Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Ontario 32e 1re Discours du Trône 21 avril 1981 John Black Aird Lieutenant Governor Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Mr. Speaker, and members of the Legislative Assembly, I extend greetings to you all on behalf of our Sovereign on this the opening of the First Session of the Thirty Second Parliament of Ontario. I welcome to this parliament those honorable members who will be serving their fellow citizens in this capacity for the first time as well as those who have been returned to office. May I express the wish that your hopes and objectives and those of your constituents will be fulfilled through the opportunities for service afforded you as individual members and together as the Legislature of this great and historic province. Mon gouvernement prend acte de la responsabilité que lui a confiée la population de l'Ontario et il accepte cette responsabilité. Il s'engage, dans l'administration de ses affaires, à servir loyalement les intérêts de la province et du pays tout entier. We wish to record the pleasure we share, along with all Canadians, in the upcoming marriage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. As well, Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret will honor Ontario with visits by Her Majesty the Queen Mother and later this summer. These events afford an opportunity for an expression of the pride we feel in the heritage that has been ours as a constitutional monarchy. In the business of our nation, the tensions and stresses of the sustained constitutional debate continue to dominate Canadian public affairs. The government and people of this province are resolute in their desire for partition of the Canadian constitution while preserving our existing constitutional monarchy in both form and substance. We seek to protect human and democratic rights and to assure freedom of movement for all Canadians in the final step to constitutional maturity for this nation. While my government regrets the lack of accord between several of our sister provinces and the central government, we continue to hold a positive perspective on the outcome. For its part, this province will continue to strive for partition of the Canadian constitution with a fair amending formula and with an entrenched charter of rights. This has been our position since the federal-provincial conference on the constitution in February 1969. But the constitution, despite its great importance, must not be allowed to distort the public agenda of Canada. Inflation, economic growth, federal-provincial fiscal and tax-sharing arrangements, social policy and stability, and energy pricing and supply, all constitute matters that must be urgently addressed so that our nation does not falter for want of the critical decisions necessary to sustain our economic prosperity and security. The problem of inflation, in particular, must be faced in a comprehensive way on a national front and without delay. Major opportunities for action lie in the key federal areas of monetary and fiscal policy planning. The question of energy pricing and supply remains unresolved and, in the absence of a fair distribution of resource benefits among all provinces, unnecessary damage is caused to the economy of the nation as a whole. Decisive and reasonable actions are essential if this problem is to be overcome. My government will continue to press for cohesive national leadership in these crucial areas and repeats the call for a conference of first ministers at an early date as the forum for such action. Existing federal-provincial fiscal arrangements, which are due to expire at the end of this fiscal year, are being reviewed between Ottawa and the provinces. While Ontario welcomes the opportunity to participate in these important discussions, we will oppose any attempts to reduce a fair federal contribution to major programs in health, education and social services. In the particular interests of the province of Ontario, economic leadership and policies aimed at promoting the well being of our people are vital elements of the framework of freedom and opportunity that must serve us in the years ahead. We are a strong and vigorous province. Our continuing vitality, despite the pressures of the times, owes no little credit to the foresight and planning of past years, which have provided the firm economic and social foundation of the Ontario of today. Reinforcing this foundation to ensure future growth and development is crucial to the strength of the Ontario of tomorrow. The new industrial leadership and development program, an explicit program for economic expansion and growth, will be the basic industrial development blueprint of this government. This five-year program, as earlier announced, comprises a reordering of priorities and the commitment of a $1.5 billion development plan for specific projects. This program will be directed by a board of ministers whose responsibilities are key to the creation of the wealth on which a secure future will depend. The BILD program, as it is called, is a coherent and prudent plan for Ontario, and one that is in accordance with the objectives and scope of the government's ongoing fiscal strategy. It is the aim of the government, during this session, to make substantial progress along this course. A major instrument in the program will be the newly established office of procurement policy, which will play a role in mobilizing public sector purchasing power to foster Canadian manufacturing and technology. Greater use of electricity, increased commitments for skills training and manpower retraining, concentrated development of high technology industry, specific programs for resource development, programs for community economic development and expansion of our transportation systems will be critical components of an industrial expansion plan for all regions and economic sectors in Ontario. Legislation will