LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
Monday, May 30, 1994
The House met at 8 p.m.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
(continued)
COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY
(Concurrent Sections)
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Mr. Deputy Chairperson
(Marcel Laurendeau): Good evening.
Will the committee please come to order.
The committee will be resuming consideration of the Estimates of the
Department of Education and Training.
When the committee last sat, it had been considering item
6.(b)(1)(a) on page 44. Shall the item
pass?
Mr. John Plohman
(Dauphin): Are we still on, did you say 6.(a)?
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: No, 6.(b)(1) Colleges Secretariat $214,200.
Mr. Plohman: My colleague critic is going to be here
shortly. She is in another meeting that
is going to keep her for a short while, but I wanted to ask a couple of
questions about the Assiniboine Community College in Dauphin. Could I ask that under this Secretariat line?
Okay, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I wonder if we could get from
the minister, if it has not been distributed already, the board membership for
each of the community colleges.
Hon. Clayton Manness
(Minister of Education and Training): Mr.
Deputy Chairperson, what is the wish of the member, that I read this in, or
does he want a copy of the listings I have before me?
Mr. Plohman: I would appreciate a copy of the list.
Mr. Manness: Table the document.
Mr. Plohman: The Deputy Chairperson is really moving
things right along today.
I wanted also to ask‑‑I have not seen the list
yet, but it is my understanding that there may have been some major changes in
the board and also representation from various areas. Has there been any change in the geographic
representation requirements, or was there ever any under this government?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I cannot recall
having filled any positions since I have been in the ministry. I understand there is a vacancy at ACC and a
vacancy at KCC, but from recollection, we have not added over the last number
of months.
Mr. Plohman: Well, it may not have been this
minister. It may have been under the
previous minister, as well, if there were.
My question stands as to whether the government has made any changes as
to the representation requirements.
Is there any requirement for Assiniboine Community College
to have regional representation on the board?
Mr. Manness: It is not mandated anywhere in the
colleges. Is there a colleges act? I guess there is, yes, but we fully expect
that both of the institutions in question, indeed, Red River Community College
will see fit to reach across not only the local community but, of course, into
the district. When we talk about
colleges, I would think that there should be an expectation that the board
representation be fairly wide.
Mr. Plohman: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I look at the‑‑and
I thank the minister for the listing for the Board of Governors of the
Assiniboine Community College that appears to be: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven from
Brandon; one from Souris; one from Rossburn; one from Wawanesa; and one from
Minnedosa. But obviously there are none
from, as it looks at least on that list, really north of Riding Mountain or
what is commonly known as the Parkland region.
Rossburn could be considered part of the Parkland, but it certainly is
not part of the northern portion of the greater part of the Parkland
region. Of course, Dauphin has the
Parkland campus and yet no representation.
I find that rather odd. Does the
minister have any comments or rationale for that?
Mr. Manness: No, I do not, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, but
given that I understand we have one vacancy, we will endeavour to at least try
to have representation coming from the north Parklands area. Certainly the member's point is well taken.
Mr. Plohman: There has been a suggestion, Mr. Deputy
Chairperson, that the Progressive Conservative candidate for Dauphin, the
provincial constituency, be offered the position‑‑I do not know
whether he wants to spend his time on that right now or not, so it would be
something‑‑I guess I appreciate that the minister will give an
undertaking to try to fill that position with a representation from the
Parkland north of Riding Mountain Park or in that area. I would hope that the Dauphin area could be
represented in addition to others from the Parkland region.
I guess I want to ask the minister whether, perhaps, there
should be some consideration for at least two positions from that area. The minister may be able to provide us with
some information as to the number of students serviced at the Assiniboine
Community College campuses, and that would give us an idea as to the degree
that they are utilized. I know there was
a tremendous demand for Assiniboine Community College services in the Parkland. When surveys were done by the Regional
Development Corporation prior to the establishment of the Parkland campus,
there was a tremendous demand.
The minister may be aware that the studies that have been
done by Workforce 2000, Assiniboine Community College and the Employment and
Immigration offices in Dauphin, there is a tremendous demand for training, as a
matter of fact, a lower than average completion of Grade 9 education in the
Parkland as a whole than the average for Manitoba. The surveys that were done showed a very
great demand for the technical courses that are being offered at the community
college now and obviously room for expansion there.
I am not sure whether there were more representatives in
the past, and I would like the minister to give us some historical information
on this, if he could, from his staff as to whether Dauphin has been represented
on this board in the past‑‑I believe it was at least with one
member, well, perhaps more‑‑and if he can, any other rationale for
only considering perhaps one member from there.
Does he not think, out of a board of 12 people, that there
could at least be two from the Parklands region?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, this is not an easy
exercise. The member has been in
government long enough to know that Section 9.(2) of the act says, and I
quote: Lieutenant‑Governor‑in‑Council
shall have regard to the desirability of achieving on the board an equitable
representation of the diversity of the educational and community interests in
the region in which the college provides programs and services.
That is quite a mandate.
When you try to balance obviously gender considerations with ethnic
representation and then geographical representation and then program
representation, it is a pretty tough process.
I do not know why it is that Dauphin does not have a representative on
the board, but I will undertake to try and find out and see how it is that we
can bring a fair balance because, again, the member's point is well taken. I know there are a larger number of enrollments
in the Dauphin region, and we will do our best to fill a position again from
somebody that is in the north Parklands area.
The member is asking for two, but let us find one first if we can.
Mr. Plohman: Well, I am looking not only at the immediate,
and I hope that the minister will attempt to and I thank the minister for the
undertaking for filling the one vacancy, but I am looking in the longer term
here, and I see seven out of the 11 that are there from Brandon.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, all I know is that I
understand there are roughly between 9,000 and 10,000 students enrolled at
ACC. Roughly 1,000 of those come by way
of the Dauphin campus. So, if the member
wants to go to strict arithmetic, that is one in 10. One to 12 is closer that one in six. So I do not know how to do this, but again,
the member makes his point.
* (2010)
Mr. Plohman: Would the minister say that about seven‑twelfths
or more of those come from Brandon? Of
the 9,000 or 10,000, do we see about 6,000 from the city of Brandon? That would be rather high, it seems to
me. I notice there are seven
representatives there, and I guess what I am bringing to the minister's
attention that this draws from a large rural area. I appreciate his statements about finding
gender balance and regional balance, but at the same time, it seems just with
the main campus located in Brandon that perhaps we have an overabundance of
representation from Brandon. Of course,
it is more convenient to attend meetings and so on in terms of board members
being there close by. It is something
that we all struggle with with boards that perhaps sit in Winnipeg and trying
to get to regional representation knowing that it is very difficult and
expensive to get people together from large distances.
But it seems to me that a community college such as this,
which really is rural based, should have a better distribution of
representation on the board. That is
really my point, as primarily raising it from Dauphin's perspective. Since there is no one there, but certainly
just looking at the preponderance of representation from Brandon, perhaps it is
skewed a little bit too much in that regard.
I understand the minister is going to review the‑‑or
will he? I guess I will ask the minister
if he decides the question he answered for me dealing with Dauphin specifically
whether he will review the overall representation with a view to ensuring fair
regional representation on this board if in fact that is not the case now.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, it does not work, it
is not quite that simple. My remarks
stand. It depends what the greater
priority is at the time, because if I try to give equal weight to all of the
factors that come into play when you select representatives, sometimes one has
to give.
Sometimes it is a regional one. You have got a good person who would serve
well representing a region, the next thing you know you look at the balance
around the gender basis which you try to bring to the board and some of the
other areas of expertise you want to see represented, and all of a sudden a
good representative you have that you know will do a good job to represent that
particular district is no longer acceptable, not because of the academic
background but because maybe somebody else has more of the other calling. My early remarks stand.
Mr. Plohman: Well, this is something that I think the
minister could commit to over time, and certainly we can find good
representatives from every region of the province if we were to look hard
enough. We have qualified people, I am
sure.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I think I would also like to know,
are there any other satellite facilities such as the Dauphin facility currently
for Assiniboine Community College?
Mr. Manness: Yes, there are three others. They are located in Russell, in Neepawa and
in Virden.
Mr. Plohman: Does the minister have the enrollment numbers
for each including Dauphin as of this past year?
Mr. Manness: Yes I do, Mr. Deputy Chairperson. Russell 175; Neepawa 260; Virden 220;
Dauphin, as I said before, was in the range of a thousand.
Mr. Plohman: Well, I think that makes my point. Not one of those communities is represented
on the board, and it would seem with the satellite campuses that would be a
logical place to ensure that there is representation from each of those
communities, although Rossburn is close to Russell. I think that is an important point.
Is there an advisory board in place for each of these
satellite facilities, and can the minister provide us with a copy of the
representatives on those boards for each of those locations.
Mr. Manness: The answer to the question is yes. Each has a regional board, I guess, of
appointees, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, because we do not appoint and, therefore,
we do not even have a listing. So those
are put into place by the boards and they would have that information.
Mr. Plohman: I think the Liberal critic said that we
should pass the public schools capital while he is away. Is that what‑‑[interjection] Oh,
do not pass it.
Mr. Plohman: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, what I would like to
do is ask the minister whether there are any plans to expand the number of
sites that are presently there insofar as satellite campuses, and also whether
there is any intention for major expansion at existing sites.
Mr. Manness: These locations have been in place for a
year. Right now, there are no business
plans being developed towards further expansion, at the present time.
Mr. Plohman: Is there a report that has been done that
makes recommendations with regard to the future role of these satellite
campuses, and can the minister share that with us?
Mr. Manness: The answer is no, and that consideration or
request for analysis certainly would be within the purview of the boards.
Mr. Plohman: Is the minister saying that the individual
boards are undertaking either a study or a business plan, as the minister
called it? Is that a requirement for
each of the boards?
Mr. Manness: All three colleges have strategic plans and
probably long‑range planning subcommittees of their boards. There is no doubt in my mind at least, as far
as looking for off‑campus sites in the traditional sense, we are not
aware of any pressure building to add to the list. Certainly the focus today is on distance
education, delivering by signal, at one fashion or another, programming into
areas, much different than the off‑campus design that we have talked
about over the course of the last few minutes.
Mr. Plohman: Does the minister see then a phasing out of
the kind of campus‑style satellite locations that have been established
or perhaps no further expansion due to distance education? What is he suggesting by his answer?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I know the member is
hard‑pressed for questions. I am
not suggesting such a thing. I do not
see a great change, but resources today do not allow for an expansion of sites
in an off‑campus sense.
* (2020)
Mr. Plohman: I do not appreciate the minister reflecting
on whether I am hard‑pressed for questions. I am very concerned about the impact. It just shows the minister's arrogance. I hate to say that, but it deteriorates to
that point when he gives those kinds of answers.
He has to remember that we are dealing with an important
issue that is important for the Dauphin constituency. It is extremely important that we have
representation on the board. I think the
minister has been derelict in his duties that he has not, in fact, ensured that
that campus, the Parkland campus, was represented on the Board of Governors of
the Assiniboine Community College in Brandon.
It is unfortunate that I would have to raise this with him instead of
him seeing that for himself. He has four
communities that are not represented and each of those had a satellite location
campus for Assiniboine Community College.
When I ask questions about the boards and the expansion
plans, if any, or in fact if their plans are such that there will be a
reduction in the activity at these satellite campuses, the minister says I am
hard‑pressed for questions. I
would suggest that the minister should take these questions seriously. He could do a lot worse than take these
questions seriously. I believe he has
done worse in terms of his attention paid to the community colleges over the
last while as the Minister of Finance and, certainly, worse since then.
An Honourable Member: Do not say worse, sir.
Mr. Plohman: The minister does not have to worry about me
calling him sir, I am in no mood to do that.
Let me tell him that we would like to see a long‑term
plan of expansion at the Parkland campus.
We are a region that is underserviced, I believe. The fact that we have 1,000 students, in the
minister's words, receiving some degree of training at the Parkland campus
indicates that there is a tremendous demand there.
I want to know from the minister whether he has any plan
whatsoever in place to ensure that there is a major expansion of the services
in the Parkland region? Can we expect
any expansion, or in fact are there going to be reductions?
The minister has increased the budget, after a major cut a
few years ago in community colleges, now by 3.3 percent I believe this
year. How is that going to manifest
itself in terms of the services delivered at the Parkland campus of the
Assiniboine Community College?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I am just so thankful
I did not criticize the member for his questions, or that I did not say they
were ridiculous, or that I did not say that he had no business asking them,
then I really would have been attacked.
I accept the words of wisdom from the member for Dauphin.
Again, as I have stated before, how the new board handles
the additional support that they will enjoy as a result of this budget, I
cannot say. Certainly, if it is a
program expansion, we will want to see where it‑‑not where it is,
but what program offerings that might be contemplated if there is enough money
to expand program offerings.
As far as locational expansions, my earlier comment stands. As far as trying to see a wider
representation on the board taking into account the Parklands region, bearing
in mind, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, that there are regional committees appointed,
certainly within the Parkland area, that gives direct impact to, I imagine, the
board. Again, my remarks are stated on
the record.
Mr. Plohman: Does the minister receive any reports from
the community colleges as to offerings that have been made there in the past
year in terms of courses or plans for the upcoming year? Is that part of the information the minister
routinely receives?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, we are always aware
of the programs that have been offered in the past year, but in terms of '94‑95,
we soon expect to be receiving an indication of what the colleges are offering
in programming for the new year.
Mr. Plohman: Is there any effort made to co‑ordinate
the programs that are offered? Are these
entirely within the purview of the regional boards?
Mr. Manness: In a sense there is, because I have the
ability to approve new programming. So
to the extent that there seems to be unwarranted replication of offerings
beyond the market demand for skills, I have an opportunity to reflect on the
decision because, obviously, the plans from campuses may be put in in isolation
from each other. So there has to be kind
of a clearing‑house, and that happens within the ministry.
Mr. Plohman: That is good to hear because that is one of
the concerns we had when the new system of governance was established, that
there would not be the co‑ordination that is desirable, it would seem.
Is there any plan to offer LPN upgrading or an R.N. course
for LPNs who would like to get their R.N. designation, particularly in light of
the uncertainty about the future role of LPNs, at least as this government has
presided over that issue?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, in the ACC context,
the Brandon General is in charge of the nursing program, so I do not think the
question applies in this case.
Mr. Plohman: The minister may not be aware of the
historical background on this issue, but there was a desire, certainly, I
believe, is a desire, to have an R.N. course offered in Dauphin out of the
Assiniboine Community College and in conjunction with the Dauphin Regional
Health Centre, which in fact can quite, I think, comfortably provide the
variety of experiences for R.N.s or student R.N.s. In that context, is the minister aware of the
background on the issue, and is there any roadblock from his end of it that
would prevent this from happening?
Mr. Manness: It seems to me that this was being discussed
three years ago, and then it kind of fell apart when one of the major players,
in this case, Brandon General Hospital, did not see fit, by my recollection at
least, to maintain their involvement in trying to plan toward a different
system.
So I know the aspirations of regions to see this type of
training and this type of upgrading, if I dare use the word, certainly leading
to higher certification or standing, but the whole health reform process also
will have to have an involvement in passing judgment as to whether these
courses ultimately are sanctioned.
Mr. Plohman: Is the minister plugged into that process
then at the present time, and is he recommending anything with regard to
training of certain professions‑‑in this case, I am discussing
registered nursing training‑‑or is this something that will be dictated
by the policy of the Department of Health, the ministry of Health to the
Minister of Education later?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, there is no doubt
that Health has a significant influence and lead here, because the fact is
there is no use training and retraining a number of individuals who would be
practitioners when there may not be the opportunities for them to
practice. So this is an area where
obviously there has to be a stricter balance brought into place, and as far as
scarce resources being directed towards training, hopefully then with the
expectation that there will be employment at the end of the day. So yes, Health has a significant influence in
these decisions.
* (2030)
Mr. Plohman: What advice would the minister give to people
in the Parkland who might want to have a course offered for the training of
registered nurses? There are many LPNs
who want to take this course, and perhaps others. What advice would you offer as to the
potential for this to happen, what action they should take, and so on?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I do not know what
the member is focusing upon. Is he
focusing upon whether or not in generic terms, individuals who have LPN
standing should try to improve their status, or is he saying what approach do
they take to make sure that there might be an additional offering with respect
to nursing located in Dauphin?
I have no advice to give other than try and stay close to
the whole reform process in Health and see where the shortages are. Certainly, there seems to be greater
shortages of nurses, there seems to be greater opportunities in northern
Manitoba, and bearing in mind that I know Keewatin Community College is also
very interested in focusing some additional training in this area.
Mr. Plohman: Yes, well, I understand there is quite an
extensive demand, certainly there is in the Parkland region from representation
I have had made to me.
It is a question of who is going to be able to make this
happen. What is the limiting factor
here? Is it strictly dollars, or are
there some other political considerations, not necessarily large P political,
but within organizations that are involved?
What precisely is involved in making a decision, and how can the
minister help in this regard?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I do not have to tell
the member; he knows what the issues are.
Obviously, dollars are a dimension of it.
Right now, the member knows that there are two R.N.
programs being offered in Keewatin Community College. He also knows the broader issue is, what is
the preferred level of entry into nursing?
Is it the Baccalaureate or is it the registered program? I mean, there are a lot of issues swirling
around the whole nursing spectrum these days.
Mr. Plohman: I do not know if the minister is seeking to
avoid the issue.
I am working from the basis that there is a considerable
number of LPNs who want to take their R.N. training, and they want to take it
close to home, in this case in the Parkland region, more specifically in
Dauphin because of the facility that is there in terms of the hospital and the
community college, so I am just asking the minister how he can help facilitate
that.
There are no promises.
I am not asking him for a promise it is going to happen. I just want to ask him whether there are
certain actions that they should take.
Should they make representation?
Should they sign a petition?
Should they write letters or meet with certain groups, with the nurses'
professional organization, or with Brandon Hospital? Who are the most appropriate people for them
to see?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, naturally the
member's constituents are welcome to contact the college and obviously contact
the department, but again I state for the record, there are many locations that
would like to have this type of training within their community, and I can
understand why, but ultimate demand by the system for registered nurses,
ultimate financing or resources available to reach out to obviously not all of
the requests, but to some share of them will determine the location.
Right now, would the member then care to suggest which ones
give up their programs so that they can be shifted? Because that is basically the period we are
in. We are not in adding on new programs. We are basically at a time of shifting
program from one location to the next, and if he has some recommendation that
he would like to make as to where we shift, I will certainly gladly receive it.
Mr. Plohman: The minister knows that there are not many
locations or not every location that can accommodate the practical training for
registered nurses because of the lack of diversity of experience in rural
hospitals. So, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I
think the minister realizes that there are not an awful lot of locations where
this can be accomplished, and Dauphin is one of those, in addition where there
is not now.
What it means is that a certain number of placements, if
there are only a certain number being trained, would have to be transferred from
perhaps Brandon if in fact those students are coming from Dauphin in the first
place and have to travel. That is the
whole idea here I think with satellite campuses, to provide the training close
to home so they do not have to live away from their families in many
cases. These are women who have children
and who are having to travel distances, making it very difficult for them and
their families. They would like to be
closer to home.
So what I am looking at here and asking these questions is
whether in fact there are a sufficient number of these who could be transferred
to take their course and register in Dauphin as opposed to in Brandon, and it
would not be offered every year. It
could be offered every few years or as long as the demand was there. I am working on the assumption that the
demand is there now, and on that basis, I am asking the minister whether in
fact some of these positions could be reallocated to Dauphin so that the
training could in fact take place there closer to home for most of these
students.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, two points. Firstly, the member now wants us to take
control of the boards again and dictate where it is they should be offering
programs and what programs. But
secondly, he ignores the fact that, and he might not be aware of this although
I sense he is, that the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses, the
professional arm of the nurses, has never approached the government with
respect to increasing the number of registered nurse offerings, because it
seems to me that their point of view, and again I could be wrong, but their
point of view is that entry level into nursing should come along with or be
equivalent to a B.N.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, if that is the case, then it is not
just the system that the member is reflecting upon. He is reflecting upon the professional arm of
the nurses in Manitoba because, again, they have not seen fit, at least, to
recommend to us that there be an expansion of the offering of the registered
nurses program.
Mr. Plohman: To conclude this, I am reflecting on the
minister's lack of initiative and lack of clarity in his answers, not on any
other organization, so let him not try to deflect this. I was simply asking the minister for some
straight answers insofar as how he could be of some help through his good
offices. Obviously, he is not prepared
to offer too much in that regard. Thank
you, Mr. Deputy Chairperson.
Mr. Steve Ashton
(Thompson): I just have one question in terms of
community colleges. I know that part of
this has probably been covered in some of the discussions taking place in the
Roblin report. The reason I am raising
it under this particular item is because the Roblin report specifically
pinpointed an expanded role not only for community colleges generally but also
for Keewatin Community College vis‑à‑vis the whole question of post‑secondary
education in the North, and I want to indicate that there are many different
models that could be adopted.
For years, many of us in northern Manitoba in talking about
the need for northern polytechnic, which essentially would combine university
and community college programs‑‑it has often been described as
northern university, and that is true in the generic sense, but it would go
beyond that.
* (2040)
In the ACCESS Programs, we had discussions about the need
for co‑ordination between programs.
This is one of the areas that has been pinpointed by people in the
ACCESS Programs themselves, as a way of saving money and also allowing those
resources to be put forward for expanded education.
What I want to focus on in the question is exactly that,
bringing together existing programs and improving educational access, and by
the way, not just in northern Manitoba but across Manitoba as a whole. I have often called for the equivalent of an
Inter‑Universities Manitoba, so to speak, which takes some of the many
advantages that we have in northern Manitoba in the form of IUN, which has
transferability of credits, flexibility, et cetera, and would apply that to
rural Manitoba where there has been some expansion of accessibility through the
FYDE program but where much more could be done.
I want to ask the minister what his response is to the
Roblin report in the context of KCC, northern polytechnic, co‑ordination
of services, and second of all, what his response is in terms of not just
northern Manitoba but all of rural Manitoba, as I said, in terms of co‑ordinating
existing programs and expanding them as was recommended by the Roblin report
very clearly in its conclusions?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I cannot scoop myself
because I will certainly be making a more definitive statement with respect to
this whole issue when I release on Roblin.
Obviously, I support the member strongly when he calls for even greater
general co‑ordination between all of the educational activities that are
trying to be provided to northern residents.
I support his call to all our institutions to work more
closely together, to take the existing model and build upon it, but as far as
how far we go beyond that in providing a centre with powers beyond those that
exist today, the member will have to wait.
I regret having to say that, but I will be trying to provide some
greater insight into our thinking once we bring down the statement reflecting
upon the recommendations of the Roblin report.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Shall the item pass?
Ms. Jean Friesen
(Wolseley): Mr. Deputy Chairperson, the Roblin
commission's perspective on community colleges was one of encouraging expansion
and putting some very specific goals for the government, and I know the
minister has already discussed this with the member for Crescentwood (Ms.
Gray). I wonder if we could look at
particularly the programs that Roblin targeted, and those were the diploma
programs. These are the ones where we
are able to have consistent numbers and a consistent record over the years of
the changes in enrollment patterns and graduation patterns.
Could the minister give me an idea of what the numbers of
graduates were and enrollments in those programs in perhaps the last couple of
years, whatever numbers he has available at the moment, and what he anticipates
those enrollments and graduation rates will be in the diploma programs, not
talking about the market‑driven strategies or the Canadian Jobs Strategy
or all of the short‑term courses that are offered, but those diploma
programs which are comparable year to year?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, in broad terms, within
the diploma area, 3,500 enrollments, approximately 950 graduates.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, which year is that
for?
Mr. Manness: '93‑94.
Ms. Friesen: Does the minister have information for the
previous years, say, '92‑93?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, we have comparable in
the graduate numbers, 915 in terms of '92‑93, so the total number of
graduates has increased by a total of 35.
Ms. Friesen: So what Roblin is suggesting is a very
precise number of over 1,800 graduates five years from now. The minister has suggested that that is not
what he is interested in, that he is looking at that as a general
recommendation.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I did not say I was
not interested in that. That is
nonsense. What I said was I do not see
how the government can commit to a hard goal in keeping with the
recommendation. I said we are very
interested to see what we can do to reach that goal, but certainly there have
to be other considerations. Do not let
the member put words in my mouth and say I am not interested in it because that
is the furthest from the truth.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, the minister is
getting rather sensitive. I was not
intending to put words in his mouth. I
was saying that he was interested, that he had a general concern in that area. He is being very testy.
How does the minister intend to address the Roblin commission's
recommendations then of moving to 1,800 graduates in the two‑year diploma
programs?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, that is a repeat of a
question earlier. We said within the
guidelines of the framework for economic growth, within the additional funding
that we are going to try and provide, although Roblin also said that there
should be no more dollars overall as a percentage term directed towards post‑secondary
education. Within those guidelines and
watching carefully to make sure that the expansion, of course, is in keeping
with the general economic thrust of the province and those targeted industries,
we will try to ensure that we work in a significant fashion towards that
objective.
Ms. Friesen: How does each of the colleges determine the
needs in their particular area? How are
these approximately 1,800 places going to be allocated? How does each of the colleges within that
general allocation, that general goal that Roblin is setting for them,
determine what is needed? For example, as
the colleges have gone to governance and in relative independence from
government, they have had defined geographical areas. So could the minister tell us how each of
those boards determines the needs of its community in the absence of labour
force development strategies and in the absence of the community economic
initiatives which the STAC report recommended.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I guess my responses
would be no different than I gave many times before, when we were talking about
Workforce 2000 in the general context, but there is a market‑needs
analysis done in a global context that would lend itself to greater usage by
the community colleges, probably in other areas. So that is being done in some dimension. It might not be a quantitative objective
method of dealing with it, but some are trying to do that. Again, as I said many, many times, it is up
to the colleges and their leadership, administrative and at the board level, to
try and parallel at least some of the thought process that went into the
framework for economic growth. Also,
there are department objectives that have to be taken into account.
The member says, well, how are they dealing with
industry? How do they know? Well, there is an awful lot of
consultation. We have many members of
the board, of course, who reflect quite closely the requirements of industry as
a whole, and they make their views known to the board. So, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, those are the
general guidelines. The board of
governors, in their long‑range planning functions, committees thereof,
will earmark those areas they think may be worthy of expansion or expansion
into. They will make recommendations to
government by way of their yearly plans, and government will accordingly accept
or reject. So that is how the process
works.
(Mr. Bob Rose, Acting
Deputy Chairperson in the Chair)
Ms. Friesen: How does the community make known its needs
to the colleges? What I am hearing from
the minister is effectively that he is devolving the overall responsibility for
a labour force development strategy to each of the regional colleges. It does not seem to me from the outside that
there are the mechanisms for the colleges to do that. Yes, they can speak to the individual people
on their boards. Yes, they may have
committees of the boards which perhaps go marginally beyond the areas that the
board represents.
* (2050)
How is each of these boards equipped, say, in the case of
KCC‑‑well, any of the boards for that matter? The Red River Community College, which has a
huge mandate in geographical and in industrial terms, how is it equipped to
deal with creating that labour force development strategy, evaluating the needs
of all of the industries of Manitoba, evaluating the educational needs of the
employees as well as those of the employers, which is the only one the minister
seems to be concerned about? How are
those employees, for example, to make known their educational requirements and
how they see their economic future in this new process?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, there is a
good process in place. The member does
not like it because she believes there are an awful lot of resources that are
available and that all courses and every course that a person wants to take
should be offered. That is the old
way. We have discounted that
approach. That approach does not
work. The member is then trying to say,
well, how do you know for sure that the courses you are offering and keeping is
what the community wants?
