Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Alberta 16e 3e Discours du trône 29 janvier 1970 J.W. Grant MacEwan Lieutenant-gouverneur Alberta Social Credit Party MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY: I have the honour to welcome you to the third session of the Sixteenth Legislature of the Province of Alberta, and to present on behalf of my Government various matters which it wishes to lay before you. It was with deep regret that we learned of the untimely death of Mr. William Switzer who served his constituency of Jasper-Edson with distinction for a number of years. We welcome his successor Mr. Dowling who now will carry the responsibility for representing the people in his constituency. The decade of the 1970's will present a new challenge and great opportunities for Albertans. We are entering a new phase of development which holds great promise and potential. We look forward to a better life for all Albertans. THEME FOR THE SEVENTIES During the past year, my Government has been planning and preparing programs for the 1970's directed toward improvement of the environment wherein creativity and freedom are broadened and strengthened, and where the opportunities, values, potentialities and liberties of individual Albertans remain the first concern and the major objective of public policy. The new decade will be one in which we accept the challenge of rapidly changing conditions. My Government is committed to social and economic innovations which will bring social advances to the people of Alberta. In the decade ahead, my Government will be even more open to innovation, to reorganization, and to acting on both the problems and the opportunities of urbanization. Recognizing the need for improved citizen-government communication, measures will be undertaken to increase and expand communication channels. My Government appreciates the need to ensure a proper and healthy environment. My Government will encourage increased participation in, and knowledge about, public affairs. My Government recognizes that our problems require the active efforts, the resourcefulness, and the ingenuity of the private sector. This will require co-operative efforts to develop the trading, exploration, investment and manufacturing aspects of our economy. FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL RELATIONS My Government recognizes the need for improved and more formal liaison between the Federal Government and the Provincial Government. The effectiveness of maintaining an acceptable balance in our federation between the Provinces and the Government of Canada relates to the effectiveness of the machinery for co-operation between governments. My Government has vigorously established a strong "case for the west" and will continue to press forward in Federal-Provincial relationships which will fully recognize the just rights, aspirations, and prerogatives of Alberta people. To this end my Government will urge that fiscal arrangements between the Federal and Provincial Governments be revised to permit the Province to utilize the major portion of the personal income tax field, to retain a portion of the corporation income tax field, and to withdraw from shared cost programs with the Government of Canada. Such revision would extend the Provincial Government a greater measure of flexibility in designing and developing policies and programs which are their constitutional responsibility. In this connection my Government is preparing a comprehensive submission to the Government of Canada on the proposals contained in the White Paper on Tax Reform issued last November, which will emphasize the need for a fair and equitable income tax system that will encourage economic expansion and full scale development of natural resources. URBAN LIFE To build our cities with attention to human needs, aesthetic sensibilities, and environmental concerns, as well as economic considerations, will be an objective of my Government. To keep pace with accelerated urbanization, consultation between my Government and the mayors of the ten cities have begun for the purpose of formulating fundamental terms upon which to commission an Urban Life Study. A new Alberta Housing Act will be presented for your approval which will establish the Alberta Housing Corporation as a Crown Corporation. You will be asked to broaden its powers to enable it to respond more directly to housing needs in local communities and to provide the Corporation with more flexibility in the providing of funds for housing purposes. Amendments to the Municipal Government Act will be proposed to meet requests of the Urban and Rural Municipal Associations including a provision that will permit a municipality to make land available at less than market value for housing purposes. The Urban Transportation Act will be introduced in this Session. This will be the first Bill of its kind in Canada. Its acceptance will spur the development of ultra-modern transportation systems in our cities. AGRICULTURE Agriculture continues to hold an important place in the economy of Alberta. To assist in meeting the present situation facing farmers emphasis will be directed toward participating directly in marketing, advocating stable diversification policies based on factual data, and encouraging greater production for specialized markets. To meet an anticipated greater demand for livestock products, my Government is continuing efforts to increase production. In keeping with my Government's desire to improve and develop our water resources, and in recognition of the importance of conservation, a revised Water Resources Act will be presented. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Because of many circumstances, some of our citizens have been placed at a disadvantage in coping with our complex society. My Government will expand a recently completed and highly successful employment opportunities project. Legislation will be proposed to replace the Public Welfare Act to enable my Government to undertake a progressive program of employment opportunities and to emphasize the concepts of development and income security. A number of recommendations contained in the Alberta Penology Study report have been implemented or are in the process of implementation. These include the establishment of youth hostels, recruitment of employees of Indian ancestry as probation officers and court workers, the study of recreational requirements within our penal system, new sites for remand centres, and new approaches to problems dealing with alcohol. Legislation will also be presented transferring the responsibility for juvenile offenders from the Department of the Attorney General to the Department of Social Development. This will bring two areas of child neglect and delinquency, which have many common problems, under one administration. A new approach to senior citizens housing will re-emphasize the senior citizens home building program. HEALTH SERVICES Provincial health programs and services will be re-examined with a view to integrating a number of programs into the regular delivery system. The objective will be a system designed to ensure human development on an individual basis. The Alberta Health Care Insurance program is now functioning within the terms of legislation enacted by this Assembly during the last Session. Experience of the past seven months has resulted in the preparation of a number of changes to the program which will improve our health plan to make it the finest in Canada. In the main, the changes will reflect the general public desire for a total health care insurance package. The basic premium will become a health services premium, encompassing