be presented to amend the Power Corporation Act to enable Ontario Hydro to sell industrial steam to the Ontario Energy Corporation, as a major step forward in the establishment of the Bruce Energy Centre. Construction of a steam pipeline will begin this year. A new residential electrical services program will reinforce Ontario’s wide-ranging energy conservation and oil substitution programs. Legislation will be enacted to enable Ontario Hydro and the municipal electric utilities to carry out home energy audits and to provide homeowner loans for energy conservation, electric wiring upgrading and conversion to electric heating. The Ministry of Energy in such areas as hydrogen, fusion, solar energy, alternative transportation fuels and small hydraulic development will take further initiatives. Ontario has a unique opportunity to use its world leadership in electrical generation technology to produce hydrogen. We stand to gain enormous long-term benefits from early entry into the hydrogen age. Approaches have been made to the federal government suggesting a joint funding program. In the meantime, the province will undertake major initiatives to support existing centres of recognized leadership in this field and will proceed with its previously announced commitment to establish an institute for hydrogen systems. High priority is placed on industrial and technological development from the viewpoint of the potential for job creation, as well as for the advancement of industry itself. The deployment of our human resources is a vital and integral part of the BILD program. Without question, government has a role to play to assist in opening the door to employment opportunities. But it is the role of private enterprise to provide the wide range of choices, which our society requires. At the same time, our society must be able to rely on the resourcefulness and will of its members. It is a right in a democratic society that we are free to fulfill our potential as individuals in the vocation of our choosing. Still, in practical terms, there is a continuing need for a better balance between work opportunities and skills, particularly in the growing high technology field. The government will expand the training in business and industry initiatives of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and provide a major funding allocation for technical and technological equipment for the province`s colleges of applied arts and technology. A community counseling program will be developed to tap the resources of our young people and guide them towards worthwhile and productive jobs. Efforts are being made to co-ordinate and share the costs of some of these initiatives with the new federal labour adjustment program. A new international intern program will aim to add more international marketing specialists to the Ontario business community over the next two years. In this proposed joint venture with Ontario business companies, the Ministry of Industry and Tourism will share the salary costs of posting marketing and sales representatives for training and experience in important foreign markets. In step with these training initiatives, a biotechnology company, a joint venture already announced, will be the base of a methodical and solid advance towards high-level industrial growth, job creation and world-scale competitive leadership in vital areas of economic activity. This province will proceed to develop specific research innovation centres in auto parts technology, computer-assisted manufacturing and robotics, and microelectronics. A special multimillion-dollar fund to finance new high technology firms will be established through the Ontario Development Corporations. You will be asked to enact legislation to establish the IDEA Corporation. The purpose of this agency will be to promote and finance the development of new technologies and facilitate their industrial application. The corporation will also have a key role to play in integrating and linking the research and development resources of government, the university community and industry. In the area of resource development, the province will proceed with the BILD forest management program, construction of forest seedling cultivation centres in northern Ontario, and a major gold sampling and custom milling program. Discussions will be pursued with private mining and forestry companies and with machinery producers for a joint resource machinery initiative in the Sudbury area. Specific measures to assist the food processing and tender fruit growing industries will supplement existing provincial farm support programs. A major objective is to expand and improve processing capability for crops produced in Ontario. A full-scale fruit and vegetable storage program will be introduced to upgrade and expand present storage, grading and packing capacity. The target over the next five years is to reduce imports by at least one third, and substantially increase farm incomes. Ontario is determined to ensure that its agricultural sector remains among the most modern in the world. This will require careful and constant attention to forces outside the industry, among which the current impact of high interest rates is a matter of great concern. The Ontario government's commitment to public transportation is a matter of record. In particular, over the last decade, provincial policies and financing has been the mainspring of local public transit systems in urban centres throughout the province, and of a successful and growing transportation technology industry. Legislation will be amended to allow for additional subsidies for the purchase of electrified trolley bus equipment by local municipalities. A long-term schedule of radial road improvements will be undertaken to accommodate the movement of people and of increasingly heavy commercial traffic in the Toronto-Niagara corridor. The government will extend the municipal airport program