Province Législature/Legislature Session Type de discours/Type of speech Date du discours/Date Locuteur/Speaker Fonction du locuteur/Function Parti politique/Political party Nouvelle-Écosse / Nova-Scotia 49 2 Discours du Trône/Speech from the Throne 22-02-68 Henry P.Mackeen Lieutenant-governor PC Nova Scotia: Speech from the throne, Second Session of the 49th General Assembly, February 22nd, 1968 I am pleased to welcome you to this the second Session of the 49th General Assembly convened in the Province and I extend my best wishes to each of you. My Government recognizes the necessity of adopting all reasonable measures to promote a greater sense of national unity in Canada. Delegates from Nova Scotia attended the Confederation Tomorrow Conference in Toronto and the Federal-Provincial Conference on Constitutional Matters in Ottawa. My Government stated that in considering the matter of national unity the two problems which are most important and most divisive are related to language and culture and to regional economic disparity. My Government submitted to the Conferences: (a) That the Government of Canada should formulate and implement an effective national policy clearly designed to stimulate economic development in each region of Canada to the point where it will no longer be dependent on equalization or transfer payments from the Government of Canada; (b) that although Nova Scotia is prepared to consider changes in allocation of powers under the Constitution, the Government of Canada must be strong enough in jurisdiction and resources to provide strong central government both within Canada and vis-a-vis other countries; (c) that French-speaking Canadians outside of the Province of Quebec should have the same legal rights in education as English-speaking Canadians have in Quebec. The Federal-Provincial Conference agreed: (a) that a Continuing Constitutional Conference be set up composed of the heads of the various governments or their delegates to supervise a continuing Constitutional review; (b) that a Continuing Committee of officials be established to assist the Constitutional Conference; (c) upon certain terms of reference for the Constitutional Conference including the matter of regional disparity. You will be asked to consider: (a) the status of the French language in this House; (b) facilities for teaching students whose mother tongue is French in areas where the number of French-speaking people make it appropriate to improve such facilities; (c) improved facilities generally for the teaching of French as a second language. My Government was fortunate in being able to secure the services of Mr. R. B. Cameron as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Steel Corporation. Under his leadership, the Corporation took over the management of the Sydney Steel Works in January of this year--much earlier than it was expected would be possible. The Corporation has reached an agreement with DOSCO under which the pension position of former DOSCO employees will be protected. DOSCO will transfer to the Corporation certain cash and securities held by DOSCO in the welfare fund, in the trust fund established under the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plan and in the Pension Plan Funds. During the coming fiscal year studies will be continued to determine whether it will be economically feasible to continue operation of the Sydney Steel Works beyond the 30th day of April, 1969. In this fiscal year, the Province carried out the greatest highway program ever undertaken in Nova Scotia and in the coming fiscal year this program will continue. The Trans Canada Highway is expected to be completed to an all-weather standard in 1968. Work on Trunk 1 and Trunk 3 will proceed at an increased pace and substantial portions of the new controlled access sections will be opened to traffic before the end of 1968. Trunk 2--Halifax to Truro--is expected to be substantially completed this year and the City of Sydney by-pass will be opened to traffic. Improvement on secondary roads, repaving and replacement of old bridges will continue. You will be asked to consider a Bill requiring traffic to stop when approaching a school bus that is stopped. My Government has been concerned about the number of illegal work stoppages during the past year. After consultation with representatives of labour and management through the medium of the Joint Labour-Management Study Committee, my Government reached the conclusion that legislation should provide for more effective control over illegal work stoppages and for resolving the issues involved in jurisdictional disputes. To that end, you will be asked to consider amendments to the Trade Union Act. You will be asked to consider an Act to amend and consolidate the Workmen's Compensation Act and to improve its provisions for workmen. The present Chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Board has submitted his resignation effective the 31st day of May and a new Chairman will be appointed. My Government has established a Joint Provincial-Municipal Fact Finding Committee to obtain information relating to such subjects as may be required by the Province and the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities with a view to working out a long-term arrangement for provincial-municipal financial relations. My Government will encourage the creation of larger units and larger geographical areas for the supervision and administration of policies under the comprehensive school program. You will be asked to consider legislation to this end. A study of the comprehensive school program to consider how it may be developed so as best to serve our needs will proceed in a close relationship with industry, business and the public generally. My Government has established a Youth Agency and appointed a Commissioner of Youth to assist and work with our young people. The Youth Agency will work toward co-ordination of existing programs and the