Manitoba.

• Author: Yarish, Rick
• Position: Legislative Reports

In accordance with a programming motion passed in the House at the end of the last session in June 2004, the House had been scheduled to rise on June 9, 2005. As a result of all-party talks though, the House agreed unanimously to extend the session by one week to allow an appropriate amount of time to conclude the remaining business. Consequently, the House adjourned for the summer on Thursday, June 16, 2005.

Legislation

Covering many areas of governance, Manitoba MLAs considered a range of legislation this session, including:

* Bill 22--The Water Protection Act, which set out a legislative scheme to provide improved protection for Manitoba's water resources and aquatic ecosystems. Held over from the previous session, this bill was the object of an unprecedented number of Report Stage Amendments this session. A total of 43 amendments and sub-amendments were moved during Report Stage over a period a several weeks. Steve Ashton (NDP--Thompson), the Minister responsible for Water Stewardship, moved 20 of the amendments, all of which passed. Three opposition Members, including the official opposition critic Jack Penner (PC--Emerson), moved the remaining amendments. While most of the opposition amendments did not pass, through negotiations between the minister and the critic two opposition amendments carried and became part of the Bill. Several opposition amendments were also withdrawn by unanimous consent and replaced by government amendments in cooperation with the opposition.

* Bill 25--The Workers Compensation Amendment Act, implemented changes to the Act in the three main areas: Coverage and Assessment, Compensation, and Governance. The feature of the Bill which received the most attention though was the broadening and extension of compensation benefits for firefighters and their families. The Bill expanded coverage for work-related illnesses affecting firefighters to include three new cancers as well as heart attacks occurring within 24 hours of an emergency response, and included part-time and volunteer firefighters under new presumption provisions.

* Bill 51--The Labour-Sponsored Investment Funds Act (Various Acts Amended). This Bill sought to improve governance of Manitoba's labour-sponsored venture capital corporations (LSVCCs), including Crocus Investment Fund; enhance the reporting and disclosure requirements for LSVCCs; and streamline the regulation of LSVCCs and the administration of the LSVCC tax credit program. This legislation...