Mr. Jack Penner (Emerson): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pride to rise today to recognize the efforts of the Youth Futures program in the Roseau River Training Centre at Roseau, Manitoba. They are initiating a three-month pilot project which is being funded through the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and the Regional Aboriginal Management Board. There are 15 youths enrolled in the program between the ages of 16 and 25, and the training will include the following modules: Youth Phoenix Seminar, which is a one-week, intense motivational training seminar. They will also be enrolled in a computer multimedia training course, which includes computer training, and they will also utilize a course in jujitsu, which is a martial arts training program.

Mr. Ben Sveinson, Acting Speaker, in the Chair

This program was started by a group of young people on the reserve, and the trainers that are going to be involved are Ken Henry, trainer and co-ordinator, Curtis Jonny and Kirt Prince. Most of these people are local people that are going to be doing the training, and I certainly look forward to the results of this program. I congratulate the staff and students of the Roseau River Training Employability Centre for taking on this initiative, and I ask all members here to encourage and further the studies in this area.

Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): Mr. Acting Speaker, I rise today to make a few comments about the announcement about the Maple Leaf Hog Processing Plant in Brandon and the hog industry in Manitoba. One of the good things about the announcement is that we are finally seeing a rise in the number of food-processing jobs in this province, for even though the government has talked about creating value-added jobs in this province, we are at a much lower level than we were in 1987 and '88. At that time we were up to 5,000 jobs in food-processing in this province. More recently, in 1996, we were down to about 2,500 jobs, half of what we had eight years earlier. So the additional 1,500 jobs in the food-processing sector are certainly welcome.

But, along with the processing jobs, we are going to see an increase in hog production in Manitoba, and this is where the government has to get their act together to ensure that this production is done in a sustainable manner. This government has to bring in regulations that have strength rather than the guidelines that are currently in place and have resulted in many conflicts between rural residents. This government has simply not done a good job up to this point in addressing people's concerns. We have hog barns being built in areas that are very sensitive, and we hear concerns from rural residents who are worried about their water quality.

This is a real opportunity for the government at this time as we can have an industry grow in a proper manner in this province. We do after all need the growth in the livestock sector because shipping grain has become too expensive with the loss of the Crow, but this growth has to be done in a sustainable way. We need to look at the mistakes made in other countries and ensure that that does not happen here. We need to look at North Carolina, and we need to look at Holland and learn from their mistakes. I say to the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Enns): take what you saw in Taiwan as far as managing odour and ensure that some of this new technology is applied in Manitoba.

We must also consider the size of operations that are going to be sustainable in this province. We have to listen to people such as those at Netley, in Gimli, in Kemnay and in the Interlake region who have expressed concern about livestock operations and do this in a sustainable way so that all people in this province can benefit.

Mr. Peter Dyck (Pembina): I want to take this opportunity to express my immense satisfaction with the success of this past Saturday's open house held at the Legislature.

During the course of the day I saw hundreds of Manitobans enjoying some of the wonderful dainties, listening to the strolling carollers and musicians and visiting with elected officials. The warmth of the Christmas season was evident throughout the day. The sound of boys and girls laughing in the children's room permeated the hallways and added to the Christmas feeling.

Mr. Acting Speaker, I want to thank all the volunteers who generously gave of their time. Every year they continue to outdo themselves, and as a result, they enhance our "Friendly Manitoba" reputation. They are the unsung heroes of the day and without their assistance we would never have achieved the success we do. A special thank you to two groups from the Pembina constituency, Wing and a Prayer from Manitou and VOX, the Morden Collegiate Women's Choir. I hope that all members have had a chance to listen to these two groups as they are a wonderful example of the quality of entertainment available in my area.

I thank all the members of the Legislature who participated in the day, including the traditional Christmas carols on the grand staircase. Despite our lack of practice together, I believe that our efforts were appreciated.

As Christmas fast approaches, let us all take time to reflect and celebrate the meaning behind this holiday. Thank you.

Mr. Gord Mackintosh (St. Johns): Mr. Acting Speaker, once again Manitobans have witnessed a very tragic crime in this province, one that has certainly instilled greater fear on the part of seniors and made us question some of our basic values and how we can best protect those who are vulnerable among us. We are again calling on this government to better protect seniors from home invasions as we saw on Bannerman in the last number of days.

Mr. Acting Speaker, I remind the House that this province is the most violent province in the nation. As well, I remind this House that while nationally robberies have dropped by 10 percent, the rate of robberies has increased by 10 percent over the last five years. While I hear the police advising seniors to install alarm systems or otherwise better secure their homes, I hear nothing from the members opposite offering help to those who cannot afford this kind of protection.

Why is the government excluding safety improvements from its home renovation fund, why, when this is the most violent province in Canada? The cost of home security alarms is in the range of $500 to a thousand dollars, not to mention the ongoing fees for monitoring, well beyond the means of many seniors. Unfortunately, those who can least afford better home security tend to be those who live in the more vulnerable areas. Since the conditions that breed crime are worsening under the Filmon government, the least it can do is commit to rearguard action to protect those who need it most. The cost of crime must not be borne by those least able to pay and those most vulnerable.