encouragement and development of new ones. My Government will expand provisions for the basic education and upgrading of adults in general education in training and retraining of adults in trades and technical fields preparation for vocational or technical education and for the training and retraining of adults in trades and technical fields Promotional work in the field of industrial development and tourism will be continued and expanded. My Government will continue and intensify its effort to develop the Strait of Canso industrial area in an orderly manner. This will require the co-ordination of various departments and the co-operation of the municipal units in that area. Transportation continues to be one of the major problems faced by industry in the Province. The Department of Trade and Industry has been assigned the responsibility for dealing with all matters related to transportation problems and particularly with respect to national policies in this field. The Atlantic Provinces have agreed to develop a comprehensive and positive approach to transportation problems in the Atlantic Region for submission to the Government of Canada. They have established a Task Force consisting of a ministerial representative from each Province and a Working Committee. The Province of Nova Scotia has assigned a representative to the Working Committee. My Government has been and continues to be concerned about the effect of less than carload lot rates charged by railways on the competitive position of industry in Nova Scotia. The Province directly and through the Maritimes Transportation Commission has made representations to the Government of Canada and will continue its effort to work out some method by which the competitive position of industry in Nova Scotia can be protected and improved. My Government will propose a program to provide an interest subsidy to those borrowers of capital classified as full-time commercial farmers and young farmers. It is proposed that this program be initially for a two-year period on all long-term loans advanced by the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board and the Farm Credit Corporation to full-time commercial farmers and young farmers as defined in the regulations under the Agriculture and Rural Credit Act. My Government recognizes the desirability of assisting commercial farmers to carry out effective adjustment and modernization programs to improve their competitive position. A policy will be proposed to you whereby in such cases a grant will be made equal to twenty per cent of loans approved for the purpose of carrying out such adjustment and modernization by improvement of land, buildings and basic herd livestock, with a maximum limit of two thousand dollars per applicant in any one year. This will include a review of existing capital assistance programs with the objective of combining them or some of them with the proposed policy in order to obtain maximum usefulness of expenditure. It will be proposed that, in the next fiscal year, one million dollars be available under this policy. The Nova Scotia Agricultural College will expand its courses of study in the science and practice of agriculture. My Government appreciates the importance of finding markets for our agricultural produce and will expand its program of market development. My Government has appointed a Programme Development Agency to undertake, appraise and consider various studies, reports and plans associated with economic development in rural areas of Nova Scotia. Necessary staff is being appointed and it is the objective of the Agency to develop programs within the framework of various Federal programs so that agreements with the Federal Government can be worked out and implemented. Production from our established fisheries continues at a high level and in addition to our expanding herring industry, new fisheries for crabs, whales and shrimp provide a further avenue for development. Forest production has reached an all time high. The use of chips and the establishment of the new pulp mills have provided a market for what was formerly waste material. A new hardboard mill has provided a market for low grade hardwood. Increased production has resulted from better utilization of our forest products. The first step in the enlargement and renovation of the Victoria General Hospital was completed by the opening of the Centennial Building and renovation of an addition to the older part of the hospital will now proceed. Work on the extension and renovation of the Pathology Institute is well underway and a new Red Cross Building is under construction with major financial assistance from the Province. The cost of operating Municipal Mental Hospitals is now paid by the Nova Scotia Hospital Insurance Commission without Federal sharing. I am pleased to know that a number of hospital construction projects will be completed or will near completion this year, notably the Children's Hospital in Halifax. The allowance for hospitalization outside of Canada under the Hospital Insurance Plan has been increased from twenty-eight dollars to forty dollars per day. This will be of substantial benefit to any of our people who become ill or suffer an accident while outside of Canada. The Hospital Insurance Commission during this year will attempt to achieve the maximum degree of co-ordination among the four Municipal Mental Hospitals and the Nova Scotia Hospital and also with the assistance and co-operation of the municipalities involved will seek to raise the standard of care in Municipal Mental Hospitals. The report of the Medical Care Insurance Advisory Commission will be laid before you. You will be asked to refer it to a Committee of the House for study and report and to provide that all interested persons have an opportunity to make representations to the Committee. Preliminary figures show the value of mineral production in Nova Scotia for the year 1967 at seventy-nine million dollars. 