Manitoba.

• Author: Signorelli, Andrea
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Third session of the 40th Legislature ended on June 12, 2014. A number of government bills received Royal Assent during this spring session, including:

Bill 52--The Non-Smokers Health Protection Act, which prohibits the sale or supply of flavoured tobacco products, with an exemption for menthol tobacco products, snuff and chewing tobacco. The Bill also repeals the exemption allowing a parent to provide tobacco to his or her child in a non-public place.

Bill 55--The Environment Amendment Act (Reducing Pesticides Exposure), which prohibits the use of prescribed classes or types of pesticides on lawns and on the grounds of schools, hospitals and child care centres, except in specific circumstances.

Bill 59--The Adoption Amendment and Vital Statistics Amendment Act (Opening Birth and Adoption Records), which creates a scheme that allows for more openness with respect to adoption records and pre-adoption birth records, subject to certain privacy rights.

Bill 68--The Child and Family Services Act, which requires employees and others who work for, or provide services to, child and family services agencies or authorities to report critical incidents that have resulted in the death or serious injury of a child

In addition, before the end of the session, the Assembly completed consideration of the main supply bills for Budget 2014. Bill 73--The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2014, was passed on June 10, 2014 on a recorded vote of yeas 28, nays 15.

During the Third session of the 40th Legislature, 71 government bills received Royal Assent, including 35 introduced in the previous session and reinstated this session. In addition, five bills introduced by private members received Royal Assent on June 12, 2014.

Prior to adjourning, the House also agreed that three bills are to be sent to standing committees intersessionally for public presentations and clause by clause consideration, with these bills to be reinstated in the 4th session of the 40th Legislature. In the next session the bills are to be reported back to the House and considered for the remaining stages of the bill enactment process. The bills are:

Bill 69--The Technical Safety Act

Bill 70--The Real Estate Services Act

Bill 71--The Animal Diseases Amendment Act

Opposition Day Motions

On May 29, 2014 Ralph Eichler (Lakeside) moved an opposition day motion urging that "the Legislative Assembly call on the Provincial Government to respect Manitobans as the real owners...