Third Session – Forty-Second Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXV No. 38A - 10 a.m., Thursday, March 18, 2021 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-Second Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ADAMS, Danielle Thompson NDP ALTOMARE, Nello Transcona NDP ASAGWARA, Uzoma Union Station NDP BRAR, Diljeet Burrows NDP BUSHIE, Ian Keewatinook NDP CLARKE, Eileen, Hon. Agassiz PC COX, Cathy, Hon. Kildonan-River East PC CULLEN, Cliff, Hon. Spruce Woods PC DRIEDGER, Myrna, Hon. Roblin PC EICHLER, Ralph, Hon. Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne, Hon. Lac du Bonnet PC FIELDING, Scott, Hon. Kirkfield Park PC FONTAINE, Nahanni St. Johns NDP FRIESEN, Cameron, Hon. Morden-Winkler PC GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib. GOERTZEN, Kelvin, Hon. Steinbach PC GORDON, Audrey, Hon. Southdale PC GUENTER, Josh Borderland PC GUILLEMARD, Sarah, Hon. Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg, Hon. Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek, Hon. Interlake-Gimli PC JOHNSTON, Scott Assiniboia PC KINEW, Wab Fort Rouge NDP LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAGIMODIERE, Alan Selkirk PC LAMONT, Dougald St. Boniface Lib. LAMOUREUX, Cindy Tyndall Park Lib. LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas-Kameesak NDP LINDSEY, Tom Flin Flon NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Malaya Notre Dame NDP MARTIN, Shannon McPhillips PC MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC MOSES, Jamie St. Vital NDP NAYLOR, Lisa Wolseley NDP NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine, Hon. Midland PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Turtle Mountain PC REYES, Jon Waverley PC SALA, Adrien St. James NDP SANDHU, Mintu The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron, Hon. Springfield-Ritchot PC SMITH, Andrew Lagimodière PC SMITH, Bernadette Point Douglas NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Vérendrye PC SQUIRES, Rochelle, Hon. Riel PC STEFANSON, Heather, Hon. Tuxedo PC TEITSMA, James Radisson PC WASYLIW, Mark Fort Garry NDP WHARTON, Jeff, Hon. Red River North PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC 1747 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, March 18, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. MLA Uzoma Asagwara (Union Station): I move, seconded by the member for Thompson (Ms. Adams), Madam Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from that Bill 214, The Universal Newborn Hearing Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled Screening Amendment Act, be now read a second here before Thee to frame such laws as may tend to time and referred to a committee of this House. the welfare and prosperity of our province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that we may desire only Motion presented. that which is in accordance with Thy will, that we may MLA Asagwara: I'm honoured to be able to bring this seek it with wisdom and know it with certainty and bill forward on behalf of the many advocates in accomplish it perfectly for the glory and honour of Manitoba and across the country who are advocating Thy name and for the welfare of all our people. Amen. for these amendments to be made and to ensure that Please be seated. Good morning, everybody. screening is put in place so that parents and guardians are offered the opportunity to have their infants tested ORDERS OF THE DAY for CMV–congenital cytomegalovirus infection. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Madam Speaker, this bill amends The Universal House Business Newborn Hearing Screening Act for that reason. The act's title is amended to reflect that change. Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (Official Opposition House Leader): Good morning, Madam Speaker. And, you know, I like many Manitobans actually Pursuant to rule 33(8), I am announcing that the knew nothing about this virus at all until this was private member's resolution to be considered on the brought forward and to my attention, which is next Thursday of private members' business will concerning, given the impacts that this has on be one put forward by the honourable member for newborns and health outcomes. And so it's been a Flin Flon (Mr. Lindsey). The title of the resolution is really good journey learning about CMV, and learning Calling Upon the Provincial Government to Respect about the ways in which Manitoba can become a Working Manitobans. leader in ensuring that parents, guardians and caregivers are afforded the information that they need Madam Speaker: It has been announced that the to ensure that their babies are potentially receiving private member's resolution to be considered on the care and intervention as early as possible to mitigate next Thursday of private members' business will some of the potential outcomes related to CMV. be one put forward by the honourable member for Flin Flon. The title of the resolution is Calling One of the goals of our health-care system–one of Upon the Provincial Government to Respect Working the primary goals of our health-care system–should, Manitobans. of course, be to intervene as early as possible wherever we can to prevent certain health conditions * * * or outcomes from ever taking place. Focusing on Ms. Fontaine: Will you please call Bill 214 for prevention is critically important, Madam Speaker, second reading debate this morning? and that's what this bill will do. Madam Speaker: It has been announced that the Bill 214 will ensure that all infants are universally House will consider second reading of Bill 214 this screened for CMV, and that, that way, the over morning. 