Independent Schools

Mr. David Newman (Riel): I wish to inform the House of three events I had the opportunity of attending this past weekend.

On May 30, I attended what was intended to be an education forum organized by the River East Teachers Association. I was struck by the negative emotion of the audience, encouraged by the honourable member for Wolseley (Ms. Friesen) and the honourable member for The Maples (Mr. Kowalski). It is apparent to me that effective dialogue about change in the education system depends primarily on small-group discussion on substantive matters where individual feelings can be expressed without grandstanding, intimidation and political positioning. Effective two-way communication like this will take time, but it is well worth it for the sake of students, parents and taxpayers.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Catholic Women's League Eucharistic Celebration and Banquet at St. Gerard Church. I came to appreciate more than ever before the importance of independent schools and of nongovernmental organizations founded on strong value systems. The numerous independent schools surrounding St. Gerard Parish, funded in part by this government, allow non-Catholics not only to become students but also to serve as trustees. Full advantage is taken of this opportunity. Independent schools are certainly not exclusive schools for the privileged and well-to-do as is repeatedly suggested by the honourable member for Wolseley. Our diverse Manitoba society benefits greatly from the support of religious organizations and individuals who support independent schools.

Finally, I had the pleasure of participating in the Save Our Seine tree-planting initiative near Provencher along the Seine River. I worked side by side with a group of volunteers from the Church of Latter-Day Saints from Charleswood, consisting of teenagers and adults. All joyfully participated in the fellowship enhancement of the Seine River environment and shared the sense of personal achievement which is always associated with working together and achieving positive results.

I am reinforced in my view that our initiatives as a government, supporting personal initiative, personal responsibility and community-based initiatives, are well-founded and working.

Philippine Heritage Week

Mr. Conrad Santos (Broadway): Madam Speaker, the Philippine Heritage Week's schedule of events is starting with the motorcade from the Philippine Centre at 88 Juno to the City of Winnipeg quadrangle at 510 Main Street for an opening flag-raising ceremony, with many organizations and groups displaying their respective banners and participating in cultural variety shows.

The 1996 Heritage Week is being co-ordinated by three sponsoring organizations: the Knights and Ladies of Rizal, the United Filipino-Canadian Seniors and the Philippine Association of Manitoba, and many other groups, such as the original Filipino seniors, Timpuyog Ti Ilocano Ditoy Manitoba, Filipino seniors groups of Euclid Street, Filipino Veterans Association and so on.

Around 5 p.m., Sunday, the 9th of June, 1996, at Rainbow Stage at Kildonan Park on Main Street north will be a celebration of our faith, which is a concert of the various churches led by the Winnipeg Filipino Alliance Church to offer prayers to God for three levels of Canadian government as well as to the country of origin, the Philippines.

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On Tuesday, June 10, at 6 p.m., are the cultural awareness workshops on the Philippines, its country and its people.

The highlight of the week-long series of events is the Philippine Independence Commemoration Ball scheduled for Friday, June 14, at 375 York Avenue, Winnipeg Convention Centre, to start about 6 p.m.

On Saturday, June 15, at 10 a.m., at Main Street, Glen Eden Memorial Garden

will be the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of our national hero.

The Filipino-Canadians will be joined by many other Canadians represented by all political parties, for this group is truly becoming an integral part of our total Manitoba cultural heritage.

Pembina Valley Water Co-op

Mr. Jack Penner (Emerson): Madam Speaker, I have the same concern that you do; I found it very difficult to hear the honourable member when he made his member's statement. I thought that this part of the afternoon was designated to those private members so they could bring an issue before this Assembly. I would ask that courtesy be extended to those people who do this.

I want to stand today to congratulate 16 municipalities and communities in the Red River Valley west of the Red River and some of them east of the Red River for jointly initiating a process called the Pembina Valley Water Co-op.

These communities joined forces a number of years ago, eight years ago, and jointly put together a proposal that would bring a good potable water supply in the most efficient manner to all the communities in the Red River Valley. That process has led to an environmental assessment and approval of an environmental licence to extend water to all the communities including Carman, Morden, Winkler, Altona, Morris, St. Jean and Emerson and all the other communities that are within the Red River Valley.

