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Third Session - Fortieth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Daryl Reid Speaker Vol. LXVI No. 33A - 10 a.m., Thursday, March 20, 2014 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Fortieth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLAN, Nancy St. Vital NDP ALLUM, James, Hon. Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP ASHTON, Steve, Hon. Thompson NDP BJORNSON, Peter, Hon. Gimli NDP BLADY, Sharon, Hon. Kirkfield Park NDP BRAUN, Erna, Hon. Rossmere NDP BRIESE, Stuart Agassiz PC CALDWELL, Drew Brandon East NDP CHIEF, Kevin, Hon. Point Douglas NDP CHOMIAK, Dave, Hon. Kildonan NDP CROTHERS, Deanne St. James NDP CULLEN, Cliff Spruce Woods PC DEWAR, Gregory Selkirk NDP DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FRIESEN, Cameron Morden-Winkler PC GAUDREAU, Dave St. Norbert NDP GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Liberal GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Cliff Emerson PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC HOWARD, Jennifer, Hon. Fort Rouge NDP IRVIN-ROSS, Kerri, Hon. Fort Richmond NDP JHA, Bidhu Radisson NDP KOSTYSHYN, Ron, Hon. Swan River NDP LEMIEUX, Ron, Hon. Dawson Trail NDP MACKINTOSH, Gord, Hon. St. Johns NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor, Hon. Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MARTIN, Shannon Morris PC MELNICK, Christine Riel Ind. MITCHELSON, Bonnie River East PC NEVAKSHONOFF, Tom Interlake NDP OSWALD, Theresa, Hon. Seine River NDP PALLISTER, Brian Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine Midland PC PETTERSEN, Clarence Flin Flon NDP PIWNIUK, Doyle Arthur-Virden PC REID, Daryl, Hon. Transcona NDP ROBINSON, Eric, Hon. Kewatinook NDP RONDEAU, Jim Assiniboia NDP ROWAT, Leanne Riding Mountain PC SARAN, Mohinder The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron St. Paul PC SELBY, Erin, Hon. Southdale NDP SELINGER, Greg, Hon. St. Boniface NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC STEFANSON, Heather Tuxedo PC STRUTHERS, Stan, Hon. Dauphin NDP SWAN, Andrew, Hon. Minto NDP WHITEHEAD, Frank The Pas NDP WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WIGHT, Melanie Burrows NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC 1107 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, March 20, 2014 The House met at 10 a.m. West Partnership 'encompanies'–'encompanses' an economic region of 9 million people and has a Mr. Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from combined GDP of more than $550 billion. This is the Whom all power and wisdom come, we are largest trade agreement and labour liberalization that assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as Canada has ever seen. may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that Mr. Speaker, this has been before this House we may desire only that which is in accordance with once before, and I'm certain that after some time to Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know think this over and some deliberation that it'll get full it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the support here today I'm sure. glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen. The key elements of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement are (1) non-discrimination: Good morning, everyone. Please be seated. workers and businesses from the three provinces will ORDERS OF THE DAY be treated equally–just makes good common sense; (2) transparency: provinces will notify each other to PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS ensure that new measures, including standards and SECOND READINGS–PUBLIC BILLS regulations, are not unnecessarily different or result in new impediments to trade, investment and labour Mr. Speaker: Are we ready to proceed with mobility–just another common sense; (3) streamline Bill 201? regulations: unnecessary differences in provincial An Honourable Member: No. businesses and occupation-related regulations and standards will be eliminated–again, just common Mr. Speaker: No. Are we ready to proceed with sense, Mr. Speaker; (4) legitimate objectives: Bill 202? provinces continue to have the flexibility to protect An Honourable Member: Yes. important public interests–which is, of course, important–such as the public security and safety; Mr. Speaker: Yes. human, animal and plant life; health; the envi- Bill 202–The Participation of Manitoba ronment; the health and safety of workers and the in the New West Partnership Act provision of social services and health services– again, just common sense; (5) procurement: Mr. Speaker: Then we'll call Bill 202, The public procurements would be conducted openly Participation of Manitoba in the New West and transparently, ensuring equal opportunity for Partnership Act. suppliers in all provinces. And a good example of Mr. Cliff Graydon (Emerson): Mr. Speaker, I sharing information, we wouldn't be in the shambles move, seconded by the member for Morris we are with STARS today. We would know what (Mr. Martin), that Bill 202, The Participation of other provinces were doing, and you would act Manitoba in the New West Partnership Act, be now accordingly, not running off in a different direction, read a second time and be referred to the committee costing Manitobans thousands and thousands of of this House. dollars–unnecessary dollars, I might add. Motion presented. Mr. Speaker, under the New West Partnership International Cooperation Agreement, the provinces Mr. Graydon: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. would collaborate in joint international initiatives, Manitoba's economic success is linked to trade. including undertaking joint missions and marketing There's no question about that, that we are a trading visits, sharing resources in international markets province. We cannot afford to ignore opportunities to and sharing market intelligence–again, common increase trade. The New West Partnership Trade sense. The first major outcome of the New West Agreement removes barriers to trade, investment and Partnership was a joint mission to China and Japan in labour mobility. Across all three provinces, the New May of 2010. We missed the boat, but we do have 1108 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 20, 2014 that opportunity to get back on the boat, not be * (10:10) stranded on an island somewhere. Since that trip, the The NDP feel that their focus is on a larger pan- western provinces already see more trade with and Canadian agreement. Joining the New West China, certainly more than the rest of Canada. Partnership would be a–this New West Partnership, So, Mr. Speaker, common sense is a theme in I might say, would be a great start to forming that this whole bill. Under the New West Partnership Pan-Am–or pan-Canadian partnership. It would Innovation Agreement, the provinces will work show that they–we were willing, as Manitobans, to together to co-ordinate provincial activities in participate in leading the way for the rest of Canada. research and development. That would be wonderful, But if you want to start at the top, the next step is a to have co-operation instead of confrontation that we big step down, and apparently after the couple of have today. times now that this bill has been forwarded here and been in the House, we have not seen–we have not Under the New West Partnership Procurement seen–anything here that would suggest that we are Agreement, the provinces will work together jointly forming a pan-Canadian agreement. to purchase goods and services in order to achieve efficiencies and cost savings. Wouldn't that be a Mr. Speaker, we would be competitive with wonderful thing to have when we have such a large other jurisdictions, and also we would be able to deficit and such a large debt. I believe that access markets within–our biggest trading partner is Manitoba's participation in trade agreements such the United States, of course, but not limited to that as the New West Partnership are integral to the but to international jurisdictions to foster strong advancement of our economy–again, just common positive relations to advocate support in Manitoba's sense. interest in the global arena. We would be able to Mr. Speaker, we have CentrePort. CentrePort access these as partners. Canada is North America's newest inland port, So there's–the east-west power grid hasn't with 20,000 acres of industrial-zone land and a happened, and it could. It could, but we just need to foreign-trade zone unique to Canada. Trade accounts co-operate and negotiate. Working alone on any for 15 per cent of the employment in Manitoba, project of this nature–and when I say any project, I'm and transportation and warehousing account for talking about trade relations and other projects that 6 per cent of further employment in this province. would enhance Manitoba's ability to compete in CentrePort and trade would grow under the New the world market, in an international market–would West Partnership–again, common sense. certainly benefit by being a member–Manitoba Failing to participate in what would be would benefit by being a member in this New West essentially a single market that will make our Partnership. western neighbours highly competitive, will hurt Manitoba. Come on. The New West Partnership is So what's wrong with entering into that aimed specifically at the expansion of economic ties partnership with Canada's top economic performers? to Asia, which is a market Manitoba would profit I know that we are not a very good performer at this from enormously. This would also decrease our point. We're overtaxed, certainly under-serviced, but vulnerability to the downturns in the US economy. at the same time, we have an opportunity to better ourselves. That's just common sense. The NDP feel that the New West Partnership would not open any doors that aren't already open. So it doesn't benefit Manitoba to sit on the It's clear now that it would open doors that we sideline when we could be in an exclusive trade deal haven't got to yet.

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