100 babies–110 babies, on average–that are born in Manitoba every year with this condition, with this SECOND READINGS–PUBLIC BILLS virus will have the opportunity to receive treatment; Bill 214–The Universal Newborn their families will receive resources and information Hearing Screening Amendment Act that will allow them to make the best possible decisions for the care of their children. Madam Speaker: I'm therefore calling Bill 214, The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Amendment Madam Speaker, I'm just going to share a little Act. bit of information, if that's okay. Like I said, I didn't 1748 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA March 18, 2021 know anything about this until it was brought to my from others and ensure that they're not transmitting attention. I'm sure there are many members of this that virus to their unborn babies. House who don't know much about CMV. And it's * (10:10) important that we learn as much as possible and that we generate awareness around this. So, you know, this is a really great opportunity. Outside of obviously implementing the universal So, one in every 200 Canadian infants is infected screening, we do need to make sure that we're creating with CMV. It is a virus. Annually, 1 in 5 infants who more and more awareness around this virus. are infected will be symptomatic, and those symp- tomatic infants will develop conditions ranging from CMV Canada has done an outstanding job of hearing loss to cerebral palsy. CMV is actually the generating that awareness, of sharing information and second leading cause of intellectual disability, second making sure that pregnant people are aware of what only to Down syndrome, which, again, most people they can do and what they should do and ask for and don't know this, are not aware of it, Madam Speaker. advocate for, in terms of the health of their babies, should they, for example, give birth to a baby and that And so, also, you know, in terms of what this child present as symptomatic, Madam Speaker. early screening can help prevent, we're–obviously, we're talking about focusing on hearing loss, which And there's a number of symptoms that folks can is–this is the leading cause of permanent hearing loss be aware of and that medical practitioners are aware in kids–but we're also talking about mitigating some of, but it doesn't necessarily mean that folks, of those other neurological impacts and disabilities unfortunately, are getting tested. So I'll just read you that kids experience, rather, due to this virus. the symptoms as we know them to be. And you can see if–and you have a medical background, I know So, this bill would offer parents the opportunity to that, Madam Speaker, so you can see that with this have their infants tested, in addition to screening for information, how it can be missed at times. hearing loss. The testing will give parents and their children the best opportunity of catching the infection So babies who are born with yellow skin and early, which is what we want. eyes, jaundice; enlarged and poorly functioning liver; purple skin blotches or rash or both; abnormally Ontario has already done this. They became the small heads, so microencephaly; enlarged spleen; first jurisdiction in the world, actually, to implement pneumonia; seizures. These are all some of the universal screening, which is outstanding. I would symptoms that present in newborn babies with CMV, really love to see Manitoba follow suit and be a global some babies who were born with CMV. leader at implementing this universal screening, which is really cost effective, Madam Speaker. We're And because they are symptomatic does not looking at saving millions and millions of dollars by guarantee that they are tested–and screened, rather, for making sure that a $10 test is applied across the board. CMV. And so there's a lot of awareness and education The cost benefit is astronomical, it's huge. And really, that needs to be done, but really and truly universal no family should go without this screening and not be screening would make sure that, across the board, afforded the ability to make sure their kids get the best babies who are born with CMV receive the treatment care possible.