Third Session – Forty-Second Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs Chairperson Mr. Dennis Smook Constituency of La Vérendrye Vol. LXXV No. 6 - 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2021 ISSN 1708-668X 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 171 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS Wednesday, April 14, 2021 TIME – 6 p.m. WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS: LOCATION – Winnipeg, Manitoba Bill 29 – The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, 2020 CHAIRPERSON – Mr. Dennis Smook Leanne Fenez, private citizen (La Vérendrye) Bill 32 – The Election Financing Amendment VICE-CHAIRPERSON – Mr. Brad Michaleski and Elections Amendment Act (Government (Dauphin) Advertising) Darryl Harrison, Winnipeg Construction ATTENDANCE – 6 QUORUM – 4 Association Members of the Committee present: Bill 49 – The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act Hon. Mr. Goertzen, Hon. Mrs. Stefanson Denys Volkov, Association of Manitoba MLA Asagwara, Ms. Marcelino, Municipalities Messrs. Michaleski, Smook MATTERS UNDER CONSIDERATION: APPEARING: Bill 21 – The Conflict of Interest (Members and Mr. Dougald Lamont, MLA for St. Boniface Ministers) and Related Amendments Act Bill 29 – The Reducing Red Tape and Improving PUBLIC PRESENTERS: Services Act, 2020 Bill 29 – The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Bill 32 – The Election Financing Amendment Services Act, 2020 and Elections Amendment Act (Government Advertising) Mr. Philip Halprin, private citizen Mrs. Brenda Halprin, private citizen Bill 49 – The Freedom of Information and Ms. Molly McCracken, Canadian Centre for Protection of Privacy Amendment Act Policy Alternatives Bill 52 – The Minor Amendments and Corrections Bill 32 – The Election Financing Amendment Act, 2021 and Elections Amendment Act (Government Bill 54 – The Personal Health Information Advertising) Amendment Act Mr. Kevin Rebeck, Manitoba Federation of * * * Labour Clerk Assistant (Ms. Katerina Tefft): Good Bill 49 – The Freedom of Information and evening. Will the Standing Committee on Legislative Protection of Privacy Amendment Act Affairs please come to order. Ms. Bridget Whipple, Manitoba Nurses Union Our first item of business is the election of a Mr. Kevin Walby, Centre for Access to Chairperson. Information and Justice, University of Winnipeg Shawna Finnegan, private citizen Are there any nominations? Bill 54 – The Personal Health Information Hon. Kelvin Goertzen (Minister of Legislative and Amendment Act Public Affairs): It would be my honour to nominate the honourable member for La Vérendrye, Dennis Shawna Finnegan, private citizen Smook. 172 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 14, 2021 Clerk Assistant: Mr. Smook has been nominated. presentations with another five minutes allowed for questions from committee members. Are there any other nominations? If a presenter is not in attendance when his name Hearing no other nominations, Mr. Smook, will is–when their name is called, they will be dropped to you please take the Chair. the bottom of the list. If the presenter is not in Mr. Chairperson: Our next item of business is the attendance when their name is called a second time, election of a Vice-Chairperson. they will be removed from the presenters list. Are there any nominations? The proceedings of our meetings are recorded in order to provide a verbatim transcript. Each time Mr. Goertzen: I believe that a fine person to someone wishes to speak, whether it be an MLA or a nominate for this distinguished position would be the presenter, I first have to say the person's name. This is honourable member for Dauphin, Brad Michaleski. the signal for the Hansard recorder to turn the mics on Mr. Chairperson: Mr. Michaleski has been nom- and off. inated. Also, if any presenter has any written materials Are there any other nominations? for distribution to the committee, please send the file by email to the moderator, who will distribute it to all Hearing no other nominations, Mr. Michaleski is committee members. elected Vice-Chairperson. Thank you for your patience. This meeting has been called to consider the following bills: Bill 21, The Conflict of Interest We will now proceed with public presentations. (Members and Ministers) and Related Amendments We have received a request from presenter Molly Act; Bill 29, The Reducing Red Tape and Improving McCracken who is first on the presenters list that she Services Act, 2020; Bill 32, The Election be allowed to instead present last night–last tonight. Financing Amendment and Elections Amendment Act (Government Advertising); Bill 49, The Freedom Is that agreed? [interjection] Yes, that she be of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment allowed of–instead present last tonight. [interjection] Act; Bill 52, The Minor Amendments and Corrections Yes. Is that agreed? [Agreed] Act, 2021; Bill 54, The Personal Health Information Amendment Act. Bill 29–The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, 2020 I would like to inform all in attendance of the I will–we will start this evening provisions and our rules guarding the hour of ad- Mr. Chairperson: journment. A standing committee meeting is to con- with Bill 29, The Reducing Red Tape and Improving Services Act, 2020. sider a bill must not sit past midnight to hear public presentations or to consider clause by clause of a bill, Our first presenter is Molly McCracken, but she except by unanimous consent of the committee. requested to be last. Written submissions from the following Our next presenter is Philip Halprin–Philip persons have been received and distributed to Halprin. committee members: Mr. Darryl Harrison, Winnipeg Construction Association; Denys Volkov, Asso- I would ask the moderator to invite Mr. Halprin ciation of Manitoba Municipalities; Leanne Fenez, in. And I ask the moderator to ask them into the private citizen. meeting. Does the committee agree to have these docu- Please unmute yourself, and turn your video on. ments appear in the Hansard transcription–transcript Floor Comment: I still don't see me. of this meeting? Agreed? [Agreed] Mr. Chairperson: Mr. Halprin, could you turn your Public presentation guidelines: prior to pro- video on? ceeding with public presentations, I would like to advise members of the public regarding the process Floor Comment: Mute. Start video. There I am, for speaking in a committee. In accordance with our hopeful that you can all hear me. This is the first time rules, a time limit of 10 minutes has been allotted for I've used this machine. April 14, 2021 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 173 Mr. Chairperson: Yes, Mr. Halprin, you may pro- not an outstanding amount. And the reductions of ceed when you are ready. vulnerable–the commissioner of vulnerable peoples will still have to write a report almost identical to what Mr. Philip Halprin (Private Citizen): Okay. I am a is prepared now in order to be able to make their own father, a substitute decision-maker for our daughter, a informed decisions. So there's almost no savings in the CPA and a CA in Manitoba. And I just wanted to talk government employee time because the employees about the components that relate to the vulnerable will be doing the work of the hearing panel. persons act. Anyways, I think that's about what I had to think Now, I look at this as a piece of human rights of and to say so far. legislation, rather than simply vulnerable persons. And I'm concerned that we're taking rights away from Are there any questions? people, not just vulnerable people. Mr. Chairperson: Thank you for your presentation, And what the recommendations are doing is to Mr. Halprin. remove the requirement that there be a hearing before Do members of the committee have any questions a person's rights to make decisions about their money for the presenter? and where they'll live, what will happen. And I'm very concerned about that because while there are Ms. Malaya Marcelino (Notre Dame): Thank you some vulnerable people that it's certainly clear that it for your presentation submission to our committee, would not be required, the legislation does not limit Mr. Halprin. itself just to vulnerable people and it would apply to A member of our caucus spoke to a father with a all of us in the room.