.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
House Business
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Government House Leader): Mr. Speaker, it has
been agreed that there will be matters of condolence dealt with by the House at
this time. After that time, I would
propose to move into adourned Debate on Second Readings.
Motions of Condolence
Hon. Gary Filmon
(Premier): I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of
Environment (Mr. Cummings), that this House convey to the family of the late
Charles Witney, who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba,
its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion
to duty in a useful life of active community and public service; and that Mr.
Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to the family.
Motion
presented.
Mr.
Filmon: Charles Witney was better
known as Buck Witney and was a personality known outside the framework of the
Legislature in this province, someone who both before and after his term of
service in this Legislature, a term that extended 10 years from 1959 to 1969,
was also a radio personality and commented in latter years on a program
entitled "In Touch with Today" from the East, but carried by stations
here in
*
(1100)
He
was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the general election of
May 14, 1959, as a Progressive Conservative for the Electoral Division of Flin
Flon, re‑elected in the general election of December 14, 1962, and June
23, 1966, and then defeated in the general election of June 25, 1969. He served as Minister of Mines and Natural
Resources, Minister of Health, and Minister of Labour during his period of service
in the Roblin administration.
A
theme that will recur in all three of our condolence motions today, Mr.
Speaker, is the fact that each of these former members of the Legislature also
served in the armed forces as part of their careers prior to serving the
public, of course, in this Assembly. Mr.
Witney was born, raised and educated in
Mr.
Witney is survived by two sons and grandchildren, as well as his wife,
Vera. Those of us who are old enough to
recall the workings of the Legislature and the service in the Legislature
during that period of the 1960s, the Roblin administration, know that Mr.
Witney was a very active and very capable member who, in his various
portfolios, was extremely effective and one of the better‑known ministers
of that Roblin administration.
We
all, of course, regret his passing, his passing at an untimely age of 71. He was an individual who was both personable
and competent in all that he did and certainly served both his community and
his province, and indeed his country very well.
Mr.
Speaker, all members of the House give thanks and praise for Buck Witney's
years of service to the community and surroundings of Flin Flon, to the
province, and ultimately to his country in time of war.
We
extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Vera, to his sons, Keith and Ian,
and to their families.
Mr. Jerry Storie (Flin
Flon): Mr. Speaker, certainly we on this side would
like to join with the Premier (Mr. Filmon) in expressing our condolences to the
family, to Mr. Witney's wife and children, and to his many relatives and
friends across the country.
Mr.
Speaker, I did not have the fortune of knowing Mr. Witney as a
constituent. Mr. Witney served the Flin
Flon constituency from 1959 to 1969. I
did not become a resident of Flin Flon until 1975. However, when I did move to Flin Flon,
certainly the name of Buck Witney was a very familiar name. Our arena, the Witney Forum, of course is
named after Mr. Witney and the family name.
As perhaps luck would have it, one of my colleagues, the member for
Point Douglas (Mr. Hickes), actually played hockey for the Flin Flon Bombers,
and of course Buck Witney was a strong supporter of the Flin Flon Bombers.
Mr.
Speaker, any time you have the privilege of serving, it requires dedication and
commitment to duty, and certainly a commitment to the people of the
constituency. The Flin Flon
constituency, even at that time, was a relatively large constituency in terms
of the size of many constituencies that members represent here today. Mr. Witney, following in, I suppose, the
tradition of northern members, did more than his share of travel in the
constituency and was well liked, and I think, expressed very adequately the
concerns of the people of the Flin Flon constituency. Certainly his time in government, his time in
cabinet in particular, was appreciated by the people of Flin Flon. Certainly the clout that Mr. Witney carried
in the Roblin government was beneficial in terms of the way he could serve the
people of Flin Flon and the surrounding communities.
Mr.
Speaker, Mr. Witney served both as the Minister of Natural Resources and as the
Minister of Health, and his contribution to the province should not be
overlooked. As the Premier has
suggested, he was an extremely capable minister and a very popular figure with
the media, as well as with other Legislatures.
I know that the successful candidate in the 1969 election was very fond
of Mr. Witney and certainly respected his contribution.
Mr.
Speaker, I suppose, on a day like today, we should leave by saying that Mr.
Witney's 10 years of service is above average.
Ten years of service represents almost double the life expectancy of
most MLAs, and Mr. Witney's contributions are exceptional, both to the
We
in this Chamber, I think, should at this time acknowledge his contribution, pay
homage to the fact that he did serve in this public capacity in such a
distinguished fashion for those 10 years, pass on our best wishes to his family
and indicate that we will remember his contribution as his colleagues, in a
sense. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mrs.
