2nd-36th, Volume 23 - Routine Proceedings

VOL. XLVI No. 23 - 1:30 P.M., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1996

Wednesday, April 24, 1996

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Wednesday, April 24, 1996

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

PRAYERS

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

PRESENTING PETITIONS

Home Care Services

Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of Minerva Burgess, Rachel Greer, Shayla Greer and others requesting the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of V. Round, Brian Gray and Tanina Ehabajiluk and others requesting the Premier and the Minister of Health to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS

Home Care Services

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Wolseley (Ms. Friesen). It complies with the rules and practices of the House (by leave). Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

Some Honourable Members: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT this plan calls for the complete divestiture of all service delivery to nongovernment organizations, mainly private for-profit companies as well as the implementation of a user-pay system of home care; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba may be pleased to request the Premier (Mr. Filmon) and the Minister of Health (Mr. McCrae) to consider reversing their plan to privatize home care services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Burrows (Mr. Martindale). It complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux). It complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Yes.

Madam Speaker: Yes? The Clerk will read.

Mr. Clerk (William Remnant): The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth:

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway). It complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Broadway (Mr. Santos). It complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Radisson (Ms. Cerilli). It complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Dispense.

Madam Speaker: Dispense.

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and,

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

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Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Kildonan (Mr. Chomiak). It complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read?

An Honourable Member: Yes.

Madam Speaker: The Clerk will read.

Mr. Clerk: The petition of the undersigned citizens of the province of Manitoba humbly sheweth:

THAT on at least six occasions during the 1995 provincial election, the Premier promised not to cut health services; and

THAT on December 16, 1995, a plan to privatize home care services was presented to Treasury Board; and

THAT previous cuts to the Home Care program have resulted in services being cut and people’s health being compromised; and

THAT thousands of caring front-line service providers will lose their jobs as a result of this change; and

THAT profit has no place in the provision of vital health services.

PRESENTING REPORTS BY

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Committee of Supply

Mr. Marcel Laurendeau (Chairperson of Committees): Madam Speaker, the Committee of Supply has considered certain resolutions, directs me to report progress and asks leave to sit again.

I move, seconded by the honourable member for Pembina (Mr. Dyck), that the report of the committee be received.

Motion agreed to.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

Working for Value Task Force

Hon. Leonard Derkach (Minister of Rural Development): Madam Speaker, I have a statement for the House along with the tabling.

Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to release in the Legislature today the interim report of the Working for Value Task Force.

Our goal as a government is to collectively find ways of adding value to Manitoba products. As I am sure members of the Legislature know, the rural task force which is chaired by my honourable colleague Mr. Jack Penner, the member for Emerson, and his two co-chairs, Mr. Franklin Pitura, the member for Morris, and Mr. Merv Tweed, the member for Turtle Mountain, held public workshops in 26 communities during February and March. During these meetings Manitobans came together to share their ideas, their concerns, their hopes and their aspirations for their communities’ futures. This interim report therefore captures the collective views of Manitobans which in turn will provide a valuable tool to guide future economic development in rural Manitoba.

I would like to briefly refer to some of the findings in the preliminary report, all things Manitobans told us they wanted: investment incentives for value-added opportunities; better access to information and services; more initiatives to promote rural Manitoba’s tourism potential; more entrepreneurship and business-related training; access to research and planning. Rural Manitobans also acknowledge that a change in attitude is required, one that is focused on leadership and vision.

I hope that all members of the Legislature will avail themselves of the opportunity to read this interim report. I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to Mr. Penner, Mr. Pitura and Mr. Tweed for their tireless efforts and tremendous contribution which will serve to benefit Manitobans for years to come.

I would also like to thank the many Manitobans who participated in the meetings. Their input, ideas and contribution are key to future strengthening, diversifying and adding value to our rural economy.

Appropriately, the Working for Value Task Force made its preliminary report at Rural Forum ’96 which was held in Brandon April 18 to 20. Added to that, our focus for Forum ’96 was working for value.

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Rural Forum ’96 attracted about 10,000 Manitobans, over 325 exhibits featuring some of the best of the products and services in the province of Manitoba and 32 food exhibits representing restaurants and food businesses. Over 400 youth participated in this year’s forum in business competitions hosted by two of our forum sponsors, Junior Achievement of Manitoba and the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce.

Rural Forum ’96 made each one of us look inside ourselves at our own individual strengths, ingenuity and talent. Whether it is musical talent or a flair for business creativity, it is all contributing towards making the Manitoba economy strong, vital and proud.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the many sponsors and partners who made Rural Forum ’96 a tremendous success, and of course, our most important partner, rural Manitobans. Many thanks to them, for without their participation and commitment to strengthening the rural community, we would not be able to recognize and celebrate the many successes already dotting the rural landscape.

If the tremendous turnout by the more than 325 exhibitors at Rural Forum ’96 is any indication of success, we are well along the road to achieving the targeted $1 billion in export growth set out by a Working for Value initiative. Thank you.

Mr. Clif Evans (Interlake): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement on the Working for Value Task Force that he has supplied.

Members opposite have spent many hours in listening to communities and listening to people across the province, of course sitting in on these meetings and committees without any type of representation from members of this side of the House who have always said that the only way to go out and to listen to the people is to do it in a collective way and to hear what everybody has to say, and to also have the reports and to have the statements heard by members of this side of the House so that we could collectively decide the way that Manitobans and rural Manitobans wanted to go.

Madam Speaker, I do want to highlight the fact that the forum, the success of the forum, as the minister has said, was a success. I had the opportunity of attending some of the meetings. I found it very interesting that some of the discussions that were brought forward also mentioned the fact that education and health care were important to providing the future development in rural Manitoba. Right now, with the cuts that this government is implementing in health, in education and highways, it is not enhancing the availability for rural Manitobans to do what is necessary for economic development.

The government talks about a task force and listening to the people. It is the same way they listened to the people when it came to education. When it came to the hog producers, when they wanted to be listened to, they did not listen. All the decisions were made long before this task force came into play and will continue under this government, Madam Speaker. Thank you.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill 9--The Public Health Amendment Act

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Minister of Family Services (Mrs. Mitchelson), that leave be given to introduce Bill 9, The Public Health Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur la santé publique), and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

Bill 10--The Pharmaceutical Amendment Act

Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Health): Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the Attorney General (Mrs. Vodrey), that leave be given to introduce Bill 10, The Pharmaceutical Amendment Act (Loi modifiant la Loi sur les pharmacies), and that the same be now received and read a first time.

Motion agreed to.

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Introduction of Guests

Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like to draw the attention of all honourable members to the public gallery where we have with us this afternoon, 31 teachers from Thailand and seven exchange students from Sweden, Italy, Thailand, Germany, Venezuela, Spain and Austria visiting Manitoba under the sponsorship of AFS Interculture Canada. These visitors are under the direction of Mr. Wayne Raff, principal of George McDowell School.

We have seventeen Grades 10, 11 and 12 students from Ebb and Flow School under the direction of Mr. Don Falk. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable Minister of Environment (Mr. Cummings).

We have 15 ESL students from Applied Linguistics Centre under the direction of Margaret James. This school is located in the constituency of the honourable member for St. James (Ms. Mihychuk).

On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome you this afternoon.