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. 66 – 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 10, 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. 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. Vacant Elmwood 3059 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Wednesday, September 10, 2008 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] PRAYER ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS PETITIONS INTRODUCTION OF BILLS Long-Term Care Facility–Morden Bill 47–The CentrePort Canada Act Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): Mr. Speaker, I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Hon. Ron Lemieux (Minister of Infrastructure Assembly. and Transportation): Seconded by the Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade (Mr. Swan), I The background for this petition is as follows: move that Bill 47, The CentrePort Canada Act, be Tabor Home Incorporated is a time-expired now read for a first time. personal care home in Morden with safety, Motion presented. environmental and space deficiencies. Mr. Lemieux: I'm pleased to introduce the bill The seniors of Manitoba are valuable members which will establish CentrePort Canada Inc. This bill of the community with increasing health-care needs creates the governance structure and mandate for requiring long-term care. Manitoba's inland port and is a result of co-operation between government, municipal and business The community of Morden and the surrounding leaders. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. area are experiencing substantial population growth. Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt We petition the Legislative Assembly of the motion? [Agreed] Manitoba as follows: Bill 237–The Pet Cemeteries and To request the Minister of Health (Ms. Oswald) Crematoriums Act to strongly consider giving priority for funding to Mr. David Faurschou (Portage la Prairie): I move, develop and staff a new 100-bed long-term care seconded by the honourable Member for Tuxedo facility so that clients are not exposed to unsafe (Mrs. Stefanson), that Bill 237, The Pet Cemeteries conditions and so that Boundary Trails Health Centre and Crematoriums Act, be now read a first time. beds remain available for acute-care patients instead of waiting placement clients. Motion presented. This is signed by G. Harper, Kim Klatt and Mr. Faurschou: Mr. Speaker, this is a Graham Corlett. comprehensive piece of legislation which establishes the obligations and operating procedures in Mr. Speaker: In accordance with our rule 132(6), relationship to pet cemeteries and pet crematoriums when petitions are read they are deemed to be operating here in Manitoba. received by the House. It also establishes the use of standard forms to Provincial Nominee Program–Applications provide customer information on which pet owners may select which services to purchase. As well as Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Mr. Speaker, I operating and siting requirements for pet cemeteries wish to present the following petition to the and crematoriums, it also establishes the required Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. recordkeeping for pet cemeteries and pet The background to this petition is as follows: crematoriums including detailed records of each pet, where each pet was disposed and where its' remains Immigration is critically important to the future are located, as well requirement for owners of pet of our province, and the 1998 federal Provincial cemeteries and crematoriums to provide evidence of Nominee Program is the best immigration program their financial responsibility. Thank you very much. that Manitoba has ever had. 3060 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA September 10, 2008 Lengthy processing times for PNP applications This petition is signed by Andrea Andrew, J. causes additional stress and anxiety for would-be Corbey, G. Gill, Jim Torry and many, many other immigrants and their families here in Manitoba. Manitobans. The government needs to recognize the Introduction of Guests unfairness in its current policy on who qualifies for a Mr. Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, I would like Provincial Nominee Certificate. to draw the attention of honourable members to the We petition the Legislative Assembly of Speaker's Gallery where we have with us today Jorge Manitoba as follows: Acevedo Alarid, representative of Governor Juan Manuael Oliva of the State of Guanajuato and Carole To urge the provincial government to consider Barraud, international co-ordinator for the GTO establishing a 90-day guarantee for processing an inland port of Guanajuato, Mexico, who are the application for a minimum of 80 percent of guests of the honourable Minister of Infrastructure applicants that have family living in Manitoba. and Transportation (Mr. Lemieux). To urge the provincial government to consider On behalf of all honourable members, I welcome removing the use of the restrictive job list when you here today. dealing with the family sponsor stream. * (13:40) This is signed by B. Lucero, B.L. Lucero, L. Lucero and many, many other fine Manitobans. ORAL QUESTIONS Physician Recruitment–Southwestern Manitoba Lake Winnipeg Fishing Quota System Mr. Larry Maguire (Arthur-Virden): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Mr. Hugh McFadyen (Leader of the Official Assembly. Opposition): All Manitobans know that Lake Winnipeg is the jewel of inland fisheries in These are the reasons for this petition: Manitoba. It is one of the greatest assets that we have The Town of Virden has the last hospital in as a province, and past stewardship of that lake and Manitoba on the busy Trans-Canada Highway its fisheries have sustained hundreds and thousands travelling west. of jobs around Manitoba for many years. Mr. Speaker, the integrity of the quota system is what has For the safety of recreational travellers, allowed the lake to continue as such an important long-haul truck drivers, oil and agricultural industry asset for the province and all of its people. workers and its citizens, Virden, a town of nearly 4,000, requires emergency services at its hospital. Mr. Speaker, last year, we learned that a number of commercial fishers on the lake greatly exceeded On June 30, 2008, the emergency room at the their quota as part of a protest last fall. They Virden Hospital was closed due to this government's exceeded their quota, according to some reports, by failure to recruit and retain doctors for southwest in excess of 250,000 pounds of fish, a significant Manitoba and its failure to plan for the departure of percentage of the total quota that applies to the lake. doctors whose contracts were expiring. Mr. Speaker, the practice of the government for We petition the Legislative Assembly of decades has been that when fishers have exceeded Manitoba as follows: their quota, their quota for the successive year is To request the Minister of Health (Ms. Oswald), reduced by a corresponding amount as part of the to consider creating a health-care environment in effort to maintain the fish stocks and ensure that a which doctors want to work and build their careers in signal was sent that the quota system must be Manitoba. respected. Rather than carrying on with that practice, a practice and a rule that was applied to some 700 To request the Minister of Health to consider other fishers who exceeded their quotas by small making it a priority to recruit doctors to southwestern amounts, this group of protesters has been told that Manitoba so emergency rooms do not have to be their quota reduction has been deferred pending a closed when they are needed most.