Sharon Carstairs (Leader of the Second Opposition): Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Liberal Party
in
I
noted he then went on to serve with distinction the Department of Health and
finally the Department of Labour. He
then, like all too many of us, chose to leave the
We
want to express to his widow and to his family our sincere condolences on his
passing, and hope that the wonderful memories of their life together can help
to ease the pain always associated with the death of a loved one.
Hon.
Harry Enns (Minister of Natural Resources): Just a few words to associate myself with the
resolution before the House.
It
was my privilege to have sat with Mr. Witney, Buck, in cabinet and in this
Chamber. He was a gentleman of the
highest order and carried on a continued interest in the affairs of the
government of
I
had a pleasant experience during the bad fires that we experienced here in this
province in '89 of receiving a lengthy letter from Mr. Witney, reminding me‑‑commiserating
with the problems that the province was having‑‑that he was the
minister of the Department of Natural Resources at the time that the province
acquired its first water bomber. One
does that kind of mental check at the horrendous costs that we were adding up‑‑the
operation of five water bombers‑‑into the millions of dollars, and
that was a nice reminder from Mr. Witney, to me of himself, and of his
continued interest in the affairs of this province.
*
(1110)
I am
also prodded to remind ourselves, Mr. Witney served this province with
distinction in cabinet, distinction at a time when remuneration for that
service was at a minimum. Indeed, as
sometimes is the case, after years of distinguished service, in the case of Mr.
Witney, first of all to his country‑‑in defence of the country as
an RAF radar technician‑‑later on in the public service for the
constituency of Flin Flon and indeed the Executive Council in cabinet, precious
little reward followed him in his retirement years as he moved on to
I
simply wanted to add these comments to the condolence motion that we are
forwarding to his family. I remember
Vera, his wife, well. It was a great
team of ministers that Mr. Roblin, and in the latter few years Mr. Weir, had
assembled to serve the
Mr. Gary
Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Mr.
Speaker, I would like to add a few words of condolence to the Witney family.
It
is interesting with names. I did not
know who Mr. Charles Witney was, but as soon as I heard Buck Witney‑‑I
had heard of his political contributions to
I
did not know personally Mr. Witney, but I have been to Flin Flon a number of
times. Of course that community has a
number of people who have lived there through all their careers, and certainly
the name of Mr. Witney has come up in many conversations I have had in the
community of Flin Flon. I know that the
word used by the member for
I
would just like to pay tribute on behalf of our party to his tremendous
contributions to the people of Manitoba‑‑as members opposite, all
members have said, 10 years is a good length of stay in this temporary Chamber‑‑and
pass on our condolences to his family.
Thank you very much.
Mr.
Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the
House to adopt the motion?
Some
Honourable Members: Agreed.
Mr.
Speaker: Would honourable members
please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion?
(A moment of silence was
observed)
Mr.
Filmon: I move, seconded by the
honourable Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns), that this House convey to
the family of the late Thomas Paterson Hillhouse, who served as a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their bereavement and
its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of active community
and public service, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to forward a copy of this
resolution to the family.
Motion
presented.
Mr.
Filmon: Mr. Speaker, Tom Hillhouse
is another individual who I think is well known by reputation as well as on a
personal basis by many members in this Legislature, and indeed I think it is
fitting that the former Premier of our province, Mr. Pawley, was here today in
the gallery, because he was, I think, a close associate of Mr. Hillhouse, knew
him well and often reported to us on his health and his well‑being as the
Leader of the Liberal Party. Tom
Hillhouse cast a wide shadow in this province. Despite not having served in
cabinet, he was very well known for his many activities and long dedicated service
in many ways in our province.
He
passed away after a long and productive service in this province, at 95 years
of age, continued to live in the province, in fact, in a personal care home in
the Selkirk‑St. Andrews area district.
He was visited, I know, from time to time by members who knew him.
He
served for 19 years in this Legislature, having been elected to the Assembly in
the by‑election of October 24, 1950, as a Liberal Progressive for the
Electoral Division of St. Andrews. He
was re‑elected in the general elections of June 8, 1953, June 16, 1958,
May 14, 1959, December 14, 1962, and June 23, 1966. Mr. Hillhouse then retired prior to the June
1969 general election.
(Mrs. Louise Dacquay,
Deputy Speaker, in the Chair)
Among many reasons to recall his service and to celebrate his
contributions, Mr. Hillhouse was known as one of the most straightforward
politicians ever to serve in the Legislature.
In fact, a friend said at the time of his passing that he thought that
that forthright manner and his reputation as an agitator and strong defender of
the common man possibly resulted in his not having been selected for
cabinet. Nevertheless, those
characteristics served him well and obviously served the people of
Mr.
Hillhouse was born in
Mr.
