Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Saskatchewan 23e 1re Discours du trône 29 février 1996 John Wiebe Lieutenant Governor Saskatchewan New Democratic Party Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly: A RENEWED MANDATE Welcome to the 1st Session of the 23rd Legislature. It is a particular pleasure to welcome those of you who are sitting as elected Members for the first time. Election to public office is one of society's most honourable callings. The people of our province have placed a tremendous trust in each of you. I know you will do your utmost to maintain that trust. My government accepts a renewed mandate from the people of Saskatchewan with enthusiasm. Our province has restored its financial health. Our economy is strong and growing. Saskatchewan today is the best place in the world in which to live and raise a family. The 21st century holds the promise of even greater things to come. Now is the time to prepare for that new century; to seize the moment with the plans, policies and reforms required to build a better and more prosperous future for all. During my government's public consultation, Preparing for the New Century - Making Choices for Today and Tomorrow, people made clear their determination to work together to build that better future. The people of our province have urged this Assembly to tackle a number of important challenges. My ministers agree. In the coming months, my government will: focus on jobs and growth, with the same determination it used to balance the budget; * propose wide-ranging reforms to our education and training programs; * put forward a fundamental redesign of social assistance; * move to the next stage of health renewal, with proposals to improve the way health services are provided to people; and, * restructure government at every level to reduce the cost of administration; freeing up money for the vital public services our citizens want. JOB CREATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT My government's first priority is jobs and growth. Saskatchewan people achieved a billion-dollar turn-around in the public finances of our province, by working together on a balanced budget plan and sticking to it. Similarly, we can achieve the goal of a diversified, export-oriented, full employment economy, by working together to craft a long-term plan, and advancing it one step at a time. My government recently released its new economic development strategy - Partnership for Growth. It flows from consultations with business, working people, co-operatives and communities across the province. Partnership for Growth commits my government to continue to improve the climate for job creation and economic development. My ministers will present this Assembly with a four-year financial plan that will ensure balanced budgets, and further reduction in public debt over the life of this legislature. Prudent management of public finances will help maintain consumer and business confidence. My government will also deliver on its commitment to reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on business. It will present a plan to review all government regulations; a plan which will reduce the regulatory burden by at least twenty-five per cent over the next ten years. Trade is a key component of my government's economic development strategy. One third of Saskatchewan jobs are export-related, and we export more than half of what we produce. My ministers will establish the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership - STEP - an industry-government partnership to provide local business with: * research about new market opportunities; * techniques for developing new markets; * information on existing and potential markets; and, * export financing. My government will continue its strong commitment to community-based economic development, co-operative enterprise and small business. Saskatchewan's network of more than a dozen Regional Economic Development Authorities will double over the next four years. These community-based organizations will become the focal point for economic development in their regions, as they deliver more support programs for business. My ministers are determined to foster growth in our vibrant co-operative sector by supporting new co-operatives, promoting strategic alliances among existing co-operatives, and supporting their diversification through full and equal access to government programs and services. My government is also determined to encourage the rapid expansion of Saskatchewan's small business sector - our number one source of new jobs. During this session, you will be presented with proposals which will continue to target incentives for local businesses that create new jobs and opportunities. Saskatchewan's public companies, our crown corporations, have played an important role in the growth of our economy. My government is committed to a strong and dynamic role for crown corporations in a prosperous, mixed economy. My ministers have therefore launched a comprehensive review of the crown sector, to ensure that public enterprise will continue to play a positive role in a new, deregulated global marketplace. Agriculture remains the foundation of Saskatchewan's export economy, and a source of optimism for the future. In recent years, farm incomes have risen steadily as our producers have diversified. My government, in partnership with the federal government, will support this positive trend by making more than two-hundred million dollars available over the next four years through the Agri-Food Innovation, Agriculture Development and Agri-Food Equity funds, which encourage research, development and diversification in agriculture. This represents a huge investment in the future of agriculture. New products and new markets have already prompted the dramatic expansion of agricultural biotechnology in our province. Saskatchewan has become a centre of excellence for this industry. This June, Saskatchewan will make that point to a global audience when we host the International Agriculture Biotechnology Conference in Saskatoon. We must remain alert to the importance of managing the risks in agriculture. The farm safety net now in place is only a step towards a long-term national package. My government will work to achieve a strong national safety net, and will fight to maintain national standards and appropriate levels