Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Alberta 15e 3e Discours du trône 17 février 1966 J.W. Grant MacEwan Lieutenant-gouverneur Alberta Social Credit Party MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY: On this first occasion on which I am privileged to represent Her Majesty at the opening of this assembly, it gives me much pleasure to welcome you to the Third Session of the Fifteenth Legislature of the province. I, first of all, wish to take this opportunity, personally and on behalf of all our citizens, to pay tribute to my predecessor, Dr. J. Percy Page, who, as Her Majesty's representative, so diligently and conscientiously carried out the duties of this office during the past six years. You are met for this session in the last year of our first century as a nation and our sixty-first year as a province. At no time since Confederation has there been greater need or constructive leadership and concerted action to seize the unique opportunities and meet the stern demands of our times. I am confident you will apply yourselves to your tasks conscious of this responsibility and I pray that your decisions will contribute to the good and welfare of this province and the strength, unity, and progress of our nation as a whole. During this session you will be asked to deal with a comprehensive legislative program designed to meet the modern needs of a new generation of progressive people and to give new meaning to the fundamental principle that the proper function of democratic government is to give the people it serves the results they want from the management of their public affairs. All phases of our provincial economy recorded substantial progress during 1965. Revenues accruing to the public treasury from the development of natural resources surpassed the previous year by 81/2%. Labour income increased approximately 12%. Employment was at a high level with acute shortages of manpower in certain categories of skilled personnel, particularly in the construction industry. Agriculture completed a generally successful year with increased income from livestock production. Adverse weather conditions reduced crop yields and impaired quality in some areas. You will be asked to approve expenditures which my government has undertaken to provide for assisting farmers in districts most seriously affected. The Alberta Crop Insurance Corporation commenced operation during 1965 and will be expanded into more areas during the ensuing year. Having regard to the importance of water resources, my government will propose for your consideration a comprehensive long-term water conservation program to ensure an adequate supply of water to meet the future requirements of agriculture, industry and recreational activities. You will be asked to approve substantial appropriations to permit the first phase of this program to be undertaken during the ensuing year. A program designed to meet the modern requirements of Alberta's livestock industry will be submitted for your approval. Special emphasis will be given to research and to this end an Alberta Agricultural Research Trust will be established to increase financial support to all phases of agricultural research at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Alberta. Related projects will be proposed to improve production, animal health, processing, livestock marketing and management. A Livestock Dealers Insurance Fund will be recommended for your approval, designed to protect producers up to 80% of the market value of livestock sold through registered dealers in case of bankruptcy or default. Legislation will be introduced to provide partial compensation to farmers whose livestock through the direct action of game hunters. The cost of this compensation will be borne by the Wildlife Crop Damage Fund accruing from a levy on hunting certificates. It is proposed to expand agricultural and vocational colleges to provide additional educational opportunities and specialized training for the increasing number desirous of engaging in agriculture. My government will recommend the further expansion of joint projects with the Federal Government under the national ARDA program. The special legislative committee, established at the last session to study problems confronting commercial fisheries, will present its recommendations for your consideration. A complete revision of The Public Lands Act will be submitted for your approval together with amendments to The Homestead Lease Loan Act, which will serve to increase the amount of such assistance. Extensive studies and consultations have taken place regarding the re-organization of higher education in Alberta. A new University Act, based on recommendations submitted by the University Board of Governors, will be submitted for your approval. A further report of the special Survey Committee on Higher Education will be tabled for your information together with the report of a special study of Junior Colleges prepared for the committee by Dr. Andrew Stewart. Increased facilities in the field of high school and vocational training and an extension of services to children having various forms of handicaps will be undertaken during the coming year. Substantially increased appropriations will be requested for the School Foundation Program Fund and to provide increased payments under The University and College Assistance Act. To assist in meeting the demand for skilled manpower, the Institutes of Technology and vocational high school facilities will be further expanded. Special attention will be given to the extension of retraining and upgrading facilities in schools operated by the Vocational Education Division of the Department of Education. Provision will be made to increase training programs for workers and prospective workers in co-operation with industry. A Pension Benefits Act designed to more effectively regulate private pension plans and facilitate integration with similar plans in other Provinces will be submitted for your consideration. In the field of public health, my government, as a special centennial project, will propose the establishment of a Western Canada Heart Institute and a centre for neurological, renal, endocrine and sensory organ disease, in which the most up-to-date diagnostic, research and treatment services will be available to our people. The 100-bed Glenrose School Hospital in Edmonton will be completed in the near future and will provide modern diagnostic, treatment and education facilities for physically handicapped and emotionally disturbed children. You will be asked to approve a major expansion of the Alberta Medical Plan to increase the subsidies available to those who qualify for assistance and to enlarge the group eligible for such subsidies. My government also will recommend a substantial extension of the services available under the program thereby making it the most comprehensive prepaid medical insurance plan of its type in Canada. Legislation will be introduced to enable municipalities to actively participate in preventive welfare services with provincial financial assistance. The report of the special committee appointed to examine the policies and procedures of adoption in Alberta will be tabled and you will be asked to