News Release Archive
SPEECH FROM THE THRONE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Following are highlights and the complete text of the Speech from the Throne read today by Lieutenant Governor Hon. J. James Kinley at the opening of the fourth session of the 56th General Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia. Highlights of the Speech from the Throne ---------------------------------------- In this session the government will lay the foundation for a new era of economic growth. Signs for economic optimism: Since the present government took office in June 1993, there have been 26,000 more Nova Scotians who have found work. In January of this year the province had the lowest unemployment record of any province in the Atlantic region. In the last 12 month period, ending in January this year, 12,000 new jobs were created in Nova Scotia. A comparison of projected job growth in eight major Canadian urban centres in the March issue of Canadian Business Magazine had Halifax in the top spot, tied with Greater Vancouver for forecasted job gains of 6,000 this year. Foreign exports of Nova Scotia goods were up 14.5 per cent last year over the previous year's figure. Manufacturing shipments for 1995 in Nova Scotia were valued at $6.2 billion, an increase of nine per cent over the previous year, following an annual gain of 8.1 per cent in 1994. Tourism, a $925 million industry is expected to crack the $1 billion mark by the year 2000. Main legislation to facilitate economic growth: Nova Scotia's first fully balanced budget in 25 years will be introduced in this session. This milestone will signal a return to self-sufficiency, an end to escalating debt. Most importantly it will mark Nova Scotia's debut as a province newly repositioned for more and diversified economic growth. Measures will be introduced to ensure these hard won gains are not lost. They will provide for expansion of the most popular core government services, as the province's finances allow. Principles of debt reduction will also be presented to permit the government to gradually recover the $1 billion lost annually to debt service charges and reduce taxation. Region Development Authorities will be entrenched in legislation. Financial incentives will be presented to encourage more Nova Scotians to invest in community development. A plan will be presented to reduce the burden of Securities Commission regulations as they affect community development projects. Other key pieces of legislation: A new Occupational Health and Safety Act will be presented in this session. New regulations related to violence in the workplace, indoor air quality and other issues will follow later this year. An Interprovincial Subpoena Act will be introduced to give subpoenas issued by courts, inquiries and other tribunals force and effect in other jurisdictions where reciprocal agreements exist. Amendments will be made to the Children and Family Services Act to improve the protection of children in need. A new Adoption Act will be introduced to make it easier for adoptive children to find their natural parents. Government initiatives: A new comprehensive strategy is being developed to deal with future public-private partnerships. A new Economic Development Agreement will soon be signed with the federal government. Initiatives will also be taken to encourage development in the environmental and health industries, tourism, higher education and other economic sectors with strong growth potential. Special emphasis will be given to high areas of unemployment, including Cape Breton and Southwestern Nova Scotia. A new mine policy is being prepared. The Coalition of Nova Scotia Forest Interests will soon present its work toward a long term sustainable forest management strategy for public comment. A Memorandum of Understanding as the basis of future stabilization programs in the farm community is being negotiated with the federal government. Results of more than two years of unprecedented partnership between the government and the province's universities will be unveiled during this session of the legislature. An aggressive international marketing campaign is under way to promote and export the province's educational expertise. The Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development, which encourages youth to become more business-minded, will open regional Venture Centres around the province, starting in Antigonish. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Complete Text of the Speech from the Throne ------------------------------------------- In the name of our Sovereign, I welcome you today to this, the opening of the Fourth Session of the Fifty-Sixth General Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia. Mindful that death has recently taken a number of distinguished Nova Scotians from our midst, My Government would like to gratefully acknowledge their lives of dedicated service to this province and mention by name: Benoit Comeau, a former Leader of the Opposition and a past Member of the Legislative Assembly for Clare. Buddy Daye, a champion boxer who outside the ring fought racial injustice and served this legislature as Sergeant-At-Arms. Howard Fuller, a life-long leader in the farming community and a former President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. Frank Daniels, a legendary figure in Maritime harness horse racing. The Rev. John Angus Rankin, a zealous Gael who revived the Glendale Fiddlers and gave 39 years of priestly service to the Mi'kmaq people. Ira Settle, the well known former Warden of the Municipality of Halifax County. Joan MacLellan, a former Deputy Warden and long-time Councillor of the Municipality of East Hants. The Rev. Ed Aitken, the former President of Atlantic School of Theology. In every age devoted men and women in this province have made notable contributions to our collective social and economic well-being. In their ranks are many worthy contemporaries. Three of them were recently admitted to membership in the Order of Canada: heritage preservationist Cora Jane Greenaway; a Past President of the Halifax Cerebral Palsy Association, Donald Oliver Mills, both of Dartmouth; and David Sobey, Chairman of