Well, what we are saying, these committees‑‑and
I can think of Keewatin Community College as going throughout the north country
bringing in input, doing the consolidated process, trying to determine what it
is the community thinks it requires in a large fashion, but keeping in mind
what the framework for economic growth says is the most important area as a
priority for wealth creation in this province.
So, Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, there is a process. It is a very in‑depth process. It is a very meaningful process, and it is
reaching out in a fashion I would think the member for Wolseley (Ms. Friesen)
would be most supportive of.
Ms. Friesen: Well, if I were to offer any support, I would
like to have some information first.
There is no evidence, and there is no information. That is what I am asking the minister to
provide.
Mr. Manness: I cannot give much more information to the
member. She has drawn it all out of
me. She has it all, and I have just
given her the process.
Let us face it, what the member dislikes is the fact that
we have gone to more of a market‑driven type training that takes into
account wealth creation in its purest form.
What the member wants is she wants the plan, she wants a plan hammered
out in some policy section, and she wants that of course hammered into the
consciousness of all the political appointees to the board and indeed to the
administration.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Acting Deputy Chair, well, yes, the
minister does indicate I am interested in planning, and indeed I am. I thought governments were interested in
plans. I thought that was one of the
responsibilities of government.
The minister says that I have plumbed his depths. That surprises me. I thought there was perhaps a little more to
be drawn out of the minister, but if this is all he is prepared to offer, if he
is prepared to tell me that the range of planning, the range of connection with
communities of Red River Community College is a committee of employers‑‑
Mr. Manness: Employers?
Ms. Friesen: Yes.
Mr. Manness: Look at the list of employers‑‑tremendous
representation across the community.
Ms. Friesen: I do not see any employees on that. I do not see any representatives of Bristol
Aerospace workers, for example.
Mr. Manness: Which one are you looking at?
Ms. Friesen: The Board of Governors of Red River.
Mr. Manness: Oh, Red River. Employees of the college?
Ms. Friesen: No, employees of industry.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, we have a
different approach. The members of
course like to stack all of their public institutions with employees. We like to have a little different
balance. We are in position to govern,
so that is why we are different.
Ms. Friesen: That is exactly right. We are different. What the minister is doing in his educational
policy in fact is enhancing and expanding the role of employers in determining
education, in determining‑‑
Mr. Manness: Hear, hear.
That is exactly what we are doing, Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson.
Ms. Friesen: Good.
I am glad we have that on record.
This is public money which is enhancing the role of a
particular sector of the economy which has‑‑[interjection] Who do
you think creates the wealth? I do not
believe it.
Well, it is clearly a very deep divide between us, and I do
want to put on the record that the minister seems to think that only one
portion of the community has the right to direct education, only one portion of
the community, quote, creates wealth. It
is a very, very narrow perspective on the life of this province, and it is
certainly a very narrow perspective for the planning of any educational futures
for this province. But it is certainly
the direction this government is taking us in.
Mr. Manness: The member does not have to become so
exercised. She can try and cast my
commentary in black and white terms, Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson. I recognize that the colleges are a community
that is to reach out to most, but there is change, and the change‑‑the
member of course she cannot accept it.
She cannot accept the fact that the public institutions in post‑secondary
education are being challenged for once.
Her solution for years was shovel more money at it, let them do what they
want, give them academic freedom. She
does not ask the universities what plans they have. What consultation do they do with the
communities? None. Yet the member stands up and says, my
goodness, what are these community colleges doing, you have given them too much
freedom; my goodness, you have given an emphasis to the employers and to the
wealth creators, the people who we tax the living daylights out of so they can
take that wealth and redistribute it.
Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, we have a different
philosophy obviously at work, but I dare say we reflect our philosophy by
virtue of the decisions that we have made, and we stand by our record.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, of course,
what has happened is the public money has been transferred increasingly into
the hands of one section of the community, and public education, that which
made us equal, that which was equally accessible to all, has in fact become
controlled and determined by one section of the economy. That is what I am asking for. Where is the evidence that the other part of
the economy, the other portion of the community has some opportunity for input
into college programs, into diploma programs, into the creation of additional
programs?
For example, should one of the large corporations which is
represented on these community colleges say no to a particular proposal for a
diploma program or an additional part of continuing education? What would be the recourse of the community? How does the community in fact exert an
influence upon those kinds of decisions?
(Mr. Deputy Chairperson
in the Chair)
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, by two ways. They make representation to the board
directly or indirectly in the manner which they see fit. Secondly, they make representation to the
government of Manitoba. Ultimately, if
they are not happy with the action, they have got that ultimate freedom, thank
God. They can go to the polls, and they
will, and they did, and what they did in the last election in 1990 is, they
said once again that they did not want the Liberals or certainly the NDP to
govern their interests. That is the
ultimate expression of individuals in our society who feel that changes that
have been made are either in keeping with their philosophy or in some cases are
not in keeping.
Ms. Friesen: What does the minister see as the role of
adult basic education in the community colleges?
Mr. Manness: I mean, lifelong learning obviously has to be
practised in all of our educational institutions including our community
colleges. I see, there is no doubt in my
mind as I look into the next century that there will be incredible not only
demand but expectation and indeed a call for significant additional adult
education training. It fits right in
again to the lifelong learning concept that we all know is coming, and to the
extent that colleges have additional resources and can expand their programming
in any respect and in a timetabling that will be in keeping with adults who are
requiring this type of training, it will happen.
Ms. Friesen: I am not sure the minister understood the
question. The question was related to
adult basic education, that is, the basic literacy and numeracy programs which
until two or three years ago were taught by community colleges on location and
in the community colleges. There seems
to have been a shift in the government's policy towards ensuring that this is
done in high schools or at least by school divisions rather than the community
colleges. The government at one point,
in fact, over a few years has promised a report on this and a review. We have discussed this in earlier parts of
the Estimates, and I want to now look at what the community college role is,
will be from the perspective of the government.
Is the government at the point of moving adult basic education away from
the community colleges?
* (2100)
Mr. Manness: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, this is a
repetitive question. I have said that we
cannot go much further in this area until the federal government lays before us
the plans as to how they are planning to remake and to reshift the Unemployment
Insurance program and indeed some of the other basic social programs that have
been in place for a long‑standing period of time. So until the federal government gives us some
clarity as to where they are going to be taking these basic programs of support
it is going to be very difficult to give greater response to the member.
Ms. Friesen: These are Manitobans whom we are talking
about. These are Manitobans with
specific needs which have not changed over the last 10 years, the same type of
people presenting themselves for the same kinds of programs. In the last few years the government has
moved these programs back to the high school level. The last minister argued that people should
go and talk to their own high school principals or to their school divisions,
although in fact I think in at least 30 percent of the divisions in Manitoba
there is not provision for those kinds of adult students in the regular
classroom.
I am asking, does the minister have a policy on this? What is he saying to the federal
government? What are the implications of
the actions of the government over the last two years? Has it come to a halt as he waits for some
oracle from the new federal government to speak, or does he actually have a
policy on this? Where is the best
place? Where is the most effective place
for the education of those adults in need of basic education?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, my previous answer
stands. The member, of course, wants
solutions to all of the world's problems.
I know in her perfect world, of course, that can happen with a snap of
another planner; bring in another social engineer and instantly you have a
plan. But this takes great skill, to try
to take into account all of our society.
Indeed, the member thinks you can house this neatly in one place and fix
all of society's ills, and again, we have said our general model‑‑[interjection]
We have a situation where the member for Wolseley is again getting
exercised. I do not know what her
problem is tonight. I feel sorry for
her, but the reality is she is having great difficulty.
Let me say that with respect to adult‑based
education, Mr. Deputy Chair, and trying to provide greater opportunity, trying
to provide greater equivalency, I think that becomes the task of all of
us. Indeed, the member of course would
like to see it housed in a formal institution, and I tell the members of all of
the great outreaches in literacy training that are taking place in many of our
communities. We spent a long time on
this subject in another part of the department.
We talked about the incredible success stories that are occuring in
Manitoba, and that is taking some of the pressure off the community colleges.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, it seems to me the
minister is right; I am increasingly puzzled by his answers which seem to be
veering further and further away from the question. Adult basic education is what we are talking
about. I am asking for the government
policy. I am not asking him for it to be
lodged in this institution or that institution.
I am simply asking, what is the direction of the government in this
area?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, if the member wants
the full load, I will give her the full load.
ABE programs at community colleges are designed to prepare students for
further training at the college.
Secondly, Adult Basic Education programs are offered leading to
recognized equivalency at the Grades 10, 11 and 12 levels. Thirdly, curriculum content is determined by
consulting instructors in the college program for which the student is
preparing. Fourthly, students attending
on a full‑time basis attend approximately 25 to 30 hours per week. Fifthly, certification is granted as (1)
recorded grade equivalency or (2) correspondence certification or (3) through
articulation agreement with a school division.
Sixthly, college Adult Basic Education programs are specifically
designed to serve the learning needs of adult learners.
Now, the member asks what the role of the college is in adult
basic education. Well, Mr. Deputy
Chairperson, I am prepared to share six of those items with the member. Firstly, community college Adult Basic
Education program is directed primarily at the provision of the academic skills
and competencies necessary for admission to community college programs. ABE program provides instruction to the
Grades 10, 11 and 12 levels consistent with the admission requirements of
college programs. Grade 12 level
programming is flexible and can accommodate students entering at a Grade 7
equivalent preparation level. ABE
programs are flexible, offering full‑time classroom instruction,
approximately 25 to 30 hours per week, and part‑time individual study
options.
Although ABE programs target students seeking admissions to
college programs, students can also prepare for admission to post‑secondary
programs at other post‑secondary institutions. College ABE programming also includes off‑campus
training offered on a contract‑ or market‑driven basis and as part
of integrated college programs which incorporate ABE training within the
curriculum of a college certificate or a diploma program.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, you may be interested to know, I
know the member for Wolseley (Ms. Friesen) would be very interested to know
this, colleges provide a flexible adult‑directed ABE program specifically
designed to meet the learning needs and styles of adult Manitobans.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Order, please. Could I ask the honourable members wanting to
carry on their private conversations to do so out in the hall. The honourable minister to continue.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, colleges experience
an ongoing demand for ABE education as preparation for post‑secondary
training programs.
Now, I know the member has asked a lot of questions about
curriculum. I will give her a couple of
items on curriculum because she is very interested in that as it impacts
Workforce 2000. Adult Basic Education,
No. 1, curriculum is determined primarily by the requirements of college
programs; and secondly, curriculum content is determined by consulting
instructors in the college program for which the student is preparing.
Now I know the member would be keenly interested in knowing
about the certification of ABE programs.
They break into three areas, and I know the member would want me to put
this on the record: Certification is
granted as recorded grade equivalency; or (2) correspondence certification; or
(3) through articulation agreement with the school division. Also, recorded grade equivalency is the
predominant means of credit recognition.
Grade equivalency is recognized by Manitoba post‑secondary
institutions in most cases, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, and I have that in
brackets.
Thirdly, I would say to the member, Assiniboine Community
College, I gather, provides certifications though the Brandon School Division
in the subjects English, physics and Math 300, in addition to recognized grade
equivalency.
Now, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, that is a full, full
response. It certainly indicates that
the government has a policy framework around all of its education programming,
and I would expect the member for Wolseley to applaud the actions of the
government.
An Honourable Member: We want more of that.
Mr. Manness: I have got books of it.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Deputy Chair, now that we have heard the
Greek chorus from the other‑‑
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Order, please. You know the decorum is starting to lack in
here a little bit‑‑just starting.
You know I have been allowing a little bit of leeway, but I think we are
going to have to harness you in a little bit.
The honourable member for Wolseley would like to ask some questions, and
I would like to have just a little bit of quiet, please. The honourable member for Wolseley to
continue.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Deputy Chair, I would like to thank the
minister for reading so much into the record.
Perhaps what it shows more than anything is that the revolving door of
the Department of Education has swung yet again because that sounded like more
than anything, I think, the last Minister of Education who could only read
written material into the record. I had
hoped for more from this minister, and I had hoped for a discussion of his
Adult Basic Education policy, but I gather that is not to be the case.
Could the minister indicate how the colleges are fulfilling
the area of tourism in the government's economic strategies?
Mr. Manness: Well, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, within the
setting of the Assiniboine Community College, they have a course, a program of
study in the hospitality tourism administration area. That is in keeping with the focus on tourism,
and I am led to believe that Red River Community College also has a tourism
marketing and management program of study, too, obviously in keeping with the
tourism target area.
* (2110)
Ms. Friesen: When the minister says course, does he mean a
single course, or is that a program with a diploma attached?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, ACC has a diploma program
offering.
Ms. Friesen: How many graduates are there from that each
year?
Mr. Manness: I cannot answer that, Mr. Deputy
Chairperson. The member will have to
contact the college, and I am sure they will be able to provide that
information for you.
Ms. Friesen: How does the college connect with the tourism
industry in Manitoba? Since that is the
one diploma program for the province, what industry‑wide strategies and
connections are there?
Mr. Manness: Through the Manitoba Tourism Education Council.
Ms. Friesen: How are those connections made? Are any representatives from that council on
any of the boards of the community college, in this case, presumably
Assiniboine Community College?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I can remember Mr. Hoover
was a board member of Assiniboine Community College up to a short period of
time. Whether there are other directors
at this point or board governors at this point in time, I cannot say with
certainty.
Another good partnership in place, Human Resources
department of the federal government in conjunction with‑‑as I was
saying, this partnership that draws funds from the Human Resources development
department of the federal government, Workforce 2000 and also the Manitoba
Tourism Education Council, they all work together to make sure that the program
is in place, is in keeping with the needs, the tourism and hospitality needs,
in support of our province's economy.
Ms. Friesen: I was not quite clear how the minister was
expressing how those links are made, and I do not see, by the way, on the
present make‑up of the board of Assiniboine Community College or any of
the other colleges, any representative of the tourism industry.
I am raising this because this is one of the six strategies
that the minister is concerned about.
There is one diploma program of we‑do‑not‑know‑how‑many
graduates per year. If this is one of
the directions the government is going, one would expect to have a little more
direct representation on the boards, and perhaps a broader representation in
say at least two of the colleges, of the tourism industry.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I have got greater
respect for the mentality of the member for Wolseley than that. Obviously many of those people who are
studying management courses, business management courses, they very well may
find, and I would expect a large number of them would find, their way into the
tourism industry.
The member tries to make it sound as if the tourism
industry receives its only people, its people who practise on a daily basis,
from those who graduate from a tourism management course. That is nonsense. They come from all walks of life, so I do not
know what point it is the member is trying to make.
Ms. Friesen: Well, I am trying to take the minister's
direction of the six economic strategies of the government. I am looking for the ways in which the
educational institutions of the province are being oriented in that direction. Yes, I am sure the minister is right that
people from some of the management courses will find their way into tourism
with or without an educational background in tourism.
What I am looking for is that connection between the
economic strategies and the educational directions of the province, and I am
saying I am surprised, given that that is one of the six, that there perhaps is
not a greater representation on the boards of the colleges or perhaps a broader
representation in diplomas and courses across the colleges, particularly
perhaps at Red River where the particular relationship is to the Winnipeg
region, where at the moment, the broader sector of the tourism industry finds
itself.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, what is the member
saying? Is she saying for sure that she
knows that Mr. Ron Tate, for instance, from Thompson, who is in industry and
training, might not be able to reflect on the needs within the tourism
industry? The member is passing
judgment. I have a listing here, and we
have these types of category settings.
We have business, we have education, we have teacher, municipal. I would think anyone of those three might be
able to bring special skills with respect to the tourism industry and reflect
upon decisions that have to be made.
What a foolhardy statement by the member for Wolseley.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I would think many of our board
appointees to a number of colleges bring with them a wide spectrum of
background and knowledge, and that is why they have been put there. They are not put there as political
hacks. They are put there in keeping
with the wide array of skills they bring, and I would think the member reflects
negatively on these people when she asks the question in the fashion she does.
Ms. Friesen: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, that was totally
unnecessary. It was the minister who
raised the issue of political hacks. I
have never suggested that about any single member of any board.
My very first question in this line of questioning is, what
was the representation of the tourism industry on those boards? The minister had every opportunity to put on
the record the reflection of the tourism industry across a broad sector,
whether it was of business or whether it was specifically of some aspect of the
tourism. So it is really uncalled for
for him to come with those kinds of unnecessary and unpleasant comments at the
end when I had asked him that very question at the beginning.
Again, pursuing the connection between the economic
strategies of the government and the educational directions of the government,
if we are to assume that Assiniboine Community College and, to a lesser extent,
Red River Community College are taking the tourism focus of the government's
economic strategies, could the minister indicate where he anticipates that the
universities should be going in tourism?
If we are having the educational institutions moving in parallel with
the economic strategies, what should be the role of the universities in the
development of tourism?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, obviously, as it is
one of the major strategic industry initiatives, any calling to arms of all of
the players within this industry will be done so by Industry, Trade and
Tourism. I understand that that will be
done in a public forum setting sometime in the next month and a half.
The member has tried to generate a little heat with respect
to what representation you had from the tourism industry and the board. I have to point out, as I said earlier, one
of the first statements‑‑the member might not know who Ray Hoover
is or was, but from recollection, Ray Hoover was the head of TIAM, which is the
Tourism Association of Manitoba. That
was the direct connection. He has left
just recently, over the last few months, and it is up to us now to try and fill
in one of our vacancies on the board with that type of individual.
So, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I said that in the very first
answer. I guess I assumed that the
member knew who Ray Hoover was. I guess
I assumed too much.
* (2120)
Ms. Friesen: I was pointing out that the government had
not replaced Mr. Hoover with anybody related to the tourism industry. So equally we each had a point, and I do not
think again it is necessary for the minister to introduce those kinds of
comments. I in fact had no intention to
generate controversy over this area or to generate heat. My goal was to try and understand what the
link was between the economic strategies of the government and the educational
strategies of the government. I realize
it is getting late. I realize the
minister spent a long time here, but it is not necessary to deal with questions
in that way.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I do not know what
the member says, getting late. I believe
we have considerable time left yet, and I do not know what she means when she
says it is getting late. The member may
be tired; I am certainly not.
Ms. Friesen: If the minister wants to deal in these kinds
of issues, it is not necessary and I do not think particularly helpful to
furthering the public discussion or debate.
I wanted to ask the minister about the Six Thinking Hats
program at Red River Community College and if he could give us an indication of
what the results have been.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I have answered this
question in another section dealing with Workforce 2000. It was a joint agreement, as the member
said. I understand the emphasis was on
lateral thinking and it reached out and brought in‑‑the member
knows better than me. She likes to have
fun in this. She lays on the record how
serious this is and all that, and here she sits here laughing her head off
because she thinks she has got a real juicy issue. So, you know, she contradicts herself from
question to question. For the record,
she admits she is chuckling to herself.
It is getting late for the member, and I feel sorry for her. We better be careful how long we go. But this was done for boards and
management. It was Edward de Bono's lateral
thinking course.
Ms. Friesen: Well, the minister keeps referencing the late
hour and I think wants to put on the record something about his own macho
propensities for late hours. My
reference to late hours was in fact late in the length of the amount of time we
have spent in Estimates. It was not of a
particular hands on the clock, and yes, I do chuckle a little bit at Six
Thinking Hats. It is something of an
amusing title, and yes, the minister has told me before what he believes that
course to have been. What I asked this
time on the colleges line is what he thinks the value to the colleges has been
and what the implications have been for college programs or for college faculty
and administration of such a course.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, the member is asking
me to speculate on what the colleges think.
I think she is well advised to pick up the phone someday and ask the
colleges what they think of this course.
Ms. Friesen: Could the minister tell us what he considers‑‑no,
let me phrase it another way. The labour
force development strategy that is being done in Selkirk with Workforce 2000
money and federal money, how will that connect into the regional mandate of, I
assume, Red River Community College?
Mr. Manness: I cannot answer that question. I will try to find out more information, but
I cannot answer that question.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Item 6.(b) Community Colleges (1) Colleges
Secretariat (a) Salaries and Employee Benefits $214,200‑‑pass; (b)
Other Expenditures $41,900‑‑pass.
6.(b)(2) Grants $40,510,600‑‑pass.
Resolution 16.6
RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding
$256,535,000 for Education and Training, Support to Post‑Secondary
Institutions for the fiscal year ending the 31st day of March, 1995.
We will now move on to 16.7, which is Capital
Appropriations, 7. Expenditures Related to Capital (a) School Divisions
$24,501,600.
Mr. Plohman: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, get some Contac‑C
for the member. I would like to get on
with the Estimates here, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, once the committee settles
down and we get the new staff in here.
One of the questions that I would like to ask the minister
is whether he could table the capital plan, if there is one, and if he does not
mind me using that term. I know he has
an aversion to anything called a plan; he likes the idea of a blueprint. So maybe he has a capital blueprint he would
like to table for us insofar as the plans‑‑oops!‑‑insofar
as the capital projects that may be under construction in this potential
election year.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, it has not been the
tradition of this department to table a plan because no plan exists.
Mr. Plohman: I would think that the minister is very
traditional in many of the things he does now, except he has indicated on
various occasions throughout these Estimates that he would like to be a bit
innovative. He is going to go so far as
to have a reform blueprint, and whether there has actually been a tabled
capital plan over the last couple of years or not, I think that is one of the
things that the Legislature needs. We
have traditionally a road construction list, not necessarily a plan. Now, we do not have that yet. The Minister of Highways‑‑[interjection]
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Order, please. The Department of Highways is coming up in
the House in the next few days, and I would appreciate if you want to discuss
bridges and highways, we do it at that time.
The honourable member for Dauphin has the floor at this time, and I am
having trouble hearing him.
Mr. Plohman: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, speaking of bridges
and highways, I was just going to say that the Minister of Highways is now
tabling or is now‑‑
An Honourable Member: Well, now, make up your mind, John.
Mr. Plohman: ‑‑giving news releases, issuing
news releases, on various parts of the capital program, but no capital program
has been tabled with the Legislature.
This is a departure.
So I would like to see the minister provide an overall
list, if he does not want to call it a plan, an overall list of all of the
capital projects that his government intends to carry out to spend the
$24,501,000 in the 1994‑95 year on capital. The Legislature has a right to know that; we
expect that. We want to see what the
government is doing with the taxpayers' money insofar as $24 million. It is a lot of money, and we want to know
where it is going.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, all the member has to
do is refer to page 135. It shows in
five breakouts exactly where all the money is going. I will read for the member, in case the
member is having difficulty reading.
I would point out that $14.7 million goes to interest. Now, interest represents the cost of
borrowing money on schools that have been built in the past, and so this is the
principal portion of providing expenditures in the past. As a matter of fact, a significant portion of
this is probably on schools built by the NDP in their time. So $14.7 million is the capital portion of
the amortization schedule associated with paying that money.
Buses: $3.27 million
goes in support of buses. Now certainly,
Mr. Deputy Chairperson‑‑
An Honourable Member: How many?
* (2130)
Mr. Manness: Well, we can try to find out how many buses
there were in the 1994‑95 year; $4.7 million goes into minor capital
projects and environmental‑‑Mr. Deputy Chairperson, in 1994‑95,
we anticipate 95 to 100 school buses will be replaced.
Now, the member asks about minor capital projects. We will try to give him some further
information with respect to that.
As he can see, the final two areas are Environmental
Assistance and Vocational Equipment.
So the information is all for the member, right in front of
him, and all he has to do is refer to page 135.
Mr. Plohman: If the minister thinks that is all of the
information the members at the Legislature require, then he is, to put it
nicely, sadly mistaken.
I would think that we could expect more from this minister
and that he would realize that couched within those categories of $4 million
for Minor Capital Projects and $3 million for Buses, that there would be some
more detail that would be helpful for members of the Legislature in determining
whether the government's priorities are such that we could find any support for
them.
I think insofar as the Buses are concerned, we are not
asking a lot of information of the minister here in terms of projects that he
might be undertaking. We are asking a
few questions insofar as the breakdown of this $24 million. The Debt Servicing‑‑I mean, we
could ask for all of the schools that fall under this and that are covered
under the Debt Servicing. I am not
asking for that right now. What I am
asking for is information on new projects that they are being undertaken. Are we to assume from this that there are no
new schools being built, or is that under Debt Servicing, and if so, which are
they.
Insofar as the Buses, 95 to 100, well, let us look at how
many have been replaced over each of the last five years, and let us take a
look whether the minister is doing as much in replacement as he has or has been
traditional. We know that the minister
has pushed back the replacement dates for buses. It used to be 12 years and was pushed back to
13 years, and then 14 years, and so on.
The member for Roblin‑Russell (Mr. Derkach), when he was Minister
of Education, was well aware of that because he started the process of delaying
replacement of buses.
Then we have insofar as Minor Capital Projects the section
$4,729,000, a lot of minor projects there.
So what I want from the minister is some detail on this. I wish he would not attempt to insult the
members by saying, well, it is all there, look at page 135, the member will
find everything he wants. Well, I am
sorry, the minister should know better than that.
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I think the member
has got me. He has got me, there is no
doubt. I was remiss and I apologize to
the committee. School buildings support,
category (d), Minor Capital Projects, formula driven, for what purpose is it? Well, generally, to address structural
problems in schools. The work undertaken
under this program involves correction to failing structural components of
school buildings. Typical projects
include the following: foundation
upgrading, including underpinning; upgrading roof structural members;
correcting glue‑laminated beam deficiencies. The member for Dauphin (Mr. Plohman) could
relate to a lot of those items.
Secondly, paying out projects with a value of less than
$20,000‑‑now, the member wants the detail, and as I say, this is
formula driven. Winnipeg School Division
No. 1, of the $4.4 million has by formula‑‑it is an
allocation. Winnipeg School Division,
their share by way of allocation is $767,542.
St. James Assiniboia is $235,614, and on and on and on.
I know the member for Dauphin would love to know that
Dauphin‑Ochre 33 will have allocated $61,575. Mr. Deputy Chairperson, if you add up the 56
divisions and districts, and one comes to a total of $4.4 million, the amount
printed.
Mr. Plohman: First of all, the minister is now catching on
a bit, and we can go a little further on that.
Now, in so far as the major capital, can the minister tell us what is
being allocated under major capital for this coming year, and the amount of
money for debt servicing by project and by division.
If he could, he could just table that list. We do not need him to go into a long
dissertation of reading to prove that he can read at a Grade 8 level or a Grade
12 level, or whatever it might be. That
is not the point here.
What we want is to have the list tabled so that we can look
at it at our leisure to determine the priorities of the government. We also would like to see the projects, the
minor capital projects that have been allocated. Is it just in dollars by formula? Is it by need? Has this formula changed? Is it the same as has been traditional over
the last 10 years, or has there been a change in the formula for allocating
minor capital?
Those are the questions I would like to pose to the
minister right now. The major capital
right now I think is very important, and the minister should attempt to table
the major capital projects that are being undertaken.
Mr. Manness: Well, the member knows fully well that any
information I impart as to what letters have gone out to school divisions
indicating that their major project had been considered as capital plan has no
impact on the '94‑95 budget. This
is all borrowed money with no impact again on the '94‑95 budget. I have sent out some letters to divisions
indicating there is an expectation that we will enter into final discussions
with respect to some facility within their school division.
Those are part of the public record in the sense that I
have sent those letters out to those school divisions. I will give examples of them because I am in
no position to lay out the full plan. I
mean, this is an allocation of global funding that has no impact whatsoever on
the '94‑95 budget. It is notional
only.
The Treasury Board of the day goes through every one of
these projects one by one, and the Minister of Finance is put on a global
budget over which the Treasury Board and department cannot exceed.
The member should know that a letter has gone out to St.
Vital with respect to a new K to 6 school, Ashworth, which, when it proceeds,
will have an estimated cost of $2.5 million.
