Fifth Session- Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Louise M. Dacquay Speaker Vol. XLIX No. 10- 1:30 p.m., Monday, Apri119, 1999 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Thirty-Sixth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ASHTON, Steve Thompson N.D.P. BARREIT,Becky Wellington N.D.P. CERILLI, Marianne Radisson N.D.P. CHOMIAK, Dave Kildonan N.D.P. CUMMINGS, Glen, Hon. Ste. Rose P.C. DACQUA Y, Louise,Hon. Seine River P.C. DERKACH, Leonard, Hon. Roblin-Russell P.C. DEWAR, Gregory Selkirk N.D.P. DOER, Gary Concordia N.D.P. DOWNEY,James Arthur-Virden P.C. DRIEDGER, Albert Steinbach P.C. DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood P.C. DYCK, Peter Pembina P.C. ENNS, Harry,Hon. Lakeside P.C. EVANS, Clif Interlake N.D.P. EVANS, Leonard S. Brandon East N.D.P. FAURSCHOU, David Portage Ia Prairie P.C. FILMON, Gary,Hon. Tuxedo P.C. FINDLAY, Glen Springfield P.C. FRIESEN, Jean Wolseley N.D.P. GILLESHAMMER, Harold,Hon. Minnedosa P.C. HELWER, Edward Gimli P.C. HICKES, George Point Douglas N.D.P. JENNISSEN, Gerard Flin Flon N.D.P. - KOWALSKI, Gary The Maples Lib. LAMOUREUX, Kevin Inkster Lib. LATHLIN, Oscar The Pas N.D.P. LAURENDEAU, Marcel St. Norbert P.C. MACKINTOSH, Gord St. Johns N.D.P. MALOWAY,Jim Elmwood N.D.P. MARTINDALE, Doug Burrows N.D.P. McALPINE, Gerry Sturgeon Creek P.C. McCRAE, James,Hon. Brandon West P.C. McGIFFORD, Diane Osborne N.D.P. MciNTOSH, Linda, Hon. Assiniboia P.C. MIHYCHUK, MaryAnn St. James N.D.P. MITCHELSON, Bonnie, Hon. River East P.C. NEWMAN, David, Hon. Riel P.C. PENNER, Jack Emerson P.C. PITURA, Frank,Hon. Morris P.C. PRAZNIK, Darren, Hon. Lac du Bonnet P.C. RADCLIFFE, Mike, Hon. River Heights P.C. REID, Daryl Transcona N.D.P. REIMER, Jack, Hon. Niakwa P.C. RENDER, Shirley, Hon. St. Vital P.C. ROBINSON, Eric Rupertsland N.D.P. ROCAN, Denis Gladstone P.C. SALE, Tim Crescentwood N.D.P. SANTOS, Conrad Broadway N.D.P. STEFANSON, Eric, Hon. Kirktield Park P.C. STRUTHERS, Stan Dauphin N.D.P. SVEINSON, Ben La Verendrye P.C. TOEWS, Vic, Hon. Rossmere P.C. TWEED, Mervin,Hon. Turtle Mountain P.C. VODREY, Rosemary, Hon. Fort Garry P.C. WOWCHUK, Rosann Swan River N.D.P. Vacant St. Boniface 383 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Monday, April 19, 1999 The House met at 1:30 p.m. going directly fr om this provincial government to the schoolroom and schools has been reduced PRAYERS from $732 million in the '92-93 budget and now stands at $709 million. Over the weekend we ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS heard fr om a number of parents about the INTRODUCTION OF BILLS pressure this was placing on them to fundraise for basics, and this is very consistent with what Bill 12-The Statute Law we are hearing back in our communities, in our Amendment Act, 1999 schools across the province. Hon. Vic Toews (Minister of Justice and Attorney General): Madam Speaker, I move, I would like to ask the Premier (Mr. seconded by the Minister of Education (Mr. Filmon): what has been the impact of the actual McCrae), that leave be given to introduce Bill funding cuts to the schools themselves? What 12, The Statute Law Amendment Act, 1999 (Loi has been the impact on volunteers and the kinds de 1999 modifiant diverses dispositions of fundraising activities that they must go legislatives), and that the same be now received through, and how much of that fundraising and read a firsttime. activity is actually going to raise money for basics? Motion agreed to. Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Education Introduction of Guests and Training): Madam Speaker, I am glad the Madam Speaker: Prior to Oral Questions, honourable Leader of the Opposition has raised would like to draw the attention of all this question. I recently completed consultations honourable members to the public ga llery where with some 600 parents across Manitoba who we have this afternoon twenty-three Grade 5 have expressed their opinions about the students fr om Royal School under the direction education system, and views expressed ranged of Mr . Greg Carpenter. This school is located in fr om the fa ct that parents are doing fundraising the constituency of the honourable First Minister activity, to the fa ct that they are doing none at all (Mr. Filmon). in some school divisions. Interestingly in one of the school divisions where I did hear a complaint Also, eighteen Grades 11 and 12 students about fundraising activities, I looked in the fr om Teulon Collegiate under the direction of statistics and in the records, and the textbook Mr. AI Reinsch. This school is located in the account surplus in that