Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS (Hansard)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Second Session - Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS (Hansard) Publishedunder the authority of The Honourable Louise M Dacquay Speaker Vol. XLVI No. 47- 1:30 p.m., Thursday, June 6, 1996 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-8ixth Legislature Members, Constituencies and Political Afrlliation Name Constituency Party 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, Hon. Arthur-Virden P.C. DRIEDGER. Albert, Hon. Steinbach P.C. DYCK. Peter Pembina P.C. ENNS. Harry. Hon. Lakeside P.C. ERNST, Jim. Hon. Charleswood P.C. - EVANS, Clif interlake N.D.P. EVANS, Leonard S. Brandon East N.D.P. FILMON. Gary, Hon. Tuxedo PC. FINDLAY, Glen. Hon. Springfield P.C. FRIESEN, Jean Wolseley N.D.P. GAUDRY. Neil St. Boniface Lib. GILLESHAMMER, Harold, Hon. Minnedosa P.C. HELWER, Edward Gimli P.C. HICKES, George Point Douglas N.D.P. JENNISSEN. Gerard Flin Flon N.D.P. KOWALSKI, Gary The \1aples 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. Branden West P.C. McGIFFORD, Diane Osborne N.D.P. - MciNTOSH. Linda, Hon. Assiniboia P.C. MIHYCHUK, MaryAnn St. James N.D.P. MITCHELSON, Bonnie, Hon. River East P.C. NEWMAN, David Riel P.C. PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Portage Ia Prairie P.C. P.C. PENNER, Jack Emerson PITURA, Frank Morris P.C. PRAZNIK, Darren, Hon. Lac du Bonnet P.C. P.C. RADCLIFFE, Mike River Heights N.D.P. REID, Daryl Transcona REIMER. Jack, Hon. Niakwa P.C. RENDER, Shirley St. Vital P.C. P. ROBINSON, Eric Rupertsland N.D. P.C. ROCAN, Denis Gladstone N.D.P. SALE, Tim Crescentwood N.D.P. SANTOS, Conrad Broadway P.C. STEFANSON, Eric, Hon. Kirkfield Park N.D.P. STRUTHERS, Stan Dauphin P.C. SVEINSON, Ben La Verendrye P.C. TOEWS, Vic, Hon. Rossmere P.C. TWEED, Mervin Turtle Mountain P.C. VODREY, Rosemary, Hon. Fort Garry N.D.P. WOWCHUK, Rosann Swan River 3405 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, June 6, 1996 The Bouse met at 1:30 p.m. entirety. Asyou and honourable members will be able to see, thisd ocument tabled by the honourable member does PRAYERS not exist. Further, a Special Operating Agency Fleet Vehicles Advisory Board has two and only two private MATTER OF PRIVILEGE sector representatives, and I will also table ministerial letters which are public documents relating to the Document Tabling appointments of those members of the advisory board. Bon. Brian Pallister (Minister of Government Some Honourable Members: Oh, oh. Services): Madam Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege which I will follow with a substantive motion. Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member for Portage la Prairie and the honourable Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Portage Minister of Government Services has not completed his la Prairie, on a point of privilege. statement. Mr. Pallister: Madam Speaker, Beauchesne's 6th Mr. Pallister: Asyou, Madam Speaker, and honourable Edition, Citation 27, states in part that questions of members will see, the people which the honourable privilege ought to rarely come up in our House and that member is so concerned about do not now nor have they when they do, they are serious matters. The matter I raise ever been appointed to the Special Operating Agency today, I consider to be a very serious matter. Advisory Board. My question of privilege deals with the question asked by the honourable member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway) Madam Speaker, Beauchesne's Fifth Edition, Citation in yesterday's Question Period and the document which 362, states: "It is the Member's duty to ascertain the he tabled at that time. I am raising this matter at the truthof any statement before he brings it to the attention earliest opportunity, as I had to await Hansard in order to of Parliament." The documents which I have just tabled ascertain the accuracy of the statements made by the are all public documents. They are available to the honourable member. honourable member and to his staff. By not availing himself and reviewing these documents, by not Inthis question of privilege, I will attempt to show that comparingthe piece of paper he tabled yesterday with the the honourable member for Elmwood deliberately misled documents readily available to the public, he clearly the House yesterday. The honourable member for shows thathe did not attempt to ascertain thetruth about Elmwood posed the following supplementary question this matter before raising it in this House. That is his yesterday: "I would like to table copies of the annual responsibility. That is his duty. report