Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS
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Fifth Session- Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authorityof The Honourable Louise M. Dacquay Speaker ......... : . · '�,:._:il!!�� ·' .-·-' Vol. XLIX No. 13A- 10 a.m., Thursday, April 22, 1999 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-Sixth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation 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. DACQUAY, 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 Arthur-Virden P.C. DRIEDGER, Albert Steinbach P.C. DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood P.C. DYCK, Peter Pembina P.C. ENNS, Harry, Hon. Lakeside P.C. EVANS, Clif Interlake N.D.P. EVANS, Leonard S. Brandon East N.D.P. FAURSCHOU, David Portage Ia Prairie P.C. FILMON, Gary, Hon. Tuxedo P.C. FINDLAY, Glen Springfield P.C. FRIESEN,Jean Wolseley N.D.P. GILLESHAMMER, Harold, Hon. Minnedosa P.C. HEL WER, 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. Norbert 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, Mary Ann St. James N.D.P. MITCHELSON, Bonnie, Hon. River East P.C. NEWMAN, David, Hon. Riel P.C. PENNER, Jack Emerson P.C. PITURA, Frank,Hon. Morris P.C. PRAZNIK, Darren,Hon. Lac du Bonnet P.C. RADCLIFFE, Mike, Hon. River Heights P.C. REID, Daryl Transcona N.D.P. REIMER, Jack, Hon. Niakwa P.C. RENDER, Shirley, Hon. 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, Hon. Turtle Mountain P.C. VODREY, Rosemary, Hon. Fort Garry P.C. WOWCHUK, Rosann Swan River N.D.P. Vacant St. Boniface 531 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, April22,1999 The House met at 10 a.m. Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux) if he is comparing removing signs from a campaign with bribery. PRAYERS I did not say it yesterday, but I will say it Speaker's Statement today, it is a slippery slope. Any manipulation of election, the purpose is to change the electoral Madam Speaker: Prior to recognizing the result. No matter how minor, no matter how honourable government House leader (Mr. great it is, right from removing someone else's Praznik), I have an announcement for the House. brochure from a mailbox up to attempting to I wish to bring to the attention of the House an bribe someone in regard to it, it is wrong. It is error on the Notice Paper. The sponsorship of all wrong. It is like being pregnant. You cannot the amendments to the rules of this House be a little bit pregnant; you cannot be a little bit should be the honourable First Minister (Mr. wrong when it comes to this. So that is what Filmon), not the honourable government House motivated me to get up and speak on this bill leader, and this will appear in that way on today. Monday's Order Paper. I had talked about the Poy Gomez campaign. I know Poy Gomez. I worked with him on The ORDERS OF THE DAY Maples Youth Justice Committee, and like anyone else, he has good qualities that I respect. Hon. Darren Praznik (Government House I do not know if Poy Gomez personally was Leader): Madam Speaker, could you please call involved in any of the removal of signs or if it Bill 17 for furtherance of debate on second was someone on his campaign, just as I talked reading. about on my campaign in 1995 when one of my campaign workers had phoned the Peter Warren DEBATE ON SECOND READINGS show and brought forward something that I thought was not appropriate. Ultimately I was Bill17-The Elections Amendment and responsible for that campaign worker, but I had Elections Finances Amendment Act no knowledge, and I took immediate action afterwards. Madam Speaker: To resume second reading debate on Bill 17, The Elections Amendment I want to be fair to everyone. I do not think and Elections Finances Amendment Act (Loi I have talked about any of the Conservative modifiant la Loi electorate et la Loi sur le candidates that I have run against and their financement des campagnes electorates), wrongdoing. I am going to speak about Fred standing in the name of the honourable member Arrojado. Fred Arrojado, when he ran for the for The Maples (Mr. Kowalski), who has 36 Conservative party in The Maples, had minutes remaining. previously run as a school trustee. Every time there is an election, our local community Mr. Gary Kowalski (The Maples): Madam newspaper, the north Times, usually carries a Speaker, when I started yesterday, I started by little candid piece. In it, one of the questions saying I had been motivated by the member for asked is: Do you live in the area where you are Thompson (Mr. Ashton) and his words about the running? When he ran as school trustee, he had ethics of people who, like many people in my indicated in that article that he had. I challenged constituency, carry more than one sign and him later because in fact he did not. I warned saying it was unethical. That is what motivated him that it was inappropriate, when, lo and me to speak. I took umbrage with his talking behold, a couple of years later when he runs for about questioning the ethics of the member for a position of MLA where each has to put in a 532 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 22, 1999 candid piece, lo and behold, once again Fred family of a member of this Legislature I find Arrojado lied and said that he lived in the riding. totally repugnant. It is fine for us to attack each Now does that mean that the Conservative Party other's views and even each other at times, but endorsed those actions any more than I endorsed our families did not sign on for this. my worker who phoned the Peter Warren show, or did Poy Gomez necessarily tell his workers to I still remember when I was a school trustee. go and remove the member for Inkster's (Mr. My daughter was in Grade 6, and there was a Lamoureux) signs? Not necessarily. We all colouring contest in the school division. I told have people. Politics works on volunteers, and her that she could not participate. She says: we welcome these volunteers. Like any human Dad, why? I am not a school trustee. Why endeavour, it is not perfect. When human beings should I not have the same opportunities of are perfect, our volunteers will be perfect. I every other kid in my school just because you think we have to keep that in mind. are a school trustee? The same with our children, our spouses, and that should be out of Yesterday, after Question Period, I was bounds. I think the death of Neil Gaudry talking to some of the official opposition reminded us that we are human beings. We do members, and I said it almost made me proud to have children, we have families, and we should be part of the opposition. I thought it was a very be treating each other, even though we are in good Question Period yesterday in that there partisan politics, in a fair way, and especially our were some wonderful questions. The member families. So that did not make me proud to be for St. Johns' (Mr. Mackintosh) statement, I part of the opposition when the opposition was thought, showed a lot of character and integrity attacking the family member of one of our and good will. The member for The Pas' (Mr. MLAs here. I find that totally repugnant. Lathlin) question, in the six years I have been * (1010) here-he has been here a lot longer-I think it is the best question he had. In his delivery, he did The other part is, as I said, that politics is not accuse anyone of being a racist or anything run on volunteers. Many of the people who this time. So I thought it was a very good volunteer never expect a reward. They do it Question Period, and as I said, I was almost because they are either closely tied to us as proud to be part of the combined official individuals or they have support for our political opposition until the member for Thompson (Mr. philosophy. Ashton) got up. After he spoke and started talking about elections and throwing mud But, when we do get in a position of power, around, I felt like going home and taking a bath. is it wrong for us then, when we want to do a He brought out the worst side of politics. As I good job, the people whom we know who have said, no one is without fault. In every party, volunteered on our campaigns, to work with things happen.