Debates Proceedings
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Second Session - Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Louise M. Dacquay Speaker Vol. XLVI No. 61- 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 8, 1996 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-Sixth Legislature Members, Constituencies and Political Aftlliation Name Constituency Pa.t:t)' ASHTON, Steve Thompson N.D.P. BARRETT, Becky Wellington N.D.P. CERILLI, Marianne Radisson N.D.P. CHOMIAK, Dave Kildonan N.D.P. CUMMINGS, Glen, Hon. Ste. Rose P.C. DACQUA Y, Louise, Hon. Seine River P.C. DERKACH, Leonard, Hon. Roblin-Russell P.C. DEWAR, Gregory Selkirk N.D.P. DOER, Gary Concordia N.D.P. DOWNEY, James, Hon. Arthur-Virden P.C. DRIEDGER, Alben, Hon. Steinbach P.C. DYCK, Peter Pembina P.C. ENNS, Harry, Hon. Lakeside P.C. ERNST, Jim, Hon. Charles wood P.C. EVANS, Clif Interlake N.D.P. - EVANS, Leonard S. Brandon East N.D.P. FILMON, Gary, Hon. Tuxedo P.C. FINDLAY, Glen, Hon. Springfield P.C. FRIESEN, Jean Wolseley N.D.P. GAUDRY, Neil St. Boniface Lib. GILLESHAMMER, Harold, Hon. Minnedosa P.C. HELWER, Edward Gimli P.C. HICKES, George Point Douglas N.D.P. JENNISSEN, Gerard Flin Flon N.D.P. KOWALSKI, Gary The Maples Lib. LAMOUREUX, Kevin Inkster Lib. LATHLIN, Oscar The Pas N.D.P. LAURENDEAU, Marcel St. Norben P.C. MACKINTOSH, Gord St. Johns N.D.P. MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood N.D.P. MARTINDALE, Doug Burrows N.D.P. McALPINE, Gerry Sturgeon Creek P.C. McCRAE, James, Hon. Brandon West P.C. McGIFFORD, Diane Osborne N.D.P. MciNTOSH, Linda, Hon. Assiniboia P.C. - MIHYCHUK, MaryAnn St. James N.D.P. MITCHELSON, Bonnie, Hon. River East P.C. NEWMAN, David Riel P.C. PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Portage Ia Prairie P.C. PENNER, Jack Emerson P.C. PITURA, Frank Morris P.C. PRAZNIK, Darren, Hon. Lac du Bonnet P.C. RADCLIFFE, Mike River Heights P.C. REID, Daryl Transcona N.D.P. REIMER, Jack, Hon. Niakwa P.C. RENDER, Shirley St. Vital P.C. ROBINSON, Eric Rupertsland N.D.P. ROCAN, Denis Gladstone P.C. SALE, Tim Crescentwood N.D.P. SANTOS, Conrad Broadway N.D.P. STEFANSON, Eric, Hon. Kirkfield Park P.C. STRUTHERS, Stan Dauphin N.D.P. SVEINSON, Ben La Verendrye P.C. TOEWS, Vic, Hon. Rossmere P.C. TWEED, Mervin Tunle Mountain P.C. VODREY, Rosemary, Hon. Fon Garry P.C. WOWCHUK, Rosann Swan River N.D.P. 4053 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Tuesday, October 8, 1996 The House met at 1:30 p.m. WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba may be pleased to request the Premier and the Minister of Health to PRAYERS consider reversing their plan to cut Pharmacare in 1996. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS ORAL QUESTION PERIOD Pharmacare Corrections System Intermittent Sentences Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member fo r Burrows (Mr. Martindale). It Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): My complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it question is to the First Minister (Mr. Filmon). Judge the will of the House to have the petition read? Heather Pullan, in sentencing Mr. Dennis Williams, who has a record as long as your arm, including three impaired drinkingdriv and ing convictions, stated that the An Honourable Member: Dispense. record is so bad that a message must be sent to Mr. Williams. It must get through to him. Madam Speaker: Dispense. It seemsto me thatgoing back weekend after weekend, THATduring the 1995 provincial election, the Premier depriving you of your free time, may have a significant (Mr. Filmon) promised not to cut health services; and, deterrent effect on you. Judge Pullan sentenced Mr. Williams to threemonths in weekendjail. Unfortunately, THA T the Pharmacare program brought in by the Mr. Williams did not serve any time pursuant to Judge former NDP government was the first in Canada and Pullan's decision of sentencing. has served as a model for pharmacare programs in Canada; and, I would like to ask the Premier, given that his Justice department implements the sentences of the day, does he THATthe Manitoba Pharmacare program has enabled support the decisionofhis Justice department to not have thousands of Manitobans over the years to be able to Mr. Williams serve any time? stayout of costly institutions andto avoid financial ruin dueto thehigh cost of necessarypharmaceuticals; and, Hon. Rosemary Vodrey (Minister of Justice and THA T previous cuts to Pharmacare have reduced the Attorney General): The issue of intermittent sentencing budget from $60 million to less than $50 million over has been a very difficult one. When the judiciary the past two years; and, sentences people, who I would make it clear are in fa ct free five days of the week