Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Debates and Proceedings Are Also Available on the Internet at the Following Address
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Third 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. LXXI No. 10A - 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 5, 2017 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 Ind. 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 PC 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 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 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 SELINGER, Greg St. Boniface NDP 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, Hon. Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC YAKIMOSKI, Blair Transcona PC 327 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Tuesday, December 5, 2017 The House met at 10 a.m. government has listened to the concerns of Manitobans, and that is why we are working to Madam Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, restore the confidence of Manitobans in our from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are environmental stewardship legislation and programs. assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as Our government is committed to enforcing may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our and building on robust, scientifically proven province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that environmental protection laws that are amongst the we may desire only that which is in accordance with strongest in Canada. Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the This bill continues on the path of protecting glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of Manitoba's environment by raising awareness of all our people. Amen. invasive species to the public. We recognize the importance of identifying invasive species because Please be seated. Good morning, everybody. invasive species are harmful to local ecosystems. ORDERS OF THE DAY They can have environmental, economic and health consequences, and approximately 40 per cent of PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS threatened and endangered species are at risk due to Hon. Cliff Cullen (Government House Leader): invasive species, and early identification can help Good morning, Madam Speaker. mitigate harms. Would you canvass the House to see if there's a This bill is important because the general willingness to call Bill 212, The Invasive Species public–and, to a lesser degree, most of us–do Awareness Week Act. not understand what an invasive species is, nor the potential serious ecological and economic Madam Speaker: Is there leave this morning to consequences associated with the introduction of an consider Bill 212, the invasive species awareness day invasive species to our fragile Manitoba ecosystem. act? Leave? [Agreed] Most Manitobans appear to be unaware of a–of SECOND READINGS–PUBLIC BILLS the mechanisms by which invasive species may be introduced and spread within our province. Madam Bill 212–The Invasive Species Speaker, when I started working on this bill last Awareness Week Act spring, I was overwhelmed by the total number of Mr. Alan Lagimodiere (Selkirk): I move, seconded threats and the number of invasive species already by the member from Swan River, that Bill 212, The existing in Manitoba. I had to ask myself: Just how Invasive Species Awareness Week Act, be now read did so many invasive species become established a second time and be referred to a committee of this without my knowledge or intervention? The truth is, House. I believe, there still exists an overall lack of awareness, knowledge and understanding about Motion presented. invasive species. In order to help prevent new Mr. Lagimodiere: Optimistic, as defined in the species' invasion and fight off established invaders, Oxford's dictionary, means hopeful and confident we need to do a better job at getting the message out about the future. Although the previous governemnt to Manitobans. An invasive species awareness week did not priorize a proactive approach to invasive gives the opportunity to position Manitobans to species in our province, our government is spread the word and not the species. It gives the optimistic. We are committed to raising public opportunity to inform Manitobans that invasive awareness and stepping up the fight against invasive species are any kind of plant, animal or organism species to remedy previous inaction by the NDP. that are not native to an ecosystem and whose presence causes harm. Madam Speaker, we recognize Manitobans have environmental, economic and social interests Madam Speaker, invasive species are the in protecting the ecosystems in Manitoba. Our second leading cause of biodiversity loss globally. 328 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 5, 2017 Invasive species affects our waterways, pasture Zebra mussels are filter feeders. And, as they lands, wetlands and forests. The key to saving feed, they improve water clarity. Increased ecosystems from invasive species are prevention, water clarity can result in major decreases in detection and timely responses to identification. concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Decreased water oxygen can lead to the death of fish. Invasive species are primarily spread by human activities. They include shipping of goods by Zebra mussels compete with native species for boat, shipping of wood products as well as shipping food and reduce levels of phytoplankton in the water, pallets and crates that can harbour insects; shipment which is the main food source for many aquatic of ornamental plants and internationally imported, species. Zebra mussels are believed to be the source non-native pet sales; transmissions by droplets of of Clostridium botulinum toxin, a deadly poison that water from one system to another. For example, has killed tens of thousands of birds in the Great Madam Speaker, unknowingly, citizens most likely Lakes since the late 1990s. The lifespan of a zebra brought the infamous hogweed plant, that can mussel is four to five years. An adult zebra mussel cause third-degree burns and permanent blindness, to can produce 30 to 40 thousand eggs in each North America as an ornamental plant. This bill reproductive cycle and over 1 million eggs each year. works to protect Manitoba's environment by raising The larva are free-swimming, microscopic organisms awareness to the public of the issues of invasive called veligers. The Lake Friendly project estimates species in Manitoba and their effects on Manitoba's that the cost of dealing with zebra mussels in Canada environment. is about $7 billion. Both aquatic invasive species and terrestrial * (10:10) invasive species pose a significant threat to Manitoba Madam Speaker, what most people don't realize ecosystems. Madam Speaker, there are currently is that zebra mussels can live out of the water for up 23 invasive species identified that are present in to seven days and even minute amounts of water can Manitoba and capable of further spread. There are transmit veligers from one body of water to another. 11 plants identified that are not yet but could be This makes it very easy for them to spread, if care is capable of invading Manitoba. There are 21 common not taken. terrestrial invasive species identified and there have been eight other invasive species identified as a Madam Speaker, invasive species do not stop at potential threat to Manitoba. our waterways. Pasture lands are threatened by a number of invasive plant species. Madam Speaker, although we have heard that zebra mussels are one of the most significant threats Another invasive species that is already in to the health of Lake Winnipeg, most of us are Manitoba is leafy spurge. It is infamous for its ability unaware that zebra mussels are native to Russia and to quickly spread and destroy cattle grazing pastures. the Ukraine and that they were first detected in It has significant consequences for Manitoba Canada in 1980. We know that under of the NDP farmers. In fact, the leafy spurge stakeholders group in the fall of 2013, zebra mussels were found in released a study in 2010 that estimated there were the harbours on Lake Winnipeg. It wasn't until approximately 1.2 million acres of leafy spurge in the fall of 2014, a full year later, that the previous Manitoba at that time. This same study estimates that government tried to take action to eradicate them. the presence of leafy spurge causes a total of They were not successful. In 2015, zebra mussels $40.2 million in economic losses a year. were found in the Red River near Selkirk.