Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Nouvelle-Écosse 48e 2e Discours du Trône 10 Février 1965 Henry P. Mackeen Lieutenant-gouverneur PC Nova Scotia: Speech from the Throne, Second Session of the 48th General Assembly, February 10th, 1965 I am pleased to welcome you to this the Second Session of the 48th General Assembly convened in the Province and I extend my best wishes to each of you. To all of us who lived through the war years there can be no one to equal the late Right Honourable Sir Winston Churchill. To us he will always represent the utmost in courage, tenacity, resourcefulness and leadership. On behalf of my Government and people of Nova Scotia I have sent our sympathy and condolences to Lady Churchill and family. My Government participated in several Federal-Provincial conferences dealing with fiscal and constitutional matters. You will be asked to consider the method whereby the statutes relating to the Constitution of Canada may be amended within Canada. You will be asked to consider a resolution relating to a study of the advantages and disadvantages of the union of the Province of Nova Scotia and the Province of New Brunswick. The economy of the Province is progressing but the need for further economic growth and increases in employment opportunities requires continued effort and planning by my Government and the people of Nova Scotia. The Atlantic Development Board is playing an increasing role in the development of our Province and, among other matters, my Government is discussing with the Board methods of increasing our research program and improving industrial incentives. The program of voluntary economic planning has made substantial progress and it is expected that the Voluntary Planning Board will complete its first plan for the economy of the Province before the end of this year. A report of the progress of the Board and some preliminary comments will be laid before you and you will be asked to consider it. The Department of Trade and Industry and Industrial Estates Limited have had a most encouraging year. Deuterium of Canada Limited, a company controlled by Industrial Estates Limited, has recently submitted a tender to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited which, if accepted, would result in a doubling of the capacity of the plant under construction at Glace Bay. My Government under arrangements with the Government of Canada is retaining consultants to recommend what would be the most advantageous terminal points for a second Nova Scotia-New England Ferry Service, taking into consideration the comparative economic benefits to the Province of Nova Scotia of possible terminal points for such a service in relation to costs and service to the public. You will be asked to enact legislation authorizing my Government to enter into an agreement with Scott Maritimes Pulp Limited relating to the erection and operation of a bleached kraft pulp mill in the County of Pictou. The increasing requirements for wood of the forest products industries in our Province emphasizes the importance of improved forestry practices to our economy. You will be requested to enact legislation- containing measures designed to achieve this end. The Department of Lands and Forests is undertaking a new forest inventory. During 1965, photo interpretation and fieldwork will be carried out in Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. New aerial photography will cover the Counties of Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby. My Government proposes to provide further assistance toward greater farm production by paying next year a subsidy on amounts of chemical fertilizers used in excess of amounts used last year to increase forage crops. My Government is planning further expansion of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. We must train our young men in the agricultural sciences if the agricultural economy of the Province is to grow and keep pace with modern methods and modern needs. My Government will enter into a new agreement with the Government of Canada under the Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act. The agreement will enable the Province to participate in projects designed to improve the economic conditions of people living in rural areas. My Government proposes to continue through the Fishermen's Loan Board its substantial support for the construction of new and efficient fishing vessels. A program of exploration and experimental fishing will be carried out in co-operation with the Federal Department of Fisheries to determine the commercial possibilities of harvesting and marketing unused species and the value of new fishing methods such as pair trawling, locating and procuring herring, scallop investigations and development of oyster beds. The market for coal remains stable and production during the past year was below demand. The apparent financial condition of the principal operating company is, however, a cause of concern. Every effort must be made to assure the competitive position of coal and to that end a training program to upgrade the skills of coal miners is being implemented. The tourist industry continues to grow in importance and every effort must be made to improve facilities and to attract a greater number of visitors to our Province. The new Division of Accommodations and Facilities in the Department of Trade and Industry will seek to raise the standard of accommodations and thereby make our Province more attractive to visitors. The Nova Scotia Power Commission has completed the most satisfactory year in its history. The capital budget of the Commission in its current fiscal year ending November 30, 1965, will exceed $17,000,000. A new high-capacity transmission line is under construction from Port Hastings to the Sydney area at an estimated cost of $2,000,000. This will connect the industrial Cape Breton area with the inter-provincial grid and provide reserve capacity for that area. A similar line is now under construction from the Halifax area to Liverpool. My Government this year will undertake the largest highway program in the history of the Province in its continuing effort to improve and modernize the highway systems of the Province. Work will continue on the Trans-Canada Highway, on other major highways and on by-passes. A substantial program to improve country roads, to re-top pavement and to replace old bridges will be continued. During the past year thirty per cent of the population of Nova Scotia