Now, that is not a new issue. I
think Ashworth was discussed in some context a year ago. So this letter has gone out.
Mr. Plohman: It is nice that the minister has chosen one
example from St. Vital to illustrate or to answer the questions that he feels
may be forthcoming. What I would like to
see then if the minister could provide a list of government intent and
decisions made by this minister. It is
not a Treasury Board decision. The
minister says they could overrule him.
If he sends a letter saying that he intends to proceed
further to construction for a school to seek Treasury Board approval, I assume
that this is what the letters are saying or what precisely are the letters
saying that he is sending out? What kind
of information is he providing to the school divisions?
I am sure he would not say that he intends to seek Treasury
Board approval because then, in fact, it puts the onus on Treasury Board to be
blamed if, in fact, it is not proceeded with, and that is an unfair kind of
connotation to put on Treasury Board.
* (2140)
Mr. Manness: I will read out the letter that goes when an
award or a final decision is made.
Here is a letter dated‑‑[interjection] Well, I
will talk about, when I say final, and when I say final, it is a selected
point. Whether or not ultimately the
final go is put into place to begin to pour concrete, that is still another
decision.
I wrote, as of May 13, to Mrs. Marilyn Seguire [phonetic],
chair of the board of the St. Vital School Division No. 6, 900 St. Mary's
Road. "Dear Mrs. Seguire
[phonetic]: Re: The New École Ashworth
School. On August 21, '92, your school
division was granted authority to design a new École Ashworth School. That authority was contingent upon formal
approval being granted at such time that the necessary capital funding had been
provided. Upon the recommendation of the
Public Schools Finance Board, I am pleased to inform you that the project is
thereby formally approved. This approval
is subject to the terms and conditions of the award as outlined in the document
and guidelines provided with the granting of the design authority. I wish your division well in the successful
completion of the project."
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, that is an awards letter, still
conditional, semiconditional on some things happening, but saying that there is
money that has now been allocated, that Treasury Board has now, in the sense
that the final conditions are all met, we will have money in place to proceed
with the building of this school.
I will not provide the total list of those. I will not because, of course, there may be
some other conditions. All of these
projects are along various stages, and to provide a whole list and to have them
made public is, in essence, saying to the community, well, for sure you have
got your school. Well, that is not the
case; that is not the case, and I will not put myself in the position or put
the government in that position.
That is why these are taken throughout the year. Some of them will fall‑‑some of
them you expect the building to occur in this year, it does not happen because
of some planning irregularity, some other difficulty that arises and it finds
itself moving into a year hence.
That is the process that has been in place for many years,
long before this government came into place, and that is the process that we
continue to follow.
Mr. Plohman: Well, I want to assure the minister that by
tabling the list of the letters that he sent out and the essence of what has
been approved in those letters will not be saying, you got your school, any
more definitively than those letters themselves. They are all subject to the same
conditions. We understand that.
We can assure the minister that he is not going to be
making any further decisions than he already has made by providing this
information to this committee, simply providing a list of those that have had
the letters and the substance of those letters, subject, of course, to all of
the conditions contained in those letters.
Nothing has changed. So why can
the minister not do that?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, the member is right,
nothing has changed. I am following the
same policy that has been in place, inherited from the NDP government.
Mr. Plohman: So I can assure the minister that he would
not be saying by providing that list to this committee that there would be
anything more definite as to these projects going ahead, that we would be
saying, in his words, you got your school, just simply because he tabled this list
before the Legislative committee.
That is not what we are attempting to do here in forcing
the minister's hand. We are not forcing
him to make a commitment that is irrevocable any more than the commitment he
has already made. We just want to have
the list of projects that the minister intends to bring forward to Treasury
Board.
Now, if he cannot do that, I think he can at least provide
a list of all of the approvals that did go forward to Treasury Board and,
therefore, are final for '93‑94.
That money is being spent in this $14,714,000; we have a right to know
what that is.
Mr. Manness: The member is dead wrong on that. The presentation that may be made to Treasury
Board has absolutely nothing to do with the $14.7 million. There will not be a dollar impact on the '94‑95
budget with respect to the major capital decisions that are made by this
government.
Mr. Plohman: I wish the minister's mind would not
wander. I was talking about '93‑94
approvals. Now he referenced '94‑95
again. I had asked for a list of those
intended for '94‑95, the minister says, well, I cannot give those. So I am saying, okay, if you do not want to
give us this year's, give us last year's approvals, final approvals through
Treasury Board.
Mr. Manness: We will attempt to provide what not only we
committed to but actually did in '93‑94, because that does have some
bearing on the $14 million. We will try
and provide that information, because that is done throughout the province.
Mr. Plohman: I want to leave on the record that we believe
the minister has an obligation to provide to this committee the government's
intentions for the coming year as well.
Just like the Highways program, when the Minister of Highways tables
that program in the Legislature, if he ever will this year, it is still subject
to Treasury Board approval. When those
projects are announced, it is not final in that there is no further decisions.
Clearly, the Treasury Board has to make the final
decisions, but that intent is there and it does not hurt the government to do
it. It announces the intent, the
plan. That is what I am asking the
minister to do here in Education with the capital program.
Mr. Manness: As the member is fully aware, he tries to
draw the parallel, but all of the expenditures within the area of Highways are
all current account expenditures. They
are treated completely differently, in an accounting sense, than major capital
in the public schools.
Mr. Plohman: Well, the minister should be aware that that
is not quite true. There are a lot more
approvals made than there is money to spend in any given year. The projects are announced even though they
will not all be done in that particular year.
It is the government's intent on the Highways program.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Order, please. I am really having an awful hard time
listening here. Could I ask the
honourable members to just tone it down two or three octaves.
Mr. Manness: The member is talking about process. He is not talking about accounting
procedures. They are two different
things, Mr. Deputy Chairperson. I know
there are more Highways projects listed than there is money to do. That is not the difference here. The difference here is purely to do with
current accounting versus putting into place amortization schedules, as is the
case with major capital under the Public Schools Finance Board.
Mr. Plohman: The minister does not have to remind me that
these projects are not paid for in the current year, they are amortized, I
realize that. That should not make any
difference insofar as the reporting. It
is the responsibility of the minister to reveal what his plans are as minister
and what the government's plans are, especially since he has already done the
PR job of getting the letter out saying your project has been approved.
A compilation of those letters and projects should quite
easily and properly be laid before this committee. If it has not been asked before, that is not
my fault. It is something we are asking for
and it is a legitimate request.
Mr. Manness: Well, maybe it is the only one that has been
decided at this point in time. So the
member will have to be‑‑I mean, we are at this point in time when
we are making these decisions. I do not
have an awful lot to provide in additional information.
* (2150)
Mr. Plohman: Well, then, the minister has given a
commitment to provide last year's. Let
us move on to the buses. I had a
question there I raised with the minister earlier; 95 to 100 school buses, is
this a typical number? Has there been
lesser amounts spent in this area for replacement of buses this year? Has it been steadily declining over the last
four, five years? If so, can the
minister provide some information on the amount spent on school bus replacement
and also a listing of where these buses have been allocated, to which school
divisions?
Mr. Manness: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, the total spent, from
two sources, the amount that we are addressing here by way of budget plus the
amount that comes from education support levy, the part that is off the record
or off the balance sheet, the sum total of those two areas is exactly the same
as last year.
Mr. Plohman: The minister is not very forthcoming. Could he go back? If he does not have it right in front of him,
provide us with a listing of the replacement policy for school buses and the
amounts allocated over the last six years.
Mr. Manness: Yes, we will endeavour to try and provide
that historic information.
Mr. Plohman: Does the minister have a listing of where
these buses were allocated for this year?
Mr. Manness: That would have been within the support to
public schools. I do not have that with
me, but I will try to find that out too.
Mr. Plohman: Can the minister provide any detail on the
minor capital projects, other than the amount per division? Can he give a detail as to which projects got
what or anything like that?
Mr. Manness: No, this is by formula, and it is what the
division can spend up to if it warrants, if they have projects that warrant
that expenditure.
Mr. Plohman: Does the minister have a request to replace
or rebuild, refurbish Greenway School in Winnipeg No. 1?
Mr. Manness: The Public Schools Finance Board has now
finalized its assessment and the process there about Greenway School, and it
will be finalizing its recommendation and presenting it to me in the next two
weeks.
Mr. Plohman: So the minister has no policy or preference
as to how to proceed with Greenway School, whether it be by replacement or
upgrading or refurbishing of the existing facility?
Mr. Manness: Well, no hard preference. We left that with the school division for the
best part of the year and asked them to make a decision. I think they finally have and now Public
Schools Finance Board is taking that into account in forwarding a
recommendation to me.
Mr. Plohman: Is it the minister's intent to give
favourable consideration to this project in this particular school year,
keeping in mind that this has been a long‑running request, and one that
is long overdue.
Mr. Manness: We have set aside, since '92‑93,
several million dollars in support of this project.
Mr. Plohman: Well, I will pass the questioning over to
another member. I just want to confirm
with the minister then that we will get a listing from the minister of the
projects approved for the '93‑94 calendar year for the capital program,
major capital projects, and as well the destination and allocation of the
school buses approved for the present year?
Mr. Manness: Correct.
Mr. Plohman: The minister has confirmed those two
requests. Thank you, Mr. Deputy
Chairperson.
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux
(Inkster): Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I would ask the
minister in terms of the process, the school division that wants to be able to
get a new school built or major capital expenditures done on their particular
facilities, what the actual process is.
I understand, for example, that there is a request‑‑and I do
not know if it is applicable to all of the school divisions‑‑but to
submit five‑year capital plans.
Mr. Manness: The process is as follows. Firstly, the project is requested by a school
division, and the Public Schools Finance Board project leader conducts the
initial assessment of request and recommends, or does not recommend, the project
for inclusion in the budget. Two, if
recommended following an assessment, the project then is included in the budget
for the Treasury Board approval.
Following Treasury Board budget approval, the project
leader conducts final assessment of the project and recommends to Public
Schools Finance Board that ministerial award be prepared. Ministerial award authorizes school division
to hire an architect to prepare plans for approval by the Public Schools
Finance Board.
Sketch plans are received by a project leader, and a report
is submitted to the Public Schools Finance Board approving the plans and
authorizing the school division to proceed to working drawing stage. The school division then submits working
drawings, and the project leader prepares a report to the Public Schools
Finance Board for approval of plans and authorizing the division to tender
project.
The school division sends tender results to the Public
Schools Finance Board for approval.
Public Schools Finance Board authorizes support of low bid or formula
support, and then ultimately we come to the ninth step, the building of a new
school or addition begins.
Mr. Lamoureux: Is there any requirement to submit five‑year
capital plans from school divisions?
Mr. Manness: Every year.
Mr. Lamoureux: Those five‑year capital plans, is that
public information? For example, if we
were wanting to get a copy of Winnipeg 1, in particular, five‑year
capital plan, can we in fact receive it?
Mr. Manness: Not from us.
It is proprietary information that is the ownership of the school
division. So if the member wants to
obtain it from the school division, by all means.
Mr. Lamoureux: So if I was to request from the minister if
Winnipeg School Division No. 1 has requested an additional high school or
junior high to be built somewhere in the northwest corner of the city, he would
not be able to respond to that?
Mr. Manness: No, I would think that that would be
information that should be gleaned from Winnipeg School Division No. 1.
Mr. Lamoureux: I know I have made reference in the past of
the Minister of Education being somewhat selective in terms of what he
classified as privileged information, and I do not necessarily want to pursue
the whole question of privileged information, but I do believe that it is, in
fact, somewhat appropriate to ask the Minister of Education, and so I will ask
now. Has there been a request from
Winnipeg School Division No. 1 to build a post‑secondary or junior high
school in the area?
Mr. Manness: I cannot answer that question and I will not
answer that question. I do not know why
the member would not ask Winnipeg School Division No. 1 that question. That is public information, but it should be
released by Winnipeg School Division No. 1 and not the Province of Manitoba.
Mr. Lamoureux: I do not plan to spend too much time on here,
but I would like to indicate to the Minister of Education that I have formally
asked this question in the past of Ministers of Education, and I have found
that I have received the answers.
I find it unfortunate that the current minister uses what
he believes is privileged information, which is actually public information,
and the public does have a right to know.
As the member for Dauphin (Mr. Plohman) just pointed out, we do have a
right to ask that particular question.
Unfortunately, the current minister does not feel that he has the
ability to be able to give out that sort of information.
I do feel a bit of the frustration that the member for
Dauphin (Mr. Plohman) has expressed with respect to not being able to receive
some of the information with reference to capital expenditures.
So having said that, I am not going to continue to ask the
minister questions on this particular line, so we could go on to the next.
* (2200)
Mr. Manness: I will try to review the policy for another
year.
Mr. Edward Helwer
(Gimli): I happen to represent a community that has
been the fastest‑growing town for the last three years running, and that
is the town of Stonewall.
Even though we did have an expansion in the elementary
school in 1992, with the number of homes being built in the area in the last
two years, I think some 70 new houses last year, and a lot of young families
moving into that area, I know that the Interlake School Division has applied to
the Public Schools Finance Board for an expansion to their school or for a new
school and the Public Schools Finance Board has done an assessment on the area.
Have you any indication as to when and what might be
forthcoming in the capital budget for Stonewall?
Mr. Manness: Stonewall?
Mr. Helwer: Yes.
Mr. Manness: Well, we cannot promise anything at all, but
we are very keenly aware of the tremendous increase in student population in
the Stonewall area. We know we are doing
and are going to be doing an assessment of the Bobby Bend Collegiate. So there are certain allocations, and I cannot
share with the member the amount that has been set aside for '94‑95 in
the event that some solution can be found to the overcrowding problem that
obviously exists.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: 7. Expenditures Related to Capital (a) School
Divisions.
Mr. Lamoureux: I wonder if the Minister of Education can
tell me if they are doing an assessment of overpopulation in other areas of the
province?
Mr. Manness: Most definitely, yes. We are assessing all areas of the province.
Mr. Lamoureux: Can the Minister of Education give us some
sort of indication of whether or not there is a need for an additional junior
high or high school out in the northwestern corner of the city where over the
last few years we have seen a number of elementary schools built? Does he foresee that there is going to be a
need for a high school or junior high?
Mr. Manness: We are well aware that there have been a
large number of elementary schools built in the northwest quadrant of the city,
and obviously where there are many elementary schools built there is going to
have to be a place for these students to attend. So we are well aware of the numbers that are
building at a secondary stage within that district of the city.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: 7. Expenditures Related to Capital (a) School
Divisions $24,501,600‑‑pass; 7.(b) Universities $10,566,500‑‑pass;
7.(c) Community Colleges, $2,120,600‑‑pass.
Resolution 16.7: RESOLVED that there be granted to Her
Majesty a sum not exceeding $37,188,700 for Education and Training for the
fiscal year ending the 31st day of March, 1995‑‑pass.
The last item to be considered for the Estimates of the
Department of Education is item 1.(a)(1), the Minister's Salary. At this point we request that the minister's
staff leave the table for the consideration of this item.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: The last item to be considered for the
Estimates of the Department of Education is item 16.1 1.(a) the Minister's
Salary. At this point we request that
the minister's staff leave the table for the consideration of this item.
16.1 1.(a) Minister's Salary $20,600. Shall the item pass?
Mr. Lamoureux: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I would like to get a
couple of things on the record before we pass this particular line.
First of all, I would like to pursue the blueprint that the
minister has talked about, get some sort of indication when we will, in fact,
be receiving that. He has indicated in
the past that it should be sometime very soon.
He has implied in the past that it will be in the month of June.
I would like to get some sort of a confirmation in terms of
when this minister, how things are going, even over the last week and a half
since we have been in Education, when we started to talk about Education
Reform. The minister has been very, very
strong in implying that we will be receiving it in the month of June. I am wondering if he can give the committee
an assurance that nothing is out there that is going to be preventing that
report from being tabled this month.
Mr. Manness: The target is mine. Again, I want to review the process; the
target is mine. I am trying to make
public a document by the end of June. If
it is available the end of June, I would be overjoyed.
Though that is my target, there is no way I would indicate
that it will be blessed by all of the partners within Education. Therefore, accordingly, there is a fair
amount of work yet to do.
I will be meeting with the partners again tomorrow morning
going over another two issues that are very important to that whole
process. I say it will require yet
another four or five meetings with those whom I have been meeting with on a
constant basis over the course of the last several months. Then it will take a little bit of writing, so
we have an awful lot of work to do to meet that target.
Mr. Lamoureux: I believe that there is a significant level
of expectation that that report would be coming down sometime in the month of
June. The Minister of Education himself
is the one that has been going out and has made numerous comments to that
effect.
I think that there will be a considerable amount of
disappointment if, in fact, the minister chooses to wait until after June, and
that is what I believe. That is what I
sincerely believe will be the case, that if it is unable to come down, that the
minister has chosen to wait.
The other report that the minister has made reference to is
the one dealing with ACCESS, and again I would ask the same question of the
Minister of Education. Will he be
tabling that report in June?
Mr. Manness: I fully expect to be tabling that report in
June, but the member uses his words incorrectly when he says I may choose not
to have the other one ready. I am doing
everything I can. Indeed, other partners
would tell the member this, to try and have it ready. So the member may speculate that I am trying
to withhold the reform blueprint, but nothing could be further from the
truth. I want it out more so than any
member of the Liberal Party.
Mr. Lamoureux: I am not entirely convinced that that is, in
fact, the case. I had the opportunity to
get a copy of Hansard. The one afternoon
or evening, whenever it was when we had moved a motion that Education be
deferred until after ACCESS, and the member for Thompson (Mr. Ashton)
remembers. We all remember that one.
I guess I was somewhat disappointed in terms of how it
turned out. I still believe that had
Education been able to be postponed until after the ACCESS report was tabled
that, in fact, we could have asked a number of additional questions and had a
better level of debate on that particular issue.
I would also argue that there would likely have been a
better opportunity to talk about Education Reform. I believe even in the minister's opening
remarks that he made reference to to that.
I did want to stress that this being the first time that I
have gone through the Education Estimates that I myself have learned something
from it and do very much appreciate the opportunity to be able to sit and
listen in on Education and ask questions.
Hopefully, next year, whatever end of the table it might be at, one will
be able to continue the discussions on Education, and that is not necessarily
to say that we would even be in the room, anyone would necessarily be in the
room.
* (2210)
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I have enjoyed the Education
Estimates and would thank you for patience.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Shall the item pass?
Mr. Plohman: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, just briefly, we have
said most of the things that we want to say to the minister and asked him the
questions that we wanted to ask within the time that we had.
My colleagues and I have raised concerns about inequitable
funding for the public school system. We
feel the minister has been unfair in his treatment of divisions like Transcona‑Springfield,
Lord Selkirk School Division, Mystery Lake School Division in Thompson,
certainly Evergreen School Division, that have been hard hit as a result of the
minister's and the government's unilaterally imposed decisions to cap school
divisions, and at the same cutting the funding to those school divisions in a
very significant way over the last two years.
Some of them caught in this web as a result of two
consecutive cuts are operating at pre‑1990 funding levels insofar as the
public school is concerned, while other schools have received continuous
increases from the minister, even during this period at higher than
inflation. It is an inequitable funding
mechanism, as it has manifested itself over the last couple of years as a
result of the minister's artificially imposed caps and funding cuts.
Therefore, it has been unfair for many, and we have raised
this with the minister, not in terms of the dollars necessarily, but certainly,
and we do question the minister's and the government's priorities with regard
to public schools in this province in terms of priorities with regard to all
other expenditures in government, but we do question even more seriously its
commitment to fairness amongst divisions across this province.
We do not want the minister either to impose a privatized
version of the public school system. We
are waiting for the reports, the blueprint that the minister talks about on the
public school system. He has created a
great of deal of expectation about what is in it. I am sure he will not disappoint people when
he finally brings it forward. He has a
great deal of pressure on him to bring forward a balanced document, and I hope
that he will not forget his responsibilities to all who are impacted by the
public education system, least of all the children.
We do not want him to put in place in the public school
system a privatized version, as I said, that would see corporations taking
charge, as the Fraser Institute would have, or a voucher system. We would see schools competing against each
other for students in a way that would be harmful and destructive. We hope that the minister will have thrown
out those kinds of Conservative versions of reform to the public school system,
and the business influence in that way ensures that the public school system is
there for all of the students in the province, for everyone throughout the
province.
We are deeply concerned about the minister's directions in
the kinds of things that he is liable to adopt.
We hope that his talks with various partners in education and some of
the advice he received at this table will assist him in ensuring that he tries
to reflect the views of all Manitobans in a balanced way when he brings that
forward. That is what we are calling on
the minister to do. We hope that we will
see that document so that there is some direction, that the people of Manitoba
will have an idea where this government intends to go, so that they can judge
that document when they have an opportunity to do so in the next election.
I guess it is too much to expect that the minister will, in
any way, try to redress the inequities that have taken place that we have seen
in the public school system as a result of his decisions as Minister of Finance
and then again as Minister of Education.
If he does have an opportunity to bring down or to announce one
additional year of funding levels for the public school system in this province,
we hope that it will reflect some degree of equity that was not present over
the last two years.
Surely the minister does not want to go further in the
direction he has gone over the last couple of years in terms of the harm that
it has thrust upon the public school system in this province, especially in
some school divisions where they have seen his cuts two years in a row.
We ask the minister to provide equitable and positive
support to the public school system in the years ahead, if he has that opportunity. We hope he does not have that
opportunity. Of course, as the member
for Inkster (Mr. Lamoureux) said, he will be perhaps not talking to this
minister next time that he has the opportunity to sit in Estimates, and we hope
that, of course, the New Democrats will have an opportunity to once again
influence education in a positive way after the next election and to undo some
of the mess created by these Conservatives.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson, we are not going to move to reduce
the Minister's Salary to 50 cents or a dollar or perhaps some other modest
figure. We think the minister should
have voluntarily taken that cut to make a contribution from his ministerial
salary to show that he, in fact, is willing to make a sacrifice to assist the
school system in this province as a result of his cuts. Since he has not done that, we will leave
that with his conscience.
Ms. Friesen: I would just like to take a few minutes to
sum up some of the issues we have dealt with in post‑secondary education
and to remind the minister of some of the principles that have indeed divided
us and continue to divide us. The first
of these, I think, is what seems to be a general drift in the post‑secondary
area. The government, for the first
three years of its incumbency, talked of having a university review. Eventually, two years after they had
announced it, they appointed a particular type of university review committee
which gave them a market‑driven type of analysis of post‑secondary
education and one which, in particular, dealt with the language of competition,
the language of the market and seems, in my view, to have lost track of the
language of learning and of scholarship.
I found nothing in the minister's answers, although I gave
him a number of opportunities to do so, which would give me some comfort that
there is a sense of the international and research role of universities.
The general drift, I think, continues in other areas. The absence after six years now of a labour
force development strategy I think is very significant. It is one I have raised with every Minister
of Education, and we have seen a number in the course of this government's
incumbency. The labour force development
strategy was something which even the Tory federal government had made some
movements towards, although Manitoba had been one of the least enthusiastic
about such a move, in spite of the fact its own STAC report, as it calls it,
the Mauro report, I think, as it could also be called, had recommended a labour
force development strategy for Manitoba.
After six years, we do not have one, and we now have a minister who
claims that this is all part of the grand design, and now it is inappropriate
to bring forward a labour force development strategy because, of course, the
federal government might have some ideas of its own.
Stemming from that labour force development strategy in the
STAC report were the plans for community planning committees, which were a
sensible step, at least in theory, but it is not something which this
government is able to take any advantage of, because it has not got the basic
strategies in place that would enable that to have some use.
* (2220)
In the area of adult basic education, I gave the minister a
number of opportunities on two different lines to talk about any plans that the
government might have for the future direction of adult basic education. I meant this in the context of where adults
learn best, what the role of the community should be in this, what the role of
our public institutions should be, and again, in spite of having promised over
a number of years to have a policy in place on adult basic education, the
minister seems singularly unable or unwilling to put anything on the record at
this stage of his ministry on a policy of adult basic education. Again, referring to possible plans that the
new federal government might possibly have for adult basic education and,
hence, not the appropriate time to come forward with those kinds of promised
plans.
In the area of ACCESS, we had anticipated a report, indeed
asked for it formally by a process of access to freedom of information. The absence of that report on ACCESS I think
has dogged our path throughout these Estimates.
It would have been useful for the minister to have shared that
information with us and, I think, probably to his benefit and to the benefit of
the process of Estimates generally. So,
again, another area where there might have been some idea of the general
approach of the government, but no evidence forthcoming in this area.
I think finally the research policies that I asked the
minister to discuss to give some idea of where the government believes that
research should be going and how it intends those links to be made across the
industrial strategies of the government and the research policies of
universities and community colleges, indeed, and of private industry, and yet
the minister seemed extremely reluctant to put any general policies or plans
for those linkages to be made on the record at this time, in spite of the fact
that the Roblin commission had commissioned a particular report on that and one
might have anticipated that the government had been thinking of some research
policies and connections and articulations resulting from that.
So that general drift, I think, was quite evident and the
reluctance to indicate any kind of planning, indeed, a mockery of the term on
the part of this minister, which certainly surprised me.
Two or three other areas I think divided us throughout the
Estimates. One, of course, was ACCESS
education, and we have fundamentally opposed the cuts that the minister has
made. We have opposed them because the
minister has not supplied us with the information that he had at his disposal,
first of all, and secondly, because I think the way in which the cuts have been
imposed have and will, if the minister remains committed to that policy,
brought inequities into the program and will create hardships and, indeed, the
elimination of some students from that program.
It is something I tried to explain to the minister over and
over again, sometimes in the words of the students, sometimes in my own words,
trying to indicate to him that what he had done, and a previous minister had
done, had in fact made the federal government the gatekeepers of a distinctive
provincial program, that the legislation or the requirements now for coming
into ACCESS, if you are not band funded, are those of the federal program.
That does not lead to the kind of ACCESS program that we
had in Manitoba. It was a program that
was both nationally and internationally known.
It was one that filled a very important need in the educational future
of Manitoba and one I think which most Manitobans were very proud of.
We believe that that need still exists and we believe that
there is a need for a Manitoba program to continue in that area. We reject I think the argument of the
minister that all Manitobans are equal in this.
They are clearly not. The ACCESS
programs I think have shown, however, that it is possible to redistribute some
of that equality and some of that access to the post‑secondary education,
which increasingly is vital to both the aboriginal community and to individuals
in the kind of global economy that has being created in the recent past.
A third area that we differed over, of course, was
Workforce 2000, and in spite of the minister's attempts to suggest that our
party is opposed to work‑based education, that is not the case. Our opposition has been based upon two areas,
and that is the accountability of this particular program. I have emphasized over and over again through
questioning on individual cases, through receiving answers from the minister,
such as he is only prepared to give me 10 answers per week at the rate of which
over five years we might have an indication of what this Workforce 2000 program
has indeed done over the past three years.
We have asked for the annual report that the Auditor has
also asked for, and if that annual report had been available we might have in
fact accepted some level of accountability on the part of the government for
Workforce 2000.
So the issue of accountability, particularly in curriculum,
in teaching levels and in access to those public education dollars, which in
fact have been transferred to the employer and to the workplace, are things
that we still hold very important and very dear and, I think, would still
continue to ask the minister for that kind of accountability.
In the colleges, as the minister has admitted, they were by
design, I think he said: By design the
colleges were shrunk, the colleges were reduced, the programs were reduced by
design of this government. That is not
something that other Ministers of Education have admitted. They tended to surround their decision and
their reductions with all sorts of flowery language of commitment and function
and governance and independence, but this minister is very clear that by design
those colleges were reduced some years ago, and of course they were.