otherwise to be in the THATas of April 1996 the provincial government is community,when these peopleare sentenced to weekends slashing benefits, efftctivelyputting a tax on the sick we do want to accommodate them. and reducing the Pharmacare budget by $20 million; and, At the moment, however, because of the riot at Headingley we have been unable to for several reasons. THA T these cuts more than double the deductible for Oneof the most important, of interest to members across most Manitobans to over $1,000 for most families, theway, is a workplace safety and health issue, which is ejftctively ending Pharmacare for the vast majorityof being brought, I understand, today to our correctional the population regardless of health. guards at the workplace safety and health committee. 4054 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA October 8, 1996 The issue is that intermittent inmates are often targets arereporting to theCommunity Release Centre. They are for the bringing in of contraband into our institutions. It being assigned community work assignments or work is not yet clear, because we do not have Judge Hughes's projects, and they are to the best of our knowledge report, what part that may have played in the riot which completing those, working on those. occurred in April. So there is a workplace safety and healthconcern to make sure that any intermittent inmates So this is not new information to members from the are separate and apart from the general population. other side. I believe they have decided, perhaps based on a media report, to now become very concerned about it. Now members across the way are deciding that that is This information was delivered to the House, is in not a very important answer. It is in fact an important Hansard, in May 1996. answerin terms of the workplace safety and health issues. Minister of Justice * (1335) Replacement Request - Mr. Doer: With the greatest of respect, I think the Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Premier (Mr. Filmon) should start stating whether he Speaker, thisminister on May 16 and all the way through supports the decisions of his Justice department instead May said that there had been no change in the T A policy of sitting down and ducking the issues. based on the Headingley riot. Now she is fully contradicting herself, as she does every day in this Chamber. This is a Minister of Justice who told us all through last spring that the Headingley riot had nothing to do An Honourable Member: ... your 0\\'0 comments. with the TA decisions of government. So her word means nothing to the people of this province and to the Mr. Doer: Ifthe Premier wants to answer a question, members on this side of the House. That is why I will why does he nothave thenerve and the backbone to stand readdress this question to the Premier. up andanswer a question instead of ducking and covering and- Given the fact that it was the Premier who was slamming the cell doors during the election campaign and Madam Speaker: Order, please. putting bars behind his face during the campaign, does the Premier support the decisions of his Justice depart ment to release, without serving any time, a Cory Mr. Doer: I would like to ask the Premier, in light of the Sigurdson, a 20-year-old individual who has had two fact that defence lawyers are aware of this, cons are dnmk-drivingconvictions in the last year, three times the laughing about these decisions, judges are being blood level? Does the Premier support the fact that the undermined-as members ofthis community with children Justice department did not have this individual serve any andfamilies in this community, I am appalled and angry jail time? Does the Premier support that as the proper thatpeople with these kinds of driving records are out on implementation of both the community respect for the the streets and not serving jail time. justice system and the Premier's promise to the people in the election campaign? I would like to ask the Premier, will he ftre this Ministerof Justice (Mrs. Vodrey) and give us a Minister Mrs. Vodrey: Ofcourse, the intermittent sentencing of of Justice that has the capacity to tell us the truth in this people, whatever their offences or whatever they have Chamber and can implement and has the capacity to been accused of, is the decision of the court. But it is implement the sentences that judges are providing to very interestingto me that it is now that the Leader of the comicted individuals in this province? Oppositionraises this issue when I, on May 28, 1996, in Estimates informed the House. What I am informed to Bon. Gary Filmon (Premier): I wonder what family the best of our information, to the best information the Leader of the Opposition is referring to.