Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Colombie-Britannique 27e 3e Discours du Trône 27 janvier 1966 Georges Pearkes Lieutenant-Gouverneur British Columbia Social Credit Party Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly: It is again my responsibility and privilege, as Her Majesty's representative, to extend greetings to you on this opening day of the Third Session of the Twenty-seventh Parliament of British Colombia. I do so in confidence that, with your support and the wise counsel of my Ministers, decisions of lasting benefit to the people of British Columbia will result from the deliberations undertaken here. During the past year the Province was pleased to act as host to a number of distinguished visitors. It was a pleasure to welcome again the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Right Honorable Georges P. Vanier, D.S.O., M.C., C.D., and Her Excellency Madame Vanier. It is gratifying to learn that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the continuation in office of His Excellency the Governor-General, whose original term expired last September. Representatives of the diplomatic corps who visited our Province during the year included His Excellency A. H. J. Lovink, Ambassador for The Netherlands; His Excellency B. K. Acharya, High Comissioner for India; His Excellency Shuhsi Hsu, Ambassador for China; His Ecellency Gershon Avner, Ambassador for Israel; His Excellency Sir Kenneth Bailey, C.B.E., High Commissioner for Australia; His Excellency the Honourable Sir Leon Götz, High Commissioner for New Zealand; and His Excellency François Leduc, Ambassador for France. The Honourable Mr. Justice Charles William Tysoe earlier submitted Part One of his report into matters concerning the Workmen's Compensation Board. As a result of recommendations contained therein, my Government has, under authority of Order in Council, increased certain allowances granted those coming within the scope of the Workmen's Compensation Act. The final report of the Commissioner has now been received, and the reports will be laid before you forthwith. A Commission consisting of Dr. Henry F. Angus, Frederick H. Hurley, and Kenneth L. Morton has been appointed to inquire into matters relating to redistribution of electoral boundaries. The report of the Commission will be laid before you in accordance with the requirements of the Public Inquiries Act. The report of His Honour Judge Charles William Morrow, Commissioner appointed to inquire into the price structure of gasoline, will be laid before you as soon as it is received. I am pleased to congratulate the Honourable the Premier and his Ministers on the success of their goodwill trade missions made on behalf of the Province to Japan and Hong Kong. The untimely death last December of George William McLeod, who served his country both as the member of this Assembly for North Okanagan, and previously as a member of the Parliament of Canada, gives all British Columbians cause for sincere regret. We have now entered into a year of very considerable historic significance for our Province, and my Government has already made plans for suitable commemoration of the centenary of the union of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Progressively from March 11, 1850, when the first royal governor assumed office in the island colony, British colonial jurisdiction in the Pacific Northwest was steadily expanded to keep pace with the relentless search for gold. In 1852 the Queen Charlotte Islands were organized as a lieutenant-dependency of Vancouver Island. On November 19, 1858, the Lower Mainland area was inaugurated as the Colony of British Columbia. Four years later, on July 19, 1862, the northern Territory of Stikine was created. The final step in the amalgamation of these four colonial jurisdictions took place on November 19, 1866, when the Imperial Act of Union was simultaneously proclaimed at Victoria and New Westminster. Throughout this year our people will be afforded amply opportunity to commemorate well this significant event. I am pleased to learn that in March of this year, on her way to Australia, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother will be an honoured guest in the Province of British Columbia during our Centennial celebrations. Unification of the Pacific colonial jurisdictions was a necessary prelude to our ultimate entry into Canadian Confederation in 1871. In 1967 the citizens of our Province will join with all Canadians in commemorating the original Confederation of July 1, 1867. It is therefore appropriate to recall that on January 24, 1867, Governor Frederick Seymour formally opened the First Session of the Legislative Council of the United Colony of British Colombia at New Westminster. This was the first legislative body whose jurisdiction included the length and breadth of our Province as we know it today. My Government has advised me of its desire to commemorate this event and launch our celebration of the National Centenary by convening the opening of the appropriate Session of the Parliament of British Columbia in the historic City of New Westminster on January 24, 1967. The Federal-Provincial Confederation project for British Columbia is a new complex of buildings to house the Provincial Archives and Provincial Museum. An exciting and attractive design for this undertaking as been completed, thus ensuring that the invaluable collections acquired by both institutions over the years will be safely housed and effectively displayed for the education and enjoyment of all our people. I am gratified to learn that construction of the British Columbia Archives and Museum of Natural and Human History in Victoria is proceeding on schedule. Provincial historic sites attracted more visitors in 1965 than ever before, especially in Barkerville, where another record year was established. My Government advises me that work has commenced on the museum at Fort Steele, near Cranbrook, and the inauguration of this historic park is scheduled for 1967. Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret has expressed her wish that Portland Island, given to her by the Province of British Columbia in 1958, be returned to the Province for use as a Provincial park bearing her name. My Government is most appreciative of the generosity of Her Royal Highness in returning this gift for the enjoyment of the people of the Province, and will immediately establish Princess Margaret Park in accordance with her wishes. During the past year, our people continued with energy and determination to carry forward the remarkable development of this great Province. As this development proceeds, a society increasingly complex in nature and ever more demanding of new talents and technologies will evolve. To prepare our youth for the opportunities offered by this new society, my Government will continue to formulate modern diversified programmes in the field of public education. The reorganization of secondary schools began in 1962; next year will see the graduation of the first students to complete their secondary-school education under the reorganization programme. Increased emphasis will now be placed on revision of the curriculum at the elementary-school level-a revision already started-to bring it into conformance with modern needs. The rapid development of many new forms of education has created a need to clarify both the functions of the various types of educational institutions and the relations existing between them, in order that the whole public education system may be integrated from kindergarten to postgraduate levels. This clarification of function will include the relationship of such newer institutions as the regional vocational schools, the community colleges, and the Institute of Technology to the longer-established elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities. Enrolments not only in the universities but also in the newly established community colleges and the Institute of Technology are continuing to increase at a rate greatly exceeding that of normal growth. It is apparent that with increasing automation and technological change, mass education has entered on another phase. In consequence, an even larger proportion of the Department of Education's work will be directed toward the post-secondary field of education. Therefore, you will be asked to approve an expansion of the Department. A significant addition to our educational plant occurred in the fall of 1965 with the opening of Simon Fraser University; along with other innovations, this university has introduced the time-saving trimester system at the university level. Other planned expansions to the Province's university facilities now appear to be within reach of attainment as a result of my Government's programme of capital grants and the gratifying response to the three public universities' appeal for capital funds from the public. The operations of the public education system already absorb the energies of nearly 17,000 full-time instructors, over 420,000 students, and a total plant capacity valued well in excess of 500 million dollars. In addition, a large number of part-time teachers and students occupy these buildings in the late afternoon and evening hours. The undivided attention of our educational authorities at all levels will be required if we are to achieve the optimum, use of this massive and growing public facility and, at the same time, to keep the consumption of financial and human resources within attainable limits. To assist these endeavours, you will be asked to approve a substantial increase in my Government's expenditures for education. During the past year my Government has worked energetically to meet and resolve the many pressing and complex problems facing our people in connection with industrial relations and the training of our working force. Greatly increased emphasis has been placed on training and retraining to prepare for the requirements of a highly industrialized society. Last year the Department of Labour sponsored a Labour-Management Conference on Industrial Relations, and I am gratified to learn that approximately 500 persons attended. I note with satisfaction, too, that my Government assisted labour and management to resolve difficult problems during negotiations for new collective agreements, and that in the oil-industry dispute appropriate steps were taken at the proper time to bring about a settlement. By its action, my Government resolved a very difficult matter and gave leadership to both labour and management. My Government recognizes the increasing impact of automation and technological changes on the economy of the Province and the lives of our people. In order to meet this challenge, you will be asked to augment substantially the services provided by the Department of Labour. It is intended that considerable research will be undertaken to assist officers of the Department in attempting to resolve difficult and perplexing problems during negotiations. Collective agreements on file with the Labour Relations Branch will be analysed and trends in other jurisdictions studied, particularly with respect to matters concerning automation and technological changes. In the field of training, the number and scope of programmes will be increased by adding further industrial training courses, augmenting existing facilities, and accelerating the upgrading of tradesmen through the extension of voluntary and compulsory tradesmen's qualification. In recognition of the increasingly important role of women in the labour force, a Women's Bureau will be established within the Department of Labour. It will be the responsibility of this new Branch to correlate existing information regarding legislation and to determine trends with regard to age, training practices, and conditions affecting working women. The Branch will serve as a channel of communication with women's groups, employers, and labour organizations. It will stimulate investigation and research by other branches of the Department, and compile comprehensive reports