The 3.3 percent increase that has been applied to colleges
in this year of course must be seen in that context. What we have, in fact, and what Roblin
responded to very clearly, was a somewhat smaller college sector than in fact
we had three to four years ago. He
indicated that we move to a doubling of college places, that is, from the 900
college graduates in the two‑year diploma programs, that is from 950 this
year to 1,800, and I think he put on it a goal of five years. I did not get the sense from this minister
that that was his particular agenda.
What we are into I think in community colleges, as we are
in Workforce 2000, is short‑term planning. Again, that is an area that gives me some
concern. Yes, there are short‑term
courses which are needed; yes, there are work‑based courses which are
needed; yes, there is a greater flexibility in some areas of education which is
needed, but government itself must be responsible for the longer‑term
planning in education and for education dollars.
It must be aware that education has to respond to the
needs, not just of the employed, but of the unemployed. As the unemployed numbers grow in Manitoba,
as youth unemployment especially grows, the government must respond to those
long‑term plans for those particular sections. Neither Workforce 2000 nor the market‑driven
programs of the colleges respond to that very precise need and, indeed, I would
say tragic situation in parts of our community.
So, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, with that I will finish. I think the areas that divide us are
clear. I would like to thank the
minister for a relatively civil process of Estimates, and particularly to thank
the minister‑‑[interjection] Relatively civil, yes, it was
relatively civil. I would like to thank
the minister's staff for their attention and the long hours that they have also
put in. Thank you.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Shall the item pass? The item is accordingly passed.
Resolution 16.1:
RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding
$3,522,400 for Education and Training, Administration and Finance, for the
fiscal year ending the 31st day of March, 1995.
This completes the Department of Education and
Training. As previously agreed by the
House, upon completion of the Department of Education and Training, this
section of the Committee of Supply would continue with the Estimates of
Agriculture, which the committee started last week.
Is the committee ready to start the Estimates of the
Department of Agriculture, or shall we briefly recess to allow the changeover
of staff and critics? Did you want a
recess, or do you want to go right into it?
Right into it, okay. When the
committee last was considering the Department of Agriculture, it was on item
2.(a), page 15.
(Mr. Gerry McAlpine,
Acting Deputy Chairperson, in the Chair)
AGRICULTURE
The Acting Deputy
Chairperson (Mr. McAlpine): Will the committee
please come to order.
When the Committee of Supply last was considering the
Department of Agriculture, it was on item 2.(a).
Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan
River): Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, when we were
last in the Estimates we were talking about the Manitoba Crop Insurance, and
the minister had indicated that of the recommendations that were made to the
Crop Insurance Review, a large percentage, I believe he said about 65 percent
of the recommendations that were made in the Crop Insurance Review were
implemented.
I wonder if the minister could table for us which of the
recommendations have been implemented. I
do not expect him to read all of them into the record, but if he could provide
that for us, not necessarily today, we would appreciate it.
* (2230)
Hon. Harry Enns
(Minister of Agriculture): Firstly, we are
joined by another senior official from the Crop Insurance Corporation. Mr. Henry Dribnenky, Director of Finance and
Administration, joins us today.
I am advised by the manager of the Crop Insurance, Mr.
Brian Manning, that we would be more than prepared to submit a full list of
those specific recommendations that have been implemented. I think there are some that fall in the
category of being in the process of implementation, as well as those that are
still being considered for further review and have not been acted upon.
But when next this committee meets, we would undertake to
provide that list for the honourable member.
Ms. Wowchuk: One of the areas under the Crop Insurance
that was causing some concern, and I wonder whether that has been addressed, is
the policy of families splitting crops.
I think in particular of a case in southern Manitoba where one spouse
was not allowed to get crop insurance, and I have lost her name for the moment,
but I wonder what has been done in that area, if there has been any changes
made or what regulations are in place to allow couples who consider themselves
independent operations to take out crop insurance.
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, I am advised that
following some intensive research involving quite a full and complete
questionnaire that provides areas very germane to the question such as
ownership of land, machinery, storage, management, finance and marketing‑‑these
questions have been developed, in consultation, I might add, with the Human
Rights Commission. We are the only
province, Manitoba, who has done that.
The committee reviews the applications using a rating system that weighs
the scores based on established criteria and since '91 we have, in fact, on a
number of occasions provided separated crop insurance coverages.
We are advised that Saskatchewan and Alberta are looking at
our model in this context as to the eligibility question for the kind of
circumstances the member refers to.
Ms. Wowchuk: In that same review, was that same criteria
used when you were looking at claims or policies for a father‑son
operation or for a father‑daughter operation? Do they have to follow the same criteria, and
in that criteria, has it resulted in many claims that have been cancelled,
where people have had to take joint policies?
Mr. Enns: I am advised that there have been a number of
amalgamations taking place, 720, for instance in '91; 60 in '92; 67 in '93; 15
in '94. There have been a total of 862
amalgamated over the past four years.
The '94 applications, that is the coming crop year, have not been
reviewed at this point in time yet.
Ms. Wowchuk: On that I wonder, does this make it by
combining the insurances‑‑and I think more about when a young
farmer is getting started and trying to establish his own operation and he has
to take his crop insurance together with his father, for example, because they
are using the same equipment and same operations. Does this make it more difficult for him or her
to establish themselves as an independent farmer, or does this have any
implications on their loans by being forced to take a joint insurance policy?
Mr. Enns: I think the honourable member would be
generally aware that in essence the data and the basis on which premiums are
based are essentially land based, of course, in terms of crop types and the
experience that the corporation has and the operators of that farmland, the
father in this case, have had over the past number of years. The division of that, the son of that would
be the recipient of that good experience or, indeed, that bad experience.
In other words, I think the corporation is essentially in
the insurance business. It attempts, on
the basis of the regulations and accumulated data collected on those types of
crop districts, to essentially provide a supportable actuarially correct
premium.
What we in Manitoba have done, I believe, and I indicate
again, in advance quite frankly of other jurisdictions, notably Saskatchewan
and Alberta to whom we are most often and frequently compared, we have taken a
lead in acknowledging the generational changes and/or indeed the different
separations, arrangements that a farmer may have with a spouse or the different
responsibilities that the combined farm family shares and how they wish to
manage or order their affairs with respect to their relationship to the Crop
Insurance Corporation.
Ms. Wowchuk: The minister indicated that there were a high
number of policies that were amalgamated, and he mentioned the Human Rights
Commission. I know of one case, in
particular, that has gone to the Human Rights Commission to challenge this.
Have there been others who have challenged? I guess I refer to the one whose name, as I
indicated earlier, slips me, but that went to the Human Rights Commission and
whether that has been settled or whether that is still in court?
Mr. Enns: Staff of the corporation advise me that there
is indeed one case still pending; in other words, has not been resolved. It is currently before the courts, but all
other claims have been resolved.
* (2240)
Ms. Wowchuk: On the occasion when policies are being
amalgamated and the people involved do not agree with the process, what is the
appeal process for them?
Mr. Enns: Any individual has the right to appeal. In all cases, the producers may request a
review of the committee's decision by the MCIC board of directors.
Even from my brief experience, since coming back to the
ministry, I am aware that the board deals fairly regularly with a significant
range of appeals, not just on this matter, but there can be appeals simply on
the adjudication of a particular claim, and every producer has the opportunity
and my experience is avails themselves of that opportunity on a fairly regular
basis to appeal directly to the board of directors, who then formally have an
opportunity of reviewing the corporation's decisions with respect to the individual
producers.
I suspect that in the majority of instances, the actions of
the corporation's personnel in dealing with the claim are upheld, but I am also
aware that there have been occasions where the board of directors in their
wisdom, upon further review of the specifics of an individual case, have, in
fact, amended or changed the original decisions made by the corporation.
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, I want to go
on to the Gross Revenue Insurance program and talk about a few issues that have
been brought to my attention by farmers.
One of the issues that seems to be a concern for farmers is
when the premiums are due but farmers know that they have a payment coming‑‑and
I am sure they have raised this with the corporation many times‑‑some
of them feel they should not have to pay their premium, even though there is a
premium owing, if there is money coming to them, say, from the previous year‑‑a
payment is in progress of coming to them.
Is there any way that this can be worked out to simplify
things for farmers to help them with their cash flow, because there are times
when that has happened, when there is a payment coming to the farmers and also
premiums due?
Mr. Enns: Just to make sure I understand your question
fully, you are suggesting that the premium due would be deducted at source, if
you like, from the benefits accruing to that particular account.
Ms. Wowchuk: That is the suggestion that has been made by
farmers, yes.
Mr. Enns: I am advised that we are bound by regulations
that bind us to this federal‑provincial program to charge an interest
charge when the due date is not met. I
am further advised that we can and do deduct that payment, but the interest is
charged. I think that is probably the
point of aggravation on the part of some of the farmers that the honourable
member for Swan River is in contact with.
I am further advised that we have more flexibility under
our regular crop insurance program, where we have a greater control of the
mechanics of how we can adjust our payments or collect our premiums and in fact
do not follow that same policy with the regular crop insurance program.
I would ask members of the staff to take the member's
question. These are possible refinements
that could be taken up with the federal authorities. The way the agreement now stands, we are
required by law or by the contractual arrangement that we have entered into
with the federal government to demand payment on the premium deadline date,
which is October 31.
We are in the process, as the member will appreciate, in
ongoing discussions with GRIP officials.
There is the national GRIP committee meeting in Ottawa to perhaps extend
that premium deadline date to December 31, which would be a help in the sense
that this would obviate the problem in the sense that by that time we have our
interim or our first payment in the hands of the producer, and that situation
would not arise. That is the position
that is being strongly supported by Manitoba in this meeting that I refer to
that is taking place next week in Ottawa.
So I accept the member's comments as being an improvement on the current
system, and we are striving to bring that about.
I think simply the change of the deadline date would be
helpful in the particular matter that she raises, from October 31, particularly
as our experience has been in the last few harvests. The honourable member would appreciate that
Crop Insurance cannot really begin to work on its adjustments and payment
procedures until the final data on the crop is in. An October 31 deadline leaves the
administrators of the GRIP program and indeed our own crop insurance program
not all that much time. Extending the
deadline date to December 31, the end of the year, would be helpful to the
administrators of the programs, and I think would probably obviate‑‑would
address the particular issue that the member raises.
* (2250)
Ms. Wowchuk: Indeed, that probably would be very helpful
because, as the minister indicated, October 31 is early for the corporation
with their bookwork. It is also early
for farmers at many times, particularly in difficult years. Lots of times they are too busy harvesting,
and they have not had a chance to move any of that crop. So I think an extension to December 31 would
be very helpful.
Another suggestion might be, since you are going to these
meetings and taking different suggestions forward, has any consideration been
given to having the premiums deducted at the point of sale, rather than having
the farmers‑‑so that when the crop is sold a deduction is made
right at the elevator? Has any
consideration been given to that? What are
the minister's thoughts on that, having the payment come in through that angle?
Mr. Enns: The answer is no. I will wait for some further advice from
staff, but I think the member should appreciate that it is not appropriate to
assume that all the grain is delivered to a central agency like the elevator
system; if it were the case, that possibly could be considered. Significant amounts of grain, of course, are
moved farmer to farmer and other private arrangements, particularly in the kind
of years like we have just had, where we have had all too much of a lower
quality feed grains harvested as a result of the cropping conditions that
really put the test of ingenuity to many of our producers to find markets
wherever they could find them. This kind
of multiplicity of places where grain was moved would make it difficult to, by
regulation, in effect put a checkoff mechanism into place, if you like, that
would accommodate the member's request.
Ms. Wowchuk: That is a fair comment, I think. If it could work, if there was a way to
handle it, it would probably be easier for the producers when they sold their
grain if a certain percentage was taken off, deducted in a checkoff way. I can appreciate, as the minister has indicated,
the last couple of years a lot of grain has been channelled through different
avenues.
Continuing on with the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan, when
the program was implemented, it was a new program and probably lots of
difficulty‑‑and I understand that there was a lot of auditing done.
I believe that has been refined. Can we have some information as to the number
of audits that were done? I guess I am
looking at whether there were a lot of discrepancies in the figures that had to
be followed up on and just a general overview of how the corporation feels the
audits went. Were there a lot of errors
in the first round, and as we progressed through the other years, have we seen
an improvement and less need for the number of audits? Also, how were the people chosen to be
audited? One of the questions that comes
up is‑‑and I think of a particular farmer who had been audited
several times. So just a general
overview of how the audits are conducted and what the results have been.
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, the audit
samples are chosen randomly. I am aware
that system in itself is being reviewed, because it is possible under random
choice of the same names coming up year after year. In fact, that has happened on some
occasions. Understandably, that has
caused some concern by the producer who is in every way complying with the
regulations and the audit does not really raise any alarm bells within the
corporation that that particular farm should be audited two or three or four
times in a row, but that is possible when you have a random selection. The corporation has reviewed that process.
To answer the member's question, it is random. It is also of note that the 1991 audit report
shows that the average yield for all clients in the random sample was only 0.84
percent lower on the audit as compared to the declared yields. So even the audits show a discrepancy of less
than 1 percent.
I appreciate the member for Swan River's extensive
agricultural background, and I say that sincerely. She will, as I find it, quite frankly, somewhat
amazing that when farmers and producers are stating their yields as they have
to in the number of forms that they fill out and then when the auditors come
back and check at random‑‑and we do quite a few. For instance, in the '91 crop year, we had a
total number of 2,015 audits. In the
year '92, it was down somewhat, 1,305.
In the '93 year, we had a total of 568 audits. So there is a fairly tight audit control on
the producer, that the information should be as tightly reported‑‑if
I can put it in that term‑‑as our audits are proving it to be. That tells me that, by the far and large
majority, producers fill in those forms with integrity, and our audits are
pointing out that is the case.
The honourable member is aware that does not absolve the few
rotten apples that exist in every barrel, and we pursue those instances. There have been instances where the
corporation has had to proceed with litigation to address serious cases of
deliberately falsifying records. That,
of course, ends up with the situation of criminal fraud being entered into by
those producers, and they are dealt with.
Ms. Wowchuk: I want to say that I am quite amazed at how
accurate those numbers are. I guess
that, when you think about it, lots of times people do not give farmers the
credit they are due in their ability to manage their affairs. I am pleased to see that it is such an
accurate reporting on their part.
When there are cases of fraud, does the corporation have
the ability to cancel a claim, and has that happened? Have you had to cancel any policies?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, just to
provide the committee with summary information with regard to this activity,
for instance, for the years '90‑94 we have had some 85
investigations. Of those 85, eight were
forwarded to the RCMP for criminal investigation. Of those eight, four criminal court fraud
charges were laid. There are outstanding
at this time some 16 investigations still currently being investigated.
* (2300)
That information again indicates that, although we treat
every instance seriously, but over the 12,000 to 13,000 contract holders, we
have had reason to investigate 85‑‑and that is in a four‑year
period‑‑and have turned up only eight in that same four‑year
period that we have reason to forward to the RCMP for criminal
investigation. Out of those eight, four
were charged.
Again, not to make light of any fraudulent claims, but I
take this opportunity, and I think members of the committee will join with me,
by and large, in acknowledging and commending the Manitoba producers and
farmers for dealing forthrightly and honestly with the corporation. While they, of course, pay a significant
premium for this coverage, they are also accepting, when claimants are paid
out, considerable support from both federal and provincial governments, a share
of the public support for this insurance program.
Ms. Wowchuk: I thank the minister for those numbers. I, too, am pleased to hear that the cheaters,
so to speak, are so low and that farmers‑‑[interjection] I have no
doubt that farmers are good people and there would not be very many of them
that would try to defraud the system.
Again, getting back to local issues, in the last year we
had a lot of flood damage, water damage where farmers were not able to take off
the crop. It is my understanding that
because of this flood damage their average was reduced, and they now have a
reduction in their coverage for this year.
Because of that, through no fault of their own because they were not
able to take off the crop or the crop was ruined by the heavy rains, they are
being punished and their premiums are going up, but their coverage has been
reduced and the program is becoming less attractive to them. Is this a general feeling in many parts of
the province where the average coverage is going down because of situations
such as we experienced with the heavy rains last year?
Mr. Enns: Basically, Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson,
that is why the entire agricultural region of the province is divided into the
different cropping districts, each reflecting the experience of the past 15‑20
years, which are all tallied up to put actuarial integrity into the premium
charged.
I am advised that there are special circumstances that the
corporation does take into consideration.
For instance, as we had in the last crop year, particularly in certain
areas where we had a lot of contaminated or tainted wheat with fusarium or
tombstone, the fact that the farmer took off a lot of contaminated grain but
maybe still took off a yield of 40 bushels of wheat, for instance, would not
reduce his long‑term average.
There are other factors that we try to cushion the drop in the coverage
when specific problem areas arise. In
the main, I know the area that the honourable member refers to. It is a condition of the cropping district
that has to be reflected in the premiums charged or in the coverage provided.
Ms. Wowchuk: As we look at GRIP, we know that the premiums
are going up and the coverage is going down because of the sliding average, but
input costs for farmers continue to go up.
I think the minister said the other day that there was some decrease in
farm input costs, but they still remain quite high. I can see that within a year the farmers are
going to be saying, well, I am paying into this, but the coverage is going down
because of the sliding average.
Where does the minister see this going? Do you think farmers are going to become very
frustrated and find that the program is not valuable because the coverages are
going down and the premiums are going up?
How does the minister look at addressing this?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, I gave that
appealing glance to my staff, but they are not coming forward with any help‑‑oh,
I spoke too soon.
The honourable member is correct. The member has to go back to the initial start
of the GRIP program, which was an income insurance program brought in right at
the height of the kind of crisis facing the cereal industry with the very
serious collapse of grain prices. The
projected incomes to be generated by the program were established through a
great deal of consultation with various agricultural organizations. This work, of course, was done by my
predecessor, Mr. Findlay. We targeted
prices‑‑I think wheat at $4.15 or something in that area‑‑and
charged the premium rates. Our best
guesstimate‑‑we had no experience; we had no last year's crop to
have to impose onto the premium structure in trying to recover a very
substantial payout.
The member is right.
The premium rates are going up somewhat between 12 percent and 15
percent perhaps this year on most crop varieties, and the payout is coming
down. It is a concern to us that
producer reaction to this situation is perhaps predictable. It should be pointed out that it was well
known and certainly stressed by staff at the time their program was introduced
that the level of support would decline over time. The program was designed to provide support
while not unduly masking long‑term market signals. It was a response by both Canada and the
provinces to try to overcome that particular difficult period that cereal grain
producers faced, I suppose, starting in '88 when there was an ad hoc program
put in place, and that allowed governments together, both federal and
provincial, to develop the GRIP program that we are currently in.
I think that is going to be the challenge, quite frankly,
for all of us in Agriculture, and certainly the national committee on safety
net programs, this is occupying a great deal of their time, and we will be
seeing some of the first hard fruits of their labour, I expect, at the
agricultural ministers' conference that will commence in the first week of
July.
The challenge will be to provide an acceptable level of
support that hopefully will induce reasonable and acceptable levels of
participation to be exactly what we tend to call them, safety net
programs. They are not meant to be
guaranteed commodity prices, particularly if they are not in sync with what in
fact the market forces dictate.
Ms. Wowchuk: The minister talked about the time when GRIP
was designed. Along with GRIP, there was
another program called the Third Line of Defence. I wonder, as we see declining incomes, when
does that program kick in? When can we
call on the government to implement the Third Line of Defence?
* (2310)
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, we will
consider ourselves fortunate if we can, together with Minister Goodale, federal
government, design, to use his terminology, a whole farm program that will
provide our producers of all agricultural crops, including red meats and
horticultural, an expansion from the traditional cereal grain crops, a program
of support, a basic program of support that is acceptable. That program the province is committed to,
with the help of the producer, with a premium structure of some kind, along
with the help of the current levels of support from Agriculture Canada, to
provide that program.
Provinces generally and, I think, totally have taken the
position, and Manitoba is certainly no exception, that when the member speaks
of third line or additional companion programs, that those are, in our
judgment, totally the federal government's responsibility.
We have, over the last several years, five or six years,
from our perspective, taken on increasing amounts of what used to be
Agriculture Canada's responsibility, whether it is in the costs of running our
main crop insurance program. Programs
like GRIP have a significant provincial input. I am aware, for instance, that a lot of the
pressure that Saskatchewan is putting on the federal government is to hunker
back a little bit and try to restore what originally was Ag Canada's primary
role in this business of providing a national support program for agriculture.
So our position on third line or additional companion
programs to the programs now in existence, we view it as primarily the federal
government's responsibility.
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, I do not
disagree with the minister. I think that
the federal government has passed off an awful lot of responsibilities onto the
provincial government that originally belonged to Ag Canada, and it would
certainly be a benefit to the Department of Agriculture and probably leave more
flexibility to the department if the federal government would take those
responsibilities back.
On the Third Line of Defence, I have often wondered when
this Third Line of Defence could kick in.
I am just asking for clarification now on how it would happen. The minister says they would be federal funds
if they were to come. We have the
program there, and certainly the people in the farming community since GRIP has
been put in place have faced times where they have had certain difficulties,
but we have never called on the Third Line of Defence to be implemented.
I guess my question is:
What would the minister see as a time or a situation which would result
in calling on the federal government to implement the Third Line of Defence?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, just for the
member's information, recognizing the kind of deficit situation that we are
getting ourselves into in the '93 crop year with the GRIP program alone, we
back in January requested the federal government to assist us in the coverage
of that deficit, particularly being cognizant of what was happening in the
neighbouring province of Saskatchewan where they have a very significant
shortfall and difficulty in their overall crop insurance program, a deficit
ranging in the order of some $600 million.
So we felt that we had some legitimacy in asking for some support in
that instance, but were refused.
On a more general scale, I suppose I have a bit of a
problem. Some of the calls for Third
Line of Defence, particularly in a year where there are serious problems, come
from those producers who choose not to participate in the first‑ and
second‑line defences. We have
participation rates of 50, 60, 65, 70 percent in different crop districts and
the same, although generally somewhat higher, in the GRIP programs, upwards of
70 and 75 and 76 percent. Nonetheless,
very often the calls for urgent ad hoc programs come from that group of
producers who have chosen to gamble and not take advantage of the programs in
place.
I tend to take a bit of a hard line on that situation. I would like to do more, and I constantly
challenge the staff of the corporation to revisit their programs, redouble
their efforts to maintain the highest possible level of participation in the
programs. It seems to me that really is
the best advice that we can give producers to provide them with some base
insurance for their operations. I would
like to think, and I am certainly one minister that will provide all the
support I can to Minister Goodale in the development of‑‑I think,
collectively if we can use the federal treasury and the provincial treasuries,
buffeted by budget restrictions as we are, to come up with a sound program and
then do our best to get the highest possible enrollment in it.
One of the problems, if we are always talking about a third
line of defence, maybe we should put a bit more effort into making the first
line of defence an acceptable program and get, hopefully, next to 90 percent,
95 percent participation rate in it. Then
we as legislators, whether it is at the federal or provincial level, have some
satisfaction of knowing that we have provided a stability, an insurance factor
into the vagaries of agriculture. We
should encourage our producers to take advantage of it.
You see, it is that, if you hold out the option always
there, when you really have a tough year, the federal government, provincial
government will come in with an ad hoc program that detracts from the producers
seriously looking at what should be their first line of defence.
Ms. Wowchuk: The minister referred again to the committee
that is looking at designing a new program.
When I listened to that, it appears very much that the direction of the
new program is going along the lines of the NISA program, where there is,
similar to the NISA program, the direction that we are looking at. Is that accurate? Is that the direction that the province and
the group that is designing the program are looking at?
Mr. Enns: Yes, I think the member correctly makes that
assumption. There are variations of it,
and that, I think, is what is providing some of the challenges to the
committee. One of the variations is in
the name in itself, which is VASA, value added to the means of what particular
income you are basing your premiums on and returns on. I tend, personally, to support an enhanced
NISA program as being the main component of a whole farm program. I view that as, in essence, an opportunity
for the farming producers to engage in an RSP program, if you like, to some
extent, with some sweetened, enhanced, as we say, considerably both federal and
provincial contributions.
* (2320)
One of the problems in that program, particularly for start‑up
farmers or producers who are coming into it for the first year, like our hog
producers or our cattle producers, is that the program becomes more attractive
if you have several years of premium buildup, both the individual producer's
premiums and the contributions by both the federal and provincial governments. The current premium contribution of the NISA
program is 1‑1‑2. The
producer puts in 2 percent, and both governments, federal and provincial, put
in 1 percent, match it. That account,
understandably, can grow pretty quickly.
I am not expert in these matters, but it seems to me that what it builds
into the program is a considerable amount of self‑discipline.
One of the problems about all of our programs, and we all
have heard stories about that, when governments try to respond to a farm
failure, a bad situation in a given region, everybody gets to be treated the
same, but every producer is never the same.
Even within a region, producers who have suffered little or no loss tend
to get the same in the previous kind of ad hoc programs as the producer who
suffered a total loss. That really is
not the best targeting of support dollars to the industry.
The NISA program builds up these individual accounts. A producer looks at his situation in any
given year, makes that personal decision as to the drawdown on the account, but
it is a pretty powerful incentive as that account keeps growing and is being
added to every year by the federal and provincial government, as well. Within a relatively few short years, some
very attractive savings accounts are built up, accounts that can help that
producer over a difficult year, over a difficult set of circumstances.
Ms. Wowchuk: It is true that accounts can be built up, but
from what I understand, and I think I mentioned this the other day, and I think
the minister said I was probably wrong on it, I find that there are many
farmers who just cannot afford to leave that money in that account and tend to
draw it out.
There are some who are building up larger accounts, and in
most cases that tends to be the farmers who are well established, who can
afford to leave it there. Those farmers
who are smaller operations or perhaps beginning farmers just cannot afford to
leave the money in. We tend to see where
the money, provincial money and federal money, is put into the account and then
taken out as well, and really there is nothing being built up for their rainy‑day
fund, so to speak. As the minister has
indicated‑‑and you could say that is bad management on the part of
the farmer, but in many situations, they just have no choice. They need that money.
That is one of the concerns I have about the‑‑I
like the idea of being able to set aside money, but I do not know that it
particularly addresses the concern of those beginning farmers. It is good for those farmers who are well
established and gives them the ability to access a lot of money, but the ones
who are starting just do not have the opportunity to save it because they need
to keep their operation going. I do not
know how that can be addressed.
Mr. Enns: Our senior policy adviser advises me that,
surprisingly, there has been a steady rise in the number of accounts that are
building up, farmers who are leaving their accounts building up in the NISA
enrollment program. I acknowledge that
that does not answer the issue that she raises about the young farmer, the
starter farmer, who finds that difficult to do in the first few years.
There is no easy answer to that. I suppose all of us would like to start with
a higher level or something like that. I
should point out some of the questions in the transformation of former
programs, like the tripartite support programs, representation has been made
that we in effect use some of those dollars that we would have normally put
into the tripartite program as a one‑year earlier start‑up on the
NISA contributions, that is, the provincial portion.
I have no further answer than that. All I can indicate to the honourable member
is that the experience seems to indicate that after a somewhat slow start to
the program, it is finding more and more favour with an increasing number of
producers, and, of course, one of the big question marks here again is what the
federal government will bring to the table in the further development of the
NISA program. There are serious discussions
at some considerable enhancement of the program, which would make it even more
attractive for producers to get into.
That is, if the federal contribution were to be raised to two, were to
be doubled, that very quickly amounts to a considerable contribution to that
program. It remains to be seen just what
direction the federal government is going in this regard.
Ms. Wowchuk: Just on the new program that is being
designed and looked at, we talk about:
along the lines of the NISA program, the account program. There are still going to have to be, short‑term,
some programs brought in by the provincial government, to address local
disasters or situations that may arise.
