First Session – Forty-Second Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXIII No. 4 - 1:30 p.m., Thursday, October 3, 2019 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-Second Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ADAMS, Danielle Thompson NDP ALTOMARE, Nello Transcona NDP ASAGWARA, Uzoma Union Station NDP BRAR, Diljeet Burrows NDP BUSHIE, Ian Keewatinook NDP CLARKE, Eileen, Hon. Agassiz PC COX, Cathy, Hon. Kildonan-River East PC CULLEN, Cliff, Hon. Spruce Woods PC DRIEDGER, Myrna, Hon. Roblin PC EICHLER, Ralph, Hon. Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FIELDING, Scott, Hon. Kirkfield Park PC FONTAINE, Nahanni St. Johns NDP FRIESEN, Cameron, Hon. Morden-Winkler PC GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib. GOERTZEN, Kelvin, Hon. Steinbach PC GORDON, Audrey Southdale PC GUENTER, Josh Borderland PC GUILLEMARD, Sarah Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek Interlake-Gimli PC JOHNSTON, Scott Assiniboia PC KINEW, Wab Fort Rouge NDP LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAGIMODIERE, Alan Selkirk PC LAMONT, Dougald St. Boniface Lib. LAMOUREUX, Cindy Tyndall Park Lib. LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas-Kameesak NDP LINDSEY, Tom Flin Flon NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Malaya Notre Dame NDP MARTIN, Shannon McPhillips PC MOSES, Jamie St. Vital NDP MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC NAYLOR, Lisa Wolseley NDP NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine, Hon. Midland PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Turtle Mountain PC REYES, Jon Waverley PC SALA, Adrien St. James NDP SANDHU, Mintu The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron, Hon. Springfield-Ritchot PC SMITH, Andrew Lagimodière PC SMITH, Bernadette Point Douglas NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Vérendrye PC SQUIRES, Rochelle, Hon. Riel PC STEFANSON, Heather, Hon. Tuxedo PC TEITSMA, James Radisson PC WASYLIW, Mark Fort Garry NDP WHARTON, Jeff, Hon. Red River North PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC 273 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019 The House met at 1:30 p.m. MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Madam Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister for Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled Indigenous and Northern Relations–and I would here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to indicate that the required 90 minutes notice prior to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O routine proceedings was provided in accordance with merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only our rule 26(2). that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and Would the honourable minister please proceed accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of with her statement. Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Please be seated. Good afternoon, everybody. Girls Honouring and Awareness Day ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Hon. Eileen Clarke (Minister of Indigenous and Madam Speaker: Introduction of bills? Committee Northern Relations): Today I'd like to ask all reports? members of this House to join me in recognizing TABLING OF REPORTS October 4th as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Honouring and Awareness Day. Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Education and Training): I am pleased to table the Red River Today gives us the opportunity to honour the College Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year memory of missing and murdered indigenous women 2018-2019. and girls, to honour the strength of their mothers and Hon. Scott Fielding (Minister responsible for the fathers who have lost their daughters, to honour the Civil Service): I am pleased to rise today in the courage of their children who reach for a hand that is Assembly to table the Civil Service Superannuation no longer there, and to honour the spirits of the many Board 2018 Annual Report, and also to table the Civil who have been stolen from us far before their time. Service Superannuation Fund Actuarial Evaluation Today gives us the opportunity to recognize that Report as of December 31st, 2018. there is much work to be done to address this very important issue, gives us time to recognize that our Hon. Ralph Eichler (Minister of Agriculture): I am government is committed to working with all levels of pleased to rise to present the 2018-2019 annual report government, indigenous leadership, as well as for Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation. communities to put an end to this cycle of senseless Madam Speaker, also pleased to report there's– violence, and to recognize that we all play a role in present for 2018-19 annual report for the Food ensuring that generations to come will never have to Development Centre. experience such profound injustices. Hon. Blaine Pedersen (Minister of Growth, The disproportional statistics on violence against Enterprise and Trade): Madam Speaker, I am indigenous women compared to non-indigenous pleased to table the Research Manitoba 2018-2019 women in Canada is staggering. Annual Report. Our government fully supported and participated Also, I am pleased to table the Manitoba in the national inquiry and we worked collaboratively Opportunities Fund Limited 2018-2019 Annual with the Manitoba co-ordinating committee that was Report. established to ensure the inquiry was family- and And I am pleased to table the Travel Manitoba survivor-centred. We will continue to support the 2018-2019 Annual Report. families, the survivors and indigenous communities. 274 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Oct. 3, 2019 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the against indigenous women, girls and two-spirited is survivors and family members who have shared their genocide. And what is the Premier's response? stories and who have never stopped advocating for Nothing. No comment. No commitment. No action. their loved ones. And then to stand in this House pretending that he Addressing these incidences of murdered and actually cares about MMIWG2S is particularly missing indigenous women and girls and working to shameful. MMIWG2S and their families deserve end gender-based violence is a priority. We are better. Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited committed to engaging indigenous women, leaders deserve better. We deserve action today. and communities in determining our shared priorities and the next steps to addressing the calls to justice Miigwech. identified by the inquiry. Mr. Dougald Lamont (St. Boniface): Madam We took a proactive approach to improve Speaker, may I have leave to speak to the minister's relations with indigenous communities after the statement? announcement of the inquiry, including reforms to the Madam Speaker: Does the member for St. Boniface justice, health-care and child and family service have leave to respond to the ministerial statement? systems. [Agreed] Today and every day, we must ensure that their Mr. Lamont: It's a solemn honour to recognize stories are never silenced and that their memories Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls never fade and that we continue to work together as a Honouring and Awareness Day. community to eliminate violence and protect future generations. We sometimes speak of women and girls being at Thank you, Madam Speaker. risk when we should recognize that they are vulnerable to attack. We sometimes refer to domestic Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): October 4th is violence or violence against women and girls, but recognized as missing and murdered indigenous violence is not committed on its own. The reality is women and girls and two-spirited honouring and that it is almost always men who are committing that awareness day: a day to recognize not only Manitoba's violence, and we must also recognize that there are MMIWG2S and their families, but all families across vulnerable women and girls right now in Winnipeg Canada. It's a day to show kindness, compassion and and across Manitoba who do not have a safe place to support to families who often feel alone and forgotten, go. a day to commit to real action in addressing the epidemic levels of violence against indigenous It should be no surprise to any of us that the women, girls and two-spirited. intergenerational trauma that exists because of the role governments have had on many files, whether that be Last week, the member for Union Station (MLA justice, CFS, education or residential schools. Asagwara) and myself attended an MMIWG2S meeting organized by Isabel and Agnes Daniels. As legislatures–as legislators, we must acknowl- edge and implement the recommendations of the Families specifically wanted to know what the national report into MMIWG and the Manitoba Premier (Mr. Pallister) has done in respect of the children's advocate. national inquiry's recommendations. Well, I can definitively report today: nothing. * (13:40) The minister for indigenous and northern For example, the MMIWG inquiry called for the affairs confirmed so on Monday in Estimates. When creation of a specialized indigenous police unit led asked about this government's commitment to the and staffed by First Nations to complement and recommendations, she said, and I quote: There has enhance the work being done by First Nations police been no public statement at this point, and I would forces. think that we would probably be waiting for a Madam Speaker, crises don't work around a statement of process from the federal government as 9-to-5 schedule and neither should community it was their initiative. supports. Twenty-four-hour safe places, whether for I remind everybody in this House and across youth, homeless or individuals experiencing violence, Canada, the national inquiry concluded violence can work to protect vulnerable Manitobans.