First 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. LXIX No. 4 - 1:30 p.m., Thursday, May 19, 2016 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 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 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 69 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, May 19, 2016 The House met at 1:30 p.m. almost 1,000 deliveries per year. In addition, this year, Director Angie Cusson is expecting the facility Madam Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, to complete over 400 orthopedic joint replacements. from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as And I acknowledge and celebrate that in this may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our community the front-line professionals are driving province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that the change; front-line professionals are funding we may desire only that which is in accordance with efficiencies and finding innovations in order to focus Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom and know attention on patient care and meet the demands of a it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the growing region. glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of I congratulate Boundary Trails Health Centre on all our people. Amen. their 15 years of service. I thank the board members Please be seated. and staff for their commitment and dedication to providing high-quality patient care and setting an ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS example for all of us to learn. Madam Speaker: Introduction of bills? Committee Komagata Maru Apology reports? Tabling of reports? Ministerial statements? Mr. Mohinder Saran (The Maples): Madam MEMBERS' STATEMENTS Speaker, 102 years ago, in 1914, 376 people of the Boundary Trails Health Centre Sikh, Muslim and Hindu faiths left the Punjab region of India in search of peace and opportunity. They Hon. Cameron Friesen (Minister of Finance): boarded the steamship the Komagata Maru in Hong Today I rise to congratulate Boundary Trails Health Kong and crossed the Pacific Ocean hoping to start Centre on their 15th anniversary serving southern new lives in Canada. Manitoba. To celebrate, on Saturday, May the 14th, the hospital served cake and coffee to patients and Due to discriminatory laws in place, the visitors and even visiting MLAs. Government of Canada turned its back on these Opened in 2001, Boundary Trails is located people. After forcing the passengers to remain on between Morden and Winkler at the intersections of their ship for two months off the port of Vancouver, highways 3 and 14 and was created after the closure the government admitted only 24 passengers into of two older health-care facilities, including Bethel Canada. The rest were turned away because the ship Hospital in Winkler and the Morden District General violated exclusion laws, the passengers did not have Hospital. It is now one major state-of-the-art regional the required funds, and they had not sailed directly facility. from India to Canada. After their long, harsh journey, they were forced to return to Calcutta, Boundary Trails is a 94-bed, acute-care regional where British soldiers killed 19 of them in clashes facility with a full-service emergency, ambulance, and threw others in prison for the duration of the rehabilitation, clinical testing facility, CT scanner, First World War. MRI, cancer care, dialysis, palliative care, maternity and many more services, serving approximately Yesterday, with descendants of the passengers in 50,000 people in southern Manitoba. It represents the the House of Commons, Prime Minister Trudeau latest in technology and hosts the most sophisticated apologized for the Canadian government's failures. building systems available to date and has been Madam Speaker, I'm proud to have worked largely supported by the communities that it serves. in solidarity with members of the Sikh, Muslim The hospital has seen a growing demand for and Hindu communities to advocate for a formal obstetric, cancer-care and emergency services ever apology. In 2008, I put forward a private member's since it opened. Cancer-care outpatient treatments resolution in this Legislature to urge the federal had 2,100 patients in 2015. When it first opened, government for its past failures and to hold a Boundary Trails delivered 434 babies, and now, moment of silence to pay our respects. Together, all 70 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA May 19, 2016 members of this Legislature passed the resolution the 2016 Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women and unanimously. look forward to attending the event again next year. I thank the Prime Minister for answering the * (13:40) calls for a formal apology. I hope it brings some Madam Speaker: Any further statements? sense of justice to the descendants who have suffered the intergenerational effects of this tragedy, and I Altona Community Gardens hope it honours the memory of their parents and Mr. Cliff Graydon (Emerson): Madam Speaker, grandparents. we all know how important community and We must work every day to ensure we do not belonging is to Manitobans. That is why I'm pleased repeat the mistakes of the past. We must work to to rise today in the Assembly and bring great praise build communities that do not reject diversity but for the town of Altona and the fine volunteers who instead celebrate it. made its community gardens a reality. Thank you, Madam Speaker. These volunteers–this volunteer-led initiative was started last August when the Town of Altona Mood Disorders Run donated land beside the Millennium Exhibition Ms. Janice Morley-Lecomte (Seine River): Madam Centre. Land lots vary from size from small to large Speaker, last Sunday I attended the Shoppers Drug in response to the demand from both long-time Mart Run for Women in support of Mood Disorders residents and the new Syrian refugee families that Association of Manitoba. The goal of this event is to now call Altona home. increase awareness of women's mental health issues These lots will allow our neighbours from Syria within Canada. One in five Canadians are faced with to work side by side with the community and mental illness, meaning that this is an issue that strengthen their sense of belonging. It also provides affects all of us in some way. the additional benefits of growing some of their own Madam Speaker, this year, Shoppers Drug Mart food and a sense of familiarity, as many come from will be hosting the Run for Women in 15 cities an agrarian background. across Canada. Thousands of participants will take These five families bring as many as seven to part in the runs alongside hundreds of volunteers in 13 individuals who are ready and looking for ways one-, five- and 10-kilometre races. The runs will take to engage with their neighbours. Some of these place throughout the month of May and June. new families to Manitobans have also–to Manitoba Shoppers Drug Mart kindly gave the Mood Disorders have also brought seeds with them, which will Association of Manitoba a cheque for $42,000, certainly provide for new experiences for many other which will allow it to increase the supports that residents. These new families to Canada bring it provides for mental health education, advocacy insights, skills and an opportunity to learn and share and programs. The Mood Disorders Association of with each other. Manitoba is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1983. It provides various services to those Agriculture has played and continues to play affected by mood disorders, as well as their friends, such an important part of life in Manitoba. It is truly families, caregivers and supporters. great when we can share these experiences. The opportunity to establish independence while bringing Mental health is a highly stigmatized issue, and a community together is always a commendable the Run for Women is one of many initiatives that idea. Fostering co-operation and a team feeling allows for thousands of individuals to take part in a within the community will allow the town of Altona national effort to discuss women's mental health.