in such areas as equal pay for equal work, maternity protection, minimum wages, and employment benefits. As a further measure by my Government to make its services to labour, management, and the public more effective a number of legislative changes will be proposed. My Government has made significant progress during the past year in facilitating the extension of hospital care to citizens with long-term illnesses. Because of the reduced need for beds for the care of tuberculosis patients, the services of Pearson Hospital have been extended to those patients who had been committed in the former Provincial infirmaries. In addition, my Government commenced last December a new extension of hospital insurance benefits through the Extended Hospital Care Programme. This programme provides in-patient benefits to medically eligible persons receiving care and treatment in approved non-profit nursing homes. An estimated 570 beds were included in this tended coverage during the first phase of the programme, and additions to be made in the near future will bring this total to approximately 1,020 beds. I am pleased to announce that, as a result of the scale of construction grants made available through the new programme, approval in principle has been given to proposed units in Cranbrook, Port Alberni, Powell River, Nanaimo, Duncan, Trail, Comox, Campbell River, Pouce Coupe, Surrey, Langley, Penticton, Kelowna, Vancouver, White Rock, Vernon, and Chilliwack. An estimated 950 additional beds will be made available upon completion of these projects. My Government advises me that enrolment in the British Columbia Medical Plan, which was incorporated on June 7th last, has exceeded its expectations. As at January 10th, coverage had already been extended to 195,476 subscribers and dependents, and more than 67 per cent of the subscribers have qualified for the special Provincial Government subsidy. It is therefore abundantly clear that the plan has succeeded in achieving its primary purpose-that of providing low-cost, comprehensive, first-dollar coverage to individuals who were not previously eligible for such protection. You will be asked at this Session to consider certain amendments to the Medical Grant Act. During 1965, payments made to the hospitals of the Province by the British Columbia Hospital Insurance Service were again increased, as they have been each year since the start of the programme. During the past year, units of the Mental Health Services continued to provide active care for an increasing number of persons; most 12,000 citizens received services through the in-patient units of this branch. New mental health centres were opened at Trail and Nanaimo, and further centres are being planned in Prince George, Kamloops, and Chilliwack. I am pleased to announce that during the forthcoming year my Government will establish a Forensic Clinic at the Mental Health Centre in Burnaby. I am pleased to learn that, during the past year, 11 major hospital construction projects were completed in British Columbia at estimated total cost of 10 million dollars. New hospitals were completed at Murrayville and Mission City; a major addition was built at Kamloops; renovations were made to the former North Vancouver General Hospital; a new physiotherapy department was added to the Gorge Road Hospital, Victoria, and a new emergency department to the Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster; Phase 2 of a major expansion programme was completed at St. Joseph's Hospital, Victoria, as were an addition and renovations at Ladysmith, unfinished space at Campbell River, and a small addition at Tofino. These completed building programmes resulted in 432 new beds. In addition, 10 major hospital projects are currently under construction throughout the Province, involving 457 new beds and an estimated cost of $11,300,000. Members of my Government have participated with officials of the Government of Canada in planning a Health Resources Fund. It is anticipated that this Fund may assist in the construction of new facilities required for the training of medical, para-medical, and other health personnel, whose numbers must necessarily increase. Regulations under the Practical Nurse Act were approved early in 1965 with a view to improving the quality of patient-care. Through the recommendations of a Council appointed under the same Act, a licencing programme has been brought into effect. During the forthcoming fiscal year, community health services will continue to expand and improve, with particular emphasis on the control of communicable disease, planning for home Care and community rehabilitation, and the construction of new health centres. I am happy to report that the comprehensive planning of my Government in the field of welfare services has resulted during the past year in continued improvement of these services. Authorizations for Government-assisted construction of elderly citizens' housing accommodations reached a record level in 1965, and measures to deal with the problem of delinquent and neglected children were particularly effective. The number of available foster homes was increased, as were special resources such as receiving homes, group-living homes, and treatment centres. To assist handicapped persons in their efforts to achieve self-dependence, rehabilitation services throughout the Province are continually being expanded and improved. A comprehensive study of all unemployed who are in receipt of assistance is being carried out in order that my Government may determine how best to help them find gainful employment. With the expansion of these services has come the need for more trained staff, and my Government has therefore accelerated the bursary programme under which students are assisted toward completion of studies in social work. My Government advises me that in order to focus attention on both immediate and long-range developments which may take place in agriculture and to examine in a broad way the research needs of these developments, the introduction of a