was engaged in some type of formal study. Over 217,000 children and adults were enrolled in educational programs supported by government funds. My Government proposes to encourage and expand further the educational program. In particular, you will be requested to provide for additional vocational schools. You will be asked to provide increased grants to our universities and to enact legislation authorizing loans to our universities to assist in the erection of new facilities. Durng the past year, a two-stage improvement in scales under the Foundation Program in education has been completed in order to further the program in education and also to assist our municipalities materially. Discussions with the Government of Canada regarding the recommendations of the Hall Commission are expected to commence in the near future. The Medical Insurance Advisory Committee appointed by my Government will continue to study medical care and will serve as a continuing advisory body for my Government. My Government is now providing drugs for most mentally ill patients in specified out-patient departments. The program to modernize the Nova Scotia Hospital continues and this year the north unit of the Hospital will be modernized. My Government proposes to assume all the operating costs of municipal mental hospitals which meet approved standards. You will be asked to consider legislation consolidating and amending the Local Asylums Act. Tenders are being called for the final stage of construction of the new building at the Victoria General Hospital. During this year it is expected that new hospitals in Bridgewater, Digby, Amherst and Truro and a major addition to the hospital in Liverpool will be completed. These hospitals will have a total capacity of 536 adults' and children's beds. The financial position of towns requiring special financial assistance, by reason of geographic, economic, or other conditions has received the careful consideration of my Government. A formula has been prepared to determine the assistance to be provided in each case and you will be asked to vote the additional sum required for this purpose. You will be asked to provide increased financial assistance for Children's Aid Societies so that they may carry out their responsibilities more adequately. You will also be asked to provide for increased maintenance rates for wards of the Director of Child Welfare and the Children's Aid Societies cared for in foster homes. You will be requested to provide grants to non-profit Institutions to assist in the provision of institutional accommodation for the aged. The capacity of the Nova Scotia School for Boys of Shelburne is being increased from 120 to 150 boys and the construction of a new School, with your approval, will begin during the coming year. Plans are now completed and tenders are being called for the construction of a new dormitory for 48 boys at the Nova Scotia Training School. This will increase the capacity of the School from 180 to 228 children. Legislation will be introduced providing for the approval and licensing of certain boarding homes for elderly people by the Department of Public Welfare. A Division of Social Development has been established in the Department of Public Welfare to be concerned primarily with communities in the Province that are under a social disadvantage. The Division will work with the Inter-Departmental Committee on Human Rights. The responsibility for housing and the activities of the Nova Scotia Housing Commission has been placed under the Minister of Public Welfare. The report of the Commission under the Public Inquiries Act to inquire into money lending practices and the protection of borrowers will be laid before you. The Joint Labour Management Study Group has recommended to my Government certain amendments to the Trade Union Act and you will be asked to consider legislation to amend that Act. You will be asked to enact an Industrial Safety Act which will replace the provisions of the Factories Act and enable my Government to deal more effectively with industrial safety. A provincial conference on industrial safety will be convened this year in an attempt to develop more effective methods for reducing industrial accidents. You will be asked to constitute a new Select Committee of the House to consider the constitution of the House and the principles that should be followed in changing the said Constitution. My Government is continuing to urge upon the Federal authorities the implementation of the recommendations of the Fauteux Commission respecting the responsibility for care and maintenance of persons sentenced under Federal statutes to more than six months. My Government is also continuing efforts to make arrangements for the custody of longer-term prisoners in Federal institutions. In the meantime, my Government proposes to make payments to the municipalities of the Province in respect of prisoners sentenced to terms in excess of six months which are to be served in penal institutions in this Province. You will be asked to provide the funds required for this purpose. The Water Authority is continuing its study of the water resources of the Province. The main emphasis of the Authority in the coming year will be further elimination and prevention of pollution of our inland and coastal waters. My Government has continued negotiations with the Cities of Halifax and Dartmouth and the Municipality of the County of Halifax with regard to a second Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge. You will be asked to consider legislation in respect of that Bridge. My Government has participated in discussions of pension legislation with other provinces and Canada and is also studying the possible need for supervision of private pension plans in this Province. Legislation will be introduced to amend the Child Welfare Act, the Mines Act, the Nova Scotia Technical College Act, the Motor Vehicle Act, the Municipal Act and other public statutes of the Province. The Public Accounts of the Province for the fiscal year ended March 31st, 1964 will be placed before you. An interim statement showing revenues and expenditures for the current fiscal year as presently estimated will be furnished to you. Estimates for the fiscal year to commence April 1st, 1965, will be presented to you for consideration. To these and all other matters which may come before you, I ask your most careful attention, praying that Divine Providence may guide you in all your deliberations and decisions.