Does the minister still see the province having the ability to bring in
that kind of assistance to address those situations that would arise on local
issues?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Acting Deputy Chairperson, that, of
course, is one of the fundamental reasons why we wanted to ensure the
continuation of the GRIP program. We
continually look at, what I have said now several times, our base crop
insurance program that we provide and try to refine it, constantly reviewing
the programs. Then, in addition to that,
we have, of course, and the member is aware of it, although not in a general
agricultural way, but we do have producers that have received support under the
Disaster Assistance Board, particularly in cases of flash flooding, which the
member is well aware of.
We have other programs, the combination that we work with
the Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture in big game and waterfowl
depredation of crops. In essence, I
certainly will try and direct the providers of insurance program to concentrate
on trying to provide, through our basic insurance agency, the Manitoba Crop Insurance
Corporation, which has a fairly lengthy track record in the province, has a
network of agents throughout agri‑Manitoba, continually is refining its
data in terms of crop production in Manitoba so that our premiums and our
coverage can more accurately reflect the best possible situation.
* (2330)
I also recognize that the competition for public dollars is
not likely to decrease, both at the federal level and at the provincial level,
and it really behooves us that we try to fashion out of a piece of machinery
that has worked well for the producers over the last 25, 26‑‑[interjection]
34 years. I think it is the obligation
of this committee, and I welcome that.
It is this opportunity that the officials of the corporation, through
the kind of questioning that the member poses, is under review and under
examination as it ought to be. I
encourage our farm organizations to do that, and they take us up on it on a
regular basis.
The goal should be that we provide and we use with our
dollars, a sound support program. I
believe it could be shown without too much research that, in the long run, the
public Canadian taxpayer is better served.
It is these ad hoc programs that politicians have reacted to‑‑and
I say that without malice whether they were of this administration or previous
administrations‑‑but under pressures of the day, multimillion or
billion‑dollar ad hoc programs have been put together. They have come and gone and we have no
lasting benefit.
We should direct our talents and our energies to producing
a program that adequately provides that stability that our primary producers
require. I believe it can be done if we
do it right, if you looked at it over a 10‑year or a 15‑year
period, at no more or possibly less dollars from the public purse.
(Mr. Deputy Chairperson
in the Chair)
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I have a few more
questions under the crop insurance section and perhaps if I finish them off
tonight then the staff will not have to come back again tomorrow. I will just move on to a few of those.
I want to ask about the Livestock Feed Security
Program. There were concerns with the
program. I want to know whether we are
having a dropoff in participation in that program, and there was a concern
raised about the test areas, that they were not being accurate to the accurate
samples.
So if the minister could just give an overview of what is
happening with the Livestock Feed Security Program.
Mr. Enns: Well, the member does put her finger on a
program that is in some difficulty. The
participation rates are steadily declining.
I recall a number of years ago, we were upwards to 5,000 or 6,000
producers taking advantage of the program.
Figures that I have for the year '93 are 993 contracts. For this year '94, we have 776 contracts. That is 25 percent less, which obviously
indicates that the program is in trouble.
It seems to be that the major problem is that the area‑based
concept of the Livestock Feed Security Program has resulted in producers' lack
of confidence in it. Rain does not fall
in that way. We have tried to apply too
large of areas, I suppose, before the program clicks in. That is just not necessarily the way that
rain patterns, which are probably more important to forage production than in
cereal crop production, have resulted in too many producers simply not having
confidence in the program.
What the corporation has done in July of '93, we have
established a forage review committee.
The committee is comprised of the following members: one from Keystone Agricultural Producers
organization; two from the Manitoba Cattle Producers' Association; two from the
Manitoba Forage Council; two from the Crop Insurance Review committee; farmer
representatives; one from Manitoba Agriculture Crown Lands, a lot of the forage
is on Crown lands; four from Manitoba Agriculture forage specialists; and six
from the Manitoba Crop Insurance agencies and head offices. These are the field people who are spread out
throughout Manitoba.
The projected completion for their review is right about
now. This committee was established last
July, and it is a program that is obviously under very serious
reconsideration. I would suggest, at
this point in time, all options are open.
It is no longer a very attractive program to the corporation to continue
to administer the administration costs in terms of the way that a lessening
number of contracts serviced is becoming unacceptable. It is obvious to us that some very serious
recommendations will have to be considered.
I am just advised by my manager that this Friday will be
the date that some of the recommendations coming from this committee I just
mentioned will be placed before the board of directors for the first time. They are pretty well on schedule. The projected completion date was for May
'94. We are at the end of May, so for
the board of directors to have some recommendations to consider by this week,
that is pretty well on schedule.
I am trying to anticipate the honourable member's next
question. Well, I should never do that,
Mr. Deputy Chairperson. I will simply
say, I have no idea what recommendations are coming forward. I have not been privy to them, but I will
accept some recommendations and suggestions from her as to what we should
do. It is obvious that the program is in
trouble, and we will be looking for likely a fairly different or entirely new
program. It is simply not sustainable in
its present form.
Ms. Wowchuk: I do not think there is much point in
pursuing what the recommendations are if they are going to be given to the
board next week. I think we will wait.
The only question I have:
after those recommendations go to the board, when do you anticipate that
we would know what the recommendations are, and when steps would be taken to
design a new program or abandon this program?
The program is in place for this year, so would you be looking over the
next year to design something? Particularly,
I am looking at when we might see the recommendations that this committee is
bringing forward.
* (2340)
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I think it is
appropriate for the board to have an opportunity of considering these
recommendations in the first instance. I
am advised, as I indicated just a little while ago, that the corporation is
looking to be in a position to offer a new program or considerably modified
program for the coming crop year '95. We
have some 700‑odd contracts to honour in the current crop year of '94,
but the goal, the objective, is to have a new forage program in place for the
crop year '95.
I will certainly undertake to share with the critics of the
opposition parties the direction that the recommendations are advising us. It is a program that will, hopefully, attract
a greater number of participants. On the
other hand, I am doing what I said I would not do. I am trying to presume what the
recommendation will be. I have no idea.
The recommendation will be simply maybe that this is a
difficult area to insure in the kind of traditional way we have been insuring
crops and make some recommendations that governments should look at other ways
of addressing periodic shortages of forage, which usually tend to come about
because of particular drought years in a given year and/or some extremely heavy
moisture conditions.
Ms. Wowchuk: We will look for the information from the
minister when he can provide it for us.
I just want to ask about the Livestock Feed Securities Program: Was coverage allowed on natural hay or is the
coverage only on‑‑
Mr. Enns: No, native grasses were covered as well. I suspect again this was where you had some
of the difficulty. In my area, the
Interlake area, you can have pretty wide discrepancies, particularly on native
pastures. An area of 10, 15 miles‑‑my
farm never received the rain. Mr.
Gaudry's brothers always got it at St. Laurent, and they have got good hay
crops there, so these disparities would happen within the region. That tended to lose producer confidence in
the program, but to answer the question, it did cover native grasses.
Ms. Wowchuk: And our area flooded. Can we just have some information? Did the corporation lose money on this
program, or were you able to recover your costs from the premiums, or is it the
administration costs that are high? Where
are the high costs in it?
Mr. Enns: Most corporations operate the same way. When they start losing too much money, they
want to get out of the program or change the program. There has been accumulated deficit here of
some $2.7 million over the year since the introduction of the program in
'84. Total premiums‑‑but I
had better not get into it. To answer
the member's question, the corporation has lost, and that is part of the reason
for bringing the review process forward.
Obviously, the corporation is not in a position to continue losing money
on this form of coverage, and we hope to rectify that situation at the end of
this current year.
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, the question I was
asking was, were the premium costs covering the payouts and was it the
administration?
Mr. Enns: The premiums in '93, for instance, were $1.8
million, and the payout was $1.3 million.
There is no administration involved in that. You have to add about $300,000 administration
costs to that. In '93, we still had
900. Now we are down to 700 if the
premium costs stay much the same. We are
rapidly getting into a deficit situation on the premiums collected versus
payout, as well.
Ms. Wowchuk: So the program was viable as far‑‑you
were recovering or even ahead a bit prior to the time when we started to lose
the participation.
Mr. Enns: I should have paid, Mr. Deputy Chairperson, a
little bit more attention to some of the earlier information that staff
provided. There was a deficit built out
of some years when we had a heavy payout.
As in all these programs, the corporation's difficulty is now we are
attempting to recover that deficit from our ever‑decreasing number of
clients. That is making it very
difficult to accomplish, yet the basis on which we go to our Treasury Board to
offer these programs is cost‑recovery, revenue‑neutral insurance
coverage, and that is the reason for the corporation's concern.
The design of the program has not worked out in terms of
acceptability on the part of the producers.
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I look forward to
hearing those details on where the department or the corporation will be going
with designing a new program or a replacement program.
Just two other areas that I want to touch on, I want to
touch briefly on the Big Game Damage Compensation. I want to‑‑one of the areas that
has been a concern, and I remember raising this in the last Estimates is the
damage caused by big game and the bearing that has on a person's crop insurance
claim and their GRIP claim, in that the damage to the crop ends up destroying
crop and then bringing the yield down, and that has a bearing on their
average. Producers were looking for a
way that the damage from game or from waterfowl would not have implications on
their yield that is used in calculating their formula on GRIP. Has that been addressed?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, again I am advised
that the problem or the issue of wildlife damage on the individual production
charts is currently before the board for review. Again, in a general way, if you live in an
area that has a history, a tradition of a lot of waterfowl traffic, that is
part of the risk of that district. If
you live in a district where you have access to, adjacent to or are near park
areas, you are very well familiar, where you have a lot of big game, a lot of
elk or a lot of deer moving through that, that has always been a problem.
As a former Minister of Natural Resources, I was certainly
challenged to make sure that it always will be a problem, because we want to
maintain our wildlife populations in elk and deer, and I have to, so that I
cannot offer an easy resolution to that problem. We want to see the elk; we want to see the
deer. The farmer still wants to harvest
his crops. These flinty‑eyed
insurance brokers here, they have got to assess actuarially what the risk
is. If that means that on average they
have more crop damage, that is reflected on their overall yield on the data.
* (2350)
Ms. Wowchuk: So the producers who are feeding this
wildlife that the minister was so concerned about when he was Minister of
Natural Resources, these producers are still being punished by having their
average reduced because of this wildlife that happens to feed in their crops. Is that right? The producer is paying the price for it.
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, just for the record,
I just had a closer look at the eyes of my senior staff here, and they are not
flinty‑eyed at all. They are
caring, they are compassionate, they have every understanding for the problems
of the farmer. He assures me that the
simple fact remains that, as a cattle producer, if you are in that portion of
the province where we still have wolves and coyotes that will take occasional
livestock, young animals, you build that into your costs of operation. The traditional damage by big game in certain
areas of the province reflect the crop yields.
We are running an insurance corporation that has to
reflect, and we pay what the average yields are expected to be in that
area. We charge a premium accordingly,
and that is hard to suggest to do otherwise.
We have, though, because of the kind of intermittent problem that this
is, and it is intermittent. It can be,
depending on the harvest year. We have
had, for instance, in the drier years, the mid‑'80s, many years where
most of the harvest was harvested before the waterfowl migration started. When the ducks and geese came, all they had
to do was to glean the fields as in days of old, and not really do serious crop
damage.
On the other hand, in years where you have a delayed
harvest because of weather, where 40, 50, 60 percent of the crop is still out
there, the damage is considerably higher, both by big game and by
waterfowl. So that I think these are
some of the factors that the corporation is prepared to take into consideration
in the review. Hopefully, there will be
some amendments to the practices of the corporation within this respect.
Ms. Wowchuk: Was that something in the recommendations
that has come under the Crop Insurance Review that has to be addressed? Is that still one of the things? Was there a recommendation? I do not have my recommendations here, and I
am just asking, was there a recommendation in that Crop Insurance Review to
address the Big Game Damage Compensation?
Is that why it is being reviewed now?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I was being advised
that there was a particular request to review this wildlife question, and that
is why it is in front of the board as a separate issue, if I understand my
staff correctly.
Again, it also demonstrates what I have been suggesting to
honourable members of the committee that the corporation is constantly
reviewing its operations. If requests
are made for the corporation to look at its types of coverages, its practices,
they take them seriously and expend the necessary resources to review the
issue.
The member is well aware that the corporation is directed
by a board of directors that is widely representative of the province and that
board of directors then has to consider any modifications or changes to current
practices. Then very often they are
passed on to the corporation for consideration.
If they require legislative or regulatory change, they are passed on to
the minister's office for consideration by the minister and/or by cabinet,
depending on the nature of the regulation.
Ms. Wowchuk: Last year, it was estimated that there was
set aside $200,000 and again we have that same amount in the Estimates for
money for Big Game Damage Compensation.
What amount of money was spent last year? Did you have to pay that amount out?
Mr. Enns: I am advised that the princely sum of
$450,000 of your hard‑earned tax money, Becky, was spent to compensate what
the deer and the elk and the fuzzy little bears and the antelopes took off our
crops.
Ms. Wowchuk: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, you can appreciate
that this is a concern to me because I think a good portion of that money is
spent in my area of the province.
I want to ask, not included under big game or waterfowl, an
animal that is becoming a problem is flooding by beaver and lots of land being
flooded. If that should occur, is there
the ability to get compensation under the Big Game Damage Compensation for
losses because of beaver flooding?
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, because of the way
the regulation is drafted, compensation can be paid for damages or loss of
eligible produce caused by deer, elk, moose, wood bison or black bear. The beaver is not covered under that
regulation, so the damage done to crops as a result of beaver activity is not
covered.
* (0000)
Ms. Wowchuk: Can the minister suggest to the board that is
presently reviewing the big game compensation package that they give consideration
to that aspect as well and consider whether that is a possibility of an area?
I realize there is a fairly large amount of money that is
being spent at the present time. I do
not know what has to happen, whether it has to be a change in regulation, but I
would appreciate if the minister would give that direction to the board to
consider that as well.
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, I would be more than
pleased to ask the board to consider the addition of the beaver damage to be
given some consideration.
I have a better suggestion.
If you and Becky and all the rest of us started wearing beaver coats, we
would not have the problem. We have
allowed the animal rights people to so cow us into not using that extremely
worthwhile, durable, sustainable, renewable resource of fur that we have
created a problem.
My former experts in the Department of Natural Resources
tell me that on a 15‑20 year average the Manitoba beaver population used
to hover around the 350,000 to 400,000.
We now have in excess of 1 million beavers in the province. That is a beaver for every man, woman and
child. We could resolve that issue if we
allowed common sense to dominate and we allowed the natural harvest of the
beaver animals‑‑tell this to Marianne when you next see her in your
caucus‑‑and then we could bring our beaver control back to a
reasonable level, and they would not be causing problems.
My colleague the Minister of Highways (Mr. Findlay) is
spending upwards to $3 million to $4 million as a result of beaver damage. That money could go to run some daycare
centres in the province. We are losing a
lot of money, as the member quite rightly points out, that is not being
compensated to farmers. It is a serious
problem where we have allowed ill‑thought, wimpy, washy concern for the
animals to override common sense.
Ms. Wowchuk: I appreciate those comments by the minister,
but I have to wonder why he did not address all of that when he was Minister of
Natural Resources.
Point of Order
Mr. Enns: Mr. Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order,
the member knows full well I was so preoccupied with trying to build a humble
little hacienda with an attached veranda at a place called Oak Hammock, you
know, for the ducks and the geese that they would not give me any time to
address the serious problems of the beaver and the elk and the moose. My time was totally preoccupied with that
little issue.
By the way they are all enjoying that little place right
now.
* * *
Ms. Wowchuk: I just wanted to say, the minister had the
opportunity to build a great industry here in the province, but he is past that
opportunity and now you have to address it under the Big Game Damage
Compensation.
Mr. Deputy Chairperson: Item 2.(a) Administration $4,729,800‑‑pass;
(b) Premiums $12,800,000‑‑pass; (c) Gross Revenue Insurance Plan
$42,200,000‑‑pass; (d) Big Game Damage Compensation $200,000‑‑pass;
(e) Canada‑Manitoba Waterfowl Damage Compensation Agreement $150,000‑‑pass.
Resolution 3.2:
RESOLVED that there be granted to Her Majesty a sum not exceeding
$60,079,800 for Agriculture, Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation for the fiscal
year ending the 31st day of March, 1995.
The hour being 12:04, committee rise.
JUSTICE
Madam Chairperson
(Louise Dacquay): Order, please. Will the Committee of Supply please come to
order.
This section of the Committee of Supply is dealing with the
Estimates for the Department of Justice.
We are on item 2.(a) on page 110 of the Estimates manual.
Would the minister's staff please enter the Chamber.
2.(a) Public Prosecutions.
Mr. Gord Mackintosh (St.
Johns): On the line Administrative Support there is a
reduction of one staff here, and I note the footnote at the bottom of page
33. I understand that there have been
two support positions in Prosecutions in Winnipeg moved, the deletion of two
positions, and I believe those individuals went to the Maintenance Enforcement
office, Pelzer and Boyle, and my understanding is that there has been a
position deletion at The Pas.
Do those three positions represent the three clerical
positions referred to in the footnote?
Hon. Rosemary Vodrey
(Minister of Justice and Attorney General):
Madam Chair, I will just correct the member. The first two that he spoke about, yes, that
is correct, and those individuals have been redeployed to Maintenance Enforcement. The third individual was a court unit support
staff and that individual retired.
Mr. Mackintosh: What was the general description of the
duties of the court unit support staff?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I am informed that the
work that this individual had done was to provide assistance to the Crown
attorneys in the intake dockets, and that was updating the filing and
continuing filing.
Mr. Mackintosh: I would ask the minister who will be filling
that function now?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I am informed that for the
one individual, the court unit support staff individual who retired, that the
work has been redistributed internally to accomplish the work of the
individual. For the two SYs who have
been redeployed to Maintenance Enforcement, their staff years have not been
lost and Crown attorneys will now work in those positions.
Mr. Mackintosh: The two SYs that are referred to in footnote
1 on page 33, is it correct in my understanding that two new positions have
been created for two lawyers?
Mrs. Vodrey: That is correct. Two new lawyers will be hired into those
positions.
Mr. Mackintosh: Have those positions been advertised yet?
Mrs. Vodrey: The paperwork to fill those positions is in
progress, is currently being drafted, and we, I am told, have a good group of
articling students who would be available to compete for those positions. Those articling students will be called to
the bar by the end of June.
Mr. Mackintosh: It appears from the minister's comments then
that the Crown attorneys will be fulfilling the work that was done by Pelzer
and Boyle and apparently by the unit support staff position as well. Is my understanding correct?
Mrs. Vodrey: Two of the positions that the member had
spoken about were Crown assistants, and those positions will be replaced by
Crown attorneys. The third position, who
is a court unit support worker, that work has been redeployed among existing
staff.
* (2010)
Mr. Mackintosh: I just wonder what the minister's reaction‑‑but
my sense is that I think we can all agree that there have to be additional
Crown attorneys in light of the backlogs.
My concern is that we are getting rid of, in the case of
Pelzer and Boyle, for example, two positions that were highly relied on by the
Crown to prepare cases, not in the legal sense, but prepare cases for trial and
co‑ordinate witnesses. What we are
doing is, we are not really hiring two legal positions to fulfill the real
potential of those positions if what they are doing is filling in for Pelzer
and Boyle. How would the minister react
to that comment?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, it was our judgment as we looked
at the work to be done and who could provide us with all of the range of work
that we required, it was our judgment that we needed attorneys to carry out the
work and to be able to carry the cases into court, so a judgment was made
within the department as to what kind of training would be required to fill
those spots.
Mr. Mackintosh: My experience, and this is entirely a private
sector experience, but I think the provision of legal services in both the
private and public sector are comparable in this respect, that there is a move
towards a greater use of paralegals, a low‑cost alternative, particularly
for matters that do not involve litigation skills or legal research skills.
My thinking here is that what we have done is, we have got
two more lawyers, but they are doing nonlegal work, and what we need are those
lawyers entirely focused on increasing and enhancing the court time. That is what we need in this province, more
court time. While at the same time, I
think it appears that the quasi‑paralegal position of Pelzer and Boyle is
going to be lost. I think that will be
sadly missed, and I think we will see ramifications. I do not think that we are getting a full
bang for our buck then from the legal staff if that is what has indeed
happened.
I wonder if the minister would just comment on that observation.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, well, I would like to say also
that certainly the individuals who have now moved into another kind of work in
the Department of Justice will be missed in the position that they were in, but
Public Prosecutions is different than any other legal grouping, and the member
refers to experience in the private sector where there was a lot of work which
did not require a court appearance. In
the area of Public Prosecutions almost entirely the work requires a court
appearance, and therefore it was our judgment that we needed to have Crown
attorneys who were available to fill these positions who could see the case
through.
Mr. Mackintosh: I have heard it said of Crown attorneys that
they do not have the time that they feel they need to prepare for cases, and I
know that Pelzer and Boyle fulfilled that function to a certain extent. I am wondering where the two additional
lawyers will be allocated to.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the result will be that there
will be one additional lawyer in the family violence court and one additional
Crown attorney in the youth court. It
will not necessarily be these two Crown attorneys, but the workload will be
distributed to allow for one additional Crown in both of those areas of
prosecution.
Mr. Mackintosh: Well, to that extent, I welcome that. Although I will add that I think it is a two
step forward, one step back at least and we need much more. But finally I just want to go back to that
position at The Pas that was raised in Question Period today, if the minister
would advise what position that was.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I can say to the member
that that position was not in the area of Prosecutions, and that is the staff
that I have here at the moment. During
questioning today, there was a statement that this was in the area of
Corrections, and so when we get to the Corrections area, perhaps we could look
at any staff reorganization at that point.
Mr. Mackintosh: I now want to leave the staff issues and
again return to some policy issues that we were talking about before the supper
break. First of all, I wanted to go to
the issue that Mr. Miller and I are aware of, and that was a subject of an
article in the Free Press on the weekend which is a subject of a letter to the
minister's office of May 11.
I guess I can say that I think if there is an appropriate
use of the word travesty, it is in this kind of a case. I trust this is not a widespread problem, but
what we had happen with this abused woman was she apparently was not served
with the subpoena. I presume and it only
makes sense that she was the main witness.
In fact, it may have been the only witness, and, nonetheless, the trial
or the preliminary hearing went ahead without the service having occurred. As a result, the case was dismissed.
I see a response of Mr. Miller in the Free Press. I would like some assurances from the
minister that there has been a change in policy within the Crown attorney's
department dealing with, first of all, searching out witnesses and victims; and
second, ensuring that they are served before the trial proceeds; and third‑‑well,
I think those two are the main issues, and we will stick to those.
* (2020)
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, certainly this particular issue
in this particular case is of great concern and is a concern to me as Minister
of Justice. It is also of great concern
to the staff in the Department of Justice.
I want to assure the member that the individual involved, the
complainant involved, has met with officials from the department to make her
concerns very clear and to make sure that the department has, in fact,
instituted some changes.
Yes, we have instituted some changes. Crowns understand that they have to be very
vigilant in the seeking of the individual to testify, and we have now made a
change. First of all, the Crowns have to
check with Women's Advocacy. Women's
Advocacy is often the part of the Department of Justice who has had the most
recent contact with the complainant. In
addition, Women's Advocacy will report to the Crown, if the complainant agrees
that there has been a change of address, but in that particular case there has
to be a consent for that change of address to be reported.
Where the Crown is not able to locate the individual, they
then will be vigilant in terms of any other method available to them. They will work with the Winnipeg police, they
will search‑‑I continue to use the word vigilantly, and that is
exactly what I mean. They will continue
to search with every method that is available to them to locate the individual.
This particular incident is one which has caused us to
examine exactly how we manage these cases and how we manage the location. So I would like to offer that assurance, and
I have wanted to make sure that the individual in this case also has that assurance
that, yes, things have changed. We have
attempted to have a much tighter system.
Mr. Mackintosh: I appreciate that. I would like the minister, if she would, to
table or provide to me any written directives that reflect what the minister
has just said, just for the added assurance so that we know that there is a
long‑time change in policy, that the policy change has been communicated
to the Crown attorneys.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am told that at the moment
there is not a document that exists, that the matter was managed through discussion
by the Director of Public Prosecutions in Winnipeg and also the head of the
Domestic Violence unit. However, I think
it is a good idea and will undertake to see that it is written down and that it
is communicated in a formal way.
Mr. Mackintosh: I thank the minister. I guess we all learn from events like this,
and I am glad to see that the department will go through the necessary process
of writing out new procedure and communicating it, so that it will be on the
books, it will always be there when Crown attorneys change and as people come
and go.
I thought long and hard about this case, and it is very
difficult to reconcile what happened here with the needs of victims such as
this woman is, and with the objectives of the criminal justice system. I see her options as being relatively limited
at this point. I think what it does, it
outlines the critical role of the Crown and the minister's department, of
course, in pursuing vigorously the prosecution of all cases. I think right now we are looking and we need
a new emphasis on domestic violence cases, and I think it was really
unfortunate this occurred.
Having said that, I look forward now to a new era in
victims' issues at least insofar as what we have learned from this difficult
case.
Mr. Gary Kowalski (The
Maples): I was reading here that one of the activities
is to ensure adequate services. Of
course, ideally there would be no backlog whatsoever, and we have had many
discussions in this House about what is a reasonable backlog. The only way to get rid of the backlog is one
of three things: Either we have less
cases, put more resources into the cases that are coming through, or we divert
some of the cases out of the judicial process into the nonjudicial.
First, dealing with the latter, is there any examination,
whether it is through Mediation Services or something similar to the
Alternative Measures program as used for young offenders, using it with some of
the less serious adult offences and divert some of the cases from the court
system to help lessen the backlog? Is
there any examination of that in Public Prosecutions?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, we do refer approximately 1,000
cases a year to Mediation Services and also provide a grant as well, but in the
area of domestic violence issues, they have said that they do not believe that
they have the expertise to deal with those cases specifically. However, other cases are diverted to
Mediation Services. Not always all are
successfully mediated, but it is that opportunity that the member has spoken
about to have that process.
Some aboriginal communities also have diversion projects
within their communities. Some community
justice committees have also now wanted to take on adult diversion, not just
youth, and the example that we were just discussing is Beausejour, where there
is now that process going on.
We are receptive to the idea of community‑based
groups looking at diversion, provided they are able to adequately perform the
role and have everything in place to do that.
So it is certainly something that we would be willing to look at, we do
have available to us, but again it requires a commitment on behalf of a
community group to make the diversion work.
* (2030)
Mr. Kowalski: First of all, in domestic violence, if Mediation
Services do not feel they have the training and this is where there is a
backlog, and there have been several reports on some of the negative effects of
waiting for these cases, is Public Prosecutions looking at a program for some
type of domestic mediation so we could divert some of these cases from the
court system?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, in the area of family
violence, we have taken a very strong position that violence within the family
is a crime, and we do see it as a very high priority, so at this point we are
looking to make sure that we do everything through the process that ensures
individuals recognition that, yes, this is a crime.
I understand where the member is coming from in terms of,
are there other kinds of alternatives that might be examined? I believe I answered in an earlier question
today that there are a series of issues which may be examined which are being
examined, but the message that we want to send to Manitobans is that violence
within a family is a crime.
Mr. Kowalski: I do not think there is anyone who would
disagree with that sentiment, but we do treat this crime differently in the
actions taken by the police as to how they will investigate and in the laying
of charges so, you know, to divert it after it gets into the court system away
from the courts into something similar to mediation is not to put a‑‑when
something is diverted from mediation right now that is nondomestic, that does
not mean the court case is dropped. The
charges still can be laid, or if it is stayed, it can be reinstituted. I do not think by saying that we go through
an alternative process for this special crime, this very serious crime, that we
are denigrating the importance of the crime by diverting it from the court
system.