series of meetings called "1966 Centennial Outlook for British Columbia Agriculture" has been enthusiastically received by the agriculturists of the Province. If these meetings prove successful in attaining their objective over an experimental three-year period, they will be continued on an annual basis. As announced last August, my Government proposes to introduce crop insurance legislation at this Session. This legislation will be dependent on satisfactory amendments being made to Federal crop insurance legislation; such amendments, if enacted in the manner indicated by Federal authorities, would allow a satisfactory maximum coverage so that most of the agricultural producers of this Province could receive benefits through the introduction of Provincial all-risk crop insurance. I am pleased to learn that during the past year there was a substantial extension of the ARDA programme. Other noteworthy developments were the completion of the first year of farm-management assistance throughout the Province; the opening of new or improved laboratory facilities for testing soils, dairy products, and pesticide residues; and the recent opening of the veterinary laboratory, which will provide improved facilities for diagnostic services. My Government reports that the value of mineral production in British Columbia in 1964 exceeded 267 million dollars, the greatest for any year to date. Production of metals, industrial minerals, structural materials, and fuels is continuing at a rate which promises to show an even greater total value for 1965. The production of oil and natural gas likewise increased, and the recently announced decision of a major company to undertake offshore drilling for petroleum indicates the willingness of the industry to commit large sums for exploration in British Columbia. You will be asked at this Session to consider amendments to both the Mineral Act and the Placer-mining Act. I am gratified to learn that our Province's forest industry experienced another prosperous year in 1965, with markets and prices remaining stable. More than 300 million dollars was invested last year in connection with the industry, which employs 75,000 of our citizens. Throughout the Province, the expansion of pulp and paper facilities continues at an unprecedented rate. On the Coast, established plants are expanding output, and a large new facility is now under connection on the west coast of Vancouver Island. In the Interior, a new pulp-mill began production at Kamloops, two others are scheduled to commence full operation in 1966, and planning is well advanced on five other developments. The protection of our valuable forests during a difficult fire season cost the Provincial Treasury many millions of dollars, but I am gratified to learn that the extensive use of water-bombing techniques assisted greatly in reducing the amount of acreage burned. You will be asked at this Session to consider legislation to eliminate obsolete sections of the Forest Act and clarify other sections. Under provisions of the Canada Water Conservation Act, my Government is participating in joint agreements through which flood-control work is being undertaken at Alberni and in the Municipalities of North and West Vancouver. Agreements of a similar nature will facilitate flood control in other regions. My Government has consistently taken the national lead in matters of pollution abatement, and I am pleased to report that the activities of the Pollution-control Board are progressing in stride with the increased industrial development of the Province. Favourable weather conditions during the past year facilitated my Government's extensive programme of highway construction and maintenance, which is of great importance to the development of the Province's economy and the enjoyment of our citizens. This programme has also played a major part in the development of the tourist industry, which saw more than 4 million visitors welcomed to British Columbia in 1965. The growth rate of tourism is currently calculated at 12 per cent per year, and you will be asked to consider further measures to expand this valuable industry. You will also be asked to consider an Act to provide for the conservation of the wildlife of the Province, replacing the present Game Act. My Government's programme to set aside key Crown lands of high recreational potential has continued in all parts of the Province, and there are now well over 2,200 parcels, other than named Provincial parks, reserved for this purpose. Sixty acres of upland at Pirates Cove on De Courcy Island have been added to our marine park programme. Arbutus Grole and Hansen Lagoon on Vancouver Island have been purchased from private owners so that these properties may be preserved for all time for the enjoyment of the public. New Class A parks created at Boya Lake near Cassiar and Bear Lake in the Prince George region are two notable additions to the parkland inventory. My Government has continued during the past year to encourage the creation of organized municipalities associated with developing natural-resource industries. I was pleased to be present when the Letters Patent were handed to the first "instant municipality" at Port Alice. Since that time, 14 other areas have applied for incorporation, and I commend my Government for initiating the concept that development of our natural resources should lead to the creation of self-governing, well-planned, liveable communities. The Department of Municipal Affairs, through regional district legislation and educational activities, has likewise encouraged cooperation between adjacent municipalities and improvement districts. To date there are 16 regional districts in the process of formation, which is further evidence that local governments throughout the Province are accepting new responsibilities and willingly meeting the challenges of growth. I am happy to learn that my Government organized and completed successful trade missions to Europe and California last year. In both cases, business and government were