of funding. Crop insurance will always be a cornerstone of the agricultural safety net. My government will submit The Crop Insurance Amendment Act for your consideration, to provide more flexibility in this important program. My ministers understand that major pressures continue to concern agriculture. Deregulation of rail transportation, the increasing influence of international trade agreements, and the debate over marketing institutions are all serious issues. My government is committed to protecting the policies and institutions that serve best the interests of our producers, while working with the industry to adapt to change. The forestry and mining industries are key engines of growth, both in today's economy and in the economy we are building for the new century. My government will propose a new framework for development of our forestry industry. The Forest Resources Management Act will clarify, update and strengthen the rules by which we develop and conserve forest resources. My ministers remain committed to carefully-regulated growth in our northern mining industry, and determined that jobs and business opportunities will flow to northern residents from that development. The award-winning Multi-Party Training Plan has made major strides in increasing the participation of northerners in the mining workforce. Last year, nearly 50 per cent of mine site employees were northerners. That compares to less than 40 per cent five years ago. My government will also work with First Nations and Metis to continue to promote and foster greater self-sufficiency, and new economic opportunities. My ministers believe that promoting consumer confidence in our domestic market can make an important contribution to economic development. That is why my government will present for your consideration a new Consumer Protection Act and The Direct Sellers Amendment Act. The Consumer Protection Act updates and codifies a number of laws governing the marketplace, balances consumer and business interests and promotes protection for vulnerable consumers. The Direct Sellers Amendment Act will improve consumer protection and benefit business through the interprovincial harmonization of certain rules governing this industry. WORKING TOWARDS FULL EMPLOYABILITY Ensuring that Saskatchewan people are fully employable is one of the best ways our province can promote job creation and economic development. For many years the federal government has been the senior partner in delivering workforce training in Saskatchewan. The federal government has announced that it is largely withdrawing from this area. To respond to this challenge, and to work on a made-in-Saskatchewan workforce training strategy, my government has organized a new Post-Secondary Education and Skills Training Department. It will be the task of this department to assess the programs and institutions devoted to workforce training, and to craft a coherent and effective network, focused on student needs. My government will work closely with business, labour, students and educators to improve the links between industry and training. Our post-secondary educational institutions are central to both our economy and our society. To ensure they can continue to make their contribution in the years ahead, my government will encourage colleges and universities to share more information and resources, and to reduce the cost of administration by reducing duplication and overlap. In support of this work, you will be presented with several bills related to training and education. The Education Amendment Act will clarify and improve certain rules governing the teaching profession. The University of Regina Amendment Act and The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology Amendment Act will modernize certain outdated provisions governing these institutions. SOCIAL PROGRAMS THAT WORK Saskatchewan has one of the lowest dependency rates in Canada. That is, fewer of our fellow citizens rely on social programs to meet basic needs than in most other provinces. However, my ministers, like most Saskatchewan people, believe there is still room for improvement. Traditional income support programs do an inadequate job of helping employable recipients achieve independence and self-sufficiency, and they are not adequately addressing critical needs like child poverty. Over the next two years, my government will work to redesign social assistance, replacing traditional welfare as we know it. Proposals to achieve this goal have been outlined in a discussion paper entitled Redesigning Social Assistance. Our current system is failing children. Child poverty is poverty in its most tragic form. Investing in children is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and dependence. That is why a key element of my government's social assistance reform will be a new Saskatchewan Child Benefit and a Working Income Supplement. These initiatives for low-income families with children will reduce child poverty, and make work pay for families receiving assistance. They will also provide these families with supplementary health coverage for children, so they will not have to turn to social assistance as a result of health-related expenses for their children. My government's social assistance redesign will help more families to become independent of social assistance; will help youth to avoid becoming trapped in poverty; will allow people involved in training programs to more easily move off social assistance; and will ensure that only those who truly need assistance receive it. To further assist children, my government will introduce The Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Amendment Act. This act will substantially improve the ability of custodial parents to get help in collecting child support. My government will launch a Task Force on Family-friendly Work to bring employers, employees and other stakeholders to a common table to discuss how work practices can be modernized to help parents better meet family and workplace responsibilities. Our province's families have the right to live in safe communities. My government will propose reforms to the justice system designed to: * make offenders, including young offenders, more accountable for the impact of their actions on their victims and their community; * toughen the formal justice system where necessary to ensure that citizens are