I would suggest that the province has recognized that effort, and the Province of Manitoba has indicated its willingness to support a new project of pipelines and water treatment plants to ensure water to those communities up to the extent of $6.7 million. The municipalities have also put that amount of money on the table. It is imperative that the federal government also meet its commitment, and that we ask this House to support the federal government and lobby the federal government--all of the House to lobby the federal government--that they also put $6.7 million on the table that would allow good potable water to be brought to all the citizens of the Red River and the Pembina Valley.

National Transportation Week

Mr. Gerard Jennissen (Flin Flon): Madam Speaker, June 2 to June 8 is designated country-wide as National Transportation Week. The Minister of Transport and honorary chairman for National Transportation Week 1996, David Anderson, signed the proclamation whose theme this year is The Urban Connection.

I notice that in the proclamation the minister talks about updating Canada's transport policies, and he talks glowingly about competitive, people-friendly, commercialized affordable transportation systems. Nowhere does the minister mention the historical context wherein Canadians built transportation systems that were accessible to the vast majority of Canadians and accessible even to the rural, remote and northern areas. These systems were part of a vision of uniting Canada, of removing regional disparities, of nation building. Now our ports, our airports, our railroads are increasingly at the mercy of the highest bidder, and now we have a user-pay philosophy, and Canadians and Manitobans, specifically, are expected to accept this as inevitable.

The same Liberal government that talks about people-friendly transportation systems is the one which eliminated the Crow rate. That is certainly not being farmer-friendly in the West, and there was nothing people-friendly about laying off thousands of CN workers. In fact, both the government in Ottawa and the government in Winnipeg failed to admit that there is a dark side to deregulation and privatization. Several of the large trucking firms that were headquartered in Winnipeg are no longer here. Federal offloading and specifically the loss of the Crow will cost millions for upgrading rural roads. That, combined with decreased funding for road maintenance, can only lead to poorer quality roads. That type of offloading has placed the future of the bayline and the Port of Churchill in temporary limbo.

Yes, we want to be positive about National Transportation Week but we also want to be realistic. Manitoba is strategically located in North America. That has been the case historically as we move from canoe, York boat and Red River cart to trains, cars, trucks and airplanes. Geographically, we are poised strategically and we can do well.

Transportation is the lifeblood of our economic development, but we should not be blinded by the ideology that this growth can only take place if we use the user-pay competitive model. That goes against the Canadian tradition and history, and that increases regional disparity and further jeopardizes--

Madam Speaker: Order, please. The honourable member's time has expired.

Does the honourable member for Flin Flon have leave to continue his comments?

Some Honourable Members: No.

Madam Speaker: No? Leave has been denied.

Philippine Heritage Week

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): I wanted to just pick up on a point that the member for Broadway (Mr. Santos) brought up and that, of course, being the Philippine Heritage Week which is very quickly approaching, Madam Speaker. It is starting, as pointed out, on June 9, and I know I along with other members of the Liberal caucus will no doubt be participating in many of the ongoing events. In the letter that was provided to me, it is quite impressive in terms of the different organizations that are getting involved in this year's activities. One of the things that the Filipino community does have is a number of organizations that participate, that not only are on the steering committee or the organizing committee, but organize all of the events throughout the week.

Those who are on the organizing committee, or at least in part, range in terms of age groups to different types of associations, and just to list off a few of them. You have the United Filipino-Canadian Seniors of Manitoba, the Philippine Association of Winnipeg, Inc., Quezon Province Association of Manitoba, Radio 27, the Filcasa, Philippine Veterans Winnipeg Chapter, the Order of Knights of Rizal, the Philippine Association of Manitoba, Timpuyog Ti Ilocano, the Pangasinan group of Manitoba--the honorary consul general is participating, always does in virtually every event that I attend--the Filipino seniors group of Winnipeg.

This is just to name a few of the different groups that are out there that participate in making this week very successful. On that note, I would appeal to all members of the Chamber, if they can make the time, to participate in one of these events. You will find, as I have found in the past, that it is time very well spent. You get a better appreciation of a wonderful culture and heritage and I would make that strong recommendation to all members. Thank you, Madam Speaker.