Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Alberta 28e 1re Discours du trône 24 mai 2012 Colonel (Retired) Donald S. Ethell Lieutenant governor Alberta Progressive Conservative Party Albertans, distinguished Members of the Legislative Assembly, visitors and guests, welcome to the First Session of the 28th Alberta Legislature. It is my privilege to deliver the Speech from the Throne and to serve this province as Lieutenant Governor. Alberta has the potential to reach greater heights than ever before. Economic recovery is under way in many parts of the world, and demand for our energy and skills will grow in the years ahead. Albertans are looking to the future with new hope and confidence. They see a chance to build the best lives possible for themselves and their families, and they are ready to make the most of that opportunity. The people of this province have declared that they are not content to gaze inward and build walls. They want to look outward and build bridges. They seek to engage with the world around them and, through investment and innovation here at home, play a leading role in making our world a better place. Alberta, your government has heard you loud and clear, and its plans and policies will continue to reflect your values, goals, and aspirations. This province is the most economically free jurisdiction in North America. Nowhere else do businesses have so much room to operate without interference and adapt to market conditions. Your government will further these freedoms and find new ways to simplify regulatory burdens so businesses continue to drive our prosperity. We have one of the most technologically astute, safe, and responsible energy sectors in the world, a field that provides hundreds of thousands of Alberta families with reliable livelihoods. That sector is working hard to improve its efficiency and reduce its footprint as it expands production. Your government will partner with industry on research and development through a second Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority to maintain a competitive, world-class resource economy for the 21st century, grow the marketplace for clean energy, and protect the jobs so many Albertans depend on. We have strong and responsive public services that offer Albertans a great standard of living. Your government will invest in those services, in the infrastructure that supports them, and in the families and communities that depend on them to secure Alberta’s economic future, and it will keep those services public and bring new fiscal discipline to budgets so they deliver the outcomes Albertans want in a financially sensible way. Your government will accomplish all this because it has solid foundations to build on. The last 41 years have brought incredible benefits to our province and seen society evolve in ways that have changed how Albertans think and live. It was the decisions of past governments that helped us adapt and get to where we are today. Every one of those governments was distinct, and each put forward the right vision in response to the issues Alberta confronted. Each was suited to its time and place and pursued the right course for the right circumstances in sync with Albertans’ values. This government will uphold that tradition even as our province adapts and changes faster than ever. Technology has put more knowledge and power at Albertans’ fingertips than at any time in history. Competition and rising expectations are placing heightened pressure on the energy industry that has sustained us for so long, and demographic shifts are asking more of Albertans and the public services that nurture, educate, and care for them. Alberta has robust traditions in which to find answers. Our western spirit and heritage and our entrepreneurial energy have always served us well. The unique pride, self-reliance, and fiscal conservatism that have made this province such a special place to live are as strong as they have ever been, and this government will use these traits to forge a brighter future. They define us as Albertans, and they are too precious to put aside. But the challenge of change demands a response. It requires leadership ready to strike the right balance between progressive and conservative thinking. Your government will find that balance. Your government has a policy framework for this time and place, a plan in harmony with Albertans’ socially progressive values and fiscally conservative beliefs, and implementation has begun. Your government promised to increase both AISH payments and the allowable income exemption. Budget 2012 raised the former by $400 per month and doubled the latter. Your government promised to offer subsidized child care for families earning less than $50,000 annually. Budget 2012 provided $12 million in funds for that purpose. Your government pledged to make Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate independent to better help at-risk youth and investigate when things go wrong. At the beginning of April the advocate’s office became fully independent. This government’s fiscal and economic plan includes no new taxes, no sales tax, and multiyear budgets to control public spending. On every single count those promises were met, and this government will continue to do so in every area. Albertans have expressed a desire for change and no-nonsense, effective leadership. They know that a great province starts from the inside out, with an efficient and responsive public service that judiciously uses their tax dollars to provide support and create the conditions for success. To support these outcomes, this government formed a new cabinet and government structure, combining departments and designing new ministries to focus on the things that matter to Albertans: having a strong fiscal framework, caring for families and the vulnerable, promoting and protecting our resources, and having solid consultation processes that ensure Albertans are heard. These tasks will stay at the