protected from chronic and violent offenders; and, * find new and more effective ways of dealing with non-dangerous offenders. Too many people have lost a family member or a friend in accidents caused by a drinking driver. My government will introduce The Highway and Vehicle Statutes Amendment Act to address this issue. The measures proposed will substantially toughen sanctions against drinking drivers; provide avenues for rehabilitation; and introduce new rules governing new drivers. A SUSTAINABLE, EFFECTIVE HEALTH SYSTEM Saskatchewan people are firmly committed to universal, accessible, publicly-funded health care. The health reforms of recent years, placing control of health in local hands and focusing more on people's real needs, have gone a great distance towards making our health system sustainable for today and into the new century. Our province must now move to the next stage of health renewal - improving the way the health system delivers services to people. That means making better use of nurses, therapists and counsellors in delivering health services; considering alternative ways to reimburse family physicians; and ensuring all health practitioners work together as part of a coordinated team. In this session, my government will introduce The Pharmacy Act, The Optometry and Ophthalmic Dispensers Professions Amendment Act, and The Radiation Health and Safety Amendment Act. This legislation will improve the framework governing a number of health professions. For many years the federal government has been the senior partner in ensuring that health services are universal, accessible, and comprehensive across Canada - building on the Medicare model pioneered in this province. The federal government has announced that it is changing the federal transfer payment system for health services. The new federal approach threatens to lead to a two-tier health care system. My government will not permit federal policy to lead to such a system here in Saskatchewan. Therefore, you will be presented with The Health Facilities Licensing Act, which will permit our province to better manage the development of private sector health facilities, and prevent the development of a two-tier health system. FRUGAL, EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT Saskatchewan already has the leanest, most frugal provincial government in Canada. However, the people of our province have urged my ministers to do more. They expect this Assembly to continue to search for ways to shift limited financial resources, from administration and lower priority infrastructure, to the delivery of vital services for people. At the provincial level, my government will propose measures in the budget which will leave citizens in no doubt of its determination to achieve greater frugality and efficiency, and to shift resources to where they can best serve people. At the local level, we have a higher proportion of local government than any other province in Canada. Our province has 847 urban and rural governments and 119 school boards, all with elected and appointed officials and the authority to set and collect taxes. The new challenges these local governments face make locally-driven, effective restructuring essential. No one knows that better than the people who manage our municipalities, schools and other local services. They are already co-operating to strengthen local government, and to arrive at a sustainable level of service for the future. At the request of urban, rural and northern municipalities, you will be asked to consider a number of bills allowing communities to modernize local taxation and assessments. These proposals - developed in close consultation with municipal governments and others - will give communities the tools they need to prepare for the future. To improve medical, police and other emergency services, my government will introduce The 911 Emergency Services Act, and will work with municipalities, police and fire services, health providers, and others to get province-wide 911 service up and running as soon as possible. At the federal level, the recent referendum in Quebec and the continued uncertainty about the future of our country may provide an opportunity to modernize and improve our federation as a whole. My government will work within its means to help shape that new federation. A carefully balanced reform should be our goal - guaranteeing the legal and social rights of Canadian citizenship; reinforcing the federal government's ability to carry out its roles and responsibilities; and reinforcing the ability of all provinces to manage their own roles and responsibilities without wasteful overlap, duplication or jurisdictional conflict. The people of Saskatchewan have many hopes and dreams they can only achieve in partnership with other Canadians. That is why Saskatchewan's commitment is to a strong, united Canada. CONCLUSION It has always been a matter of pride to the people of Saskatchewan that this province has one of the highest rates of voluntarism in Canada. Last year this Assembly established the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal, and a few weeks ago it was my privilege to announce the first recipients. I look forward to presenting the Medal to these six outstanding citizens in this Chamber early in the session. In conclusion, the agenda my government presents today sets a course for the new century, and outlines the first steps we can take to get there. It is an agenda of: * jobs and growth; * reform for our education and training programs; * fundamental redesign of social assistance; * improved health services; and, * reduced government costs. This agenda is consistent with the values and priorities of our citizens. It is built on the strong foundation of the return to fiscal responsibility achieved during the term of the previous Legislature. We have tough challenges to overcome as a province, but we also enjoy the prospect of remarkable opportunities as we prepare, together, for the new century. The Public Accounts for the last fiscal year, together with the estimates for the year beginning April 1st, 1996 will be submitted. I leave you now to the business of the session, with full confidence that you will favourably discharge your duties and responsibilities. May Divine Providence continue to bless our province and guide this Legislature in all its deliberations. God save the Queen.