1967 was the most active year in mineral exploration in the history of Nova Scotia. The total area under mineral licenses on land and under water is 51,914,000 acres. Based on present knowledge and the expressed intention of mining interests, 1968 should be a better year than 1967. Recent investigation has disclosed that the combination of minerals available in the Strait of Canso area includes salt and strontium compounds, limestone, barite, fluorspar, gypsum and anhydrite. These minerals provide a potential base for chemical and petrochemical industries. Substantial tonnages of refractory clays have recently been discovered in the Musquodoboit Valley and easily accessible raw material is available for the manufacture of ceramic tiles and for refractory bricks. My Government in co-operation with the Dalhousie University Institute of Public Affairs is working on a generally accepted method to assist the process of forecasting economic conditions and to assist in economic planning for the Province. The 1968 Annual Report and Economic Review of the Voluntary Economic Planning Board will be tabled. The Housing Commission continues to expand its work in the field of Co-operatives, rental housing, housing for senior citizens, urban renewal and similar projects aimed at improving our housing facilities. Special emphasis will be given to the encouragement of land assembly. My Government proposes to participate in university housing construction. Legislation will be introduced covering individual ownership in multiple structures known as condominium housing. A Commission on Human Rights has been named and a Chairman appointed. A Co- ordinator is being appointed and it is proposed to recognize the International Year for Human Rights by accelerating these activities. Legislation will be introduced to amend and further consolidate the Old Age Assistance, Blind Persons Allowance Disabled Persons Allowance, Social Assistance and Child Welfare Acts. The Nova Scotia Power Commission will have during the year, a capital budget totalling thirty-six million dollars. Twenty million dollars will be spent on two thermal generating plants now under construction. Of this amount, twelve million dollars will be used for the 150,000 kilowatt extension to the Trenton Thermal plant, a joint project of the Atlantic Development Board and the Power Commission. Eight million dollars has been assigned for continued construction of the new 80,000 kilowatt thermal plant at Point Tupper. The plant will supply power and steam for new industries locating in the Strait of Canso area. The remainder of the thirty-six million dollar capital expenditure will be used for new high voltage transmission and upgrading of service facilities. During the year, the development of the Division of Administrative Services in the Department of the Provincial Secretary reached the point where it was able to provide advice and assistance to more departments and agencies in improving their systems and procedures and in making use of the computer. The process of adopting systems or procedures is often one that regrettably may cause some temporary inconvenience to the public. These temporary inconveniences, however, should be a modest price to pay for the resulting benefits in efficiency and economy. In the course of administration of the Consumer Protection Act, information has been gathered with a view to identifying areas in which extensions of legislation for the greater protection of consumers might be needed. The Royal Commission under Mr. H. A. Renouf, inquiring into the pricing of gasoline and petroleum products, has proceeded with its investigation through the year. It is hoped that the report of the Commission will be made in the near future. A Committee appointed by the Attorney General and chaired by the Chief Justice of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court has made very considerable progress in a review of the Rules of the Supreme Court. You will be asked to consider legislation designed to facilitate the implementation of new Rules when the review is completed. Pursuant to the Statute Revision Act, 1964, a consolidation and revision of the public general statutes of the Province has been prepared under the designation "Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia, 1967" and is now in force. You will be asked to consider legislation confirming the consolidation and revision. Legislation will be introduced to amend the Assessment Act, the Education Act, the Judicature Act, the Public Health Act and other public statutes of the Province. The scope of operation of the Water Authority has been expanded and additional technical staff has been added to keep pace with increased activities. Eight commissions have been formed to manage utilities owned by the Province. During the next year, a period of consolidation is anticipated to allow training of personnel, and the further development of policies associated with water resource management. The Legislature will be asked to consider certain measures to amend the Water Act to facilitate administration and to align the legislation with the anticipated functions of the authority. The Premiers of the three Maritime Provinces have had further meetings to discuss the matter of Maritime union and are having discussions with an outstanding Canadian in the hope that he might be available to carry out an appropriate study. The study in addition to considering all aspects of union would also consider areas of increased co-operation that could be of mutual benefit to the three provinces. The Public Accounts of the Province for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1967, will be presented for your consideration. An interim statement of the revenues and expenditure for the current fiscal year as now estimated will be placed before you. Estimates for the fiscal year to begin on April 1, 1968, 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.