Sobeys Incorporated. Josephine Peck, of the Wagmatcook First Nation, was made the recipient of the Stephen Hamilton Outstanding Achievement Award in Education for Aboriginal Peoples. Bedford Constable Richard Derek Lane received the St. John Ambulance International Lifesaving Silver Medal, the highest award ever given to a Nova Scotian by the Order of St. John. Undecorated, workaday Nova Scotians are to be commended too. Not unlike My Government, they have been coping in difficult times - making ends meet while resolutely shouldering undiminished social responsibilities. In their fortitude and determination, Nova Scotians have shown resilience, pluck and ingenuity, characteristics which will serve our province well as we prepare to seize new commercial prosperity from an economy ripe for expansion. Indeed it is already under way. Doubters need only examine the economic signs to know that what My Government says is true. The indicators show bold leadership and rigorous adherence to a carefully crafted fiscal regimen are starting to yield dividends. Payment is being made in the hard currency of increased jobs and foreign exports. Since My Government took office in June 1993, 26,000 more Nova Scotians have found work. In January Nova Scotia had the lowest unemployment rate of any province in the Atlantic region. And in the last 12-month period, ending in January this year, 12,000 new jobs were created in our province. They came from major new investments from companies like Michelin, Greenbrier, SHL Systemhouse, ECI and Efamol. Their actions are eloquent testimony to confidence in our future. This month, even Canadian Business Magazine has taken note. Halifax is predicted to gain 6,000 new jobs this year, the same number forecast for Greater Vancouver. The two cities tied for first place standing in projected job growth, ahead of six other major Canadian urban centres. The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council also recognizes Halifax as one of the best labor markets in the region. Exports and tourism are sources of optimism, too. Foreign exports of Nova Scotia goods were up 14.5 per cent last year over the previous year's figure. Seafood, valued at $798-million in 1995, continued to lead all other Nova Scotia export commodities. The province's 1995 manufacturing shipments were valued at $6.2 billion, an increase of 9 per cent over the previous year, following an annual gain of 8.1 per cent in 1994. Tourism is experiencing sustained growth too. A $925-million industry in Nova Scotia, tourism is expected to crack the $1 billion mark by the year 2000. These trends mark a new beginning. Until now, My Government's energies have been consumed largely by efforts to clear away the financial and bureaucratic cobwebs that were suffocating growth and stifling individual initiative. These labors have made room for citizen participation in important endeavours such as education, through school councils, and health care through regional and community health boards. Space has also been made for business and community groups, through partnerships with government, to bring fresh ideas to matters of public policy. All this activity has been undertaken with one goal in mind - to give Nova Scotians a comfortable and secure economic future with opportunities for their children to stay here and earn a good living. In this session My Government will take another step toward this goal by laying the foundation for a new era of economic growth and diversification. Its cornerstone will be a fully balanced budget - the province's first in 25 years. It heralds a return to self-sufficiency - an end to the crippling cycle of borrowing and escalating indebtedness. Most importantly, it signals Nova Scotia's debut as a province smartly repositioned for new and varied commercial activity. To ensure these hard-won gains are not lost, measures will be introduced in this session to prevent any future government from taking our province back to the brink of financial ruin. These measures will also provide for expansion of Nova Scotia's most popular core services, as our finances allow. Principles of debt reduction will also be submitted to you. They will permit My Government to gradually recoup the $1 billion lost annually to debt service charges and reduce the tax burden on our citizens. This watershed in our economic history has not been reached by chance. Fiscal stability, social responsibility, and the redesign of government have steadily directed My Government's activities, but always with a fourth priority in sight - economic renewal. For instance, the centrepiece of My Government's recently announced restructuring plan is the new Department of Business and Consumer Services. Not only will it make many of the government's most frequently used services more accessible, it will do it in a way that will improve prospects for development in rural Nova Scotia. Store front offices in communities across this province will provide the public with everything from birth certificates to drivers licences, tax information and business registrations. Doing business in rural communities, not just urban centres, will become easier. Steps will be taken by this new department to streamline the business approval process. Some permits will be eliminated; for others, processing time will be reduced. My Government expects these measures to reduce the cost of doing business in the province. Other actions along this line are contemplated with the co-operation of every department in My Government and partnerships with the private sector. Issues such as property taxation, regulations and other business costs will be examined. In the same vein, new Environment Department offices were opened in Amherst and Antigonish and another was expanded in Port Hawkesbury this year. Today, 90 per cent of all environmental approvals can be obtained from local offices. It all means faster service and less red tape. The climate for more community development will also improve with the entrenchment in legislation, this session, of Regional Development Authorities. Financial incentives will be unveiled, too, to encourage more Nova Scotians to invest in community development initiatives. And