Second Session - Thirty-Ninth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable George Hickes Speaker Vol. LX No. 26 – 10 a.m., Friday, April 18, 2008 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-Ninth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLAN, Nancy, Hon. St. Vital N.D.P. ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley N.D.P. ASHTON, Steve, Hon. Thompson N.D.P. BJORNSON, Peter, Hon. Gimli N.D.P. BLADY, Sharon Kirkfield Park N.D.P. BOROTSIK, Rick Brandon West P.C. BRAUN, Erna Rossmere N.D.P. BRICK, Marilyn St. Norbert N.D.P. BRIESE, Stuart Ste. Rose P.C. CALDWELL, Drew Brandon East N.D.P. CHOMIAK, Dave, Hon. Kildonan N.D.P. CULLEN, Cliff Turtle Mountain P.C. DERKACH, Leonard Russell P.C. DEWAR, Gregory Selkirk N.D.P. DOER, Gary, Hon. Concordia N.D.P. DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood P.C. DYCK, Peter Pembina P.C. EICHLER, Ralph Lakeside P.C. FAURSCHOU, David Portage la Prairie P.C. GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib. GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach P.C. GRAYDON, Cliff Emerson P.C. HAWRANIK, Gerald Lac du Bonnet P.C. HICKES, George, Hon. Point Douglas N.D.P. HOWARD, Jennifer Fort Rouge N.D.P. IRVIN-ROSS, Kerri, Hon. Fort Garry N.D.P. JENNISSEN, Gerard Flin Flon N.D.P. JHA, Bidhu Radisson N.D.P. KORZENIOWSKI, Bonnie St. James N.D.P. LAMOUREUX, Kevin Inkster Lib. LATHLIN, Oscar, Hon. The Pas N.D.P. LEMIEUX, Ron, Hon. La Verendrye N.D.P. MACKINTOSH, Gord, Hon. St. Johns N.D.P. MAGUIRE, Larry Arthur-Virden P.C. MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood N.D.P. MARCELINO, Flor Wellington N.D.P. MARTINDALE, Doug Burrows N.D.P. McFADYEN, Hugh Fort Whyte P.C. McGIFFORD, Diane, Hon. Lord Roberts N.D.P. MELNICK, Christine, Hon. Riel N.D.P. MITCHELSON, Bonnie River East P.C. NEVAKSHONOFF, Tom Interlake N.D.P. OSWALD, Theresa, Hon. Seine River N.D.P. PEDERSEN, Blaine Carman P.C. REID, Daryl Transcona N.D.P. ROBINSON, Eric, Hon. Rupertsland N.D.P. RONDEAU, Jim, Hon. Assiniboia N.D.P. ROWAT, Leanne Minnedosa P.C. SARAN, Mohinder The Maples N.D.P. SCHULER, Ron Springfield P.C. SELBY, Erin Southdale N.D.P. SELINGER, Greg, Hon. St. Boniface N.D.P. STEFANSON, Heather Tuxedo P.C. STRUTHERS, Stan, Hon. Dauphin-Roblin N.D.P. SWAN, Andrew, Hon. Minto N.D.P. TAILLIEU, Mavis Morris P.C. WOWCHUK, Rosann, Hon. Swan River N.D.P. 743 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Friday, April 18, 2008 The House met at 10 a.m. PETITIONS PRAYER Dividing of Trans-Canada Highway ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Mrs. Mavis Taillieu (Morris): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Assembly of INTRODUCTION OF BILLS Manitoba. Bill 23–The International Labour Cooperation These are the reasons for this petition: Agreements Implementation Act The seven-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Hon. Nancy Allan (Minister of Labour and Highway passing through Headingley is an Immigration): I move, seconded by the Minister of extremely busy stretch of road, averaging 18,000 Competitiveness, Training and Trade (Mr. Swan), vehicles daily. that Bill 23, The International Labour Cooperation Agreements Implementation Act; Loi sur la mise en This section of the Trans-Canada Highway is œuvre des accords internationaux de coopération one of the few remaining stretches of undivided dans le domaine du travail, be now read a first time. highway in Manitoba, and it has seen more than 100 accidents in the last two years, some of them fatal. Motion presented. Manitoba's Assistant Deputy Minister of Ms. Allan: This bill will enable Manitoba to approve Infrastructure and Transportation told a Winnipeg and implement labour co-operation agreements radio station on October 16, 2007, that when it Canada has signed with other countries to comes to highways projects the provincial help ensure that minimum labour standards are government has a flexible response program, and we maintained in the context of international trade have a couple of opportunities to advance these agreements. projects into our five-year plan. Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt In the interests of protecting motorist safety, it is the motion? [Agreed] critical that the dividing of the Trans-Canada Highway in Headingley is completed as soon as Bill 24–The Public Schools Amendment Act possible. (Cyber-Bullying and Use of Electronic Devices) We petition the Legislative Assembly as Hon. Peter Bjornson (Minister of Education, follows: Citizenship and Youth): I move, seconded by the Minister of Healthy Living (Ms. Irvin-Ross), that To request the Minister of Infrastructure and Bill 24, The Public Schools Amendment Act Transportation (Mr. Lemieux) to consider making (Cyber-Bullying and Use of Electronic Devices); the completion of the dividing of the Trans-Canada Loi modifiant la Loi sur les écoles publiques Highway in Headingley in 2008 an urgent