of Fleet Vehicles Agency Advisory Board, 1994- 95, and I would like to ask the minister to explain to us why the original copy of the annual report given to us had The document tabled by the honourable member for both of these peoplelisted as members. Could he explain Elmwood(Mr. Maloway) has no clear identifying marks that, and why the report was changed?" as to its origin. Therefore, the admissibility and legality of this document is in question. In fact, it differs Following this question, the honourable member tabled obviously and significantly in format and in font from the a document. The document tabled by the honourable documents which comprise the annual reports tabled by member is indeed not from the 1994-1995 annual report my department. of the Fleet Vehicles Agency. Madam Speaker, I submit for your consideration, the said annual report in its * (1335) 3406 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA June 6, 1996 I would refer you, Madam Speaker, to a ruling by Mr. Tweed), that this matter be referred to the Standing Speaker Graham given on April 10, 1981, and by Mr. Committee on Privileges and Elections. Speaker Rocan on November 14, 1988, in which both Speakers have ruled that documents, quote, that are Mr. Steve Ashton (Opposition House Leader): unsignedand unidentified are incomplete documents and Madam Speaker, I am really looking forward to the cannot be considered to be properly before the House. commentsfrom the govennnent House leader (Mr. Ernst) on this particulardocument because one of the issues that Given the information I tabled earlier, clearly the arose in regard to this particular matter and one of the documenttabled by the honourable memberfor Elmwood sources of our concerns and our questions was the quote is a fabrication. Erskine May in the 21st Edition states fromthe government House leader in his capacity as the on page 118, It is a contempt to present, or cause to be Minister responsible for Consumer and Corporate presented, in either House or to a committee, forged, Affairs, who said: "I can more easily demonstrate it, I falsified or fabricated documents with the intent to guess, with respect to the Fleet Vehicles Operating deceive, Madam Speaker, in keeping witli Madam Agency which has people from the automotive industry Speaker Phillips's ruling of June 3, 1987, wherein she sitting on that as members of the board." stated, a member raising a Matter of Privilege which charges that another member has deliberately misled the Madam Speaker, I believe it is going to be very House must support his or her charge with proof of interestingbecause the GovernmentServices minister-not intent. The documentation presented, I believe, proves the government House leader, I want to clear up that this. Further, I would draw your attention to the last confusion-theGovernment Services minister I think may statement made by the honourable member wherein he have to get involved with some discussions about that states, quote: Could he explain that, and why the report particular matter because our member raised a question was changed. in the House based on the comments in Hansard, June 7, 1995, and also in regard to the obvious discrepancy from The aspersion made by the honourable member for theminister who, by the way, took five questions before Elmwood is that I, as an elected official, as a member of he even answered the question, who was admonished by the Legislature, caused, or had influenced, another you on a numberof occasions before he denied that there unnamed source to alter or misrepresent information everwas any representation from the auto industry on this being tabled in this House. Madam Speaker, I would particular board. refer you to the appendix of our rules headed Matter of Privilege, where it states: "Libels upon members and Now, Madam Speaker, I want to indicate, too, that I - aspersions upon them in relation to Parliament and am somewhat concerned with the Government Services interference of any kind with their official duties are minister who took the opportunity to do what he cannot breaches of the privileges of the members." do in any other way-to make a number of comments about the member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway) which are unparliamentary, talking about deliberately Thethought that I, or any of my colleagues, would alter misleading,forging, fraudulent documents, et cetera, and documents and then table these altered documents in the I findit unfortunate that the ministerwould use the matter Legislature, clearlycasts aspersions about the integrity of of privilege to do that. He could have stated his case every single member of this House.