News Release Archive
SPEECH FROM THE THRONE--Highlights ----------------------------------------------------------------- Following are highlights of the Speech From the Throne read today, Nov. 20, 1997, by Lt.-Gov. James Kinley at the opening of the sixth session of the 56th General Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia. The complete text will follow. Priorities of the Government - A strong economy that advances all regions of Nova Scotia. - An enhanced emphasis on health to strengthen provincial systems of care and build a more secure society. - A vigorous focus on jobs and education, which are vitally linked and key to the future. A Strong Economy - Capital investment in Nova Scotia to grow by 18 per cent this year, well ahead of the national average and most G7 countries. - Negotiations currently under way with 20 to 30 new companies seeking to locate in Nova Scotia, including in non-urban centres; announcement soon on new call centres. - A commitment to build a Nova Scotia training advantage, partnering with the private sector and educational institutions, to ensure training matches workers to jobs. Sable Gas - Industry leaders investing $3 billion private-sector dollars in an underwater "highway" and overland connectors to bring the wealth ashore. - Government to announce targeted funding and programs to train Nova Scotians for the natural gas industry. Forestry - Legislation to be amended to ensure harvesting does not exceed the capacity to grow timber, and to ensure reforestation, environmental protection, and wildlife-habitat conservation are practised on Crown and private woodlands. - New funds for silviculture--$4 million annually beginning in the next fiscal year; government to seek equal commitments from forestry partners. Agriculture - A review of land use policies and farm land taxation; new policies, following consultation with agricultural groups, to better support the agricultural sector. Tourism - Partnership to be formalized with tourist industry to expand and improve tourism products. - Increased marketing effort to be made in Quebec and Ontario. Steel and Coal - Nova Scotia to form an industrial commission and ask the federal government to take part in developing an industrial strategy. Transportation - As Halifax International Airport is privatized, the federal government must recognize and meet obligations to upgrade facilities. - A fair deal on marine navigation fees to be aggressively sought. - New funds for secondary roads in this fiscal year and increased dollars again in the next. - A strategy for CFB Shearwater, similar to that developed for the former Cornwallis military base, to become a generator of employment and economic activity. Secure Care Systems Health Care - Additional funds for health care: new dollars this fiscal year will total $100 million; further increases in fiscal 1998-99. - Funds for more cancer care, training for emergency doctors, funds for critical care simulation and the St. John's Ambulance Chain-of-Survival. - Emergency medical helicopter soon to be backed up by a fixed-wing aircraft. - Ministers of Health and Community Services to begin efforts to ensure long-term care sector receives the attention it deserves. - New panel to evaluate the current directions for health care and ensure that services and programs are secure across Nova Scotia. Community Care - A restorative justice program and a new crime prevention strategy to proceed. - A prevention framework and action plan to direct and co-ordinate government services and services delivered by other publicly funded bodies for children and youth at risk. - A Community Partner's Program to promote children's development programs. - New programs in child nutrition, early childhood language development, and screening for risk factors; support for families who are overburdened. - Healthy Start pilot to focus on home visits and practical support for parents and children at risk. - A commitment to help families; best use to be made of National Child Benefit, which starts in July, to help low-income Nova Scotians. Care for the Environment - A law, to be introduced this session, to ensure 31 areas of the province are protected. - A comprehensive state of the environment report to be released in the spring. Education and Jobs - A made-in-Nova Scotia youth employment strategy to be developed with focus on education, work experience, and information. - An internship program within the civil service to be provided for students and young graduates seeking employment. - A winter works program to provide jobs for young people most at risk of not finding meaningful employment. - Co-operative education and school-to-work transition programs in our high schools to be announced soon. - New curriculum to reflect black culture; scholarships for African Nova Scotian students; government to work with Afrocentric Learning Institute to increase the number of black teachers. - A grade 7 Mi'kmaq language course and a grade 10 Mi'kmaq studies course to be launched. - Student debt forgiveness program to be reviewed, with an eye to improving flexibility; continue to urge the federal government to adopt a similar program. -30- NOTE TO EDITORS: The Speech From the Throne is available on the Internet: Full text: https://novascotia.ca/legi/pubs/thronesp/9711sp.htm Highlights: https://novascotia.ca/legi/pubs/thronesp/9711hl.htm ngr Nov. 20, 1997 2:10 p.m.