approve extensive revisions to The Child Welfare Act, based on the committee's recommendations. An expanded program to rehabilitate those persons capable of self-support but now dependent on welfare will be implemented during the ensuing year. Provision for the construction of additional senior citizens' homes will be submitted for your approval. Amendments to various statutes affecting municipal administration will be introduced for your consideration. To assist in easing the burden of municipal taxation for those most seriously affected, legislation will be introduced to entitle property owners, occuping their own homes, to a special tax discount in the amount of $50.00. A program to provide increased provincial grants for the construction of freeways and fringe roads in major cities will be submitted for your consideration. An extensive highway construction program will be proposed for the coming year with emphasis on the conversion of select routes to freeway status where traffic warrants. The highway to Fort McMurray will be completed to the gravel stage this year. A new Public Highways Development Act will be submitted for your approval. This statute will provide for a grid of secondary roads, and joint municipal and Highways Department studies are now underway to obtain the necessary statistics for its orderly development. A program for the testing of motor vehicles will be proposed to further promote highway safety. The Northern Development Council will continue its program of roads into newly settled areas and will also undertake a program of roads to forest resources and certain drainage projects. Funds will be requested for the construction of six air strips in northern areas during the ensuing year. Initial contracts have been let for the construction of the Alberta Resources Railway. Additional contracts will be let in the near future. To ensure that Alberta Government Telephones will continue to meet the rapidly developing requirements of a modern communications system, you will be asked to approve amendments to The Alberta Government Telephones Act and The Rural Telephones Revolving Fund Act. Having regard to public concern occasioned by the increasing costs of automobile insurance, you will be asked to appoint a special committee of the Legislature to enquire into this matter during the current session. A program to stimulate greater industrial development will be undertaken by my government. An expanded tourist promotion program also will be proposed. Legislation will be submitted to afford greater protection to the consumer public by providing a "cooling off" period on contracts signed with door-to-door salesmen. Provision will be made for the cancellation of such contracts where non-performance of conditions is established. Amendments to The Credit Union Act will be introduced which will provide greater flexibility of operation consistent with sound management and to allow Credit Unions more adequately to meet the changing requirements of modern society. A report by the special committee established at the last session of the Legislature to examine into the operation of government boards and tribunals will be tabled during the session for your information and such action as you deem appropriate. A bill establishing a code of human rights will be introduced, designed to protect human dignity and ensure respect for human rights regardless of race, color or creed. A bill to authorize municipalities, with the consent of a majority of their electors, to pass bylaws exempting certain forms of recreation from the application of The Lord's Day Act will be submitted for your consideration. My government proposes to progressively extend its program of community development with a view to encouraging and assisting the residents of marginal and underprivileged areas to attain the maximum degree of self-improvement and independence. In recognition of the large percentage of Alberta residents who are in the younger age category, my government will introduce legislation to establish a new Ministry of Youth. This ministry will be designed to encourage constructive youth activities and organizations and to stimulate interest in youth training for leadership in social, cultural, recreational and business affairs. A Bill will be introduced to establish a Provincial Archives of Alberta and to provide for the collection and preservation of documents and papers, which relate to the history of the province. Amendments to The Libraries Act will be proposed to increase provincial grants to libraries and improve administration. Efforts to encourage maximum public interest and participation in Canada's forthcoming Centennial will be increased during 1966. A special Centennial staff, under the direction of the Alberta Centennial Committee, will assist in the planning and co-ordination of public and private projects for the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of Confederation. My government acknowledges with gratitude a generous offer of Mr. Eric Harvie, Q.C., of Calgary, who proposed as a family Centennial project to donate to the Province the Glenbow Foundation collections to be held in permanent trust for the people of Alberta by an Institute established for that purpose. Mr. Harvie further proposes to donate a substantial sum of money towards the establishment of the Institute which sum will be matched by an allocation from the public revenue fund of the Province. A Bill, accordingly, will be introduced to establish the Glenbow-Alberta Institute and provide for its financing and operation. To provide a more efficient public service, a Central Registry Act will be submitted for your approval, providing for the establishment of a central registry and using electronic and rapid communications equipment for the registration and search of liens against personal property. A new Legal Profession Act will be introduced for your consideration together with amendments to The Limitations of Actions Act and The Trustee Act. A new contract with the Government of Canada for the policing of the province by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and extending such services to municipalities with a population not exceeding 1500 has been negotiated. A large scale program for the construction of public buildings will be recommended for the coming year. Major projects include extensive additional facilities at the University campuses in both Edmonton and Calgary. A number of new institutions and other public buildings will be required throughout the province to meet the needs of Alberta's expanding population. The final report of the Public Expenditures and Revenue Study Committee will be tabled for your information. Amendments to The Treasury Department Act and The Alberta Municipal Financing Corporation Act will be proposed. The Public Accounts for the last fiscal year and the Estimates of revenues and expenditures for the ensuing year will be presented for your careful scrutiny and approval. I leave you now to the business of the session confident that you will apply yourselves to your responsibilities in a manner that will ensure the best interests of all our people. I pray that Divine Providence will guide and direct your deliberations.