Hillhouse graduated with his B.A. from the
In
remembering Tom Hillhouse, we give thanks and praise for his many, many years
of service, not only to his community, but to his province and to his country.
Mr.
Doer: Madam Deputy Speaker, I too
want to rise and pay tribute to the contributions of Tommy Hillhouse to the
public of this province and pay condolences to his family and friends.
As
the Premier has pointed out, the long and illustrious career of Mr. Hillhouse
has been basically articulated as a career that has defended the "common
man," a person who told it like it was and always would speak up for the
people he represented and for the concerns of the "ordinary" people
of this province. That is a tremendous
legacy to have that remembrance of your contributions as a person who was
straightforward and honest and spoke out for the people in the best way
possible, no matter what the consequences of that would be for your own
personal political career.
*
(1120)
I
guess, Madam Deputy Speaker, in a day of somewhat cynical politics, perhaps it
is fitting that we are speaking to the memory and contributions of a person
like Mr. Hillhouse this morning. I know
that, as the Premier has mentioned, he was a friend of many people in the
Selkirk community, of all walks of life, from all political parties. Former Premier Howard Pawley was a friend of
Tommy, as he called him, and would have visits with him quite often in the
Selkirk community. They would talk about
public life and issues that were facing us.
Certainly he is a person who was well respected, as well as in the
province, in his Selkirk community.
I
think it is worth noting that Mr. Hillhouse won six elections from 1950 to 1969
and retired prior to the 1969 general election, so that is the ultimate testament,
when parties come and go and when governments come and go, he won it over two
basic administrations, it looks like to me.
He was able to maintain the respect and credibility of his local
constituents because of his integrity and honesty.
Madam
Deputy Speaker, we in the New Democratic Party, on behalf of Manitobans and on
behalf of all friends, acquaintances and colleagues of Tommy Hillhouse, would
like to pass on our condolences to his family and certainly all his friends in
the province.
Mrs.
Carstairs: Madam Deputy Speaker, I
join in the condolence motion for Thomas Paterson Hillhouse as an individual
who served his community extremely well.
As the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Doer) indicated, he was known as
Tommy. As the Premier said, he came over
from
Tommy served for 19 years in this House, and he was a very outspoken
Liberal Progressive. He never allowed
himself to ever be called just a Liberal, I have to say. He had to be known as a Liberal Progressive. He served with people like D.L. Campbell,
Gildas Molgat and Larry Desjardins. I
think what I remember most about Tommy was that Tommy became a vulnerable
citizen. He was under the protection of
the Public Trustee because, as he aged, he had a form of senility. We know there is a great tendency to diagnose
everyone of that nature with Alzheimer's, and one cannot do that really until
after they have died because of the autopsy required.
Tommy was certainly a vulnerable citizen and required the protection of
the Public Trustee's office. It was
interesting to me upon election to this House to find out that there was
interest across party lines that he be protected. I first had a concern raised to me by Larry
Desjardins, I then spoke with Howard Pawley, I had a call from D.L. Campbell, I
had a call from Gildas Molgat, all concerned that Tommy be looked after in an
appropriate fashion to be made sure that he did indeed need the protection of
the Public Trustee. It was quickly
verified that indeed he did. He had an
appropriate placement, and ultimately, that placement became a nursing home.
Tommy did not have an immediate family, and so it was necessary, I
think, in the circumstances, for his friends to gather round and to make sure
that he received the kind of care and protection that he required. For me, of course, it was a mark of how
someone who had been so respected as a representative of the common man would
in turn find himself in need for those of us who serve in a Chamber like this
to reach out to then serve that common man.
Because I met him when he was 90 and because at that point he was
already somewhat detached, I did not know him well. I do know from his colleagues in this House,
the ones that I mentioned earlier, that he had that Scottish humour. He could take a joke and pass on a joke and
that he had a great joy for living. He
celebrated, of course, things like St. Andrew's Day and the birthday of Bobby
Burns with great rejoicing.
There is no one immediately to pass on this condolence motion to, so I
say to all of those whom he served in his constituency and all of his many
friends, he is remembered well by many people.
He is remembered well because of his years of service, but fundamentally
he is remembered because Tommy cared about human beings, and through his
service, he expressed that every day he sat in the Legislature.
Mr.
Gregory Dewar (Selkirk): I am
pleased to be able to rise today to reflect upon the life of one of Selkirk's
most respected public figures. When I
was born in Selkirk, in 1956, Tommy Hillhouse was my MLA. I was a bit too young at the time to
appreciate what an outstanding MLA I had.