top of the government’s agenda as it moves forward. Your government will invest in Alberta’s future by supporting the families in whose hands that future rests. This means providing an accessible primary care system and giving Albertans the tools and guidance they need to take charge of their health. Your government will continue to expand family care clinics in consultation with local stakeholders and the dedicated professionals who staff the system, building on primary care networks. It will bring more allied health workers like nurse practitioners to the front lines of primary care to lower wait times. It will design and implement a plan to extend the province’s network of continuing care centres so seniors can find accommodations that suit their budget and family arrangements. Your government will extend improved access to care for the very Albertans devoted to providing it when we need it most. Bill 1, to be brought forward in this session, will guarantee workers’ compensation coverage for first responders suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. PTSD’s devastating effects on individuals and their families are well understood, and it is time legislation reflected that fact. First responders rush to our aid in times of trouble, and this government will be the first in Canada to do the same for them. Your government will promote trustworthy leadership that genuinely takes Albertans’ concerns to heart and establish openness and transparency as guiding principles. The new Associate Minister of Accountability, Transparency and Transformation will review Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy, FOIP, Act and oversee fundamental changes to the way the province does business. As part of this effort your government will survey conflict-of-interest issues and then introduce a new package of legislation that draws on the best solutions from around the world. As promised, this will include whistle-blower legislation. Albertans will be able to see with new depth and clarity how government works for them. Your government will also secure Alberta’s economic future by demonstrating fiscal restraint and foresight, spending wisely and saving intelligently. Starting with Budget 2012, our most critical public sectors – education, advanced education, health, and municipal services – are receiving stable funding in the form of three-year budgets. Institutions and municipalities know in advance what to expect so they can plan ahead, guaranteeing reliable service delivery for all Albertans. And to enforce unprecedented discipline in public spending, this government is pioneering results-based budgeting. Government will engage with Albertans to identify the outcomes they expect from public programs. Every part of the government’s operations will then be scrutinized on a three-year cycle. Program budgets will be reset to reflect findings, and the Treasury Board will publicly report on the progress made each year so Albertans can see how their tax dollars are being used. Your government will also advance world-leading resource stewardship, developing our natural resources responsibly to safeguard Alberta’s environment, grow its markets, and keep our economy strong. The regulatory enhancement project, which combines multiple bodies into a single regulator for upstream oil, gas, and coal, is a critical part of this plan. Your government will simplify the system and give energy firms the nimble, responsive regulator they need to stay competitive. The industry depends just as much on access to new markets, so through the Canadian energy strategy your government will pursue co-operation with other provinces, working with our neighbours to build the infrastructure needed to reach those markets. At the same time your government will improve environmental monitoring. Together with Ottawa, Alberta will usher in a comprehensive, transparent, and scientifically credible system. The joint monitoring program will gather more information more frequently and allow faster detection of changes to the environment so industry and government can mitigate them. Alberta’s prosperity cannot come at the expense of its beauty; the two must go hand in hand. This government will ensure they do, and in support of this strong relationship with the government of Canada we will be opening a new office in Ottawa. The office will help forge stronger relations in Canada’s capital and advocate Alberta’s perspective on important federal and provincial matters. Strengthening our links with the federal government and our provincial neighbours will help to develop new opportunities that benefit all Albertans. This is about looking beyond our borders to build the bridges the people of this province want and meeting their expectations. Albertans have entrusted their leadership with a mandate to respond to change. Over the next four years this government will rise to the occasion and deliver and fulfill a clear, focused, target-driven mandate. Albertans will know where the province is headed and how progress is being made because this is a government that will stay true to its promises. It will partner with Albertans from every walk of life to arrive at solutions. It will treat all Albertans with fairness and respect no matter where they live. It will mirror their concerns and goals and make manifest their values and beliefs. And, most importantly, it will get out of Albertans’ way so they can unleash their creative potential and build a prosperous province, one that is not only rich in resources but in opportunity, and a quality of life that uplifts everyone it touches. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. May God bless you all. God bless Alberta. God bless Canada. God save the Queen. Merci. Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Alberta 27e 5e Discours du trône 7 février 2012 Colonel (Retired) Donald S. Ethell Lieutenant governor Alberta Progressive Conservative Party My fellow Albertans, hon. members, and distinguished guests, welcome to the Fifth Session of the 27th Alberta Legislature. It is my honour to deliver the Speech from the Throne and my privilege to serve the people of this province as Lieutenant Governor. While these are trying times, other nations’ difficulties do serve to remind us of how fortunate we are to live in the grand province of Alberta. We are blessed with a free and fair political system built on enduring constitutional foundations, and in 2012 this arrangement will receive the attention it deserves as we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Sixty years ago yesterday His Majesty King George VI passed away, and Her Majesty ascended the throne. For six decades she has dedicated herself to serving as the anchor of the Commonwealth and the monarch of our great nation. I know that many Albertans are as eager as I am to congratulate Her Majesty on her distinguished record. We are blessed to reside in a province with unlimited opportunity. Alberta has abundant resources, world-class industries, and an indomitable spirit of enterprise and innovation. We have the ability, desire, knowledge, and freedom to attain our full potential. In my lifetime alone Alberta has come a long way. I arrived in this province in the early ’50s as a young soldier in the Canadian army. Forced into hospital by a leg injury, I found myself surrounded by convalescent First World War veterans. They were receiving the very best care, and while it kept them alive, that was all it could do. These individuals and their families faced a very limited future. Today we have innovative institutions like the Glenrose rehabilitation hospital and the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine using previously unimaginable techniques like robotics and neural engineering to restore function and help heal the hidden trauma of disabilities and restore mental health. Now such individuals have a future without limits. This is the future your government wants for all Albertans. The key to Alberta’s success is its people and the vision they have for what this province can become. Our lives today are immeasurably better because Albertans in the past were inspired to look beyond the limits of their times to a vision of unmet needs and a greater future and then act upon it. A little more than 40 years ago Alberta set out on the road to the modern age under the leadership of people with such foresight. Four decades ago our province was just beginning to find its place in an uncertain, fast changing world. New and untested opportunities glimmered on the horizon, and Alberta’s government in 1971 resolved to make the most of them, promising to build a society that is not inferior to that in any province or state in North America. It succeeded magnificently. That government set forth with a clear vision for Alberta and fulfilled it but not by playing it safe. Recognizing the need for imaginative new programs, it made bold decisions that built up the province we take for granted today. It nurtured Alberta’s energy sector, identifying the oil sands’ potential and implementing the policies necessary for its long-term success. To save for future generations, it created the heritage fund. Alberta would never have become a global leader without such foresight. This was a government that boldly used an uncertain environment to its advantage, looking beyond the demands of the present to build lasting success and modernize Alberta. Now, two generations on, Alberta faces fresh challenges. Long-established ways are being called into question, and comfortable assumptions are being examined anew while Albertans themselves are growing older. Your government will not miss the opportunity to reshape Alberta in response. Alberta’s families and businesses have a government that will help them adapt and build a province that present and future generations will be proud of. The actions we take today will help us reach our potential as individual Albertans and as a province. Our time is now, and your government will lead. Your government will secure this province’s economic future at home with smart spending and abroad by improving our competitiveness in global markets. Your government will listen to Albertans, engaging them on the issues that matter to bring about the change they want and need. Together with Albertans your government will make Alberta the best jurisdiction anywhere, based on a thriving economy and a quality of life that is the envy of the world. Your government will start with the root of success, sound finances. Our main trading partners are struggling with debt and low growth, yet Alberta is in a stronger position. We are heading toward balanced budgets, reliable revenue streams, and strong economic growth. However, Alberta’s current fiscal framework relies too heavily on volatile energy revenue as a source of income. It’s time for foundational change. It won’t be easy, but it is the right way to better manage the annual unpredictability in the budgeting process. It begins now. Budget 2012 will bring predictable funding on a three-year cycle to education, advanced education, and municipalities. Your government will work with its partners in these areas to allow for greater stability, improved long-term planning, and delivery of outcomes. Your government will also introduce a new budgetary review process that includes a results-based approach, one that will allow for a thorough examination of how public spending is achieving outcomes for Albertans. Your government will examine its entire fiscal framework to ensure it spends Albertans’ tax dollars appropriately while saving intelligently for your future and for generations to come. This will include reviews of the Alberta heritage savings trust and sustainability funds, capital and infrastructure projects, gaming revenue, our operating budget, and income taxes along with reviews of existing programs. Once in every three-year cycle each part of the