provincial (cyberintimidation et utilisation de dispositifs government priority. électroniques), now be read a first time. To request the Minister of Infrastructure and Motion presented. Transportation to consider evaluating whether any other steps can be taken to improve motorist safety Mr. Bjornson: Mr. Speaker, Bill 24 will enable while the dividing of the Trans-Canada Highway in schools to develop policies to their existing Safe Headingley is being completed. Schools Charter to address issues of cyber-bullying and the appropriate use of electronic devices, such as This is signed by Grant Engel, J.P. Wiens, Mike digital cameras, cellphones with cameras, text Nelson and many, many other Manitobans. messaging and the Internet. Mr. Speaker: In accordance with our rule 132(6), Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt when petitions are read they are deemed to be the motion? [Agreed] received by the House. 744 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 18, 2008 Personal Care Homes–Virden Power Line Development Mr. Larry Maguire (Arthur-Virden): Mr. Mr. Cliff Cullen (Turtle Mountain): Mr. Speaker, I Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to wish to present the following petition to the the Legislative Assembly. Legislative Assembly. These are the reasons for this petition: The reasons for this petition are: Manitoba's provincial government has a Manitoba Hydro has been forced by the NDP responsibility to provide quality long-term care for government to construct a third high voltage qualifying Manitobans. transmission line, Bipole III, down the west side of Lake Winnipegosis instead of the east side of Personal care homes in the town of Virden Lake Winnipeg, as recommended by Manitoba currently have a significant number of empty beds Hydro. that cannot be filled because of a critical nursing shortage in these facilities. The NDP detour is more than 400 kilometres longer than the eastern route recommended by In 2006, a municipally formed retention Manitoba Hydro experts. committee was promised that the Virden nursing shortage would be resolved by the fall of 2006. The line losses created by the NDP detour will result in a lost opportunity to displace dirty Virtually all personal care homes in coal-generated electricity, which will create added southwestern Manitoba are full, yet as of early and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions October 2007, the nursing shortage in Virden is so equivalent to an additional 57,000 vehicles on our severe that more than one-quarter of the beds in the roads. Westman Nursing Home are sitting empty. The former chair of the UNESCO World Seniors, many of whom are war veterans, are Heritage Committee has stated that an east-side therefore being transported to other communities for bipole and a UNESCO World Heritage Site can care. These communities are often a long distance co-exist contrary to NDP claims. from Virden and family members are forced to travel for more than two hours round trip to visit their The NDP detour will cut through more forest loved ones, creating significant financial and than the eastern route, and will cut through emotional hardship for these families. threatened aspen parkland areas, unlike the eastern route. Those seniors that have been moved out of Virden have not received assurance that they will be Former member of the Legislative Assembly moved back to Virden when those beds become Elijah Harper has stated that the east-side available. communities are devastated by the government's decision to abandon the east-side route, stating that We petition the Legislative Assembly of this decision will resign them to poverty in Manitoba as follows: perpetuity. To request the Minister of Health (Ms. Oswald) Manitoba MKO, an organization that represents to consider taking serious action to fill the nursing northern Manitoba First Nations chiefs, has stated vacancies at personal care homes in the town of that the government has acted unilaterally to abandon Virden and to consider reopening the beds that have the eastern route without consultation with northern been closed as the result of this nursing shortage. First Nations despite repeated requests by MKO for To urge the Minister of Health to consider consultations. prioritizing the needs of those seniors that have been The NDP detour will lead to an additional debt moved out of their community by committing to of at least $400 million related to the capital cost of move those individuals back into Virden as soon as line construction alone, to be left to future the beds become available. generations of Manitobans. Mr. Speaker, this petition is signed by Sherald The NDP detour will result in increased line Joynt, William Jago, Jean Dunfield and many, many losses due to friction leading to lost energy sales of others. between $250 million and $1 billion over the life of * (10:10) the project.