Mr. Hillhouse was the MLA for
Tommy Hillhouse was a lawyer by profession, and he opened his law
practice in Selkirk in 1923. He
practised until 1980, when he retired at the age of 84. As well, he was the municipal solicitor for
the municipalities of St. Andrews and
At a
memorial service held in Selkirk for Mr. Hillhouse, it was mentioned that he
was a strong, independent individual who was deeply concerned about his
constituency's social issues. According to his campaign literature from the
late 1950s, he listed the following political priorities: pensions for civil servants, a reformed approach
to the mentally disabled, consumer protection and the cleaning up of the
pollution in the
Thomas Paterson Hillhouse died on October 25, 1991 at the age of
95. Selkirk was very saddened with this
loss. He is survived by his brother,
Jack, of
Hon.
Darren Praznik (Minister of Labour):
I rise today to add a few personal comments to the record with respect
to the passing of Mr. Hillhouse. Mr.
Hillhouse was a long‑time friend of my family, who lived, as I did, and
worked in the old constituency of
He
was also a gentleman I remember well as a very young person at the age of about
six or seven selling strawberries with my grandfather on Highway 9. As my grandfather called him, old Tommy would
always stop in on his way back from the Legislature when it was in session or
on his way to his law practice in Selkirk.
He would always buy three baskets of strawberries for a dollar from us. I would sell bundles of green onions to make
a little extra money, and I do not know if Mr. Hillhouse ate those green
onions, but he always made sure he bought two bundles from me for 50
cents. I remember that well as a child,
and perhaps that was my first exposure to an elected official and to a
politician. To this day I can picture
very clearly Mr. Hillhouse, as I called him, would pull up in his car and get
out and always have a few minutes to chat and to pat me on the head and to buy
my green onions and talk with my grandfather.
Mr.
Hillhouse, with his passing, so passes an era in politics of our province, an
era of public service, a representative of the growing up of our province. Mr. Hillhouse was part of that generation
which came to Manitoba really as pioneers at the turn of the century and who grew
up here, who studied law here, who went back overseas to serve this country in
the First World War, and returned to build it and take it through the boom
years of the '20s, the Depression of the '30s, another world war and into the
'50s and '60s.
*
(1130)
(Mr. Speaker in the
Chair)
I
remember stories within my family of Mr. Hillhouse's contribution to our
community. I remember the stories of his
nomination meeting in 1950. I know the
Leader of the Liberal Party (Mrs. Carstairs) spoke of the passing of a former
Liberal M.P. whose brother, John Shanski, I believe it was, had contested that
nomination for the Liberal Progressives in the St. Andrews and Kildonan
constituency in 1950. That by‑election
was necessitated by the death of another great Manitoban, James McLenaghen, who
had been Attorney General in the coalition war cabinet, and when Mr. McLenaghen
had died, a nomination had been held and Mr. Shanski had run for the nomination
and my father tells me the story:
My
father and my grandfather were both delegates to that nomination meeting and
they remember Mr. Hillhouse‑‑without a campaign or without the
kinds of things we go through in advance of these meetings today‑‑came
to the meeting and said he would throw his hat in the ring. That is the quote that is remembered by those
who were there. He threw his hat in the
ring, and he was nominated to contest that by‑election as the Liberal
Progressive coalition candidate. The
Conservative Party, I think, left the coalition in Selkirk at that time, they
had viewed it as their seat, and Mr. Hillhouse was successful in the by‑election.
My
family, both my grandfather and my father, campaigned very hard for Mr.
Hillhouse, not only in that by‑election, but through the years as their
representative in the Selkirk constituency, and it was through those campaigns,
even as a very, very young child, I can remember the campaign vaguely of 1966
and my parents going to the polls. I did
not know what that was, but they went to some kind of polls to vote for Mr.
Hillhouse. Those, I guess, are my first
memories of politics, and Mr. Hillhouse was a very important part of that.
His
passing, I think, also marks the passing of a generation of politicians in this
province who came to this Legislative Assembly not with the partisanship that
we perhaps have today in this Assembly.
They were members who came at a time, we should remember, when sessions
lasted about three months of the year and they earned their living, not from
what they were paid by the people of the province, but through other means, and
their commitment and their contribution was really as part‑time
members. Perhaps that made a difference
in the partisanship of the day, but the Tommy Hillhouses were of that
generation of grand orators, of individuals who had tremendous understandings
of issues and who were able to debate issues, not on the partisanship call of
their Whips as we so often do today, but who debated them on the basis of the
merits of the case.
On a
personal note again, Mr. Hillhouse was also the solicitor for my family, not
just my mother and dad, but also for most of the Prazniks in the
Today as we speak about the life of a truly great Manitoban, the
influence that he had not only on this province‑‑but I speak as an
individual member, and I remember the influence that he had on a very young boy
in his constituency in the 1960s. As
with all passings and the passing of time, there is a moment of sadness. Although as the Leader of the Liberal Party
(Mrs. Carstairs) has indicated that there are no children who survive him, no
spouse who survives him, he will be long remembered by those whom he touched
during his long life in the service of his constituents and the people of this
province.