there will be a plan presented to reduce the burden of Securities Commission regulations as they affect these projects. As an added incentive for business, My Government has brought in the fairest and clearest procurement policy ever adopted in this province. It has also worked with our sister Atlantic Provinces to break down purchasing barriers in the region. These actions mean better value for taxpayers' dollars and equal opportunity for commercial enterprises that want to do business with My Government and its public institutions. Future public-private partnerships will be guided by a new comprehensive strategy, now in the development stage. This forward-sighted initiative will allow Nova Scotia to take advantage of this new brand of service provision, assured of its efficiency and effectiveness. My Government will shortly sign a new economic development agreement with Ottawa. Initiatives will also be developed for environmental and health industries, tourism, higher education and other sectors with strong growth potential. Special emphasis will be placed on areas of the province with high unemployment, including Cape Breton and Southwestern Nova Scotia. Aware of technology's pre-eminent role in economic development today, My Government recently announced the formation of the Technology and Science Secretariat. It will give leadership and co-ordination to more than $60 million worth of information technology initiatives launched by My Government. To get the technological word out on Nova Scotia, My Government recently placed a home page on the Internet. International business people and travellers can get information about this province as fast as they can turn on their computers. Efforts to maximize our traditional economic advantages through careful management and responsible exploitation of our primary resources have not been overlooked either. Notably this year, we mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the launching of the Bluenose from the Rhuland Shipyard in Lunenburg, and celebrate the Year of the Wooden Boat. These vessels were not just the objects of nostalgia we know now, but sturdy commercial enterprises that brought wealth from the sea to our shore. Today, efforts to capitalize on the commercial potential of non-traditional species such as shrimp, crabs, sea urchins and billfish are showing promise. Nova Scotia's fishing industry, still in transition, has elements of surprising strength which My Government is doing its best to encourage. Aquaculture, a steady growth area, ended the year with a 37 per cent increase in production. By the turn of the century fish farming in Nova Scotia is expected to be a $45-million industry, employing 950 people. My Government is supporting this new industry by providing training through the Nova Scotia Fisheries School and the Nova Scotia Agriculture College. Meanwhile, a new mineral policy is in development. Also the work of the Coalition of Nova Scotia Forest Interests in producing a long term sustainable forest management strategy will soon be ready for public comment. The future for Nova Scotia's resource-based industries is bright, judging from the scale of recent investments. Stora Forest Industries recently injected $650 million into a new plant. Kimberly-Clark Corporation is spending $22 million to upgrade equipment at its newly acquired mill in Abercrombie. A consortium of Mobil, Shell and Imperial have put up an $86 million work expenditure bid for exploration, west of Sable Island. The recent discovery of kaolin clay deposits in the Musquodoboit and Shubenacadie valley areas of Halifax County is also attracting widespread interest. To help the farm community, My Government is seeking a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government. Now in the final stages of negotiation, this memorandum will form the basis of future industry stabilization programs and encourage more farm investment. Worker safety will not be sacrificed for economic growth. This spring My Government will bring forward a bill for a New Occupational Health and Safety Act. Three years of public consultation and labour-management discussion by the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council have gone into its production. New regulations concerning violence in the workplace, indoor air quality and other issues will follow later this year. To underline My Government's commitment to occupational health and safety, new positions will soon be advertised in these areas of expertise. As an aid to litigation, My Government will introduce an Interprovincial Subpoena Act to give subpoenas issued by courts, inquiries and other tribunals force and effect in other jurisdictions, where reciprocal agreements exist. Our road to new economic prosperity begins with education. Aware of this truism, The Nova Scotia Community College and College de l'Acadie have fast become leaders in matching training with the demands of the marketplace. Their customized training, which generated record revenues of $9 million last year, is being snapped up by companies like Pure Energy, Pictou Shipyards and Fisherman's Wharf. Also this session, you will see the results of more than two years of unprecedented partnership between My Government and Nova Scotia's universities. A plan to rejuvenate our university system by focusing on excellence tied to My Government's economic priorities will soon be released. This plan will solidify Nova Scotia's position as an international leader in education and research, with the capability of attracting business and industry. An aggressive marketing campaign from Boston to the United Arab Emirates has begun to promote and export our educational expertise. This is a collaborative enterprise involving our universities and the Nova Scotia Community College in partnership with the Department of Education and Culture, the Economic Renewal Agency and the Nova Scotia Council on Higher Education. Our international reputation as a leader in educational and technological expertise is on the rise. My Government and a Nova Scotia consortium recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to design, construct and manage an international school in Wuhan, China. More