represented. I am also advised that space sales for the 1967 British Columbia International Trade Fair fee very satisfactory. A measure of the interest shown is the reservation by the United Kingdom of an entire building for its exhibit. During the past year, studies and discussions were undertaken to assess the relationship between the various Provincial pension plans and the Canada Pension Plan, which was enacted by the Government of Canada in April, 1965. You will be asked during the present Session to consider amendments to the Civil Service Superannuation Act, the Municipal Superannuation Act, and the Teachers' Pensions Act, in order that contributions and benefits may be co-ordinated with the Canada Pension Plan. I am happy to report that the inclusion of all government employees within the jurisdiction of the Civil Service, as authorized by you through the Statute Law Amendment Act and amendments to other statutes, has been smoothly applied without disruption to the government service. As a result, a uniform and consistent policy of personnel administration, second to none in Canada, may now be applied. My Government will seek your approval at this Session of a Strata Titles Act. This legislation will enable the many persons who make their homes in apartments or in buildings containing a number of dwellings to obtain title to their homes. The latest revision of the Statutes of British Columbia was completed and given approval in 1960. In order that the next revision and consolidation of the Provincial Statutes may be completed for consideration by the Legislature in 1970, a Revised Statutes Act will be introduced. You will also be asked to consider amendments to the Securities Act and the Administration Act. Amendments to the Motor-vehicle Act will seek authority for the compulsory testing of motor-vehicles throughout the Province, and for the disqualification of motor-vehicle driver licensees whose blood has a prohibited concentration of alcohol. Further, I wish to announce that the Honourable Mr. Justice Robert Alexander Burnie Wootton, Dr. Peter Alfred Lusztig, and Charles Edward Stuart Walls, Esq., have been appointed as a Commission of Inquiry under the Public Inquiries Act to examine all aspects of automobile insurance and related considerations as they may affect the people of British Columbia. My Government reports that the growth in demand for electric power throughout the areas served by the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority was maintained at a high level during the past year. This increasing demand, which is a direct reflection of the economic growth of this Province, emphasizes once more the wisdom of my Government's decision to proceed with construction of the Portage Mountain Dam on the Peace River. Initial generation is scheduled for 1968, and load-growth forecasts now predict that the dam's full generating capacity will be required at an earlier date than had been anticipated. Substantial progress has also been made on the development of the Columbia River, pursuant to the requirements of the Columbia River Treaty. Major construction is now under way on all three Treaty dams in British Columbia. The Hydro Authority made its fourth reduction in rates for electric power on April 1, 1965. This reduction, together with those of the previous three years, has resulted in savings to consumers of more than 20 million dollars annually. The construction and planning of major transmission and distribution lines, together with the installation of new thermal generating capacity to meet peak demands, has resulted in the investment by Hydro Authority during the past year of more than 76 million dollars of new capital; this sum is in addition to the very large expenditures incurred on the Peace and Columbia River developments. The two great projects on the Peace and Columbia Rivers continue to serve as major tourist attractions in British Columbia. During 1965 some 70,000 visitors saw construction in progress at Portage Mountain Dam and 40,000 visitors observed the work at Arrow Dam and Duncan Dam. The Hydro Authority anticipates that larger numbers of tourists will visit these projects during this Centennial Year. My Government advised me that car loadings on the Pacific Great Eastern Railway reached a record level last year. The benefits of capital expenditures for new equipment and improved trackage will be realized in large part in the years immediately ahead, as new plants come into production along the line. Two extensions from the railway's main line are under way, and two additional extensions are under survey. When completed, these extensions will move to markets a rich harvest of agricultural, timber, and mineral resources. To keep pace with the railway's mounting volume of business expansion, plans include extension of yard trackage, passing-tracks, and the completion of the industrial park site at Prince George. Expansion of the British Columbia Ferry Service continued in 1965, and new records for passengers and vehicles carried were established on all routes. Four new ships were placed in service, and the" Queen of Prince Rupert " will begin service in May on the Kelsey Bay-Prince Rupert route. Revisions at Swartz Bay terminal have been completed, terminal construction is under way at Otter Bay on Pender Island, and the terminal at Montague Harbour is being revised. Our Province is fortunate to be served by a loyal and efficient Civil Service, and you will be asked at the current Session to approve an increase in all Civil Service salaries. The Public Accounts and the reports of the departments of my Government will be laid before you. The ways and means of supply to be granted to Her Majesty embody measures to cope fully with both the current needs and the continuing requirements of our Province's development. Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, I now leave you to your deliberations. May Divine Providence guide you as you discharge your legislative duties in the best interests of all our people.