Mr.
Edward Helwer (Gimli): Mr. Speaker,
I also would like to join those expressing condolences on the passing of Thomas
Hillhouse.
He
served 19 years in this Legislature, from 1950 until his retirement in 1969, as
the MLA for the former constituency of
Mr.
Hillhouse received his education in
As
the Premier has stated, Mr. Hillhouse was first elected to this House in a by‑election
in 1950 and was re‑elected in '53, '58, '59, '62 and 1966. Mr. Hillhouse gained a reputation as a
staunch defender of the common man, worked very hard for his constituency and
was very well respected by people from all walks of life.
Although personally I did not know Mr. Hillhouse very well, I did have
the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions. Mr. Hillhouse was a very
good friend of my father, and he was a great help to my father during his term
as municipal councillor in St. Clements area.
I had the pleasure to attend a memorial service for Mr. Hillhouse in
Selkirk. I was very impressed by the
people who spoke so highly of Mr. Hillhouse, people of all political stripes,
about the accomplishments of Mr. Hillhouse in the province of Manitoba and, of
course, in the constituency of Selkirk and district. The anecdotes that people such as D.L.
Campbell, Bobby Bend, Gordon Johnson, told us about Mr. Hillhouse were both
interesting and entertaining.
In
closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my personal sympathies and respect
to the relatives of Thomas Paterson Hillhouse.
Thank you.
Hon.
James McCrae (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Mr. Speaker, those
who knew Tommy Hillhouse better than I will, I am sure, agree with my comments
today which will be brief. Those who
knew him better than I, know better than I about the service that he rendered
to his profession, to his clients, to his community and to his province.
I
never knew Tommy Hillhouse as an MLA, but as a court reporter working in
Selkirk, I did have the privilege of working with and seeing Mr. Hillhouse's
performances in the provincial court in Selkirk. I was struck in those days‑‑those
would have been in the late '60s, early '70s‑‑by the way he served
his clients in the court. He struck me
as a compassionate man, a tenacious man when it came to the interests of his
clients, and a courteous man to everyone with whom he came in contact. Perhaps in a small way, my life was touched
by the life of Tommy Hillhouse, and I feel privileged to able to say that.
He
clearly lived a very long and diverse life.
He lived a life of service. Tommy
Hillhouse's life was a life well lived. I join with my colleagues in this House
in extending condolences to those closest to him.
Mr.
Enns: Mr. Speaker, not that I can
add to the eloquence of what has been said about Mr. Hillhouse, but I feel
myself moved, as being the only current member of the Legislature that sat with
Tommy in this Chamber, to add my voice to the condolence motions.
It
seems like not that long ago that I came into the House as a rookie member in
the election of '66. Mr. Hillhouse
occupied the seat now occupied by the honourable member for Rupertsland (Mr.
Harper), beside him the former Premier of the province, Mr. Campbell, beside
him Mr. Guttormson from the Interlake constituency of St. George, and the then
Leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. Molgat.
Mr. Hillhouse was a member of Her Majesty's Official Opposition at that
time comprising of some 14 members of the Liberal Party.
I
recall well his contributions in this Chamber.
He was a feisty member. He had
short‑cropped white hair and took full advantage of his position as a
veteran, when I came into the House, on the front benches of the Liberal Party to
represent his constituency, the people of Selkirk, in a way that did him and
the people proud. Thank you very much,
Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the
House to adopt the motion?
Some
Honourable Members: Agreed.
Mr.
Speaker: Would honourable members
please rise and remain standing to indicate their support for the motion?
(A moment of silence was
observed)
Mr.
Filmon: Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the honourable Minister of Natural Resources (Mr. Enns), that this
House convey to the family of the late Henry John Einarson, who served as a
member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, its sincere sympathy in their
bereavement and its appreciation of his devotion to duty in a useful life of
active community and public service, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to
forward a copy of this resolution to the family.
Motion
presented.
*
(1140)
Mr.
Filmon: Mr. Speaker, again, the
individual whose life and service we are honouring is well known to many members
of this Chamber. Henry Einarson was a
colleague of many of us and served in this Legislature with great distinction
for a period of 15 years. As such, he is
known personally and very warmly to the members of our caucus and government
family. I know that many of my
colleagues in caucus attended Henry's funeral.
Regrettably, on that day, we had two funerals at exactly the same time
that involved family members of our caucus.