partnerships of this kind are expected. In the last year, the potential of our educational facilities began to be harnessed for community economic development. In more than 50 branches of our public libraries last year the public gained access to the Internet, and its unbounded storehouse of world-wide research and communications. Also, about 1,500 Nova Scotia learners upgraded their academic qualifications through My Government's Community Learning Initiative. To help our youth become more business-minded, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development will open regional Venture Centres around the province, starting in Antigonish. These centres will bring entrepreneurs together with young people, in and out-of-school, to help them start their own business or gain the skills required to do so. The growing role of arts and culture in our economy has not been lost on My Government. The Nova Scotia Arts Council will offer research and development assistance. This help is expected to lead to improved products and expansion of this diversified multi-million dollar industry. My Government wants to bring Nova Scotians marginalized by unemployment back into the economic mainstream so they can share in the benefits that come only with full participation. Compass Nova Scotia has had inspiring success in this regard, transforming lives once reliant upon social assistance. Sixty-seven per cent of the people who took part in the program's on-the-job training are now fully employed. On April 1, My Government will assume responsibility for the delivery of municipal social services in the new regional municipalities of Halifax and Queens. By that date, 65 per cent of Nova Scotians who rely on short-term emergency help, will obtain their benefits through the Department of Community Services. Last year My Government took over the emergency assistance previously provided through the founding partners of the new regional government in the Cape Breton industrial area. Eventually, Nova Scotia will have a uniform one-tier system of social services. This year, My Government will be looking for better ways to put more in the hands of those who need it most and to help the able-bodied become active participants in our economy again. To speed this process along My Government will be providing 50 new child care spaces for children from low income families. This will bring the number of child care spaces My Government has established in the last three years to 250. In this session, My Government will introduce amendments to the Children and Family Services Act to improve the protection of children in need. Also a new Adoption Act will be brought forward to make it easier for adoptive children to find their natural parents. While the welfare of children is of great concern to My Government, so too is the well-being of our adult population. Tragic incidents of family violence, racial and sexual discrimination, and other unacceptable behaviours add to our social deficit. They hamper members of our society from realizing their potential. To combat family violence, more than 2,200 justice workers are learning how to respond to these domestic crises. The workers will carry out the new pro-arrest and pro-prosecution policies under the Framework for Action Against Family Violence. In addition, community organizations have been given $500,000 to support victim services. The money pays for transition house-based advocacy and police-based crisis intervention. A healthy workforce expectant of productive retirement, freed of the financial tyranny of debilitating drug and medical bills, gives Nova Scotia a competitive edge. It makes our province a desirable place to live and work. Senior citizens have begun to recognize that My Government's stewardship has ensured Pharmacare will remain the best program of its kind in the country. Decisive action rescued the drug plan, last year, from looming financial collapse. As extra insurance that Pharmacare will be here when our elderly need it, My Government has put senior citizens in charge of the program's administration. Similarly, the wisdom of My Government's health measures is proving itself in better care. The Home Care program, launched last June, has helped more than 13,000 people in communities from Cape North to Cape Sable. In the last six months more than 50 new state-of-the-art ambulances have gone into service across the province as part of a complete overhaul of emergency health services. These new initiatives are proceeding as preparation continues for full activation of regional and community health boards. My Government has put the weight of the public treasury behind its commitment to health care and education. Seventy per cent of expenditures this year, excluding debt payments, are going to provide programs in these two areas of responsibility. In its determination to create the climate for growth, My Government will not shrink from using its influence to protect our province's interests when they are threatened by unreasonable or unfair treatment. Most recently, My Government's vigorous representation against a fee regime to pay for federal marine services succeeded in obtaining modifications that go some distance to preserve the competitive edge of our ports. To the world, Nova Scotians have a more fundamental identity. We are Canadians. Residents of this province showed how profound and deep this attachment, forged in 1867, has become. At home and in Montreal, last October, Nova Scotians rallied in large numbers to show Quebecers, and each other, the strength of our national bonds. Afterward Nova Scotians doggedly watched the returns of the Quebec referendum see-saw to a victory for our confederation. Having stepped back from the precipice, Nova Scotians have no desire to return for a second view. My Government concurs in this sentiment and is committed to supporting the federal government in its efforts to keep this nation united. God Save the Queen. God Bless Nova Scotia. God Bless Canada. ----------------------------------------------------------------- -30- NOTE TO EDITORS: There is an accent grave on the first "e" in College (College de l'Acadie). trp Mar. 28, 1996 - 2:10 p.m.