Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES
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First Session- Thirty-Seventh Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable George Hickes Speaker Vol. L No. 468- 1:30 p.m., Thursday, June 15, 2000 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-Seventh Legislature 1\lcmhcr Constituency Political Affiliation A( il .lJCil JB. Cris The Maples N.D.P. ALLAN. Nancy St. Vital N.D.P. ASHTON, Steve, lion. Thompson N.D.P. ASPER, Linda Riel N.D.P. BARRETT, Becky, lion. Inkster N.D.P. CALDWELl., Drew, lion. Brandon East N.D.P. CERIU.I, Marianne Radisson N.D.P. CIIOMIAK, Dave, lion. Kildonan N.D.P. CliMMINCiS, Glen Ste. Rose P.C. DAC()IIAY, Louise Seine River P.C. DERKACII, Leonard Russell P.C. DEW AI{. Gregory Selkirk N.D.P. DOER, (iary, lion. Concordia N.D.P. DRIEDGER, Myma Charleswood P.C. DYCK, Peter Pembina P.C. ENNS, I larry Lakeside P.C. FAIJRSCIIOIJ, David Portage Ia Prairie P.C. FII.MON, Gary Tuxedo P.C. FRIESEN, Jean, lion. Wolseley N.D.P. GERRARD, Jon, lion. River Heights Lib. (iiLLESIIAMMER, Harold Minnedosa P.C. IIEL WER, Ed ward Gimli P.C. IIICKES, George Point Douglas N.D.P. .IENNISSEN, Gerard Flin Flon N.D.P. KORZENIOWSKI, Bonnie St. James N.D.P. LATIIUN, Oscar, lion. The Pas N.D.P. LAIIRENDEAU, Marcel St. Norbert P.C. LEMIEUX, Ron, lion. La Verendrye N.D.P. LOEWEN, John Fort Whyte P.C. MACKINTOSH, Gord, lion. St. Johns N.D.P. MAGUIRE, Larry Arthur-Virden P.C. MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood N.D.P. MARTINDALE, Doug Burrows N.D.P. McGIFFORD, Diane, lion. Lord Roberts N.D.P. MIIIYCIIUK. MaryAnn, lion. Minto N.D.P. MITCHELSON, Bonnie River East P.C. NEVAKSIIONOFF, Tom Interlake N.D.P. PENNER, Jack Emerson P.C. PENNER, Jim Steinbach P.C. PIT!! RA, Frank Morris P.C. I'RAZN I K, Darren Lac du Bonnet P.C. REID, Daryl Transcona N.D.P. REIMER, Jack Southdale P.C. ROBINSON, Eric, lion. Rupertsland N.D.P. ROCAN, Denis Carman P.C. RONDEAU, Jim Assiniboia N.D.P. SALE. Tim, lion. Fort Rouge N.D.P. SANTOS, Conrad Wellington N.D.P. SCIII'LLENBERG, I larry Rossmere N.D.I'. SCHilLER. Ron Springfield I'.C. SELINGER, Greg, lion. St. Boniface NIH. SMITII, Joy Fort Garry I'.C. SMITII, Scott Brandon West N.D.I'. STEFANSON, l'ric Kirkfield Park P.C. STRUTIIERS, Stan Dauphin-Roblin N.D.P. TWEED, Mervin Turtle Mountain I'.C. WOWCIIIJK, Rosann, lion. Swan River N.D.P. 2749 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, June 15, 2000 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Department of Education and Training, Winni peg; Individual Service Excellence Award, ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Laurie Canart, Taxation Division, Department of Finance, Brandon; and the Team Service PRESENTING REPORTS BY Excellence Award, MKO First Nations Justice STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES Strategy, Department of Justice, Thompson. Committee of Supply On behalf of the Government of Manitoba, I want to congratulate the nominees and the Mr. Conrad Santos (Chairperson): Mr. winners of the Manitoba Service Excellence Speaker, the Committee of Supply has con Awards. They, along with all other Manitoba sidered certain resolutions, directs me to report public servants, deserve our gratitude and progress and asks leave to sit again. appreciation fo r their excellent service to the people of Manitoba every day of the year. I move, seconded by the Honourable Member fo r Selkirk (Mr. Dewar), that the report of the Committee be received. Mr. Ron Schuler (Springfield): Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to rise and congratulate this Motion agreed to. year's Manitoba Service Excellence Award winners. As I reminded the House on Monday, this week has been designated as Public Service MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Week in Manitoba. The Members on this side of the House would like to thank all hard-working Manitoba Service Excellence Awards public servants in Manitoba for their con tributions to our province, and we would like to Hon. Becky Barrett (Minister of Labour): give special congratulations to this year's Service have a ministerial statement fo r the House. Excellence Awards recipients. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, June 14, the year Community Service Award, Elaine 2000, I was privileged to attend, along with the Stevenson, Department of Industry, Trade and Premier (Mr. Doer) and several Cabinet Mines; Innovation Award, Canada Map Sales. ministers, the second annual Manitoba Service com team, Department of Conservation, Win Excellence Awards luncheon. Established nipeg; Leadership Award, Tom Glenwright, through their service-quality partners and Department of Education and Training, Win Service First Initiatives, the Manitoba Service nipeg; Industrial Service Excellence Award, Excellence Awards recognize the hard work, Laurie Canart, Taxation Division, Department of dedication and outstanding efforts