Some of us were in
Henry was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the general
election of June 23, 1966, as a Progressive Conservative for the Electoral
Division of Rock Lake, which now has been redistributed between
Henry Einarson was born and raised in the Glenboro area, having been
born at Glenboro on September 11, 1918, and took his schooling in that
community. He enlisted in the Canadian
Forces and served
Certainly, during his almost 16 years in office, he made a great many
close friends. All of us recall with
great warmth Henry's easygoing, likable style‑‑at all times a very
dedicated and committed member of the Legislature, but someone who was just fun
to be around.
Henry Einarson continued to keep in touch with all of us. Henry Einarson
always was a part of our friendly social gatherings in the years that I was in
this Chamber with him. In the years to
follow, whenever we had occasion as members of our party to get together from
time to time, if it were possible for Henry to attend, he enjoyed being there
to reminisce, to recall old times spent in the Legislature: battles fought‑‑some won, some
lost‑‑but the enjoyment of the so many friendships that he had
built over the years.
I
recall one humourous story that could be known as the mystery of the
chickens. It happened when I was a
member of cabinet in 1981. I had been
using one of the pool cars. Henry, a
very generous person, was of the habit of from time to time bringing in freshly
killed and cleaned chickens from his farm and giving them out to members of
caucus.
He
called my office and asked my secretary if I would like some freshly killed
chickens. I said, of course, Janice and
I would love to have them. My secretary
asked what shall she do, and I said, please just give him the keys to my car
and have him put them in the trunk.
Well, unbeknownst to me, the pool car was taken away from me and my
regular car was restored later that afternoon‑‑I believe it was a
Friday. I went home and announced to
Janice that I had some fresh chickens in the trunk and opened the trunk, and it
was empty. She thought that I was
kidding, and I thought that there must have been some grave error, but I did
not pursue it.
The
following Monday, we had Government Services checking all of the pool cars for
my chickens, because having checked with Henry, yes, indeed, he had brought the
chickens and put them in the car; and, no, indeed, I did not have the
chickens. Nobody knew anything about
it. We thought that somebody must have
had a great meal on the weekend, and we could not figure it out. About two weeks later, Doug Gourlay, who was
also a minister at the time, happened to mention to somebody that he had gotten
this pool car a couple of weeks ago and had an unexpected bonus with it‑‑there
were some chickens in the trunk.
We
solved the mystery in any case, and the Gourlays had a fun weekend and an
excellent meal, thanks to Henry. Henry's
generosity both of spirit and with his possessions was known to all of us.
Henry also, of course, is one of those of Icelandic heritage who served
well and who took his place among many of Icelandic heritage in this
Chamber. He comes from the other pocket
of Icelandic settlement in Manitoba, in that Glenboro area, not the Interlake
area that produced so many members of Icelandic descent in the House,
including, of course, the Honourable George Johnson, now our Lieutenant‑Governor,
and prior to him, Elman Guttormson and so many other names, that history having
been carried on by people such as Rick Nordman and the honourable Minister of
Industry, Trade and Tourism (Mr. Stefanson) today, and so on.
Henry was very proud of his Icelandic heritage and certainly weaves his
own history into the fabric of contributions that the Icelandic‑Canadians
have made to
We
express our very sincere condolences to his surviving family, to his daughter,
Leanne, his son David, his son Craig, his son Brad, his brother and sisters and
his special friend, Hazel Trimble, of Glenboro, all of those people who, I
know, will not only be remembering him so fondly and so well, but people who
like us have been blessed and had their lives enriched by being friends and
close associates of Henry Einarson.
*
(1150)
Mr.
Doer: Mr. Speaker, I would like to
join with the Premier on behalf of our party in condolences to the family of
Henry John Einarson.
Certainly his contributions are well known and have been articulated by
the Premier in his comments. Four
elections over a 15‑year period, Mr. Speaker, again is an indication to
us of the credibility he held with his constituents and the members of his
constituency prior to the elimination of the constituency in the drawing up of
the boundaries prior to the '81 election.
I
was not aware of the great chicken chase story that the Premier had articulated
this morning, but I had heard of the reputation of Mr. Einarson and words such
as "warm" and "a great sense of humour" that I have heard
from members opposite and other members opposite's political family in
describing Mr. Einarson.
Certainly his long career is worthy of note today: his experience in the war serving his
country, his long political contributions and his many contributions to the
Glenboro and related community.
On
behalf of our party and members on this side, we would like to pay our deepest
condolences to the family, to his close friend, Hazel Trimble, his daughter,
Leanne, his sons David, Craig, Brad, and we certainly would want our comments
this morning to be passed on to the family to hear. Thank you.
Mrs.