particular school division constituency of the honourable member for is at $400,000. Something is wrong if that is Gimli (Mr. Helwer). happening; it ought not to be happening. On behalf of all honourable members, I The honourable member raises questions welcome you this afternoon. about the FRAME Report and talks about funding. I just remind the honourable member *(1335) that when he and Mr. Pawley were in charge in Manitoba, funding for education reduced fr om ORAL QUESTION PERIOD 21 percent of total government spending down to 17.7 percent, which we increased to 19.3 Education System percent. Parental Fundraising Activities Mr. Gary Doer (Leader of the Opposition): Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, the minister stated Madam Speaker, according to the government's before that he did not want anybody raising own FRAME documents, the amount of money money for basics like textbooks. He made that 384 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA April 19, 1999 statement: I take issue with the NDP suggesting not raise money fo r the basics like textbooks, people are fundraising to buy textbooks. It is not their kids do not get textbooks. Would the necessary to do that. Premier agree today to deal with the underresourc ing to the schools over the last fo ur Can the minister explain to Mrs. Debbie or five years and look at the shortfall in Ashdown, a parental council member fr om the textbooks and technology and do something General Vanier School, why her school parents about it, so our kids can have textbooks that are and her fe llow volunteers were required to raise relevant and important to their fu ture? $6,000 fo r that school in 1998 to meet the basic necessities of textbooks fo r their kids? Mr. McCrae: Madam Speaker, my previous answer stands. I just wonder what parents were Mr. McCrae: If this matter has not already doing back in the days when the honourable been brought to the attention of my office, then I Leader of the Opposition and Howard Pawley can thank the honourable Leader of the were slashing funding fo r schools from 19.3 Opposition fo r doing that. But, as I stated, we percent of budget down to 17.7 percent. That will be happy to look into the circumstances question deserves to be asked too. [interjection] surrounding that particular assertion made by the It dropped fro m 21 percent down to 17.7 percent honourable Leader of the Opposition. of total spending. It has gone up to 19.3 percent since. I think the honourable Leader of the In response to a radio talk show in which Opposition does no service when he sits in his allegation was made that there were people ivory tower and suggests that a Minister of fundraising for textbooks, we issued a public Education and Training has no place in a fo rum request or invitation fo r people to let us know of respecting education and training. Does he want any instances like the one raised by the a balanced discussion out there or not? honourable Leader of the Opposition. We fo und none that had any substance. There was no Education System - response of substance to that. This certainly Parental Fundraising Activities deserves some review, and I will undertake to do that. Ms. Jean Friesen (Wolseley): My question is fo r the Minister of Education. When we It would have been nice if I had had an surveyed parent counc ils this fal l ac ro ss opportunity to debate this with the honourable Manitoba, we heard overwhelmingly about how Leader of the Opposition on Saturday when we much fu ndraising was now required of them would have been able to discuss this and other under the Filmon government. Ninety percent of issues in a balanced way. We also would have our time is spent fu ndraising, said one school had an opportunity, Madam Speaker, to express council, and mostly fo r basic school needs. One our appreciation for the work that teachers do in division alone told us that they were funding our province, but that was denied us by the early success reading programs, speech and Manitoba Teachers' Society. language bags, patrol fu nctions and fo r classroom books. So I would like to ask the * (1340) Minister of Education if he could confirm that this fundraising is a direct result of the clear cuts Mr. Doer: Madam Speaker, this whining from in actual millions of dollars to schools that his the minister is unbecoming. It was a Leader's government has made. debate, and you had the option of having your Leader at the debate; you had the option not to. Hon. James McCrae (Minister of Education The whining after is very unbecoming. and Training): I certainly would not accept that.