of Manitoba Finance, Brandon; and Team Service Excellence Government employees who deliver service Award, MKO First Nations Justice Strategy, excellence every day. Department of Justice, Thompson. Three hundred and twenty-five employees Again, to these individuals, to the 325 were nominated in five group and individual employees who were nominated and all public categories. The winners in each category are as servants, we would like to wish them on this side fo llows: the Community Service Award, Elaine of the House, the best of Public Service Week in Stevenson, Department of Industry, Trade and Manitoba, and in particular these individuals Mines; Innovation Award, Canada Map who won these excellence awards. Sales.com team, Department of Conservation, Winnipeg; Leadership Award, Tom Glenwright, * (13:35) 2750 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June I5, 2000 Introduction of Guests When we came into office we made available resources to open I 00 beds, as well as Mr. Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, may I expansion of the home IV program, fast-tracking draw the attention of all honourable members to in the emergency departments, as well as an the gallery where we have with us today fr om expanded home care service that had been shut Landmark Elementary School 47 Grades 5 and 6 down the previous year when the members students under the direction of Mr. Russ Dirks, opposite were in office. Mr. Tom Koop and Mrs. Janice Peters. We expanded the fu nding fo r home care, and we have been recognized nationally by the This school is located in the constituency of Canadian centre fo r health care information as the Honourable Minister of Consumer and having done such a good job in hallway Corporate Affairs (Mr. Lemieux). medicine. For the most part, we have been able to- Also with us today from Shaughnessy Park School three Grades 7 and 9 students under the Mr. Speaker: Order. direction of Mr. Mitchel Rygiel and Mrs. Connie Stewner. Point of Order This school is located in the constituency of Mr. Jack Penner (Emerson): Mr. Speaker, I the Honourable Member fo r Burrows (Mr. wonder whether we could interrupt and get our Martindale). technician to turn the mikes on, please. Our mikes are not on. Also with us, the executive and several members of the Good Neighbours Senior Centre * * * from East Kildonan are in the gallery who are the guests of the Honourable Member fo r Mr. Chomiak: I am very pleased to report that, Rossmere (Mr. Schellenberg). fo r example, during the flu season, even though there were more patients reporting in emergency On behalf of all honourable members, I rooms, we had less people in the hallway by welcome you here today. about I think it was 80 percent. if memory serves me correctly, than the previous year. We never ORAL QUESTION PERIOD promised perfection, but the situation is vastly improved over when members opposite closed Health Care System beds and people waited in the hallways fo r days Bed Availability and days at a time. Mrs. Myrna Driedger (Charleswood): Despite Mrs. Driedger: Will the Minister explain to the NDP's promise to end hallway medicine Manitobans why he continues to say that unequivocally by April 5 of this year, there are hallway medicine is over, why he continues still patients in our hallways. The NDP cannot today to say that things are better, that he is fo ol us anymore, and they are not going to fo ol doing all kinds of wonderfu l things, when in fact Manitobans. we have information from his own sources that say that the latest statistics for the week of June Will the Minister of Health tell Manitobans 5 to June II show quite clearly that there were if the situation of patients in hallways is better more patients in the hallway this time than there today than it was at the same time last year? were during the same period last year? There is more hallway medicine now than in our time last Hon. Dave Chomiak (Minister of Health): year, and I would like to table this report. thank the Member fo r that question because it gives us an opportunity to talk about the hallway Mr. Speaker: Order. On the point of order initiatives that were undertaken by this raised by the Honourable Member fo r Emerson government. (Mr. Jack Penner), I would like to thank the June 15, 2000 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 2751 Honourable Member fo r his information. The them to ensure that Manitobans get the care that Honourable Member did not have a point of they deserve and expect. order. First Nations Casinos * * * Gaming Agreement Compliance Mr. Chomiak: Mr. Speaker, as members Mr. Leonard Derkach (Russell): The doubling opposite know, we have been putting the statis of gaming in this province and what is tics of the hallway medicine figures on the Web apparently becoming the privatization of gaming publicly so the people of Manitoba will know in this province takes a new twist and a new tum what has happened.