Mrs. Vodrey: But as the member knows, mediation requires
the agreement of both parties, and it also requires some skill in dealing with
both parties together in a conflict.
In the area of domestic violence, I do not believe that
there has yet been expertise, or there is certainly very minimal expertise
available in dealing with both sides of a domestic violence dispute together
through mediation.
I understand the kinds of issues that the member is
speaking about, but it does require an agreement on both sides, and it really,
sincerely, requires expert skill when both of those people are together, so I
do not know that we are quite yet at the point.
I do not know that there is agreement even within the community for a
single view that this is the way to go, so at this point, we maintain the
stance that we have had that abuse is a crime, but we will rely on the
implementation committee and the family violence court and their working group
to provide us with additional information and background and research and perhaps
opportunities.
Mr. Kowalski: I think once there is an arrest, and if there
was an expectation that if both parties participated in both treatment and
mediation, there is a strong motivation there for both parties to be involved
that otherwise would not be there. I do
not think someone has to necessarily be charged, because the ideal situation is
to resolve these issues, because even in cases where the one spouse is
convicted quite often, what happens is, afterwards, after they have served
their sentence, they get into another relationship, and if we have not treated
that abusing spouse, we will just have another court case down the line.
So I think the goal is to treat, to prevent, and the court
process is not necessarily the only way to motivate those people in need of
treatment and families that can be kept together. The court system is not necessarily the way
to do it, and I think that maybe Public Prosecutions can look further into
alternatives to criminal prosecution of some of these cases.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I understand the member's point
around the benefits of mediation, but I can say that diversion in the area of
family violence cases is a very contentious issue. It is not a simple solution in which there is
agreement.
As I have spoken about in earlier questions, there is an
implementation committee for the family violence court, and that implementation
committee is fairly broadly represented, and from that there is a working group
which I spoke about in an earlier answer.
It is that working group that is struggling with issues that might be
alternatives at several points‑‑not just a single mechanism, it is
several points‑‑to the traditional court process.
As yet, there has not been agreement on what that would
be. So, as yet, I have not received any
recommendations as minister that come from that broad‑base committee
which is charged with the implementation of issues from the family violence
court.
Mr. Kowalski: I think she already answered this question,
but I just would like to be reminded, that working group or that committee,
when can we expect to see a report from them?
Mrs. Vodrey: The working group is not my committee. I think that is an important starting
point. The implementation committee for
the family violence court, just to provide the total structure, is chaired by
the chief judge. There are
representatives of the Department of Justice on that committee, but not all
members are from the Department of Justice.
* (2040)
The working group is a subgroup which has been charged with
looking at a number of these issues, this among others, diversion among
others. That particular group does not
report to the Minister of Justice. What
it does is it looks at the issues, and it would provide recommendations at
several points or to any number of areas, some of which may come to the
Minister of Justice, but it is not within my power to mandate that they arrive
at a decision at a certain time.
When they arrive at the decision, then I will receive what
recommendations apply to the Department of Justice. The only influence I have on that committee
is through my representatives on that committee. I have through my representatives certainly
indicated my interest in their work, that I would like to be kept up to date
with their work and certainly would like to receive what information this may
apply to the Department of Justice.
Mr. Kowalski: I would like to move away from diversion as
it concerns family court and go into other diversion programs, community
justice committees, that the minister talked about. I am not familiar with this Beausejour group,
but is this a trial project, or is the door open right now for community
groups, whether they be the present Youth Justice Committees, to expand their
mandate now if they come forward, or other community groups that come forward
to do similar for adults in their own community charged with minor offences, to
take charge of those cases? There is a
mandate there for them to do that now.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, we have always been receptive to
this kind of an initiative, but the concern is always, are the committees able
to carry out what is required, not just wishing they could, but that they in
fact have shown that they are able.
As some of the Youth Justice Committees become more
confident in their work with young offenders, they may express an interest in
working with adult offenders in diversion programs.
What happened to the Beausejour situation is that
Beausejour approached the Department of Justice and asked to have its mandate
expanded. They worked with the police in
their area and also the Department of Justice to prepare the committee and to
make sure that things were in place so that they could then take on this
additional mandate.
It works the same way with the aboriginal communities also,
that they have approached the Department of Justice and they have had
assistance from the Department of Justice in policing services and so on to
make sure that they are capable, have the resources and the full understanding
of the commitment that they are taking on.
So those are two of the examples, and the receptivity is there but always
with the proviso or the condition that the committee is able to do the work.
Mr. Kowalski: This is very interesting. I am really enjoying this process. It is a good way to learn about the
department.
This Beausejour Justice Committee, how does it work? Are the charges stayed or are they just not
laid or are they held in abeyance? What
happens while these adults are going‑‑the Young Offenders Act has
alternative measures within the act, but I am not familiar if anything in the
Criminal Code provides for this. What is
the process that is used in Beausejour?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am told that we rely very
heavily on the police. That there is a
protocol in which the police select obvious cases. The cases cannot be crimes of violence, and
they cannot be cases where they are repeat offenders. Then with this in mind the case is referred
to the committee, to the community justice committee. The community justice committee then
determines if they feel able and competent to manage this particular diversion.
These cases are, by and large, not charged. However, it does not preclude a case which
has been stayed being referred.
Mr. Kowalski: Going to the second way of lessening the
court backlog‑‑more resources‑‑I remember at one time,
I do not know if it is still used in British Columbia where Crown attorneys are
people from private practice who are hired either on a case‑by‑case
basis or on a contract for a set period of time‑‑of course, as has
been mentioned in this House, it is easy for opposition to say put more
resources, put more money, and I am sure the minister in cabinet caucus always
tries to get as much as she can for her department, but with large social costs
from delaying prosecution, cannot on a short term basis, either some lawyers
from private practice, from out of province, be brought in for a short period
of time to reduce the backlog to a level that would be better for all?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, in cases where it would be more
costly to send a Crown attorney, to a northern point for instance, than it
would be to engage a lawyer practising at a northern point, we do in fact
engage lawyers from the private bar.
However, as a whole, across the Department of Justice and
across the system, simply hiring individuals from the private bar to assist us
does not really solve the problem, because the issue is a systemic one. It involves not only Crown prosecutors, it
involves court time, it involves supports as well as judges and the availability
of a number of resources across the whole system. So it is not just increasing the number of
Crowns available.
* (2050)
The other issue that I think is important to consider is
that we have been discussing for a while sensitivity required by the Crown's
vigilance, required by the Crown's rigorous prosecution policy, required by the
Crowns, and to engage someone from the private bar, from outside the system
does not necessarily cause them to come in with all of that background
knowledge. We do have a concern for the
quality of the prosecution in wanting to make sure particularly in areas like
domestic violence and so on that there is an understanding and a training in
those areas by our Crown attorneys.
I also just want to add, when I am speaking about across
the system, also it involves two defence lawyers, a legal aide, and it becomes
a whole systemic issue.
Mr. Kowalski: I agree with the minister wholeheartedly that
it is a systemic issue, and I guess it depends how much resources we want to
put into that system. The minister's
staff, in a bureaucracy, has to deal with the budget they are given into that
system and has to achieve the best results with that budget.
Now, is there a goal that is acceptable as far as in these
categories, child abuse cases, family violence cases and youth crime
cases? Is there a standard that the
Crown accepts that if it goes above, the backlog takes longer than that, that
more resources throughout the system have to be put in, that it is no longer
acceptable?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am told that the guidelines
across the country are that the aim is for three months for in‑custody
cases and six months for out‑of‑custody cases, so that is what
provinces across the country are striving for.
In the area of family violence, we are certainly working to
do better than that, better than the six months out of custody, and we
certainly have to look case by case. We
will prioritize, particularly in the area of child abuse, to see that those
cases are given priority.
The same in the youth court. We consider that, particularly crimes of
serious violence, violent acts need to be prioritized. We have again specialists now, a specialist
prosecutor, who is able to deal with those particularly serious issues.
So we have done a number of things within our system to try
to make sure that we have the ability to prioritize, that we have the ability
in those case‑by‑case prioritizations to bring them forward. As I have said in the House many times, we
are always looking to improve, throughout the whole system. At which points in the system can we begin to
make changes, to make a difference?
I have spoken this evening about the availability of more
Crown attorneys, and as we progress through the Estimates of the Department of
Justice, we will be able to look at what we are doing in the area of courts and
what we are doing in the area of corrections.
So, though those are the guidelines, we are always trying
to do better. But as I have said before,
too, a certain amount of delay is inevitable.
It has to occur. There is a due
process of law. In some cases‑‑well,
there has to be a preliminary hearing.
The person may elect to have a trial by a judge and jury. There has to be the exchange of full
particulars. So there is a process also
which, to allow the due process of law to occur, does take time, and it does
not allow for, to make sure constitutional rights are respected, that case to
go to trial the very next day, because certain things have to occur. But I would leave on the record, as I have
before, we are always looking for ways to make it the most efficient system as
possible at all points of the system.
Mr. Kowalski: I am well aware of due process. I have made a lot of overtime on due process
in the police force, so I know about that.
One of the other resources, and it may not be popular with
staff, and that is that we have these buildings, we have these personnel, and
we have evening courts. Has the public
prosecutions ever looked at on a short term to bring it down to within their
goal of three months for custody and six months for out of custody using the
courtrooms, the staff, in the evenings to reduce that backlog?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, as the member knows, we do have
evening courts running on quite a full basis.
They by and large do cover things such as Highway Traffic Act and
regulatory issues. To put criminal
prosecutions into night court would require some negotiation with a number of
partners. It would certainly require
negotiation with the chief judge to make sure that the judiciary was
willing. It would also require
negotiation with Legal Aid, with the defence bar and so on, not just our staff
within the Department of Justice. It is
a recommendation that certainly could be pursued in terms of how we use the
court time, and as I said, it would involve the agreement of a number of
participants within the system, but it is something that is worthy of
consideration.
* (2000)
Mr. Kowalski: I am going to talk about the three different
things. The first one mentioned was
fewer cases, and I think that gets into the area of prevention, and I think I
will save that for when we talk about community corrections.
I had one more question that I forgot to ask about the
Beausejour Justice Committee. Is it cost
effective? Does it save the Justice
department money by diverting these cases to this justice committee, as opposed
to putting them through the court system?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am told that, certainly,
diversion is a way to save money because it would save money on prosecutions
and court time and so on. We also
believe that it has the ability to be very effective, which was why we remain
open to it, again on the condition that the community group is able to carry
out the work of the diversion. We do not
have the comparison for the Beausejour committee here, but on a broad basis, I
could say that, yes, I believe that it would have a cost saving.
* (2100)
Mr. Kowalski: I will really be brave here. I wonder if I could get an undertaking from
the minister that if this type of diversion is expanded upon and there are more
savings to the justice system, that any savings that would be made, those
monies would be committed to prevention programs.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, well, of course, those decisions
would be decisions of government.
Mr. Mackintosh: I think we are into the area of backlogs
quite clearly, so I would like to explore it more fully and go back a few
steps, first of all, just to clarify the facts and the extent of the backlogs
right now.
I have this fear, particularly in the family violence court
right now and particularly for child abuse cases, that we are going to be
facing Askoff applications, perhaps as early as the fall. I say that because I know the extent of the
backlogs from anecdotal evidence. I do
not have any statistical survey from the department.
I know the minister in Question Period has talked about
different time frames than I have. I
suspect she is looking at averages for one thing, and another thing, I believe
she is looking at measuring the time from committal to trial, rather than from
the date of the alleged offence to trial and, as well, she is mixing in‑custody
and out‑of‑custody figures.
What I would like, before we get into a discussion about
backlogs and what I think is a crisis and look for solutions, we determine
exactly what facts the minister has at her hand.
First of all, with regard to the family violence court‑‑this
is from her own department‑‑it is my understanding that in the next
two weeks, dates in October and November, nearly December will be entirely used
up, and we are looking at dates for trial in late December and into the new
year. Indeed, I am aware of particular
instances where there are cases regarding offences allegedly committed back as
much as New Year's, that will be going to trial in the third week in
December. I am aware of cases that
cannot be set down for trial until the new year, so we are looking at a backlog
of one year for many cases. I think the
range appears to be somewhere between eight and 12 months.
We know that the former Acting Chief Justice in the fall
talked about backlogs of up to 10 months.
At that time, he said that that backlog was threatening the very
existence of the court. We know now that
the backlog has worsened. That is the
evidence I have. As I say, it is based
on anecdotal evidence. It is based on
what officials in the minister's department have advised me. It is based on at least one statement by a
member of the bench.
Does the minister have the statistical evidence available
as to the current backlog? I am not
interested in backlog from any previous years.
You know, the backlog currently, and that is regarding family violence.
Mrs. Vodrey: The information that I have has been compiled
by the Courts Division, and so we are skipping ahead to another line. But I am happy to provide the information
here.
What I have is the youth in custody. No.
Let me start by saying that currently all provincial courts are setting
trials within 12 weeks with the exception of federal trials and commercial frauds,
which are at five months. Youth and
domestic violence trials which are being set as early as six weeks for in‑custody
matters and to between five and seven months for youth and domestic court
respectively. This represents an
improvement of two months since January '94, largely due to the provision of
special sittings.
I have an outline of youth in custody, and I see that
courts have dates earlier than the ones I am going to provide the member with,
and with the new Crowns becoming available we expect to be able to utilize
them, but youth in custody, approximately 12 weeks with court dates available
earlier than that which we expect to be able to utilize.
Out of custody, approximately five months, again, with
court dates, with additional Crown attorneys we may be able to have the cases
seen sooner than that. Adult in custody
12 weeks. Adult out of custody three
months. I will say that excludes the
domestic violence court. So our range of
time frame‑‑I am referring to a memo prepared by Courts of May
26. This is the actual statistical
information that is available. I am not
able to deal with the anecdotal information the member has because I have not
heard it, and I do not know whether there are special circumstances around the
setting of those particular court dates.
I am looking at cases across Canada, across Canada
comparisons, and I see that Manitoba compares really quite reasonably
well. In the area of youth in custody,
as I said, we are approximately 12 weeks with court time available earlier than
12 weeks, which we expect to be able to utilize with the new Crowns. In Calgary, we have approximately eight to 10
weeks, the same in Ottawa. Youth out of
custody, we have five months in Winnipeg, four to five months in Edmonton, five
to six months in Calgary, seven months in Ottawa.
Adult in custody, as I said, we have approximately 12
weeks, one to three months in Edmonton, eight to 10 weeks in Calgary, eight to
10 weeks in Ottawa. Adult out of
custody, we are at three months, Edmonton three months, Calgary four months and
Ottawa seven months. In Vancouver, I
have a comparison of six months.
So our time in which we can bring a case forward certainly
is within the time frame and certainly stacks up very well according to cross‑Canada
comparisons.
Mr. Mackintosh: When the minister gives the figure for adult
court, has she separated out the statistics from the family violence court, as
opposed to the general division?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, yes, I did say when I reported
the statistics that that excluded the domestic violence court because the
others do not have that.
Mr. Mackintosh: Does the member have the statistical evidence
from the domestic violence court?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I believe in my earlier remarks,
I spoke about domestic violence trials which are being set for as early as six
weeks for in‑custody matters, and five to seven months for out of
custody.
* (2110)
Mr. Mackintosh: It appears that the parameters, the five to
seven months, it is not representative.
While there may be trials available in five or six months, there are so
few dates available that it is not really significant in terms of the number of
trials that are affected. In fact, even
seven months is too short a time frame.
I know there are trials being set further than seven months from now.
I just want to clarify though, would the minister advise
whether the measurement is from the date that the trial date is obtained to the
date of the trial; in other words, from the screening court to the trial?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I understand that some of
the statistics are from screening court time, but I have additional
information, updated information, which tells me that the likelihood would
perhaps be the addition of one other month from the time of the arrest; and
just to speak about that time frame as being part of the due process time in
which there are certain events which have to occur before the screening court
time, the exchange of particulars being one.
Mr. Mackintosh: I know the minister has used the term due
process, and I am sure she would want to include the laying of the charges
being part of due process. I want the
minister to clarify for the committee that it can take several months before a
matter even goes to a screening court.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am told that the time frame of
several months is just not accurate. It
is just not accurate, and this is with the most recent information. Now, the member may have, to his knowledge,
certain specific cases which for some reason have taken that time and for which
there may be an explanation, but certainly that is not the norm. If I was to give numbers of a norm, it could
be between three and six weeks, though cases may be seen before three weeks.
Mr. Mackintosh: Perhaps the minister and I will have to
engage in some exchange of evidence over the next little while, and I am
confident that the evidence will clearly show that we have backlogs in the
domestic violence court for child abuse cases that range in excess of 18
months. Domestic violence cases from the
time of the offence to the date of trial is a year, and in youth court can be
as much as 11 months; that is, considering that it sometimes takes two to three
months, perhaps sometimes more for a matter even to get set down for a trial
date or to get to the point where a trial date is assigned.
If anecdotal evidence is what we have to rely on, so be it,
but I guess I would like the minister to clarify that her statistics do not
indicate the time it takes from the alleged offence to the date of trial.
* (2120)
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, this is a complex answer,
and it is a serious issue, so I will attempt to give the member again the
information around this issue.
Unless the accused pleads guilty with the first judicial
officer, there will be a certain amount of lag time. That lag time is necessary for the due
process that I continue to speak about.
One of the important activities that takes place at that
time is discussion between counsel to see if the issue can be resolved. That discussion is important. It does not necessarily mean only one meeting
or one discussion‑‑it can be several‑‑and that is an
important matter to avoid difficulties at the other end.
I can also say to the member that we are not complacent
about any of the issues around court time.
We have put more resources into trying to improve the length of time
that it takes to bring a case forward, but there will always be a certain
amount of time required from the time of the offence when the person is
arrested and sees the hearing officer, which occurs within the first 24
hours. Then there are issues of
disclosure that the member well knows of, which are very complex; of discussion
between counsel, which also are very complex.
So there are a series of activities which must occur in that time frame
which cannot be discounted.
I will also remind the member that delay is also subject to
judicial supervision, and that judges do play a role in looking at the time
that cases are being set down. So the
process is an important one right from the time of the arrest, the appearance
before the hearing officer, all of the due process which takes place, an
appearance in screening court, the preparation for trial and then the
appearance in the Provincial Court. That
is always going to take a certain amount of time.
When this government set up the domestic violence court, we
set as our optimum three months, and that was our goal, though goals across the
country for other kinds of prosecutions have been in the range of six
months. We try to set and say very
clearly that the whole issue of family violence was a particularly important
one, and we still continue to look at prioritizations, to make sure that the
cases of severity and particularly those involving children are set down.
Where the member has information that would be helpful to
me as minister in looking at dealing with the issue of backlog, then I think we
should have the opportunity to talk about that because it is important to the
people of Manitoba that this court work, and we are doing everything we can as
a government to ensure that it does, and we will continue to do that. I have spoken about the systemic
requirements, and we have touched on a number of them today in Estimates so
far, not just in the area of prosecutions and Crown attorneys, also what
happens in court, when that court time might be, are there other possibilities,
and so there are a number of areas that we are looking at to try and make sure
that this is the most efficient process possible.
Mr. Mackintosh: Our concern about the backlogs is that we
never get that first case, that first Manitoba Askoff or Moran case, because of
course what happened in Ontario, the reaction was the dismissal of over 50,000
charges, and it is particularly the family violence court that I think of when
I say this, that it would be the gravest tragedy in Manitoba history if that
were to occur.
We already have, as the minister notes, a backlog of up to
seven months from the date the trial date is given. We have some process that took place before
that, so we are looking at seven, eight, nine, and I know much longer than that
in domestic violence court. In the face
of that, we have the Filmon Fridays, and those will really kick in this
summer. Then we have the kick‑in
of the lost judge time. We have three
vacancies currently. I understand, and
we will talk about this further in Estimates, we will have a further loss of
eight full‑time judges. My
understanding is that some of those or perhaps all of them will be coming back
and working up to 80 or 90 days a year.
You can see we have a significant loss of judge time.
I know the minister has said on occasion to the media and
in this Chamber that those positions will be filled, but we know that there has
been a delay of 15 months already in the appointment of the replacement for
Brandon. So we have a double whammy
meeting head on with this growing backlog, particularly in domestic violence
court, and particularly in child abuse cases.
I will do everything I can to spur the government and spur
the minister into an emergency plan to deal with this.
The legal community is very concerned about the growing
backlog. It is the subject of daily
discussion. It is of vital concern to
those dealing with youth cases, and it is unfortunate that in all the areas it
is the area of youth crime, child abuse and domestic violence where the backlogs
are growing and are threatening because it is those areas that require
immediate, quick, timely redress.
I ask the minister, would she, as part of the solution now
consider doing away with Filmon Fridays in the courts?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the member speaks of growing
backlogs. I would like to correct
him. The information that I gave him
shows an improvement of two months since January, that what has been described
as a backlog is in fact reducing, and it is very important that Manitobans have
the accurate information, that Manitobans not be frightened and fearful by
inaccurate information. So I would like
to stress, again, that the time frame is reduced by two months. That is a change and that is a development.
Secondly, this evening, I have spoken about increased
resources in the area of Prosecutions.
We are not yet at the Courts line, but in the area of Prosecutions, I
have spoken about the availability of two additional Crown attorneys, one for
the youth court and one for the domestic violence court. That also is a mechanism to deal with the
time frame. In the numbers that I gave
him, I was very specific in my answer to remind him that courts have earlier
dates and that, with the addition of the Crowns, those court dates can be
utilized.
So that is two pieces of information that are significantly
different than the information that the member continues to speak about in
terms of the time it takes to bring the case forward.
* (2130)
The member continues to reference judges. When we get to the line that speaks about
judges, we can speak in more detail, but as the member knows, yes, there are
three vacancies. He also knows, I am
sure, that the judicial nominating committees are now in place to fill those
judges' positions.
(Mr. Ben Sveinson,
Acting Chairperson, in the Chair)
It did require, and I will remind him again, the Chief
Judge to determine where those judges would be placed, so the order in which
appointments were done was that there was an appointment of the Chief Judge
first, and following that, the Chief Judge then reviewed where judges were
placed.
So there is certainly both explanation and action to the
issues of judges, and I would remind him not to confuse and to mix together a
whole series of issues, each of which has an explanation, and, in fact, a
positive explanation, in all three of those areas.
The member speaks of the workweek reduction as a fourth
part. In the area of the workweek
reduction, I can tell him that 300 cases were absorbed into the system, and
that only 26 cases need to be rescheduled.
The good news is that all 26 were rescheduled to dates before the
summer.
So in every case where the member has tried to indicate
what he calls a growing crisis, a growing backlog, the explanation is exactly
the opposite. The explanation is a
positive one: reduced backlog, increased
resources, committees operating to replace the judges, and cases rescheduled
before the summer.
Mr. Mackintosh: My recollection is that the minister
indicated there was an improvement of two months in the backlog in respect of
the youth court. Can you just confirm
whether my understanding is correct or not?
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, I can say to the
member that the information I have as of May 26 from courts is an improvement
of two months since January 1994. My
understanding is that youth court is at approximately five months, youth out of
custody. It was about seven months, and
it has reduced to five months, so there is an improvement in that area.
Mr. Mackintosh: I wonder if the minister would agree to
provide to me or table the memo from the courts dated May 26.
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, I certainly would
arrange to have courts prepare some information for the member which provides
the most up‑to‑date information on youth in custody, out of
custody, adults in custody and out of custody, and updated information on the
family violence court and also the youth court.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just to firm this up, from what the minister
said, there is no indication that the backlog is lessening in the family
violence court? She only spoke about the
youth court?
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, at this point, I have
the Prosecutions staff with me. If the
member would like to look at this in greater detail, we certainly can do that
when the Courts staff are here, but the information that I have from Courts is
that, yes, this does represent an improvement in the range of two months.
As I spoke to him about last week, the backlog at that time
was approximately four and a half months, that there were court dates available
in September and into early October.
Tonight, since I have spoken about the additional resources in youth
court and family violence court, we will be able to look at working with courts
to have dates as early as possible. If
dates are available, we will attempt to certainly take that time provided the
defense or the person acting for the other side is able to do that too.
Mr. Mackintosh: Well, we will canvass again the backlog in
the domestic violence courts when we get to the Courts line.
Earlier, the minister said that the backlog objectives in
Canada included a six‑month backlog for out‑of‑custody
cases. I was just wondering who
established that objective.
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, I am advised that
this information comes from a survey done by the Ontario Court of Appeal at the
time of the Askoff decision, and they looked across Canada and they asked
across Canada what the optimum time frame, what is the best that could be hoped
for, and that is where the three‑month, six‑month time frame came
from.
* (2140)
Mr. Mackintosh: What is the intention of the minister in
filling the expected eight full‑time judicial positions?
Mrs. Vodrey: That question belongs in the Courts Division
in the area of Judicial Services. For
the member's reference, it is 5.(d).
Mr. Mackintosh: Dealing with the issue of diversion, would
the minister agree that mediation in domestic violence cases is an
inappropriate diversion?
Mrs. Vodrey: As I said earlier, and the member knows, the
whole issue of mediation does require the agreement of both parties. There is really not a mediation service which
has experience in dealing with both parties who are in this particular type of
conflict. It is not an idea that is
currently‑‑does not have wide support and has not been recommended
to me. We maintain that the issue of
family violence is a crime and treat it extremely seriously, but, as I
explained to the member for The Maples (Mr. Kowalski), there is a committee, a
working group which flows from the implementation committee, which is examining
a number of issues, but that committee has not provided any recommendations to
move forward in this way.
Mr. Mackintosh: I would certainly urge the minister to
continue the path that it appears that she is going down and that mediation is
entirely inappropriate as a diversion for domestic violence cases. There are two parties going into that
mediation who are unequal in bargaining power, and there is usually one party
that would be oppressed and that will continue into the mediation room.
I hope the minister will come out strongly against
mediation as any way of dealing with backlog, and that it is inappropriate for
domestic violence cases to be dealt with in that way.
Following up on what the minister said about Beausejour and
the justice committee there, I feel that one of the long‑term solutions
to court backlogs is to get away from this notion that all of our problems, all
of our legal problems, all of the criminal problems in society can be dealt
with by court system, which continues to lumber along. Of course, it has lumbered along since the
early days in western Europe or in England, in particular. We have often said, well, just leave that to
the courts and somehow that will deal with it, and then we will all be
safe. I think recent experience has indicated
more than ever that we have to rethink the criminal system, the justice
system. Not only rethink the role of the
courts but rethink the role of the victim, rethink the role of the community,
rethink the role of the offender's family.
I think there is a great potential in, No. 1, Youth Justice Committees;
and second of all, what I would call adult justice committees. It sounds like that is what Beausejour is
doing.
As the minister may know, and I am sure she does, our
caucus distributed a paper entitled Safer Manitoba, Empowering Community Action
on Youth Crime, and we sent out thousands of those documents‑‑in
fact, I think half of them on demand‑‑across Manitoba. As a result of the distribution of that
document, I was able to travel across the province, north and south, and across
the borders in other ways to talk with individuals and organizations, hundreds
of them, about solutions to youth crime, both the systemic preventative
solutions, and as well about the role of justice committees and community‑based
policing.
I believe now more than ever that Youth Justice Committees
and adult justice committees are something that we have to foster and
encourage. I know the minister said that
she was receptive to the idea of such methods of diversion. I do not like to refer to them so much as
diversion but community empowerment, handing back to the community a problem
and enlisting the community in the solution of whether it be youth crime or
adult crime.
I know that Beausejour is not the only place that is doing
something like this. In fact, the member
for Rupertsland (Mr. Robinson) and I were up in St. Theresa Point, and I know
there are several aboriginal communities that, as a matter of course and as a
matter of culture, deal with offenders, the nonviolent offenders through the community
programs, often bringing the victim in to deal with the offender and the
offender looking eye to eye with the victim.
