First Session – Forty-First Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development Chairperson Mr. Dennis Smook Constituency of La Verendrye Vol. LXIX No. 3 - 6 p.m., Tuesday, November 1, 2016 ISSN 1708-6698 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Forty-First Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLUM, James Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP BINDLE, Kelly Thompson PC CHIEF, Kevin Point Douglas NDP 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 PC 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, Hon. 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 NDP SCHULER, Ron, Hon. St. Paul PC SELINGER, Greg St. Boniface NDP SMITH, Andrew Southdale PC 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 Gimli PC WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WISHART, Ian, Hon. Portage la Prairie PC WOWCHUK, Rick Swan River PC YAKIMOSKI, Blair Transcona PC 57 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Tuesday, November 1, 2016 TIME – 6 p.m. MATTERS UNDER CONSIDERATION: LOCATION – Winnipeg, Manitoba Bill 7–The Labour Relations Amendment Act CHAIRPERSON – Mr. Dennis Smook * * * (La Verendrye) Mr. Chairperson: Good evening. Will the Standing VICE-CHAIRPERSON – Mr. Andrew Smith Committee on Social and Economic Development (Southdale) please come to order. ATTENDANCE – 11 QUORUM – 6 This meeting has been called to consider Bill 7, The Labour Relations Amendment Act. Members of the Committee present: I would like to remind that the Standing Hon. Mr. Cullen Committee on Social and Economic Development will meet again Thursday, November the 3rd, 2016, Mr. Allum, Ms. Lamoureux, Messrs. Lindsey, at 6 p.m., to continue consideration of Bill 7. Marcelino, Piwniuk, Reyes, Smith, Smook, As per an agreement between the House leaders, Yakimoski presenters have been scheduled and assigned to Substitutions: present at one of the committee meetings called to consider this bill. Also as per the agreement, Mr. Helwer for Mr. Lagassé at 6:43 p.m. presenters from out of town have been scheduled before printers–presenters from the city for each PUBLIC PRESENTERS: meeting. Mr. Drew Caldwell, private citizen Tonight, we will hear from 19 of the presenters Mr. Jeff Skinner, International Brotherhood of registered to speak on Bill 7, and you have the list of Electrical Workers Local 2085 those presenters before you. Mr. Michael Barkman, Canadian Federation of Students, Manitoba I would also like to inform all in attendance of Mr. Geoff Bergen, private citizen the provisions in our rules regarding the hour of Mr. J.P. Petit, private citizen adjournment. A standing committee meeting to Ms. Marianne Hladun, Public Service Alliance consider a bill must not sit past midnight to hear of Canada public presentations or to consider clause by clause Ms. Christine Parag, Workers United Canada of a bill except by unanimous consent of the Council committee. Ms. Breigh Kusmack, private citizen Written submissions on Bill 7 from the Mr. Greg McFarlane, private citizen following persons have been received and distributed Ms. Michelle McHale, private citizen to committee members: Daryl Barnett, American Mr. William Gardner, Manitoba Employers Income Life; Cindy Murdoch, Canadian Labour Council Congress. Mr. Chris Rigaux, private citizen Mr. Marty Dolin, private citizen Does the committee agree to have these Mr. Jonathan Alward, Canadian Federation of documents appear in the Hansard transcript of this Independent Business meeting? [Agreed] Ms. Serina Pottinger, private citizen Before we proceed with presentations, we do WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS: have a number of other items and points of information to consider. First of all, if there is Daryl Barnett, American Income Life anyone else in the audience who would like to make Cindy Murdoch, Canadian Labour Congress a presentation this evening, please register with the 58 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 1, 2016 staff at the entrance of the room. Please note that Mr. Caldwell: First of all, I'd like to thank the additional presentations will only be heard if time members of the committee for hearing members permits after hearing from those previously listed for of the public on this and other issues that the this evening. Legislature is attending to. We are, in Manitoba, unique in Canada in that we do encourage, not Also, for the information of all presenters, while only allow, but encourage the public to make written versions of presentations are not required, if representation to the Legislature on issues of public you are going to accompany your presentation with importance. And I think that that is a signal strength written materials, we ask that you provide 20 copies. of the legislative protocols in this province that set us If you need help with photocopying, please speak apart from other provinces. And I want to underscore with our staff. that as being something that I place great value in As well, in accordance with our rules, a and I think that the public is very well served in that, time limit of 10 minutes has been allotted for and I hope it never changes. presentations, with another five minutes allowed for Mr. Speaker–or, Mr. Chair, I'm here to make a questions from committee members. If a presenter is very brief oral presentation to the committee. I– not in attendance when their name is called, they will having sat on the other side of this podium where be dropped to the bottom of the list. If the presenter you are around this table, I'm not under a great deal is not in attendance when their name is called a of illusion that what I'm about to say is going to second time, they will be removed from the change anybody's mind or have a material impact on presenters' list. the legislation at hand. But I think it's important to I would like–I would also like to remind put on the record my perspective as a former the members of the public who are observ- legislator in this province and as a citizen that places ing the committee meeting to please do not a great deal of value and importance on civil disturb the committee proceedings by applauding discourse and on, essentially, stability in our society or commenting from the audience. Taking of and stability of our economy. photographs are not permitted from the public gallery, as well as any audio-video recordings. And We have had, in this province, 20 years of please ensure that your phones are on silent mode. relative labour harmony. There has been a huge amount of advancement and prosperity in this Speaking in committee–prior to proceeding with province over the last two decades. The system public presentations, I would like to advise members within which we have conducted ourselves in terms of the public regarding the process for speaking in of labour relations for the last two decades has committee. The proceedings of our meetings are served social harmony; it's served our economy recorded in order to provide a verbatim transcript. extraordinarily well. We–at the time of my leaving Each time someone wishes to speak, whether it be an this building, we had one of the strongest economies MLA or a presenter, I first have to say the person's in the country. There has been of late, and as recently name. This is the signal for Hansard to record, to as this morning when I came into Winnipeg from the turn the mics on and off. city of Brandon to make presentation, there's been a Thank you for your patience. change in the climate around labour relations in this province. It's a change in climate that threatens social Bill 7–The Labour Relations Amendment Act harmony in this province. It threatens the economic Mr. Chairperson: We will now proceed with public potential of this province. It threatens the strong presentations. economy that we have. I will now call on Drew Caldwell, private * (18:10) citizen. The government bill presently before the Do you have any written materials for Legislature makes several changes to The Labour distribution to the committee? Relations Act. There are two that I'm going to speak to very briefly that are of the most concern to me. Mr. Drew Caldwell (Private Citizen): No, I don't, The first is the removal of the possibility of interim Mr. Chair. certification when there is no dispute about the Mr. Chairperson: Please proceed with your likelihood of certification for a union organizing with presentation. regard to composition of the bargaining unit. The November 1, 2016 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 59 card checkoff system has worked extraordinarily intimidation, fraud and threats.