DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS
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Third 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. LXXV No. 40A - 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 23, 2021 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, Hon. 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, Hon. Southdale PC GUENTER, Josh Borderland PC GUILLEMARD, Sarah, Hon. Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg, Hon. Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek, Hon. Interlake-Gimli PC JOHNSTON, Scott 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 MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC MOSES, Jamie St. Vital NDP NAYLOR, Lisa Wolseley NDP NESBITT, Greg 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 1847 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Tuesday, March 23, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. practices will lead to blindness, with total loss of vision as well as severe sense of 'morbidality'. Madam Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled Madam Speaker, I bring forward this bill with a here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to full–with the full support of the Manitoba Association the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O of Optometrists as well as the full support of the Eye merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and Madam Speaker, these two groups of Manitoba accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of medical professionals have endorsed this bill. They Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen. developed a position paper to recommend that the practice of eye tattooing and the implantation of eye Please be seated. jewellery be banned in the province of Manitoba. ORDERS OF THE DAY Madam Speaker, these organizations are active PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS in our province and have impeccable credentials. It Hon. Cameron Friesen (Deputy Government is our government's position their concerns need House Leader): I'm canvassing the House to see if to be taken seriously. The Manitoba optometrists' there's agreement to debate, this morning, Bill 221, association has been guiding and consulting with The Public Health Amendment Act (Banning Manitoba governments since 1909. The Eye Cosmetic Eye Tattooing and Eye Jewellery) until Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba also offer 10:30, and Bill 222, The Lobbyists Registration respected voices and consult with our Health Amendment Act, from 10:30 until 11 a.m. Department on all eyesight issues. The associations have presented to our caucuses, both government Madam Speaker: It has been announced that the and opposition. They are always reaching out and House will consider Bill 221 until 10:30 this morning offering their services to the people of Manitoba. and then will move on to Bill 222 from 10:30 to 11. Madam Speaker, according to the Manitoba SECOND READINGS–PUBLIC BILLS Association of Optometrists and the Eye Physicians Bill 221–The Public Health Amendment Act and Surgeons of Manitoba, there needs to be action (Banning Cosmetic Eye Tattooing taken on this issue. and Eye Jewellery) There is a growing trend among body modifi- Madam Speaker: So therefore, I will call second cation enthusiasts to consider tattooing their eyeballs– reading of Bill 221, The Public Health Amendment specifically, their–the sclera–excuse me–of the Act (Banning Cosmetic Eye Tattooing and Eye eye, which is the white layer of the eyeball. There Jewellery). is also an option that's being presented to implant jewellery under the 'conjunctivia' of the eyeball. The Mr. Scott Johnston (Assiniboia): I move, seconded conjunctiva is the tissue that lines the inside of the by the honourable member from Riding Mountain, eyelid covering the sclera. that Bill 221, The Public Health Amendment Act (Banning Cosmetic Eye Tattooing and Eye Madam Speaker, these are strictly cosmetic Jewellery), now be read a second time and be referred initiatives. This being done by untrained artists under to a committee of this House. questionable conditions that lead to serious compli- cations. The Manitoba Association of Optometrists, as Motion presented. well as the Manitoba Physicians and Surgeons of Mr. Johnston: I'm pleased to bring this legislation Manitoba, indicate that ocular and periocular forward to address a practice that endangers those injections should be done by a licensed medical jeopardizing their healthy by implementing sclera eye professional due to the high risk of infection and, tattooing as well as implanting of eye jewellery. These ultimately, blindness. 1848 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 23, 2021 This bill does acknowledge that there may be These are–there are examples of eye tattooing– a need for eye injection to address a medical need. excuse me–eye tattooing and jewellery implanting in The bill ensures only a health professional who is other provinces. regulated under the health professions act and who complies with all applicable requirements established Ontario was the first to pass legislation to ban the by their health organization can administer the practice of eye tattooing and eye implants. In 2017, an medical procedure of eye injection. Ottawa woman got 'scler' tattoos from a local artist. Shortly after, she experienced excruciating pain and is Madam Speaker, scleral tattooing is a relatively suffering long-term complications. The troubling new practice. It was first described in 2007. Since situation is, Ontario authorities were able to determine then, the risk and complications of this unsafe the Ottawa artist had performed over 20 other eye procedure have come to light. The process of tattoos. scleral tattooing injects a dye, which has–may have In 2017, an Alberta man had to have an eye questionable ingredients, between the 'conjunctivia' removed because of bacterial contamination from an and the scleral layers of the eye. The thickness of these eye tattoo. two layers combined is less that one millimetre, making it incredibly risky and a challenging In 2018, a Nova Scotia woman and a Nova Scotia procedure. It should be done by a trained health man both underwent eye 'sturgery' because of eye professional, and only when it is required under tattoos. Both lost sight in the affected eyes. serious circumstances. Saskatchewan has now passed legislation banning The other cosmetic process is implanting eye eye tattoos and eye jewellery implants. Alberta and jewellery. This is the–this is an–extremely dangerous, Nova Scotia have legislation under consideration. as the incision is made in the 'conjunctivia' overlaying Manitoba Bill 221 mirrors the bills passed in both the 'scalena'. The small flat shape is inserted between Ontario and Saskatchewan. the two layers: a totally unaccepted practice, Madam As I indicated, Bill 221 is endorsed by both the Speaker. Manitoba optometrists' association as well as The Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. I've also These unnecessary initiatives are being brought to reached out to Health Manitoba, who also endorsed our attention by our eye-care professionals–excuse the merit of Bill 221. me. They recognize these acts are being done by untrained individuals who do not have the knowledge We've reached out to some of the larger tattoo of the eye's delicate anatomy. The complications from artists in Winnipeg. They were supportive of the scleral tattooing include chronic inflammation and ban. They indicated they did not perform eye tattoos migration of dyes into the eye, causing potential or jewellery implants. They have no intentions of damage to the retina. performing these initiatives, as they understand the dangers of these practices. Those were major tattoo Madam Speaker, according to our eye health artists in Winnipeg. professionals, penetration of the eye with a dye contained in a needle can cause sight-threatening Bill 221 will also eliminate the demands on our complications such as cataracts, retinal detachments, health-care professionals having to deal with the hemorrhages and as well contributing to glaucoma. ramifications of such unnecessary threats to the safety Many of these eyes also develop untreatable infec- of Manitobans. tions inside the eye. It is our intention to work with the Manitoba optometrists' association as well as the Manitoba * (10:10) tattoo industry to get the message out that this practice has been banned by law in Manitoba, should this bill Madam Speaker, Manitoba has had to deal with pass.