There is a making up; there is a facing up. I think there is a healing there. I think there is an accountability that is
lacking in the official court system.
I would ask the minister if she would consider not just
being receptive to the use and the role of Youth Justice Committees, but, in
fact, would take an active role in spurring the development of Youth Justice
Committees in Manitoba, spurring them through whether it be staffpersons to go
out and try and find people in the community to head up these organizations and
take part in them or whether it be by some financial incentives. I will ask the minister if she could respond
to that.
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chair, I do not mean to be
difficult in going through these Estimates, but I want to answer the questions
as fully as I can. This is an issue
which is dealt with through the division of Corrections, and it is the Corrections
officials, when they are here, who will be able to assist in giving the
greatest amount of information about the activities that are undertaken through
Corrections to encourage Youth Justice Committees.
I certainly in the nine‑point plan made a statement
that I am very interested in Youth Justice Committees in encouraging them and
in expanding their mandate. I have
written that down as a stated goal and have‑‑I believe that when
Corrections comes, I will be able to give the member the exact number, but I
believe that I have signed into existence approximately five additional Youth
Justice Committees since January. So we
are looking to work with communities to make Youth Justice Committees a reality
and to make sure that they have the support that they require in order to do
their work. We have also spoken tonight
about expanding the mandate of those Youth Justice Committees, so I think we
can discuss them perhaps in greater detail in the Corrections area.
Mr. Mackintosh: In light of the apparent delays occurring
with child abuse cases, has the minister or department considered establishing
a child abuse court, given that there are unique dynamics to child abuse and
given the backlog that is being experienced?
* (2150)
Mrs. Vodrey: I want to say a couple of things on
this. First of all, the whole issue of
child abuse cases is that it is a serious one and an important one. Certainly those are cases which we can and do
prioritize. The member is, I think,
raising concerns which arose from a newspaper article which cited a comment by
the reviewer of the family violence court, and we have asked that person who
developed that review, which really was a positive one, to give us the
information on the case which was referred to, which took an exceptionally long
time, because I would like to know why a case would take that long and what the
circumstances would be that would cause a case to take that long in the area of
child abuse. So I would like to reassure
the member and Manitobans that we certainly attempt to prioritize child abuse
cases.
The member then asked, does this mean that we might develop
a special court for child abuse? The
answer at this point is no. We have, at
the moment, a domestic violence court which includes cases of child abuse,
which has experienced Crown attorneys who have the ability and the expertise to
deal with these cases. So, at the
moment, we will be operating with the court that we have established now, the
first of its kind in Canada, with the experienced Crown attorneys that we have,
but we will continue to look at cases of child abuse and attempt to prioritize
them.
I will also remind the member that as a support we have a
child victim worker program, which also seeks to assist the child who has been
abused. So we are looking to provide the
supports already within our domestic violence court.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just for the record, the minister should know
that I have read the Ursel report cover to cover and I got nothing from the
newspaper that led to my question in Question Period or tonight. I also add that Professor Ursel spoke about
child abuse cases which‑‑I am trying to remember the exact words‑‑can
frequently take up to 18 months to process.
So we were not talking about one single incident here, and I know from
first‑hand experience that there are child abuse cases that are taking
longer than 18 months now.
Just another issue I would like to canvass with the
minister, on diversion, with the Beausejour Justice Committee. What is the scope of the adult offences that
the Beausejour Justice Committee deals with?
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, the kinds of
offences, I am informed, are minor, nonviolent offences, nonrepeater offences,
as a rule. Now, there may be exceptions
to that, but that is the general policy.
Mr. Mackintosh: Can the minister advise whether she entered
into any agreement with the federal government in order to facilitate the
diversion of adult cases at Beausejour?
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, the answer is no.
Mr. Mackintosh: Is it advice that the minister has that there
is no constitutional difficulty facilitating the growth of adult justice
committees or adult diversion in Manitoba?
Mrs. Vodrey: I would remind the member that the
administration of criminal justice is a provincial responsibility. So it is within our constitutional
responsibility to proceed in this way, and also, there is no impediment to
police not laying the charge or to Crowns not proceeding. So this is a possibility. I am certainly given information that it is
possible for us to proceed in these areas.
Mr. Mackintosh: The minister may want to talk about this
later on, but I think this is appropriate.
Has she considered taking steps to foster the growth of adult justice
committees in Manitoba?
Mrs. Vodrey: Again, this is probably an issue which is
best discussed when Corrections officials are here to discuss it in a broader
way.
Mr. Kowalski: Just some things that came up from some of
the questions from the member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh). When I mentioned earlier about more resources
and more Crown attorneys, I was told that was only part of the system. Yet some of the answers to some of the questions
of the member for St. Johns refer to these two new Crown attorneys, and it will
affect the backlog. So, if two more
Crown attorneys will affect the backlog, will two more after that affect the
backlog, and at what point, how many more Crown attorneys could be added to
positively affect the backlog?
Mrs. Vodrey: Mr. Acting Chairperson, as I said to the
member, there is a systemic influence all through and there are several points
at which we can have an influence, but I understand that these two Crown
attorneys‑‑at the moment, there are quite a few Crowns who are
senior prosecutors who earn a certain amount of holidays, who have a certain
amount of time in which they can be away from the work that they do. So the influence of the two new Crown
attorneys will really be quite significant in terms of the work that we
have. I think I can only explain it that
way.
(Madam Chairperson in
the Chair)
Mr. Kowalski: So would one more help more?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, well, what the member is
getting at is that, if we could continue to grow and grow in all areas of the
Department of Justice, more and more Crown attorneys, build more courtrooms,
have more and more judges available to us, if we had endless numbers of people
trained and available to us, yes, of course, we would continue to be able to
make a difference. But I think that the
important point is that we are looking for ways that will make a significant
difference, ways that will make a difference to the system, ways that can be
seen to make a difference in a short time.
We look through all parts of the system.
We are not able to massively revamp the whole system or to have and name
large numbers of new Crowns and judges and sheriffs and magistrates and so on
through the system, but we are continuing to work towards making it the best
and the most efficient system possible.
* (2200)
Mr. Kowalski: I was not talking about building an
empire. What I was talking about was
this court backlog and to take remedial measures, and we talked about part‑time
Crown attorneys. I am told that adding
additional Crown attorneys would, because of systemic problems of resources in
the system, that just Crown attorneys alone would not help, but two Crown
attorneys will. I was being a little bit
facetious by saying one more Crown attorney, but is two the optimum number that
will positively affect? Will one more
after that, two, three more, four more‑‑has the minister's
department said, this is the maximum number of Crown attorneys with the other
resources in there that will positively affect this backlog and bring it within
her department's goals, three months for custody cases and six months for out
of custody cases?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I can say this again. I am not sure how I can make myself more
clear on this. First of all, in the
dates that I gave to the member earlier in terms of youth in custody, out of
custody, adult in custody, out of custody, we are within that three to six
month range. Those numbers were within
the three to six month range.
The member has expressed particular concern in the area of
youth court and domestic violence court or family violence court, and within
those courts, as I have said, for youth court, I am informed that the time
frame is approximately five months, and for domestic violence court it is
approximately seven months. So we fall
close to that range, and I just want to say, although I have used those months
in terms of domestic violence court and youth court, the information I had last
week was that in domestic violence court it was approximately four and a half
months to be able to set a date. So the
times fluctuate slightly, but we are attempting to come as close as we can
within those national guidelines, and we would like to approach even more
closely the three‑month goal that we have set for ourselves for the
domestic violence court. So we are not
complacent with what we have achieved now, recognizing that we need due
process, recognizing there is always a certain amount of time to bring a case
through the court process.
I can only continue to stress, I cannot give a definitive
answer if there is a threshold number specifically of Crown attorneys that will
make the difference. I can only continue
to say that through the system we have to look for the points, and we see that
making changes‑‑sometimes they are very small changes‑‑throughout
several parts of the system does create a change and does create a
benefit. That is the way we have had to
approach it, not just look for what is a threshold number in one area.
We know that the addition of two Crown attorneys is going
to make a difference because of the number of senior Crowns that we have at the
moment, and that will make a difference.
We have to look at what we can do in Courts areas, and we
have to look through the whole system.
We have to look at what the member has spoken about in terms of Youth
Justice Committees and diversion in some of the cases that are suitable for
that kind of a process. We will look at
all of them, and we certainly have not stopped.
We continue to remain open to ideas, but we have to assess the
workability of those ideas within the system.
Mr. Kowalski: What I have heard tonight is that although
three months for custody case, six months for custody is a survey nationally,
this department is trying to achieve even better than that. That is the goal and we will be watching.
One thing I am interested in, that survey that came up with
those figures, was that from date of arrest?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I do not have the information
tonight about what the time frame referred to in that particular study is, so I
will have to look and see what it is.
I just want to take a moment to say that we have also tried
a pilot project within the Courts and Prosecutions, Prosecutions particularly,
to see if we are able to also work on any backlog time which asks the Crowns to
bring cases forward within a three‑month period to examine the case and
to see if that case looks as if it has everything that it needs to go
forward. That allows a decision to be
made earlier and avoids that case to be then long term, booking court time
which in fact may not be used. So we
have tried to institute not only through resources but also through process in
terms of the conduct of cases how we can alleviate any backlog.
Mr. Kowalski: I would appreciate if that information could
be obtained, because although it is not a goal for government in that they say
they want to exceed that benchmark, but to understand that benchmark, what it
means. It makes a big difference if it
is from the time of arrest or from the time of a screening court
appearance. So, if we are going to use
that as a benchmark, we should know what it means.
The question of lag time to due process, are some of the
lag times attributed to resources within the department in that getting out the
particulars because of the amount of clerical staff, disclosures, Crown
attorneys being able to meet with defence attorneys? Can that lag time be reduced with a re‑evaluation
of the resources required in that if we are looking at lessening the backlog?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am informed that we are not
getting any complaints at all from the defence community around the time for
the exchange of particulars.
Mr. Kowalski: Whether or not there are concerns, it is part
of the backlog. It is part of the time
from the time of arrest to the disposition of the case. That is what we are trying to achieve because
we know of the detrimental effects of the delay in youth cases and family
violence cases and child abuse cases. So
whether or not there are complaints, you know, if there are ways of achieving a
reduction in that lag time for the due process with some minor resources, as
the minister has stated, they are always looking for even small things that
could reduce that lag time. I hope they
will continue, and I am wondering if with more resources.
* (2210)
The question I have about this lag time is, we have heard
three to six weeks before going to screening court, and I am wondering if it is
possible to receive more definitive statistics.
I know from the court assistance form that there is a date of arrest on
each court assistance form, and I know there is a date for when the person
appears in screening court. Can we get
that information as to how long it is taking, a definitive statistic that shows
us what is happening right now?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am informed that in the
exchange of particulars that by and large occurs at the first appearance. That would occur at the intake docket and
before the screening court.
I think the member's other question was, is there any way
to refine that time frame that Courts has given? I am not sure, other than a specific case,
because that is a range of time which I have had explained as being within the
range. I am not sure what further refinements
I can provide for the member.
Mr. Kowalski: We have heard that since January there has
been a reduction by two months in the backlog.
Between January and now, I do not know how many Filmon Fridays there
were. If most of them are in the summer,
I am wondering if the fact that the reduction came when there were no Filmon
Fridays shows a trend that when there will be more Filmon Fridays, we will see
the backlog go up.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, as I explained in an earlier
answer we have managed to reschedule 26 cases.
There are only 26 cases which require a rescheduling as a result of the
workweek reduction. As I said in an earlier
answer, those have been rescheduled to a time before the summer.
Mr. Kowalski: I am wondering if I could receive some
information as to when the backlog peaked.
What was the trend from the time of the inception of the family court,
as one backlog we are concerned about.
When did it peak? What was it at
its inception? When did it peak? Now we know where it is now, but when did it
peak?
Mrs. Vodrey: As the member knows, there is always a
fluctuation, and I understand that it would be very difficult to actually
pinpoint the time of the peak. However,
I am informed that there seemed to be a longer period of time in the fall time,
'93‑94, with from January '94 the time reducing.
Mr. Mackintosh: Has the department conducted any study
estimating the likely backlog month by month as we proceed toward the winter in
each of the courts, the family violence court and the youth court?
Mrs. Vodrey: As the member would know, it is very
difficult to forecast, because there is no control over the number of cases
that might come in at the front end in a forecast. The member asks us to forecast ahead how many
cases might come in in June, July, August, September.
What we do, however, is through the management committee,
this is now an agenda item to be considered.
Each month the management committee looks at the court dates that are
being set in that month, and therefore they have a month‑over‑month
comparison. They have an opportunity
through that close monitoring to be aware of any change in the range of time
and if in fact there is an increase in the dates or in the time available for
court time.
As I have said during our discussion on this this evening,
we make every attempt then to make changes to find out, first of all, what it
is that has caused the change, and then to make the kinds of adjustments that
would be necessary. I spoke about one
when I was answering the member for The Maples about how now Crowns are
bringing cases forward earlier to have a look at whether the case will proceed.
I am informed that actually is working very well and helps
us looks then, not set court dates way down the road, which then in fact may
not be used.
Mr. Mackintosh: We are just wondering if you might want to
take a break now, and then we can get into the area of youth crime.
* (2220)
Madam Chairperson: Is it the will of the committee to take a
five‑minute recess? [agreed] This committee will recess until 10:26.
The committee recessed at 10:20 p.m.
After Recess
The committee resumed at 10:31 p.m.
Madam Chairperson: Order, please. Will the Committee of Supply please resume.
We are on 2.(a) Public Prosecutions (1) Salaries and
Employee Benefits $5,771,900.
Mr. Mackintosh: The intention now, Madam Chairperson, is to
deal with the government's response to rising youth crime and, in particular,
the nine‑point plan proposed by the minister.
I want to start off by repeating what I said in private
members' hour not long ago that whenever something takes place like the summit
on youth crime, a government should be commended for reaching out and looking
for solutions from the community at large.
I was very impressed with the organization that went into that summit,
and I was very impressed with the quality of people who came out.
I would say on the downside, I would have liked to have
seen a more representative grouping. I
thought it represented perhaps more middle Manitoba. I think there was an underrepresentation of
aboriginal people, in particular, and there was an underrepresentation of youth
and youth at risk and families at risk.
Having said that, I think it was something good.
I would like to ask the minister then what she did once the
recommendations from the summit were compiled and put into the volume entitled
Community Voices, Community Action. What
did she do with those recommendations?
In fact, did she bring them to the cabinet table? What process did she go through to vet those
recommendations?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, if the member is asking
what did we do with the book Community Voices, Community Action, and did that
go to government for approval, the answer is no. Those 700 recommendations or approximately
500‑‑because some were repeated within the 700 that were received‑‑they
were reported absolutely faithfully as received.
That is why the member will know as he reads through
Community Voices, Community Action, some groups had opposing views as to how
certain areas should be managed, but we included them all. It was a completely pure reporting of the
work that came from those discussion groups, and we compiled them into
Community Voices, Community Action, released them as promised from the summit.
They were released to participants from the summit. We sent them to interested Manitobans and
have tried to make them as available as possible all across this province. Whenever I am out speaking, I will ask a
group, do you have Community Voices, Community Action; can I send you some
copies? I was on radio in Brandon. I said to the radio host: Have you seen this? I will send you some copies and make sure
that they are made available to yourself and your listeners.
I have advised people that those recommendations are meant
to be xeroxed, to be used however communities want to use them. They can partialise them. They can use the whole book. They can take what appears to be useful to
themselves in their own community group.
They are meant to be used by Manitobans, and we have made an effort to
make sure that as many Manitobans as possible can access them and have told
Manitobans just to go ahead, divide them up.
The book, as the member has seen, is not a glossy print
book. It is a book held together by a
staple. That was done quite on purpose
so that people could take the book apart and xerox the pages and have the
greatest availability as possible.
Mr. Mackintosh: First, I think there has been some editing
certainly of the book. I mean, that is
not surprising. I recall the words of
the facilitator, Professor Stuesser, when he presented the reports from the
working groups. He talked about the
great emphasis on prevention and families, and there was a consensus, I think,
of 27 of the 28 groups that that was the focus and that was where the
government should look.
Having said that, I would like to know then, did the
minister provide her cabinet colleagues with a copy of Community Voices,
Community Action? If so, how was it that
they came to arrive at the nine‑point plan after 700 recommendations went
to the minister?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, it was based on the information
that was found in Community Voices, Community Action. What we attempted to do was to take meaning
from those recommendations.
As the member knows, the recommendations were very wide
reaching. They were recommendations to
community groups, to families, to several levels of government, including the
Department of Justice. All of those
recommendations did not point to the Department of Justice specifically.
What we did was to look at the kinds of things that people
had said and then make a start, start with a nine‑point plan to address
some of the issues which were raised.
The nine‑point plan is not the end, is not the be‑all and
the end‑all, and is not the final product of what we would like to do
with youth crime and violence. It is a
start.
Manitobans asked for a start. They asked for a position. They wanted to see action. I believe that is important, so the
government developed the nine‑point plan, approved the nine‑point
plan. We have been making moves even
since the announcement of the nine‑point plan to move further, to take on
other initiatives. We encourage
communities to do that also.
Mr. Mackintosh: Were there some basic criteria that were used
to decide on those particular nine points from the 700 recommendations?
Mrs. Vodrey: As I said, we attempted to give meaning for
those recommendations which were directed at the Department of Justice and to
come up with some course of action. That
is exactly what we did. As the member
reviews the nine‑point plan, he will see that there is activity in the
area of prevention, that there is activity in the area of intervention, and
that there is activity in the area of consequences. So through the nine‑point plan we made
a start.
We made a start based on the same plan that the summit
operated within, the same three categories that the summit operated within, and
from that will continue to work. We
continue to work with the community; we continue to work on government
initiatives to make a start in terms of dealing with youth crime and violence.
Mr. Mackintosh: I guess the point I am getting at is: How is it that the summit concluded almost
unanimously that there must be a new era of family and youth supports in
Manitoba, that we had to look at prevention, and then the nine‑point plan
really does not deal with that aspect?
* (2240)
Mrs. Vodrey: A number of the new ways of looking at
things, new ways of doing things, apply to families themselves, apply to things
that families can do or that people can do as a group of families and as
members of a community. So the nine‑point
plan speaks not only to government, but it speaks to direction for families
that came from families. It speaks to
schools; it speaks to young people themselves.
It speaks to community groups.
There were recommendations that many could take from many
points. For government, from the
Department of Justice, what we took was meaning in terms of initiatives that we
were able to put in place, and put in place quickly.
One of the things that I did not want to have happen, I did
not want to have a big, long time before we were able to come up with some kind
of plan that would eventually be in action some time down the road. I felt that the issues of youth crime and
justice were so important that we had to act quickly, and we acted quickly in
actually an unprecedented fashion to put forward the summit. It was approximately six weeks from the time
that the summit was announced till the time that the summit actually took
place. That was a huge and monumental
effort, but it was done with determination by those people who participated to
see that something would happen immediately and then the release of the
recommendations. It took time to put
together everything that people said, to faithfully check out with facilitators
that what had been recorded and what was being read was actually what had been
intended by that group. So there was a
great deal of work to be faithful to the work of the people who participated in
the summit.
I wanted to make sure that we just did not then release
Community Voices, Community Action and say that we were reviewing what we might
do towards reducing youth crime and violence.
So we looked at a start, a nine‑point plan that addressed
something in the area of each of those three important categories, and others‑‑communities
and families‑‑may address other points. But it was a start, and as I said to the
member, we continue to add to that start on a regular and ongoing basis.
Mr. Mackintosh: I do not know what role the minister had on
that Saturday in the working groups and that, but I assume that she had a good
ear to the ground.
I know that she would agree that, I think, the essential
statement of the major theme coming from Manitobans at that conference was set
out on page 9 of the report where it said, the widely held view of Manitobans
at the summit was that higher priority ought to be placed upon programs,
policies and initiatives affecting children and the family: governments to place priority on families and
children and to analyze every decision on how it impacts on families; re‑examine
and evaluate the impact and role of daycare, including universal daycare;
invest in children between the ages of two and five years of age; safety net
for children at risk between infancy and five years of age; priority of these
programs to be higher.
How can she reconcile that with the nine‑point plan?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, the member knows that
there were recommendations which came from the summit which government was to
address broadly, not just the Department of Justice, but recommendations which
may be addressed by government broadly.
So the nine‑point plan was a plan of action that the
Department of Justice could put forward, but the results of the summit were
circulated across government so that they could be considered, so that we could
look at what we already had in place.
One of the things that came out was the importance of making sure
Manitobans understood what was already available to them, that in many cases
people did not know what kind of supports were available, both in government
and in the community.
One of the goals that communities may have as they
implement some of the recommendations of Community Voices, Community Action is
to make sure that people are aware of what is available.
Mr. Mackintosh: Given that the minister has said that the
report was circulated within government, has the minister initiated or any
other minister initiated a process, for example, a committee or a council to
review in an ongoing way the report from the summit?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, as the member knows,
ministers, particularly human services ministers, have the opportunity to meet
on a regular basis and as ministers develop initiatives or want to explore
initiatives. That committee is certainly
an already available vehicle to look at what may be considered. Certainly from the Department of Justice,
initiatives are taken forward to that committee, and we have an opportunity to
look at initiatives by all of those particular departments and to be able to
discuss them.
One of the things that was recommended was to make sure
that there was full discussion and a knowledge of impact on other kinds of
services that governments might provide.
That particular committee is available to human services ministers.
Mr. Mackintosh: We understand, for example, that with the
Pedlar report, there was an implementation committee established, and I am just
wondering if there is not an implementation committee that can be established
following the summit. Surely, the
minister would agree it is important that the government review the
recommendations in a systematic way and not just every once in awhile get together
and chat about youth crime or some responses to it, but that there be a
comprehensive and systematic approach so that the summit recommendations can be
implemented in a meaningful way.
Would the minister agree that kind of process should
unfold?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I would like to say that
the nine‑point plan focuses and is an initial thrust, a response by
government to Community Voices, Community Action and to what happened on the
day of the summit.
I think it is important that we are able to provide some
focus and that Manitobans do know what is happening. So we have an initial start, and there have
been other initiatives which have been developed since the nine‑point
plan was announced in the throne speech and also put forward by the Department
of Justice.
I can assure the member that we continue to look at what
has been recommended, and the whole issue of youth crime and violence and
government's part of the responsibility is continually considered, but I would
remind the member that what is contained in Community Voices, Community Action
speaks also to communities and speaks also to groups of people and interest
groups. I think of groups like Y
Neighbours, and groups of parents who come together who also have the opportunity
to look at Community Voices, Community Action, and to look at what steps they
might take within their neighbourhood.
Mr. Mackintosh: The minister talked about social service
provider ministers, is that right? That
was an ongoing group within government that met on a ongoing basis? Could she describe what that grouping is,
whom it is comprised of?
Mrs. Vodrey: I spoke about human services ministers coming
together. So, of course, we would look
at co‑operation among ministers such as the Ministers of Education and
Family Services and Justice and Health, and there are other ministers who may
also be a part of discussions.
Mr. Mackintosh: Is the Minister responsible for Native
Affairs (Mr. Praznik) part of such a body, if in fact this is a formal body?
Mrs. Vodrey: The Minister of Northern and Native Affairs
may also participate. I just want to
tell the member who has never been a part of a government that there are
opportunities for ministers and particularly ministers with shared interest to
have an opportunity to look at specific issues and initiatives. There is not only one opportunity or one
process, but there are several.
* (2250)
Mr. Mackintosh: Unless the minister corrects me, my
understanding from the answers to the questions is that there is, in fact, no
implementation committee, if you will.
There is no special organization or co‑ordinated effort to
continually review and look at the implementation of the recommendations set
out in the summit report. Could the
minister confirm that?
Mrs. Vodrey: I can tell the member I think I have a sense
of what he is asking now. I can tell him
that there is a designated official within the Department of Justice who is
charged with the responsibility of looking at the recommendations that flow
from Community Voices, Community Action.
That departmental official is certainly to liaise with other departments
so that we are able to look at what may be jointly accomplished or what may be
considered. That person reports through
the ADM of Prosecutions.
Mr. Mackintosh: Can the minister advise the name of the
official and the official's title description?
Mrs. Vodrey: The individual's name is Glen Lewis, and his
title is senior policy analyst.
Mr. Mackintosh: Is my understanding correct, that this would
be part of several other duties that are assigned to the senior policy analyst?
Mrs. Vodrey: This is that individual's principal
work. He may do other duties as
necessary, but this is his primary function.
Mr. Mackintosh: The individual reports to Mr. Whitley. Is that correct?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the member does report through
Mr. Whitley, through the ADM of Prosecutions then on to the minister.
Mr. Mackintosh: Can the minister advise what directives have
been given to the senior policy analyst with regard to further reviewing and
seeing through to implementation of the summit recommendations?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, at the moment that individual is
focusing primarily on the implementation of the nine‑point plan. I will remind the member that we made a
commitment to action. The action has in
most cases certainly been operative, but we want to make sure that these
initiatives get off the ground, are operating well and certainly are
successful.
With the prioritization of the nine‑point plan as the
individual's main duties, we will look at others as we accomplish what we have
set forward so far.
Mr. Mackintosh: Perhaps on that note we should look at the
nine‑point plan and if we can just canvass with the minister the status
of that plan. The first part of that
plan was boot camps, military and/or wilderness camps. I know from reading the call for proposals
that the government has apparently changed its language and its approach on
that issue. I am wondering if the
minister could advise what her position is as to contracting with private‑for‑profit
organizations for the administration of those camps.
Mrs. Vodrey: We can discuss this in detail when we reach
Corrections 4.(c). I think there are a
couple of errors just in the member's question.
Let me just take him to the point that we received a number
of inquiries as soon as the announcement was made and that we were receiving a
number of unsolicited proposals. I think
there has been a great error that we have, in fact, solicited proposals. The letter the member refers to simply was
our attempt to say to those people who had approached us and wanted to provide
us with information, if you do want to submit unsolicited proposals, here are
the areas of our consideration, so there could be a standardization of the
kinds of information that groups wanted to give us about themselves and about
the kind of work they do. I think that
is a very important distinction.
I can tell the member that, yes, proposals have been
received, and I can also tell him no decisions have been made whatsoever in
that area.
The member also suggests that there has been some change in
terms of youth camps, wilderness camps from the beginning of the nine‑point
plan or from the announcement of the nine‑point plan.
I answered this afternoon, and I think it is important to
answer again, that what was put forward with that announcement were principles
that those particular camps would operate within. The term boot camp was the term which was
used at the summit. On the day of the
announcement I was very careful to say that would be within our existing
institutions, that that was the term that was given to the urban setting camps,
and it distinguished the camps from the wilderness camps which were also
discussed in the nine‑point plan.
The description of those was that they would be highly structured. They would be militaristic in that they would
be highly structured, that there would be well‑known rules, that with
those well‑known rules would be well‑known consequences, a high
level of activity and an austere environment.
Those four principles do very strongly resemble certain
militaristic styles and are a change from some of the expectations within institutions
or perhaps that some people might expect.
It was a descriptive way to describe to Manitobans the rigorous
confinement that was going to take place.
Anything beyond that, characterizations which occurred beyond that, were
never anything which I announced. They
were never part of the nine‑point plan that I announced. They were characterizations which were formed
by others. I was very pleased to have
the opportunity to correct in people's minds information that had been brought
forward by others, not by myself. Many
of those characterizations, I should say that I was in fact never asked my
opinion. I was never asked to confirm or
deny that that was the way. It was
simply presented that this is what would happen. I always said, and stand by my very early
remarks, that these would be made‑in‑Manitoba camps, that they
would deal with the needs of Manitobans, and they would be founded upon the
four principles that I have described.
