DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS
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Fourth Session – Forty-First Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXII No. 34A - 10 a.m., Thursday, April 4, 2019 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-First Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLUM, James Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP BINDLE, Kelly Thompson PC CLARKE, Eileen, Hon. Agassiz PC COX, Cathy, Hon. River East PC CULLEN, Cliff, Hon. Spruce Woods PC CURRY, Nic Kildonan PC DRIEDGER, Myrna, Hon. Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph, Hon. Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FIELDING, Scott, Hon. Kirkfield Park PC FLETCHER, Steven, Hon. Assiniboia Man. FONTAINE, Nahanni St. Johns NDP FRIESEN, Cameron, Hon. Morden-Winkler PC GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib. GOERTZEN, Kelvin, Hon. Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Clifford Emerson Ind. GUILLEMARD, Sarah Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek Interlake PC JOHNSTON, Scott St. James PC KINEW, Wab Fort Rouge NDP KLASSEN, Judy Kewatinook Lib. LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAGIMODIERE, Alan Selkirk PC LAMONT, Dougald St. Boniface Lib. LAMOUREUX, Cindy Burrows Lib. LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas NDP LINDSEY, Tom Flin Flon NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MARTIN, Shannon Morris PC MAYER, Colleen, Hon. St. Vital PC MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine, Hon. Midland PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Arthur-Virden PC REYES, Jon St. Norbert PC SARAN, Mohinder The Maples Ind. SCHULER, Ron, Hon. St. Paul PC SMITH, Andrew Southdale PC SMITH, Bernadette Point Douglas NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC SQUIRES, Rochelle, Hon. Riel PC STEFANSON, Heather, Hon. Tuxedo PC SWAN, Andrew Minto NDP TEITSMA, James Radisson PC WHARTON, Jeff, Hon. Gimli PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC YAKIMOSKI, Blair Transcona PC 1015 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, April 4, 2019 The House met at 10 a.m. Ms. Fontaine: Can we move into Bill 229 for– [interjection]–228, sorry, Madam Speaker, for Madam Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, debate this morning? from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as Madam Speaker: We will now deal with Bill 228 may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our this morning, The Sikh Heritage Month Act. province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that The honourable–[interjection] we may desire only that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know An Honourable Member: Second reading. it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the Madam Speaker: –second reading of Bill 228, The glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of Sikh Heritage Month Act. all our people. Amen. Please be seated. SECOND READINGS–PUBLIC BILLS ORDERS OF THE DAY Bill 228–The Sikh Heritage Month Act PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Mr. Wab Kinew (Leader of the Official Opposition): I move, seconded by the member for House Business Concordia (Mr. Wiebe), that Bill 228, The Sikh Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (Official Opposition House Heritage Month Act; Loi sur le Mois du patrimoine Leader): Is there leave for selected Bill 228 to be sikh, be now read a second time and be referred to a considered on Thursday, April 11th, at 10, with a committee of this House. question put at 10:55 a.m. that morning instead of Motion presented. this morning as previously announced? Mr. Kinew: I am very humbled and, indeed, very Madam Speaker: Is there leave for selected Bill 228 honoured to be able to bring this bill forward for to be considered on Thursday, April 11th, at 10, with consideration here at second reading. the question put at 10:55 that day instead of this morning as previously announced? Agreed? The reason why I'm honoured to do so is because Some Honourable Members: Agreed. I bring this bill forward at the request of the com- mittee of Sikh Heritage Manitoba, and we have many Some Honourable Members: No. of the committee members here with us in the gallery Madam Speaker: Leave has been denied. today. So, I just want to acknowledge them and congratulate them for all their great work that they're The honourable Official Opposition House doing so far this month, and of course, to wish them Leader? well for all the other celebrations that they have this An Honourable Member: Madam Speaker– year. Madam Speaker: Oh, sorry–the honourable It is the inaugural celebration for Sikh Heritage Government House Leader. Month in Manitoba, and so it seems fitting that we also give that celebration legislative standing by Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Government House passing this law here in our Legislature. Leader): Maybe some day, again. Again, so, I'm just the conduit for this bill. This We've denied leave for the moment, Madam really represents the work that the committee's been Speaker, but I'd entertain the member raising the doing and, of course, they've put a lot of their own leave issue again before the end of the hour. time and effort into not only shaping the bill but also Madam Speaker: Leave has been denied, so we will talking to my colleagues in the Chamber about the move into–or the honourable Official Opposition importance, and so I just want to thank them for all House Leader? that work they've been doing in the community. 1016 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 4, 2019 In particular, I want to thank one committee So the reason why April is chosen is because this member, Imreet Kaur Grewal, for helping with month is of paramount significant to Sikhs. It's the draft–the statement that I'm giving here– during this month of April that the Sikh faith was the introductory comments. And so I just want to institutionalized. It is the 10th guru of the Sikhs, acknowledge her work and I have no doubt that it Guru Gobind Singh, who introduced Sikhs to a was informed by the expertise of her fellow unique kind of initiation ceremony called the Amrit committee members, as well, so I want to thank them Sanchar on the day of Vaisakhi in 1699. And he for all their input here. institutionalized these principles of Sikhi into a disciplined community. So this bill is an opportunity to celebrate and to educate people in Manitoban–people in Manitoba Guru Gobind Singh dealt with political conflicts about the importance of Sikh Canadian stories and to that were rooted in the right–in the fight for freedom recognize the contribution of Sikh Canadians both to practice one's religion. And he organized a kinship here in our province of Manitoba but also right called the Khalsa Panth to institutionalize Sikh across our country, Canada. It's an opportunity to values and beliefs. And he bestowed on the Sikhs a reimagine the Manitoban and the Canadian story new last name: Singh, meaning lion; or Kaur, through the Sikh lens, and if you would have spent meaning lioness. some time in the rotunda looking at the display from the Sikh Heritage Museum, you will understand what Now this was done to eliminate discrimination that really means. within Sikhs based on their gender or on their caste. Now members who have been initiated into the I've been very privileged, you know, over the Khalsa Panth, they adorn the five articles of faith, past number of years, to have been invited in to which are required to keep on them at all times. Now gurdwaras and to celebrations by practitioners of the these five items are: the kesh, which is uncut and Sikh faith. And it really has been a very meaningful covered hair; the kangha, which is the comb; the experience for me when I'm visiting. Usually, kara, which is the steel bracelet, the kirpan, which is maybe I'm invited by a friend to participate when a small sword; and kashera, which is the undershorts. they're doing the langar, they're doing the ceremonial And I'm proud to say that Manitoba was the first feast and they're feeding their fellow community province to recognize the articles of the Sikh faith, members. Sometimes I'll come beforehand and listen and I believe it was the father of my colleague from to some of the prayer service and pray with the Burrows who led the recognition. So just another community members there, and I find it very example of how this is a cross-party, non-partisan meditative and very meaningful to participate like activity in supporting the celebration and recognition that. of the Sikh faith community here in Manitoba. And so I just want to thank, as a general * (10:10) statement, the members of the community who've helped me to increase my understanding about the Guru Granth Sahib, the eternal guru of Sikhs, Sikh faith. quotes the following: Show kindness and mercy to all beings and realize that divine permeates every- We also know that Sikhs across the world where. This is the way of an enlightened soul which embody the principles of honest living, of selfless builds a solid foundation for social equity. service, of social justice and they do their part in creating communities that not only serve as spiritual The ninth guru of Sikhs, Tegh Bahadur, is centres but also economic, political and civil rights referred to as the protector of the universe because he centres, as well.