of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to all of Ontario. My government has every confidence that the development of an intermediate capacity transit system by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation is but the beginning of an auspicious future for the industry. Additional investments in UTDC will allow for production facilities in Ontario. A feasibility study for an ICT system for the city of Hamilton is expected to be ready by this fall, and negotiations will begin with Metropolitan Toronto for an ICTS line in this area. Design work for electrification of the GO commuter rail system from Oakville to Pickering is under way. The final report of the task force on provincial rail policy, which will be published shortly, will provide further direction for the province's expanded role in rail transportation. As well, the province is committed to significant upgrading of our harbors and marine transportation capability. It is anticipated that the report of the Great Lakes Seaway Task Force will also identify further areas for provincial involvement. Economic growth and technological progress and innovation are not sufficient goals in and of themselves. They are, more important, instruments for financing social progress and improving the quality of life and public safety and security that are so fundamental to Ontario society. Ontario is well served by the wide range and strength of the established institutions in our society. The task before us -- an enviable one compared with many jurisdictions -- is to ensure with continued foresight and planning that we are able to adapt to the demands of the future and so continue to enhance and enrich life in the province. Efforts towards improved high standards of environmental protection will be intensified. We stand to lose much if we do not pursue and make use of the advantages of modern science and technology. With these concerns in mind, the government proposes to introduce legislation charging the Ontario Waste Management Corporation with the responsibility for establishing a world-class facility for the treatment and safe disposal of liquid industrial waste. Potential health hazards from the manufacture, use and disposal of chemical products will be the primary interest of the new Ontario Centre for Toxicology. A major government role is envisaged in this venture, which will result from joint efforts of the universities of Toronto and Guelph. The centre will be a co-operative undertaking with the private sector and the university community and will serve as a broad-based training, research and assessment institution. The government will continue an aggressive campaign to counter the threat posed by acid rain and to have controls applied against sources contributing to the problem, both in Ontario and from beyond the province's borders. My government is committed to providing continued strong support for health care, education, day care, and those in need, as well as for the vast number of services that are an integral part of social policy development and the mainstay of our social well-being. The provincial pattern has been to decentralize much of the operational responsibility for these services to achieve greater flexibility in their delivery. The government reaffirms this policy as a means of recognizing and, to the greatest possible extent, meeting the individual needs of all members of the community. Continuing emphasis will be placed on community living for elderly and disabled persons, enabling them to live in their own homes. At the same time, accommodation needs and care of others who are unable to be relatively independent must be assured. To this end, a five-year provincial program will be started this spring to increase the capacity and improve the standard of homes for the aged throughout the province. This will be carried out in co-operation with municipalities and charitable organizations. Pensions have become an increasingly important issue for larger numbers of our people. The recently released report of the royal commission on pensions is a most extensive study of this matter. In order that its recommendations may be widely understood and carefully reviewed, this House will be asked to appoint a select committee to examine the report. The importance of the role of the family in our society cannot be too strongly emphasized. This has been a consistent view of the government, and one, which it upholds in a range of, accepted provincial policies and programs. The government's activities, therefore, will continue to reflect and respond to the nature of our people and to their desire that family life and other traditional values remain an influence and force in the Ontario way of life. There are a multitude of recreational and cultural activities that do so much for the enjoyment of leisure time in this province. Among the particular events that deserve special attention in the coming year will be the 1981 Canada Games scheduled to be held in Thunder Bay in August. This will be the first time the Canada Games will be staged in Ontario. Ontario has endorsed the United Nations designation of 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons. Budgetary increases have been provided for existing provincially funded services for the disabled, including transportation programs and the provision of physical amenities in public buildings and community facilities. In addition, the province has earmarked a special $12 million fund to initiate new programs and a $5.5 million Wintario capital grant allocation to make cultural and recreational facilities more accessible to disabled people. A special public awareness program will be launched later this spring. With these and other initiatives, there is every indication that the attention being paid to this special event will produce many programs of lasting benefit, both within government and throughout the community at large. This government affirms a