both physician and hospital services with drug insurance available on an option basis. In addition, premium subsidies will be reconstructed to reflect more accurately the various financial capabilities of our lower income families. Changes will also be made enabling those who object in principle to publicly financed health services to exempt themselves from both the benefits of the program and payment of the premium. In view of the comparatively high cost of hospital insurance for our low income and elderly citizens in particular, the direct daily patient charge for hospital services will be eliminated. With the incorporation of hospital services into the basic health premium applicable to all citizens, the four mill levy on property assessment will also be eliminated. My Government has accepted the philosophy of decentralization and community based mental health services as advocated in the Blair Report. Legislative amendments reflecting that policy will be introduced for your consideration. In other fields of public health, you will be asked to consider legislation for the establishment of a commission on alcohol and drug abuse. The growing incidence of drug abuse in our society provides ample evidence for the need for a new and imaginative approach which can be more readily implemented through a commission armed with broad and flexible authority. EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT During the past year my Government carried out a review of the Province's educational system. A Royal Commission on Education is dealing with the future needs of education in Alberta. Studies were conducted into the cost of school building and the cost of financing bus transportation, and the efficiency and cost of the foundation program. The question of creating a fourth university to serve the needs of the students in the northern half of the Province has now been resolved after consultation. My Government will commence planning an independent fourth university in the Edmonton area specializing in the social sciences, humanities and education. A number of other problems were also studied including the provision of better educational services to native people and to disadvantaged children in our urban areas. The development of a Province-wide program to increase employment opportunities for students in post-secondary institutions will be undertaken. Action will be taken to impose tighter controls on educational spending. The production of a film on drug misuse will be commissioned. Pre-school education for disadvantaged youngsters in Edmonton and Calgary will be developed. New regulations will enable urban school boards to renovate inadequate schools in downtown areas. My Government will reorganize the School Foundation Plan Fund to reflect more accurately my Government's commitment to fiscal restraint and the provision of an adequate standard of education for all young people in the Province. A major revision of the School Act will be presented for your consideration. YOUTH, CULTURE AND RECREATION Recognizing the changes in our living habits, in our environment, and in our style of living, my Government intends to review and analyze youth, cultural, and recreational programs. Revitalized programs will be designed to meet the increasing desire of Albertans to participate in the arts and cultural development, and in meaningful recreational and leisure activities. RESEARCH AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Reports will be given on the activities of the Alberta Human Resources Research Council, and the Alberta Human Resources Development Authority. You will be asked to consider detailed reports on regional development plans. CONSERVATION Albertans have a heritage of a beautiful and bountiful province. Measures to assure the conservation of our pure air, productive soil and clean water will be presented for your consideration. You will be asked to approve legislation establishing an Environmental Conservation Authority armed with broad investigative powers to help preserve a healthy environment. You will also be asked to approve amendments that will provide exemption from assessment and taxation of land or improvements used exclusively for abatement of water, soil or air pollution provided the owner meets the standards required by the Provincial Board of Health. INDUSTRY AND MARKETING New programs will be created during the next year to encourage awareness of the advantages of the Province of Alberta. These programs will actively promote interest in industry, tourism and trade. Increased and expanded industrial development and business oriented trade missions will be operated. My Government intends to broaden our trade market and encourage both exploration and investment. In order to ensure maximum exploration of our natural resources, my Government will continue to use every avenue to enhance our market position. This includes Government representations to the National Energy Board, careful check on transportation facilities, and maximum liaison with producers and all levels of government. Long range plans are now materializing for the development and the delivery of our coal. Present information indicates a tremendous increase in the markets for Alberta coal. Mineral and overall resources development has never looked better for the Province of Alberta. OTHER MEASURES In addition to the foregoing, my Government will also propose for your consideration routine measures and amendments submitted by the various departments for your consideration. These will include amendments in almost all departments, including revision of the Forest Act and the Game Act, and amendments to the Public Land Act. Important amendments to the Labour Act, the Fire Act, and the Police Act, will be presented for your consideration. My Government will also ask you to give consideration to amendments to the Alberta Heritage Act and the Companies Act. A new driving demerit point system will also be introduced to assist in a planned program to reduce highway accidents and fatalities. Legislative Committees appointed at the last session will present their reports. CONCLUSION My Ministers will report on the activities of their Departments. In summary, the major concerns of my Government include the question of Federal-Provincial relations and the position of Alberta within Confederation; the changing quality of life within Alberta and the new needs and opportunities within our urban centres; a continued emphasis on the development of new and exciting programs and policies to ensure the development of the great human potential of our Province; the encouraging and fostering of continued growth and productivity; the creation of new opportunities for the Alberta economy; and the reorganization and development of departments and programs to offer efficient and contemporary services to the people of Alberta. The measures proposed, and the objectives of the Government, reflect the desire of Albertans to have programs to satisfy the needs and meet the aspirations of our citizens. Members of the Legislative Assembly: during the Session you will be asked to grant the necessary funds for the services and expenditures authorized by the Legislature. The public accounts for the last fiscal year and the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the ensuing year will be presented for your most careful scrutiny. I leave you now to the business of the session, confident that you will apply yourselves to your responsibilities in a manner which will redound to the best interest of all the citizens of this Province. I pray that Divine Providence will guide and direct your deliberations.