government, including agencies, boards, and commissions, will come under the spotlight. Your government will scrutinize all costs and challenge the automatic growth of spending, assigning funds only where they are needed. There must be a disciplined relationship between public expenditures and benefits for Albertans, resulting in no unjustified increases to departmental budgets. With a new and robust plan linking expenditures to actual outcomes, your government will treat Albertans’ money with the same care and respect they do, spending wisely on the services Albertans count on for an outstanding quality of life. Education is one way to protect that standard of living. The nature of work and progress is changing, and as technology advances, the demand for highly skilled, educated workers will increase. Alberta must be able to succeed and thrive in the global knowledge economy, and that means giving every Albertan the opportunity to benefit from a cutting-edge education from kindergarten to postsecondary so everyone can reach their full potential. Your government will strengthen Alberta’s postsecondary sector, recognizing it as a key driver of a robust knowledge-inspired economy. By enhancing our trade and technology institutes and colleges, this government will help Alberta nurture the most highly skilled and trained workforce anywhere. Through the building and educating tomorrow’s workforce strategy your government will increase the supply of highly skilled, educated, and innovative people and high-performance work environments that make maximum use of innovation and technology. Your government will attract the world’s top talent to Alberta to contribute to a research agenda that will position this province on the international stage as a leader in helping to solve many of the world’s challenges in energy, water, food, health, and improving our quality of life. Your government will identify strategies to recruit more students from Métis and First Nations communities so they can continue to contribute to Alberta’s success and solidify the bonds that sustain their heritage and keep their communities together. Albertans’ quality of life is driven in large part through finding innovative approaches to deliver publicly funded health care. Your government is committed to improving access to primary care for all Albertans. In 2012, building on the success of primary care networks, your government will embark on a plan to expand community-based care through the introduction of family care clinics staffed by multidisciplinary teams of health care professionals. Patients in need of medical attention will be able to get it quickly and easily at publicly funded clinics close to home. Your government will begin with the implementation of three pilot projects this spring. Expanding access also means enhancing the way allied professionals such as pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners interact with patients, allowing front-line staff to handle more duties and easing pressure on the health care system. Your government will enable health care providers to better meet Albertans’ needs through a team-based approach. Your government has fulfilled its commitment to empower the Alberta Health Quality Council to run an independent inquiry into various aspects of the health care system to make sure it delivers timely, unprejudiced, and equitable outcomes in which Albertans can have confidence. The strength of the publicly funded health care system of today rests on the foresight and commitment of our local communities. This requires a strong relationship with government that offers communities a meaningful role in long-term planning and co-ordination of services at the local level. Recognizing this fundamental principle, your government will give local health advisory councils a more active voice and greater input in decisions that impact their communities. A successful Alberta is one in which every Albertan is empowered to be part of the economic, social, and cultural life of the province. Your government is bringing these values to the services it provides to all Albertans. Your government will provide seniors with the supports, services, and care they need to remain healthy, happy, and productive. This includes measures to help them stay in the peaceful security of their own homes, surrounded by the warmth of family, for as long as possible. Your government’s commitment to protecting property rights embraces all Albertans. To strengthen those rights, it created a task force that met with Albertans and listened to learn what property rights mean to them. Your government will use Albertans’ contributions to make common-sense decisions on this issue. Your government believes that a vibrant arts and culture scene is vital to the fabric of Alberta’s communities, and it will continue to work with partners to keep the sector flourishing. Your government looks forward to engaging constructively with community leaders from diverse cultural and creative organizations to find the best methods of encouraging growth. Healthy businesses are a crucial part of a strong economy. Your government will work hard to create and maintain the conditions for their success before getting out of the way. Your government is committed to the development of northern Alberta as a prosperous and attractive place to live, work, and play. It will initiate a comprehensive northern Alberta development strategy to help the region continue to grow and develop in a sustainable manner with an outstanding quality of life. Your government will work creatively with municipalities and industry to address infrastructure challenges. The north is the source of much of our prosperity, so success there is critical for a successful Alberta overall. A terrific quality of life requires the province to work closely with all municipalities. Your government will continue to build on its long tradition of effective partnership with municipal governments as part of