commitment to meet the needs of developmentally handicapped children. Through a new program to encourage parental involvement and responsibility, families will participate in working out programs for their own children. Special needs agreements with parents will provide the vehicle for this initiative. It will also make increased funding available for the additional special services often required by these children. The policies and programs of the Ministry of Health will continue to emphasize preventive care and public health. You will be asked to consider a new Health Protection Act to provide for a core package of public health services that will be common to all health units across 0ntario. A mental health coordinator will be appointed to formulate new policies and plans relating to the development and delivery of Ontario's mental health services. The extension of telemedicine links between small and large hospitals, and of regional prenatal services throughout the province will ensure that the most up to date methods of care are readily available to the people of Ontario. Le gouvernement adoptera des politiques et des programmes spéciaux visant à améliorer la prestation de ses services en français, à faire connaître ces services et à encourager la population francophone à les utiliser. C'est le ministère des affaires intergouvernementales qui coordonnera ces efforts, et des fonds spéciaux seront affectés pour faciliter la création de nouveaux services en français, au sein du gouvernement et dans toute la collectivité franco-Ontarienne. New government policies on native affairs include a career development plan for native people in northern Ontario to provide opportunities for training and permanent employment in the private sector, as well as in the field operations of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Last November, the Minister of Labour (Mr. Elgie) tabled a comprehensive report on the province's workmen's compensation laws. The recommendations have received wide public approval. The government will introduce legislation, early in the session, reflecting the major proposals in the report relating to benefit calculations and levels, and the structure and adjudication procedures of the Workmen's Compensation Board. Major revisions to the Ontario Human Rights Code will be introduced for enactment. Among the measures are protections for the handicapped and for persons subject to harassment in a variety of situations. Existing protections against discrimination on grounds of marital status and age will be expanded. The Children's Law Reform Act amendments, concerning child custody and access proceedings, which were given second reading at the last session, will proceed to enactment. Complementary legislation will be presented to implement the Hague Convention regarding child kidnapping. As well, amendments will be made to the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Act to provide more effective enforcement of orders throughout Canada, as recommended by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada. A special bill will be introduced providing for civilian review and appeal procedures with respect to investigation of complaints against the police in Metro Toronto. My government will present a number of measures to improve the administration of its affairs. Legislation will be presented to integrate more closely the policies and programs of the Ministry of Housing with those operations of the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs that relate to municipal matters. This consolidation will also pave the way for introduction of a revised Planning Act. This important legislation, the product of an extensive consultation process, has already had thorough public review as a subject of a white paper. Proposals for the implementation of a policy on freedom of information and individual privacy will also be provided for consideration by this assembly and by the general public. These will be in the form of a draft freedom of information bill to be included in a government discussion paper. A response will be made to the Krever commission report on the confidentiality of health information. It is the government's wish that the overall legislative program for the session proceed efficiently and effectively, and that ample consideration be afforded items of due significance. In addition to those items already mentioned in this address, other important measures will include amendments to the Education Act and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. Three major bills which did not proceed to enactment last year will be reintroduced; namely, a revised Business Corporations Act, the Municipal Boundaries Negotiations Act and the Dangerous Goods Transportation Act. A Toronto Islands act will pass into law certain recommendations of the Swadron report received earlier this year. Essential changes will be brought forward with regard to the Election Act and the Election Finances Reform Act. Honorable members, this assembly begins an important and demanding session. I pray that in the discharge of your duties in the months ahead, you remain mindful of the effect of your decisions on the future course of Ontario and Canada. The difficulties we face at home, while legitimate causes for concern, need not and must not obscure the fundamental strength of our economy, the tremendous potential of our human and natural resources and the exciting and overwhelming hope for our future. Through the leadership and efforts of my ministers, and through the work of this Legislature, we must seek to build new national understanding. Through the will and spirit of the people of Ontario, we must help to achieve the growth and advancement that will sustain our province and our nation. This is the challenge we collectively face. May Divine Providence attend your deliberations. In our Sovereign's name, I thank you. God bless the Queen and Canada.