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. 58A - 10 a.m., Thursday, April 29, 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 2827 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, April 29, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. Mr. Deputy Speaker: It has been announced–it was been declared by the honourable member–the Deputy Clerk (Mr. Rick Yarish): It is my duty to Opposition House Leader that to have second reading inform the House that the Speaker is unavoidably of–on debate on Bill 223, The Spirit Bear Day Act, absent. Therefore, in accordance with the statutes, from 10 to 10:30, providing that if we–if the–if I would ask the Deputy Speaker to please take the we finished earlier, then we'll go on to the second Chair. reading of Bill 229, The Restriction on Material Mr. Deputy Speaker (Doyle Piwniuk): O Eternal Accompanying Government Cheques Act. and Almighty God, from Whom all power and DEBATE ON SECOND READINGS– wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to PUBLIC BILLS frame such laws as they may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we Bill 223–The Spirit Bear Day Act pray Thee, that we may desire in which is in Mr. Deputy Speaker: And now for the debate on accordance with Thy will, that we seek it with wisdom 223–continue of debate on 223, in the name of the and know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly honourable member for Rossmere, has seven minutes for the glory and honour of Thy name and for the remaining. welfare of all our people. Amen. Mr. Andrew Micklefield (Rossmere): I'm quite Please be seated. happy to speak in support of this bill. ORDERS OF THE DAY Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Mr. Micklefield: And, mirth aside, it is actually a bill House Business that talks about a very serious matter: the matter of Indigenous children receiving timely health care and Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (Official Opposition House not having different jurisdictions of government pass Leader): Good morning, Deputy Speaker. On House the buck, send the email, wait for the phone call to be business, pursuant to rule 33(8), I am announcing returned, figure out who funds what, who does what, that the next–that the private member's resolution to who is responsible for what, while that child fails to be considered on the next Thursday of private receive the care that is needed. members' business will be one put forward by the honourable member for Keewatinook (Mr. Bushie). This is something all of us agree on. I don't know The title of the resolution is Inclusion of a Land why anyone would disagree with Jordan's Principle Acknowledgement in the Manitoba Legislative and I think, sadly, the person who the principle is Assembly. named after tells a story that should never have Mr. Deputy Speaker: It has been announced by happened, nor should ever happen again. the honourable member for saint–the honourable Mr. Deputy Speaker, the whole notion of Opposition House Leader, pursuant to rule 33-8, I am Indigenous care is complex and something that is announcing that the private member's resolution to be going to be ongoing discussion for a long time. And considered for the next Thursday of private members' I think it's important that we find footholds we can all business will be one put forward for the honourable agree on, to find places in the discussion we can all member for Keewatinook. The title of the resolution support, we can all endorse, we can embrace together is Inclusion of a Land Acknowledgement in the and say, on this we can agree. And let's work from Manitoba Legislative Assembly. there. And this is such a principle. This is such an * * * issue. Ms. Fontaine: Will you call for continued debate So this, Jordan's Principle, hails back to Jordan Bill 223 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., or, if it finishes Anderson, a member of Norway House Cree Nation, earlier, before 10:30 a.m., and then afterwards call who was born with multiple disabilities and sadly Bill 229 for second reading debate. passed in 2005. If I recall correctly, Jordan basically 2828 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 29, 2021 lived in hospital their whole life–and I stand to be moments. I know we have our disagreements in here, corrected on that if I'm wrong–but certainly, this was but I think we all want what is best for Manitobans. a child who was very sick. And where that's obvious, such as is the case this morning, we can come together, and I hope we can But that's not even the nub of what we're dis- find more areas of common agreement like we've cussing. What we're discussing is that Jordan had the found this morning with this bill. buck passed from one jurisdiction to another. There was confusion. There was poor communication. And Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I'll allow the the life of that child was not what it might have been. floor to go to a colleague. Thank you. And so I'm happy to support, this morning–I'm Mr. Andrew Smith (Lagimodière): Mr. Deputy happy to stand with colleagues across the aisle this Speaker, I thank the opportunity to speak to–in favour morning. I'm happy to affirm our commitment to of Bill 223. I look forward to supporting this legis- Jordan's Principle. It's been raised in numerous lation. I know colleagues on my side of the House do places–Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has spoken as well. on this issue and said that it needs to be addressed for all First Nations children, on- or off-reserve. First, I'd like to, well, thank everyone, all Mr. Deputy Speaker, I hope that we don't just Manitobans who have taken the time to get vac- remember this and say, you know, now 16 years later, cinated. I know this is a real crucial step in getting yes, that was really sad. I hope that we can actually Manitoba back to some semblance of normalcy. It's implement this principle, not only in cases that might been a very challenging year, Mr. Deputy Speaker, be easy to say, oh, this is similar to Jordan's Principle, and the sooner Manitobans register for the vaccine, but in situations where the principle might apply, even the sooner everyone can get back to doing the things though the circumstances are a little bit different. we all love to do. I know that a number of colleagues in this Chamber have already received their first shot I just want to put a couple of other things on the and, although I'm not quite eligible yet, I will be record. Following this sad situation, there are a registering to get my vaccine as soon as I am able. number of developments in the first decade of 2000s and into the teens and 2012, the joint committee, terms Over the past two weeks, we've seen social media of reference became expanded to include First Nations sheets were dominated by the 40-plus crowd getting representation. The Province of Manitoba and the the AstraZeneca shot, and some people posted nation of Canada announced a formalized process to pictures of them getting the shot, some wore their I'm- implement Jordan's Principle. The process is called COVID-vaccinated stickers while others used texts to case conferencing to case resolution. express their joy and relief. Look, I don't personally need to get caught up in Of the many uplifting quotes and statements, the language stuff.