Carstairs: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of
our party, I wish to also join in the condolence motion for Henry John
Einarson. No one in our caucus knew him
personally; we just know him by reputation, but I was struck at a comment in
the obituary. It says here that Henry's
wish was that everyone attending his funeral be classed as honourary
pallbearers. It sounds to me that he
never lost the political instinct and that he is probably doing a little
politicking upstairs at the present moment, in that he wanted to reach out to a
great number of people, even in his funeral service.
Here
is an individual who served in this chamber for 15 years. Not only is that a long period of time, but
like the previous individual, he was never in cabinet. I think that there is a sense often that the
only place to really serve is in cabinet, and it is not true. Every single member of this House is as
important as any other member of this House, and the fact that the Premier (Mr.
Filmon) remembers, along I am sure with some of his colleagues, who will be
speaking later, who will indicate that they remember him with such fondness,
means that they considered that his contribution at that time was also of
tremendous value. We must never forget
that service to one's community in a capacity such as serving as a member of
the Legislative Assembly, as Mr. Einarson did so very, very well, is one which
we should all remember with respect and with appropriate value systems.
He
has a large extended family, and there must be many of them who are grieving at
his loss at the present time. Although
some time has passed since his death on January 8 of 1992, we still know that
there must be a daily moment, or many moments, when they recall his life so
vividly. I will say once again that we
hope that they are filled each and every day with wonderful memories of him
that can help in some small way to ease that pain and ease that grief so that
they can go and continue to live his legacy, because he obviously left a
legacy. He left a legacy of humour, of
good cheer, of thoughtfulness, of consideration, and those are qualities that
all of us, quite frankly, would like to be remembered for.
With
those remarks, Mr. Speaker, I would want our condolences to go along with the
condolence messages of other members of this House to his family and friends in
this loss to all of them.
Mr.
Enns: Mr. Speaker, as the Premier
(Mr. Filmon) indicated in first introducing the condolence resolution before
us, Henry was indeed a good person to be around. I remind myself and particularly those on
this side of the House that, at the time that Henry Einarson came into the
House, we were entering into that long winter of opposition, facing the
Schreyer years. It was important in our
group, in our caucus, to have people like Henry Einarson to be of good cheer
and to encourage us in all manner of things, whether it was providing us with
good farm produce from time to time, and just his general outlook on the
importance of everyday living and getting together with each other.
Henry had, of course, a great contribution to make, the kind that is not
always visible in this publicity‑conscious business that we are in. Henry was a very hard‑working member of
our group, with specific interests, to name but one: the ongoing operation of the
Henry was also in his private life an excellent cattleman. He raised
first‑class Hereford beef cattle at his farm in Glenboro and in many ways
epitomized, I suppose, that type of a farm operation that, quite frankly, if we
had more of them today, we would be in less trouble in agriculture, a good
mixed farm: cattle, grain, other livestock.
Those of us who from time to time are involved with livestock operations
realize the importance of attention to detail, attention to the operations of
that kind on a daily basis. It was that
kind of dedication that Henry brought to his constituents and to the concerns
that he was responsible for in this Chamber, and I am privileged to on this
occasion to add my name to the condolence motion currently before us.
*
(1200)
Hon.
Donald Orchard (Minister of Health): Mr. Speaker, I want to add my remarks to the
condolence motion for Henry Einarson, as proposed by the Premier.
I
was elected in 1977 and had the opportunity to share a common boundary with
Henry Einarson as the MLA for
I
remember one of the first very excellent lessons that I learned with Henry
Einarson was the delightful art of lobbying a cabinet minister, because Henry
and I shared a common boundary. That common boundary had on it the Snowflake
highway, which went from La Riviere on the west side of my constituency down to
Snowflake on the
Henry said to me that, with rail line abandonment and other issues
affecting the community of Snowflake and the southern half of his constituency,
we have to impress upon the Minister of Highways, the honourable member for
The
constituency of
Henry was there to help his constituents, and he put his constituents
and his people first. I think that is a
talent and an art, Mr. Speaker, that with the fast pace of elected politics today
that maybe we do not have the same opportunity to undertake. In the same degree, that was the tradition
and the expectation of long‑serving MLAs of this Chamber like Henry
Einarson. I think that is a loss to the
electoral process that we represent in this House. It is part of the reality, I guess, of the
complexities of modern government.
I
also remember Henry Einarson from some of the debates, and I could not quite
come to grips with why Henry was known by some of his former colleagues that we
got elected with, they called him Hectare.
I asked why they would call him Hectare.
Well, it was during, I guess, opposition years when the metrification of
western
I
say sincerely, Mr. Speaker, that Henry Einarson was a very, very large person
when it came to representing the people of
I
want to pass on to Henry's family, to his very special friend, and to all his
friends in the Glenboro area and throughout the length and breadth of this
province that mourn his passing that he was and remains a very respected MLA
and one of the very, very fine individuals and fine representatives of this
Chamber of government in the province of Manitoba.
