Third Session – Forty-First Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Myrna Driedger Speaker Vol. LXXI No. 12B - 1:30 p.m., Thursday, December 7, 2017 ISSN 0542-5492 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-First Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLUM, James Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP BINDLE, Kelly Thompson PC CLARKE, Eileen, Hon. Agassiz PC COX, Cathy, Hon. River East PC CULLEN, Cliff, Hon. Spruce Woods PC CURRY, Nic Kildonan PC DRIEDGER, Myrna, Hon. Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph, Hon. Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FIELDING, Scott, Hon. Kirkfield Park PC FLETCHER, Steven, Hon. Assiniboia Ind. FONTAINE, Nahanni St. Johns NDP FRIESEN, Cameron, Hon. Morden-Winkler PC GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Lib. GOERTZEN, Kelvin, Hon. Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Clifford Emerson PC GUILLEMARD, Sarah Fort Richmond PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC ISLEIFSON, Len Brandon East PC JOHNSON, Derek Interlake PC JOHNSTON, Scott St. James PC KINEW, Wab Fort Rouge NDP KLASSEN, Judy Kewatinook Lib. LAGASSÉ, Bob Dawson Trail PC LAGIMODIERE, Alan Selkirk PC LAMOUREUX, Cindy Burrows Lib. LATHLIN, Amanda The Pas NDP LINDSEY, Tom Flin Flon NDP MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MARTIN, Shannon Morris PC MAYER, Colleen St. Vital PC MICHALESKI, Brad Dauphin PC MICKLEFIELD, Andrew Rossmere PC MORLEY-LECOMTE, Janice Seine River PC NESBITT, Greg Riding Mountain PC PALLISTER, Brian, Hon. Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine, Hon. Midland PC PIWNIUK, Doyle Arthur-Virden PC REYES, Jon St. Norbert PC SARAN, Mohinder The Maples Ind. SCHULER, Ron, Hon. St. Paul PC SELINGER, Greg St. Boniface NDP SMITH, Andrew Southdale PC SMITH, Bernadette Point Douglas NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC SQUIRES, Rochelle, Hon. Riel PC STEFANSON, Heather, Hon. Tuxedo PC SWAN, Andrew Minto NDP TEITSMA, James Radisson PC WHARTON, Jeff, Hon. Gimli PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian, Hon. Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC YAKIMOSKI, Blair Transcona PC 423 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, December 7, 2017 The House met at 1:30 p.m. impaired driving has on our province. Last month, MADD Canada once again acknowledged that Madam Speaker: Good afternoon. Please be seated. impact by launching its annual red ribbon campaign. ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS For the last 30 years, the red ribbon campaign has been an important education tool to reduce rates Madam Speaker: Introduction of bills? Committee of impaired driving over the holiday season. By reports? Tabling of reports? encouraging Manitobans to tie one on, affixing the MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS red ribbon to clothing, cars and key chains, MADD Canada helps foster a culture of sober driving in our Madam Speaker: The honourable Minister of province. In addition to encouraging sober driving, Justice, and I would indicate that the required the red ribbon is also a powerful symbol to honour 90 minutes notice prior to routine proceedings was the fallen and injured victims of impaired driving in provided in accordance with our rule 26(2). Manitoba, including Shea Fright. Would the honourable minister please proceed I can think of no better way to honour Shea's with her statement. memory and support her parents than for us to wear MADD Red Ribbon Campaign the red ribbon and encourage everyone to commit to driving sober this holiday season and every other day Hon. Heather Stefanson (Minister of Justice and of the year. In short, I hope that all my colleagues Attorney General): I rise today to recognize two and all Manitobans will tie one on for the holiday incredibly brave Manitobans who are fighting to end season and proudly display their red ribbon as a impaired driving in our province. symbol of their commitment to fight impaired Last year, Kelly and Leah Fright experienced the driving in our province. worst tragedy anyone can possibly imagine: the Madam Speaker, I ask that all members of this death of their 29-year-old daughter, Shea, at the House join me in thanking Kelly and Leah Fright, hands of an impaired driver. Madam Speaker, Shea MADD Winnipeg president Denise Elias, treasurer Fright was killed suddenly and senselessly. Rene Lussier and volunteers Trevor Ens and Lindsay On June 26, 2016, she was driving home from Polgar for all they do to help make our roads safer a shift at the Royal Manitoba Yacht Club in West for Manitobans. St. Paul when she was hit by a pickup truck driving Thank you. recklessly down the highway. Her last text message to her parents said that she would be home to see Ms. Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns): Madam them in 20 minutes. They never saw their daughter Speaker, approximately four Canadians are killed alive again. daily and 174 are injured in impaired driving crashes, affecting another 63,500 annually. In Manitoba, we But rather than let their grief overwhelm them, lose one person to impaired driving every seven Kelly and Leah Fright have courageously decided to days. These are needless deaths which can be volunteer their time with their local MADD Canada prevented by smart decisions. chapter to help end impaired driving in our province. When someone dies in a road accident, it Madam Speaker, impaired driving remains a devastates the lives of victims and families forever, leading cause of death on our roads. According to the forcing them to live with the consequences of 2016 Manitoba Public Insurance Traffic Collision someone else's decision to drive while impaired. This Statistics Report, 107 Manitobans were killed in is what makes the work of Mothers Against Drunk traffic collisions last year. Impaired driving was a Driving so critical and so important. factor in at least 38 of those fatalities, by far the Project Red Ribbon is MADD Canada's longest highest contributing factor to deaths on our roads. running life-saving campaign. Every year, through As we begin the holiday season, it is important the months of November and December, we wear to remember the long-lasting and tragic impact that red ribbons or tie them to our purses, backpacks or 424 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA December 7, 2017 keys to remind us that driving impaired is not an MEMBERS' STATEMENTS option. This small but powerful ribbon symbolizes Firefighters Burn Fund commitment to sober driving and serves as a reminder of all the 'preventatle' deaths lost to Hon. Ron Schuler (Minister of Infrastructure): impaired driving. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure today to recognize Ainsley Gosselin and the East St. Paul On behalf of our NDP caucus, I want to thank firefighters. MADD for their commitment and dedication to end impaired driving and making our streets safer for Four-year-old Ainsley Gosselin wants to be a everyone. firefighter when she grows up, so the summer when Ainsley's homemade lemonade stand generated some As the holidays approach and Manitobans hard-earned cash, Ainsley's life goal definitely celebrate, let us work together to ensure that roads influenced her decision on what she should do with are safe. Let us all each do our part to help family her money. and friends take a cab, a bus or have a designated driver at the end of the night. Ainsley had a lot of good choices for her $186, but in the end, she decided on the Firefighters Burn On behalf of our NDP caucus, Madam Speaker, Fund, which is a cause that is also near and dear I hearts go out to Kelly and Leah Fright, who lost to all firefighters. Donations to the Firefighters Burn their daughter, Shea Fright, in an impaired driving Fund supports exceptional burn care, treatments, accident last year. No parent should ever go through rehabilitation and research. East St. Paul firefighters that, and I lift up their courage and determination and were, of course, delighted with Ainsley's choice, and very important work in respect of MADD. they went out of their way to drive the fire truck to On behalf of our NDP caucus, I also wish her home and pick up her donation. They also gave Manitobans a safe and happy holiday. Ainsley and her family a tour of the truck and let Ainsley dress up as a firefighter. They were happy to Miigwech. do this because, to firefighters, there is no greater Ms. Cindy Lamoureux (Burrows): Madam measure of courage than burn patients struggling to Speaker, I ask for leave to speak in response to the survive devastating injuries, so they were proud to ministerial statement. support Ainsley in her choice of a charity. Madam Speaker: Does the member have leave to Some people run from problems. Firefighters respond to the ministerial statement? [Agreed] run to them. And they save more than homes; they save memories, dreams, and most importantly, they Ms. Lamoureux: Madam Speaker, I rise to speak to save lives. A hero is an ordinary person facing the MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Canada extraordinary circumstances and acting with courage, Red Ribbon campaign 30th year. honour and self-sacrifice. In East St. Paul, we count Losing people because of drinking and driving is our firefighters as some of our heroes. horrific and one hundred percent avoidable. Besides actually fighting fires, these men and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been a women also create and update pre-fire plans for new leader in educating Canadians about the risks of or existing structures, undertake fire prevention impaired driving, so much so that, in the past inspections, engage in fire and rescue training, 30 years, instances of drinking and driving have maintain regular physical fitness training, provide declined by 65 per cent. public education including in our schools, and they do maintenance for their fire halls, apparatus and I want to thank the countless volunteers of equipment.