the review of the municipal sustainability initiative. The review will focus on having a streamlined program with increased flexibility, giving municipalities an even greater ability to meet local needs. Your government will work towards establishing three-year funding cycles so municipalities can count on stable, predictable funds. Municipalities support strong communities, and strong com-munities are safe communities. Your government will continue its support for antigang initiatives while reaching out to at-risk youth to deny organized crime new recruits. Your government will proudly tell Alberta’s story and promote Albertans’ vision and actions on the world stage. Your government will better integrate our global strategies as we continue to bolster Alberta’s reputation abroad, showcasing our diversity in everything from tourism to arts and culture, education, and trade and investment opportunities, and Albertans can be sure this government will fulfill its role responsibly and honestly. It will co-operate closely and openly with Ottawa, building on its strong relationship with the federal government. A strong Alberta is one that can put aside jurisdictional differences and stand as a proud, committed, and constructive member of Confederation. The federal government and the province share much in common, including the desire to give farmers more choice through the dismantling of the Wheat Board and a commitment to bringing down crime through new, more stringent federal legislation. Albertans expect government to work together on their behalf, and your government will not let you down. But in doing this, it will not shy away from standing up for this province. Your government will never hesitate to reiterate Albertans’ perspectives at federal, provincial, and territorial levels. A Canadian energy strategy will play a major role in this effort. Energy is critical to our prosperity, but Alberta must diversify its customer base to achieve the greatest returns. Your government will actively design initiatives to access global markets and assist Canadians and our trading partners in understanding Alberta’s energy goals. The infrastructure necessary to get our resources to new markets must cross other jurisdictions, so any expansion will involve various partners at the provincial, national, and international levels. The more we work together to co-ordinate our efforts, the greater our success and the more prosperity for everyone involved. The people of this province share a deep love and respect for its environment and natural resources, and your government will develop them responsibly in the interests of all Albertans. Your government will continue to partner with Ottawa to defend Alberta’s energy sector and develop an improved oil sands environmental monitoring program that is among the best in the world. Both governments are now standing together behind a plan that is credible, science based, and fully transparent. Your government’s action on establishing and reaching key environmental outcomes and sharing its performance with Albertans and the world will leave no doubt of its commitment to these goals. Albertans know their livelihoods and communities are tied to the land and water we all cherish. They want their children to inherit a province as clean, healthy, and productive as the one they inherited. The twin needs of keeping Alberta beautiful and its economy healthy are not starkly opposed. By investing in emerging technologies, this government will do both. But our natural resources extend beyond oil and gas. Agriculture is the largest renewable industry in our province, and your government wants it to stay that way. Alberta’s rural communities are a critical piece of Alberta’s success story. Settlers and farmers founded this province, and their values run deep. Through policy development, advocacy, and programs and services that reinforce market access and economic competitiveness your government will preserve and expand the legacy they left us, ensuring our farmers are the best in the world. Our prosperity is intimately tied to the strength of rural Alberta, and government will never forget it. Over 40 years ago a bold government saw the need for sweeping change and rose to the occasion, ushering in a new era of prosperity and progress for Alberta. Now the time has come to bring that spirit and vision into the 21st century. The world is changing faster than ever, and we must stay at the forefront. Alberta can be proud of rich natural resources, North America’s most competitive business environment, and a vibrant technology and innovation sector that helps push human achievement to unparalleled heights. All these advantages rely on the passion and drive of Albertans, who make them possible, and it is Albertans who will always remain the central focus of this government. It will help all Albertans reach their full potential, setting the stage for future generations to enjoy even greater success. It will revitalize publicly funded health care services to increase access and suit an aging population with diverse needs. It will find new and effective ways to reach out to vulnerable Albertans and make them a part of the province’s success story. It will revamp Alberta’s education system so all graduates can hit the ground running and contribute more effectively than ever. It will budget for the long term and be rigorous in managing our fiscal framework so all Albertans can count on the services they need for many years to come. History has shown us that short-term focus can result in long-term problems. Your government will address the root causes of problems rather than just respond to symptoms. Albertans expect better and demand excellence. And so above all, your government will not waver. It will not be deterred from change. Your government will not let you down. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. May God bless you all. God bless Alberta. God bless Canada. God save the Queen.