I
pass my sincere condolence on to all his family, special friend and friends.
Hon.
James Downey (Minister of Energy and Mines): Mr. Speaker, I rise, too, to join in the
condolence motion for Henry Einarson and to say that I was honoured and
privileged to have been asked to read the eulogy at the funeral of Henry
Einarson. I will refer to parts of it as
I make comment about a good friend, our good friend Henry Einarson.
I
think that there is a true testimony to Henry's constituency work in his
abilities to look after his constituents that he was returned to the
Legislature as many times as he was through so many elections. His dedication to serve was to him to fight
to preserve our free democratic system as he, in fact, served in the armed
forces.
Henry was a committed, dedicated, kindly man, always determined to make
sure that the voice of his constituents were heard. He was prepared to listen and acknowledge the
other person's point of view. If in
debate you had done well, Henry would clearly indicate that you had made a very
important point.
Henry was always prepared to bring to the caucus and the Legislature the
important role that agriculture played in the province. He demonstrated his leadership in the farm
community, whether selecting breeding stock for his excellent cattle herd,
production of the roasting chickens, which has been referred to several times,
and the delivery of them to his caucus colleagues, or in fact to selling of
freezer beef to his urban colleagues.
Henry was truly a friend of the land and a friend of all those who
toiled to maintain our food production system.
Henry continued to show his commitment to the farm and support his
family, working with them as he represented his constituents, continuing to
show his strength as the Einarson family endured one of life's most tragic
events, that being the loss of a loved one at a very early age. This I am sure took its toll; however, having
faith in God, Henry and the family endured and carried on. He had determination.
He
continued to show the determination as has been referred to in his support for
the Port of Churchill, participating in the Port of Churchill board, as well,
vehemently expressed his opposition to the introduction of the metric system to
obtain the name of Hectare, as my colleague from Pembina has indicated.
He
was always prepared to carry more than his share of committee work, sometimes
into the early hours of the morning and particularly enjoyed reversing some of
the policies of the previous administration which he disagreed with and putting
in place programs to help our young family farms.
Henry could always be counted upon.
With all his busy activities as a legislator, Henry still had time to
enjoy the many community events, agriculture fairs, sporting events, and
enjoyed the people of his community.
I am
told that he was a member in good standing in the "Regis Racing and
Chowder Club" as well and could be counted on for his weekly
participation.
To
Henry's family and his special friend, Hazel, I want them to know that Henry's
advice and counsel was always important and respected. He was a kind, dedicated, committed
friend. He served his community, his
province and his country with distinction.
His colleagues and I were proud to serve with him.
I
want to express to the family and special friend, Hazel, from me and my family
and the constituents of Arthur‑Virden our sympathy to his family, Mr.
Speaker.
Hon.
Albert Driedger (Minister of Highways and Transportation): Mr. Speaker, I
also consider it a privilege to make a few comments paying tribute to Henry
Einarson.
I
was elected in '77, along with a whole bunch of my colleagues at that
time. We had a change of
government. The Sterling Lyon
administration came in at that time. We
had a whole bunch of rookies who came in at that time. Henry and Wally McKenzie actually ended up
being my mentors to some degree, and it was a very difficult challenge coming
in innocent and naive. These gentlemen took some of us newcomers under the wing
and steered us along the path to becoming politicians to some degree.
Reference was made to the dedication of Henry and the important point
issue, you know, he always had that finger there. We had a very boisterous back bench at that
time. Dave Blake was the caucus
chairman, Jim Ferguson was the Whip, and Henry was the wisdom in the group.
They
took some of us and changed our lifestyle to some degree from time to
time. We have learned a lot.
Reference has been made to the support that Henry had for
Churchill. He was so dedicated to
that. I remember this very clearly. I think in the second year when I was elected,
I brought forward a private members' bill to raise the drinking age from 18 to
19, and Henry was a strong supporter of it.
When finally the vote took place, I lost it by one or two votes. The reason I lost it was that Henry and Jim
Ferguson had gone to Churchill to a meeting out there promoting the
I
just want to indicate that I think this province and this Legislature is a
better place because of Henry Einarson having been here. Thank you.
*
(1210)
Mr.
Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the
House to adopt the motion? (Agreed)
Will
honourable members please rise and remain standing to indicate their support
for this motion.
(A moment of silence was
observed)
Mr.
Speaker: Is it the will of the House
to call it 12:30? It is agreed.
The
hour being 12:30 p.m., this House is now adjourned and stands adjourned until
1:30 p.m. Monday.