* (2300)
Mr. Mackintosh: I do not know the value of looking at this
much further, although this will be‑‑the public will have to pass
judgment. Those points that the minister
now raises, of course, were not set out in the press release of February 17,
and indeed "harsh new measures aimed at punishing violent young
Manitobans" were the words that were used.
Then they went on to talk about military camps, and military boot camps
are a certain defined genre of correctional facilities in North America, and it
was quite clear what the minister was talking about at that time, I think.
In any event, the minister stated that the government has
not solicited proposals for youth camps and that what I understood was a call
for proposals was simply a response to unsolicited proposals. Is the minister therefore saying that that
document has not been forwarded to aboriginal communities or First Nations or
tribal councils in Manitoba?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I have to go back again to
correct the member again in the characterization, because going along with the
announcement, the press release which the member references regarding the nine‑point
plan, there was quite a full news conference as well in which I did speak
about, at great length in opening remarks, an enhanced or an embellished
statement of what the nine‑point plan is, covered in the news release.
I did speak at that time about exactly what the meaning of
the made‑in‑Manitoba solution is.
The press release was but one way.
However, there was on that day a news conference. Following that day, I have not always been
asked to clarify a characterization by others about what these camps will
be. However, I believe now there has
been some additional coverage which now has clarified for Manitobans that this
will be a made‑in‑Manitoba solution and that they can remove some
of the visions that they had in their minds strictly of American‑style
boot camps. I made it clear from the
very beginning what this would be. Now,
obviously, some people did not understand that at the start.
The member asks then about the unsolicited proposals and
then, was this letter which responded to unsolicited proposals circulated to
aboriginal groups? I can tell the member
that we had certain groups, I believe‑‑and I will have to get the
details from Corrections‑‑some aboriginal groups who approached us
and who wanted to talk about the work that they do, and so there was some
contact directly with those individuals and those groups. I have also made sure that the division of
Corrections has had meetings, informal and formal, with aboriginal community
members from across the province.
So I am not sure of the member's question. Perhaps he will ask it in a subsequent
question if his question is, did we or did we not consult with aboriginal
communities? Again, in making it clear
that this is a made‑in‑Manitoba solution, we are talking to
Manitobans.
Mr. Mackintosh: I suggest to the minister that by announcing
military boot camps and indeed in writing, what she has done subsequently on
discovering that military boot camps in the United States do not work, she has
had to find a way around that. But, let
us get on with the future here.
My question specifically is‑‑
Point of Order
Mrs. Vodrey: A point of order, Madam Chairperson. The member makes some pronouncements about
camps in the United States, and I am sure he has information which tells him
that some do work. However, I would like
to reinforce to him again‑‑and I see I have to do this very often‑‑that
we were always speaking about a made‑in‑Manitoba solution. That was what was spoken about from the very
beginning.
Madam Chairperson: The honourable Minister of Justice does not
have a point of order. It is a dispute
over the facts.
* * *
Mr. Mackintosh: Well, I would encourage the minister not to
look to the United States to see what does not work there and bring it to
Manitoba. So as I say, let us get on
with the future now and look for other custody options that are made in
Manitoba and will effectively change behaviour and make Manitobans safer.
Dealing with the youth camp concept, has the document that
we have been discussing been sent to First Nations, to the Tribal Councils of
Manitoba?
Mrs. Vodrey: I believe the member is now asking, were we
soliciting then proposals? Was this sent
in order to solicit proposals? As I have
said, the letter was written in response to unsolicited inquiries and
information which came forward.
However, in terms of the details of contact with the
aboriginal communities, we will have to cover that when Corrections is here in
the Chamber, and that is 4.(c) for the member's reference.
Mr. Mackintosh: Is it more convenient for the minister that
we deal with the youth camp model or concept under Corrections?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, yes it is, though I would
say to the member even now that I have not announced, I have not given any
details or announced exactly what that will be, but certainly I think our
discussion in terms of what has led us to this point would best be discussed
under Corrections.
Mr. Mackintosh: I would remind the minister that the clock is
ticking here. She announced on February
17 that the model would be introduced within six months.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, we are making very good progress
in the area of the development of the boot camp and wilderness camp.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just moving to the second point of the nine‑point
plan, that was the school antiviolence program.
The minister and I have had some banter in the Chamber in Question
Period on this issue. It is announced as
part of a nine‑point plan, and my understanding is that that conference
was planned well in advance of the nine‑point plan, and, in fact, I think
the Province of Ontario had some role to play in that. I think the minister alluded to that earlier
that it was a cross‑Canada program.
I understand School Division No. 1 and the Women's Directorate locally
were involved in that.
I just want the minister to confirm that, in fact, that one
day workshop is not part or was just piggybacked onto the nine‑point
plan, that that was an independent process entirely.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I can speak about the fact that
as a result of initiatives for the Status of Women, which is my other
responsibility‑‑I cannot be split too‑‑that, yes, there
was an initiative which was available to Manitoba based on some very excellent
work by the Women's Directorate from the Status of Women side.
What was announced in the nine‑point plan was one of
the things that Manitobans have asked for, and that was an integration. Manitobans asked for the walls to come down
between departments. They wanted to see
co‑operation. They wanted to see
that where one area was doing something that would benefit initiatives that
they should know about it. This was a
way to look at an initiative in the other area of my responsibility, and very
much in sync with the concerns of the Justice department, to give it highlight
and to give it priority and to give the work of such a seminar a priority and a
highlight and a spotlight for Manitobans, and so, though it actually came from,
not the Department of Justice but the Status of Women, the Women's Directorate
side, it very closely integrated itself and dealt with one of the issues that
was raised at the summit, and that was intervention. That was training trainers. That was saying that community workers needed
training and that with that training they could go on into their community and
train others.
So the London Family Court came to Manitoba. It came to Winnipeg, and we were very
specifically chosen. We partnered. We partnered with the Winnipeg School
Division No. 1 and, again, that was another partnership. It was another opportunity to show Manitobans
that one of the things that they had asked for was actually occuring, that
there was co‑operation between levels of government, that there was co‑operation
between elected officials and bureaucracies to work towards a solution.
So I was very pleased to include the school‑based
antiviolence program as part of the nine‑point plan because it
illustrated for Manitobans co‑operation; it illustrated an intervention
strategy; and it gave highlight to the work of community workers and people in
schools.
* (2310)
Mr. Mackintosh: Did the minister not hear from that workshop
that more than one day was needed to address the complex issues and challenges
of school‑based violence?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, if the member is getting
at the fact that other kinds of training programs might be useful, I am sure
that they would be. This was the
protocol, this was the offering of this particular program. London Family Court offered a one‑day
seminar. We were not in a position to
say to them we would like you to expand it to two or three days or more.
As a person who worked in that environment, I am sure that
the kind of sharing that went on between professionals, the opportunity to
practice some of the intervention strategies would be helpful. But the London Family Court offered this for
one day. That was the length of the
seminar, and we were very happy to have it in Manitoba. Again, the goal was to train the trainers so
that those people who were trained on that day could go back into their own
communities and continue to train other people in that area of work.
Mr. Mackintosh: Has the minister any plans to have another
workshop like this, whether for one day or for longer?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, not in the immediate
future, we do not have any plans that I am able to announce today that we are
able to partner as we did with that particular program. Though, I can tell the member that we are
always looking for partnership opportunities, and that is exactly what this
was, between service providers and school divisions and professionals. So I can say that both from the Department of
Justice and, as I said, this one arose through the Women's Directorate, the
Status of Women, that we certainly would look to see if there were any other
opportunities such as this.
Mr. Kowalski: Just to understand the process, public
prosecutions, most of the things in the nine‑point plan have nothing to
do with prosecutions. Is this the
correct area to be talking about this?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, we certainly could be looking at
this in other areas as well, but as the co‑ordinator, as the staffperson
who is the identified person co‑ordinating reports through the ADM of
Prosecutions, this is an area. We have
the ADM of Prosecutions and the director of special prosecutions here, so we
have two of the senior staff quite knowledgeable of the status of the program,
so this is probably one of the best places, though as we saw in discussion of
the boot camps, for instance, that is best discussed in Corrections.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just moving to the third point of the nine‑point
plan, it announces a Winnipeg Youth Crime Intervention Team will be
established. Has that intervention team
been established, I ask the minister?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I am happy to say and have
reported previously that, yes, this intervention team has been formed; yes,
this intervention team is currently meeting and has been meeting for at least a
couple of months to this point.
Mr. Mackintosh: Does the minister have the terms of reference
of the intervention team, and does she have a list of the membership?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, we can provide that information
to the member, both of the terms of reference and the names of the members who
sit on that intervention team, but just as a preliminary answer, I would advise
him that it is people from Prosecutions, from Education, from Family Services,
from police; that it tends to be a multidisciplinary membership. That was always the intention, the
multidisciplinary sharing.
Mr. Mackintosh: The terms of reference, as I can understand
from the press release, is that the intervention team is to step up
surveillance of youth gangs, and I would like to know what has occurred in that
regard. Are there now surveillance
strategies in place as a result of the intervention team's work?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I can tell the member that
certainly the strategy is, I would not be wrong to say, developed at this
point, and I am looking to be in a position fairly shortly to make an
announcement about that strategy. That
announcement, I believe, will demonstrate the co‑operation among all the
various members and also levels of government, including the federal
government.
Mr. Mackintosh: Have representatives of the Winnipeg police
department been members of the intervention team, and, if so, how many members
of the department?
Mrs. Vodrey: Yes, there is one member of the Winnipeg
Police Services who has been designated to sit as part of this group, but I can
also tell the member that this whole process has been actively followed by the
Chief of Police and also by the senior executive of the Winnipeg Police
Services.
Mr. Mackintosh: I am wondering what the minister means in the
press release of stepping up surveillance of high‑risk young
offenders. In the United States, there
is a program called SHOCAP, for example, and I think Edmonton has it as
well. I do not know if the minister is
familiar with that program, but what is being done in that regard? How does the team define high‑risk
young offender?
* (2320)
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, we are aware of the SHOCAP
model, and we are looking at developing our strategy with the SHOCAP model in
mind and also using some of the criteria which they have used to identify high‑risk
youth. As I said to the member, I look
to be in a position to provide an announcement in greater breadth and depth
about the activities of this team shortly, but I am just not able at the moment
to give him all the details he may like.
Mr. Kowalski: When it talks about police surveillance,
surveillance of gang members, I am assuming that the surveillance means more
than just actual visual contact, that there will be a surveillance within the
schools, within the correction facilities, within different organizations, that
the surveillance is a broader surveillance than just keeping intelligence on a
number of gang members.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I think it would be best
described as a comprehensive intelligence gathering.
Mr. Kowalski: From what my understanding is, within the
police department, the people being assigned to this are being assigned from
the child abuse unit and they will carry on with other duties. When the height of gang activity is during
the summer months, that is when the staffing is the shortest within the police
department, when the greatest number of officers are on holidays because of
their collective agreement. I am at best
cynical about the amount of resources that the police department can put into
any surveillance program during the busy summer months when there is the
highest demand for police services unless additional resources are put in.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I can only say again to the
member because I am not ready to make the announcement yet that this will be a
comprehensive approach to the gathering of information and intelligence. It will not depend on one single person. It is an important project. It will look at how information is gathered,
how that information is centralized, how the data is broken down and
shared. I will have an announcement
shortly that will provide greater information.
But the questions originated from, has this surveillance team met and
been active? Yes, it has; it has met; it
has been active. It has looked at what
kind of work it will do, how it wants to go about doing it, and I hope that I
will be able, as I said, to make a further announcement shortly that will
provide more details. However, I am not
able to give the member all those details tonight, but I would like to assure
him that it is certainly ongoing and has been meeting.
Mr. Kowalski: For this comprehensive surveillance to work,
although she cannot give me details tonight, can the Justice minister tell me
what kind of police resources are going to be required and where they are going
to be obtained from?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the best answer to the member is
to say that when I am able to make the announcement, I will be able to give him
further details, but the surveillance team, the whole initiative that I have
been looking at has had the full support of the Chief of Police and also the
executive. That is why it was important
in my answer to say, though the Winnipeg Police Service has a representative on
the surveillance team, that the work of that team and the proposed work of that
team has the support of the Chief of Police.
Mr. Kowalski: Unfortunately, the chief does not always work
nights and evenings when the surveillance may be required and to have the
support, but there is going to be requirement of staffing, unless there is some
other plan envisioned. I would like to
know from the Justice minister what safeguards there will be that the staffing
that is used will not pull police service away from other important
initiatives, such as the impaired driving initiative, the child abuse unit from
the domestic violence unit. You know, we
can only give so many priorities to the police department. We cannot play a shell game with police
resources. So if there is going to be
requirement for more police resources, where are they going to come from?
Mrs. Vodrey: I know the member knows this as a police
officer, but all police officers are charged on a day‑to‑day basis
with bringing forward information. It is
not just special teams. The importance
is what is done with that information, how that information is used. It is not just the focus that at the moment
he is putting forward numbers of people out gathering information. The important part now is what is done with
that information, and that is what we have to look at.
Mr. Kowalski: I can see the direction where this
surveillance team will be going, where officers, in addition to all their other
duties, a short‑staffed, underresourced police department, officers will
be asked to submit information for a central database. If there are not resources to act on that
database and if the officers do not have time, which quite often they do not
have time to do much other than the immediate emergency calls with the
underresource in the police department, to set up another database gathering
procedure, to expect the officers doing other investigations, in other words to
feed this database, is unrealistic, and I think the Justice minister will be
disappointed with the effectiveness of such a program.
* (2330)
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, well, the member has now
condemned a program he does not even know anything about. I mean, he has managed to condemn a program
with sheer speculation. I have made it
clear that I will be announcing the details, that the police have been an
integral part of the development, and that it has had a representative of the
Winnipeg Police Service on it, and that we have been looking at this very
closely. But the member has taken a very
narrow view. He has spoken only about
one partner in this whole surveillance team.
He has forgotten that there are other members, and he has looked only at
his own speculation. As I listened to
the question, and we can look back on his words, it is: if, then, perhaps and maybe. That is the point that he is now condemning
the program from.
I have made it clear that we have a commitment to this,
that we have been working and meeting, that it will form an important part of
our dealing with youth crime and violence, but that I have not made the
announcement yet, and that when I do, then he will have an opportunity to
decide if it is not worth anything at all.
Mr. Kowalski: The minister is very correct in that, yes, it
is on speculation because that is all the information that I could comment
on. I am trying to give the benefit in
this process to, if that is the direction that I am speculating it is going,
some of the pitfalls, and that is all I am trying‑‑yes, I would
condemn such a process if that is the direction it is going in. Until the announcement, of course, I cannot
comment on the actual program, but I hope that it is not going in that
direction.
I think just this weekend we saw the benefit when two
police officers who had some time saw an incident of two young girls getting
out of a car late at night and were able to prevent an alleged continuation of
a practice that had been going on with an adult and some young people. We see, when the police do have the time, the
good work that could be done. I am just
concerned that it is going to be one more government policy asking an
underresourced police department to fulfill.
I will wait for the announcement because otherwise I am just going on
speculation.
Mr. Mackintosh: I would just add to that concern that we know
from discussions already today about the demand on the Prosecution staff of the
Department of Justice and, as well, I think it is well known, and I certainly
have discovered this firsthand about the pressure and the lack of resources
available to child welfare officials in the province. I would suggest to the minister that if there
is going to be a successful program established, there has to be resources to
back it up. I do not know if she is in a
position to advise the committee tonight, but can she advise of the range of
resources that will be available to any surveillance team?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I have said to both members
this evening that I look to be able to make an announcement shortly, that the
group has been meeting, the group has been working. There is a proposal, and I hope to be able to
make an announcement on what those details are, but at the moment I have not
made that announcement and look to make it in as short a time as possible.
Mr. Mackintosh: Going on to point No. 4 of the nine‑point
plan, it was announced there would be a phone line established on youth
gangs. My understanding is that there
have been some discussions with MTS on that and perhaps with the private
sector.
I want to know if the minister would advise the House now
when we can expect that phone line to be in operation? What it is going to do? Who is going to staff it? Who is going to fund it?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the gang and youth line was
another point of the nine‑point plan in which we worked very diligently
to bring to action. I can tell the
member that we are looking at mid‑June to late June for the
operationalization of the youth gang line.
Mr. Mackintosh: Well, is the minister prepared at this time
to advise who is going to fund the line and who is going to staff it?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, we have worked very hard on
this. As the member can appreciate,
those details would be part of an announcement that is made at the time of
operationalization.
I just wanted to add, as well, that we were looking for a
way to advertise this. We were looking
for a way to make sure that young people would know about this.
I just want to tell the members here that it was on
Thursday of last week that we had in a number of young people, and some of them
I understand were gang members. They worked
on the development of a logo, but those young people also worked on a series of
issues so that they were well acquainted with what the gang line was to
accomplish. They sat in small working
groups and they worked through a series of problems. Then they looked at developing the graphics
for the logo. The young people who were
involved were very excited and impressed because they saw from start to finish
what this youth gang line might accomplish.
I am told that those young people have gone out now and
begun a promotion of their own in terms of speaking about what young people and
families and other adults may look forward to with the establishment of the
youth gang line.
Mr. Mackintosh: The next point is the items regarding the
Young Offenders Act. I understand that
the minister has taken these points off to a federal‑provincial
ministers' meeting.
Is it the minister's view that the Young Offenders Act is,
by and large, the cause and the cure of rising youth crime in Manitoba?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the answer is no. It is not a single issue, and the member
certainly can see that from the nine‑point plan.
However, the Young Offenders Act is a legislative framework
for looking at young offenders, and I believe it is a very important part. It is a part under which we have to advocate
the federal government to make changes, and I do consider it to be an important
part, as do Manitobans.
It has been clear, I have received now 8,000 or more names
on petitions of Manitobans who have asked me to carry the message of
strengthening the Young Offenders Act to Ottawa. Manitobans themselves have identified this as
a very important initiative, and I have taken the initiative very
seriously. So, though it is not the only
initiative that will work in the very complex problem of youth crime and
violence, it is certainly one of the very important ones.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just as a footnote, the minister in Question
Period, of course, keeps saying the line that members opposite, members on this
side do not have a position on the Young Offenders Act, and we am getting a bit
tired of hearing that. I refer the
minister to my comments, for example, in private members' hour, in fact, when
she was in the House, on my thinking on the Young Offenders Act.
I would just like to move on to item 6. Gary, did you have anything on the Young
Offenders Act?
* (2340)
Mr. Kowalski: The member for St. Johns (Mr. Mackintosh)
comments about being pointed at during Question Period and said, what is your
position on the Young Offenders Act?
Maybe this is finally the forum to present it. I felt this was an opportunity to find
information from the government.
The Young Offenders Act is in need of review of reform and
renewal. You have to not only look at
the shortcomings of the legislation but review the different resources
available to make the legislation work at the same time. There is no hesitation to review the Young
Offenders Act, and I applaud what the federal government is doing as far as
reviewing it, and how they have consulted with a number of ministers, and all
the Ministers of Justice throughout Canada.
I do not know where the minister got the idea that there is
any hesitation from our part to reform the Young Offenders Act. So I will just leave those comments on the
floor.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just one additional point on the Young
Offenders Act changes. Canadians have
gone through one heck of a process over the last year putting submissions to
the federal government on the act. I
know even in my own local community a lot of organizations are spending a great
deal of time putting together their submissions, and I suspect that the views
are going to be very valuable.
I just have some concern, and I wonder if the minister
shares this, that the federal minister is going to go on his own path and
ignore all that public process that took place.
You know, there is a really good document that the federal government
published to elicit responses from Canadians, and I will tell you for one, I do
not want to see the views of people in St. John's, for example, ignored as a
result of a different stream now taking off and the federal minister going off
on his own. I wonder if the minister
shares those concerns. Second of all, if
she does, will she as well go to Ottawa, go wherever she can and strongly,
strongly as she alleges she has talked about the Young Offenders Act, demand
that the federal government take into consideration the views of Canadians that
were put together so vigorously?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, the member and I do share a
concern here that the federal Liberal minister will ignore the concerns that
Canadians have brought forward, that the federal Liberal minister will not take
into account the issues that Canadian people have brought forward. I can say, as the minister from Manitoba, I
have brought forward a number of points supported by Manitobans and a number of
points and a number of petitions which Manitobans have, in no uncertain terms,
said to the federal Liberal minister, here is the change we want. So I continue to press that minister to take
into account the concerns of Canadians in any decisions that he makes.
As I said from the very beginning, we will be holding the
federal Liberal minister accountable to the promises made during the recent
federal election, and at that time the now federal Liberal government said that
they would make changes, and that minister was charged with that responsibility
to pay attention to the Canadian people and to make changes. So, yes, we will be watching what the federal
Liberal minister does.
Mr. Mackintosh: Would the minister relay this concern to the
federal Minister of Justice?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chair, I have said in person to the
Liberal federal minister that Manitobans would be watching, that the points
brought forward from Manitobans, that Manitobans in general would be waiting to
see that their views would be incorporated in any changes. I certainly try to follow up with that
minister when I receive more petitions from Manitobans, when I receive more
points of view from Manitobans. I make
every effort to continue to communicate to that federal Liberal minister what
the views of Manitobans are and that we will be watching.
Mr. Mackintosh: Item No. 6 of the nine‑point plan talks
about a school violence prevention co‑ordinator. It is my understanding that co‑ordinator
was appointed well in advance of the nine‑point plan being
introduced. Would the minister confirm
whether my understanding is correct?
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, again, one does not
reflect on other positions that one may have held in government, but I have
always felt that it was important to have some kind of assistance in the
Department of Education and did work very hard to see how that might be
accommodated. I was very pleased that
the current Minister of Education also took the same view and took that view so
seriously that the individual was appointed.
I do not know the date that appointment became official, so
I am not able to respond to the member in terms of how soon or close to the
announcement of the nine‑point plan that person took her office. However, I can say to the member that again
this is a co‑operation among departments, among ministers who have shared
a common concern and who have seen that the common concern actually becomes an
action point where there is now in the Department of Education this particular
co‑ordinator.
Mr. Mackintosh: I question the minister as to how one
violence prevention co‑ordinator in the school system is going to make
much of a difference. I mean, we look at
School Division No. 1, for example, where there are three violence co‑ordinators
in one division alone.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, again, I will not presume
to speak for another minister, but I will say that I am very pleased that the
current Minister of Education saw that this was a priority and made the
appointment and saw to it that through the Department of Education there was a
consultant available on this very important issue. I will not make any attempt to speak for that
minister about how consultants in the Department of Education do their work and
accomplish their work around the province, though I know the member and
certainly questions from members opposite have indicated that they believe that
consultants do a valuable work around the province, and they have certainly
made a great point of asking why we do not have consultants in all areas.
So I know that they believe that this is important, that
one person certainly can make a difference and can provide, through the
Department of Education, certain expertise.
But I will not attempt to answer for the Minister of Education how that
single consultant will do the work through the province, other than to again
commend the Minister of Education for proceeding and deciding that this was an
important initiative.
* (2350)
Mr. Kowalski: I will go one back to the Young Offenders Act
and the remarks from the member for St. Johns about his concerns about the
federal minister's fortitude about listening to the consultation that has come
from the public and comments from the minister about the petitions. Well, if petitions were the way to govern, I
have seen many petitions presented in this House in the short time that I have
been here, and although they are presented, they are read, they are not
necessarily the sole consideration in the making of this government's policy. So I do not know why this government would
consider that it would be the sole consideration in the federal government's
duration of its policy. I do not know of
anything, any indication, that would give either the member for St. Johns (Mr.
Mackintosh) or the Justice minister (Mrs. Vodrey) concern for the federal
minister's fortitude in changing the Young Offenders Act or for listening to
the consultation he has received. So I
just wanted to put those comments on the record.
Mrs. Vodrey: Madam Chairperson, I would just say that
these petitions relate to an already stated promise. These are petitions which are not
unrelated. These petitions relate to a
promise which was made by the now‑federal Liberal government.
Mr. Mackintosh: Just to clarify where I was coming from. There was a document produced, I think it was
called Safer Communities, produced by Justice Canada, distributed across
Canada, which elicited responses dealing with the Young Offenders Act. Organizations all across the country, in
fact, in my neighbourhood, whether they be parent councils or whatever,
contributed to that process and there is a secretariat established in Ottawa to
receive and vet those and put them in a readable form so that the views of
Canadians would be understood. So I am not
talking about any petition, I am talking about a written brief process, that it
was quite a remarkable process in the history of Canada, and I do not want to
see it overlooked in the development of changes to the act.
I was hoping we could get through the rest of the nine‑point
plan.
Item seven on the nine‑point plant was entitled Input
from Young Manitobans; it talked about Craig Morrissey, a 19‑year‑old
from Thompson. I believe he was the
individual who was on the panel at the summit, and the press release is not
clear here, but it appears that he used to be involved in some kind of a
council. I am just wondering if the
minister can expand on what that point is about.
Mrs. Vodrey: The purpose of the youth advisory council was
to say that we took very seriously the input of young people, particularly in
the initiative of youth crime and violence.
I support the view that members have brought to this House about the
summit. I was very pleased that we had
the number of youth that we had. I would
really have been pleased if we had had even more. I support integrating the views of young
people into the problem solving and particularly into the issues that we are
attempting to deal with right now.
The youth council was a way to highlight input of youth, to
provide a formal mechanism for youth to become involved and to express their
opinions to government in areas of concern.
The youth council was a very specific way to deal with this. I asked Craig Morrissey to chair it because
Craig has a demonstrated ability to work within his community to get a project
going and to work with community members to see that that project gets on the
rails and stays on the rails.
He was a young man that I was impressed with at the
Minister of Justice awards. He attended
the summit and was a panelist on the day of the summit also. When we came to look at the nine‑point
plan he seemed to be a good young person to be able to get this started.
I can tell the member that consultations are now underway
to identify council members from across the province. We would like to have the composition of the
council to be finalized by the early summer.
In addition, arrangements have been finalized with a similar group in
British Columbia to actively liaise with the Manitoba council, so that our
Manitoba youth council will be able to relate to young people in another part
of the country, as well, and so they will feel part of a very, very large whole
and a very large system. Not only will
they be able to relate very specifically to government in Manitoba, but they
will have contact with young people across the country.
Mr. Mackintosh: What is the proposed budget for the youth
advisory council, I asked the minister.
Mrs. Vodrey: I do not have the information with me this
evening. I can certainly undertake to
get that information. We did develop a
proposed budget in which we‑‑and then as we put the council
together we will look at how accurate that is.
Mr. Mackintosh: Does the minister have the terms of reference
for the council and its powers and duties available now?
Mrs. Vodrey: I can tell the member that we are using the
B.C. model as a basis for what the mandate and the role will be. We are in the process of developing it at the
moment, as we are looking at the kinds of young people who will fill the
positions.
Mr. Kowalski: The selection process, who is in that
selection process?
Mrs. Vodrey: I am not able to share all of the details
with the member, however I can tell him that the Chair will have major input
into looking at the kinds of representation that we would like to have.
I can tell the member, overall, we would like to have some
regional representation, but we would also like to have representation from all
parts and segments of the community. We
had experience recently, as I said, with the participation of gang members in
the most recent workshop we had to develop the logo for the gang line.
We will be exploring the participation of young people with
that background or that involvement, as well in the youth council.
* (2400)
Madam Chairperson: The hour being after 10 p.m., committee rise.
Call in the Speaker.
IN SESSION
Madam Deputy Speaker
(Louise Dacquay): The hour being after 10 p.m., this House is
adjourned and stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday).