Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Colombie-Britannique 25e 4e Discours du Trône 28 janvier 1960 Frank Mackenkie Ross Lieutenant-Gouverneur British Columbia Social Credit Party Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly: I bid you welcome to the Fourth Session of the Twenty-fifth Parliament of British Columbia. It is with deep regret that I note the absence from this House of the Prime Minister, the Honourable W. A. C. Bennett. I join you in expression of the hope that his recovery from illness will be a speedy one, and that he will be enabled soon to take part once more in the important deliberations which await you. I note with regret, too, the absence because of illness of the member from Oak Bay, Mr. P. A. Gibbs, and the second member from Vancouver-Point Grey, Mr. T. A. Bate. With you, I extend heartfelt wishes for their return to good health. The months since last I spoke to you have been eventful and historic ones for our Province. During July we shared with other Canadians the pleasure of an official visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This was Her Majesty's first visit to British Columbia since her accession to the throne, and everywhere she and her husband travelled, through tiny settlements and great cities, her, warmth and gracious interest in our progress and our way of life endeared her even more to her loyal subjects. As Her Majesty's official representative in British Columbia, I was deeply honoured that she and The Prince Philip were the first official guests at the magnificent new Government House in Victoria. And I was privileged, a few weeks later, to extend the hospitality of the people of British Columbia to Her Royal Highness The Princess Alexandra of Kent, who spent a few days here en route to Australia. At the conclusion of the visit of the Queen and The Prince Philip, Her Majesty's private secretary, Sir Michael Adeane, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., conveyed her warm regard for the people of British Columbia in a letter from which I should like to quote the following: "On leaving British Columbia, the Queen has commanded me to convey to you on her behalf, and on that of the Duke of Edinburgh, their sincere appreciation of the arrangements which were made and most efficiently carried out for their visit to the Province." "Her Majesty and His Royal Highness are very sorry to be saying good-bye to British Columbia, where they have experienced such a wonderful welcome in big cities and small towns and as they drove through the countryside. They will never forget these days and they desire me to send to you, as Lieutenant-Governor, their warmest good wishes for the happiness and future prosperity of the people of the Province." I know I speak for all of you when I say how much our Queen and her consort are in our thoughts at the present time. We will share their great joy in the birth of another child into the First Family of the Commonwealth. Shortly after you last met, my Government took steps to meet the need for new departmental services to our expanding population. In that connection, the Honourable E. C. F. Martin was appointed as Minister of Health Services and Hospital Insurance, the Honourable Wesley D. Black as Minister of Social Welfare, and the Honourable Lyle Wicks as Minister of Commercial Transport. Last year, my Government named a distinguished Canadian, Dr. H. L. Keenleyside, as Chairman of the British Columbia Power Commission. Also named as Commissioners were Mr. Frederick A. Smith, Mr. Arthur Lee, the Honourable W. K. Kiernan, and the Honourable R. G. Williston. Since you last met, my Government has received the reports of three Commissions of Inquiry. The Commission consisting of Dr. G. M. Shrum as Chairman, Mr. John Dunsmuir, and Mr. W. M. Anderson as submitted its final report on matters concerning the British Columbia Power Commission. His Honour Judge A. E. Lord, sole Commissioner under the "Doukhobor Lands Allotment Inquiry Act," has submitted his fifth interim report. His Honour Judge C. W. Morrow, who was appointed a sole Commissioner under the " Public Inquiries Act," to examine the transcript of evidence given in connection with the application of Empire Mills Limited of Squamish for a tree-farm licence, has also submitted his report. All of these reports will be laid before you, and I join my Government in appreciation of the unselfish service rendered by the Commissioners in the performance of their duties. The work of the Royal Commission on Education, under the chairmanship of Sperrin N. F. Chant, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of British Columbia, is not yet completed. It is expected that the report of this Commission will be submitted later this year, and it will be placed before you at the next Session of the Legislature. I am pleased that my Government, recognizing the need for continued wisdom and foresight in the management of our abundant natural resources for the benefit of all our people, has appointed a British Columbia Energy Board. This Board, whose function is advisory to the Executive Council, will undertake broad long term studies on all phases of energy development and production, and in addition will study specific matters referred to it by the Council. The Board's members, all of whom are eminently qualified to serve the people of British Columbia in this field, are Dr. G. M. Shrum, the Honourable James Sinclair, Dr. H. L. Keenleyside, Dr. H. F. Angus, and Mr. A. F. Paget. Recently the people of our Province suffered a grievous loss in the death of the Honourable Eric W. Hamber, a distinguished industrialist, sportsman, and public servant who filled with distinction the office of Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia from 1936 to 1941. Earlier we were saddened by the passing of another valued citizen, Mr. H. G. T. Perry, who had served his Province well both as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and as a member of the Executive Council. We note with further sadness the death last year of Mr. Frank Putnam, a former Minister of Agriculture. I am gratified that my Government, through the elimination of the public debt of our Province, will be able to provide increased services and allowances to facilitate the rapid development of British Columbia and, at the same time, to assist those of our citizens requiring special aid. To commemorate the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip in July last, my Government deemed it proper and fitting to issue an extra allowance to those persons who at the time of this historic visit were receiving some form of direct Provincial Government assistance. My Government further recognized the cost of maintaining elderly and other persons in nursing and boarding homes, and also the cost of providing care for children in foster homes, through an increase in maintenance payments. As further evidence of my Government's concern for the welfare of the needy, of old-age pensioners, of the blind, disabled, and handicapped, and of those receiving social allowance, you will be asked to approve substantial increases in the present supplementary allowance and basic social allowance. My Government, being well aware of the desire of unemployed persons to find gainful work and become self-supporting, has agreed to participate financially in municipal winter works projects. This action not only assists in the provision of work for the unemployed, but directly helps municipalities to meet the cost of their own development programmes. Seasonal unemployment has been a serious problem throughout Canada, but perhaps most of all here in British Columbia, where our equable climate encourages the entry of unemployed persons from other Provinces. To meet the total cost of aid provided to these unfortunate people during the fiscal year 1959/60, you will be asked to approve a supplementary appropriation. The scarcity of moneys needed by municipalities and School Boards and the extremely high interest rates being charged are a source of grave concern to my Government. In this connection, I am pleased that my Government materially assisted school districts in 1959 by marketing on their behalf bonds to the total value of about $12,000,000, of which over 9,000,000 worth were purchased by the Government for its own investment accounts. Negotiations are now proceeding toward the direct purchase by the Government of further School Board securities in the amount of about $8,000,000. My Government is vigorously pursuing its programme through which trades and vocational training will be offered to our youth to qualify them as skilled craftsmen. In this connection, construction of a new vocational trades and training school in Prince George will start this year. The technical survey to determine the requirements of advanced technical training in British Columbia is still in progress, and a report of the committee is expected later this year. Today, perhaps more than ever before In our history, the economic challenge of systems alien to our own democratic process imposes upon us a responsibility to afford ever-widening opportunities in higher education to the youth of our Province. At the last Session of the Legislature, my Government took steps to meet this responsibility through the introduction of a programme of scholarships, bursaries, and loans. The scholarships were granted to worthy Senior Matriculation students in the high schools and to students at the University of British Columbia and at Victoria College. You will be asked to authorize an increase in moneys devoted to this commendable programme. Similarly, your approval will be sought of increased grants to school districts, as well as to the University of British Columbia and to Victoria College. In the latter connection, my Government has already recommended assistance to a capital construction programme which will see Victoria College enhance its status to that of a liberal arts University. Legislation passed by my Government with respect to the education of retarded children has received wide acclaim and is proving to be of great benefit. The observance of Douglas Day on November 19th, a measure authorized by you at your last Session, was appropriately marked in 1959 by schools throughout the Province. Consistent with the broadening of educational opportunities for our youth is a rise in the standards of instruction in our classrooms and in the qualifications of our teachers. Additional incentive and assistance for superior teachers to undertake postgraduate studies will be provided, while special recognition will be accorded to other outstanding teachers for meritorious service. The construction of a new College of Education building on the campus of the University of British Columbia will also be started in the next fiscal year. You will be asked to approve measures designed to encourage, stimulate, and promote recreation, sports, and physical-fitness programmes throughout the Province. Measures providing for the expansion of public library services and facilities operating under the jurisdiction of the Public Library Commission will be placed before you. My Government has continued its vigilant approach to the welfare of our major industry, the production and marketing of forest products. The sustained-yield programme, which has as its objective the stabilization of employment in this vast industry, has proceeded to the point where the equivalent of two-thirds of the annual cut is now on a continuous production basis. The vast forests of the Interior now furnish nearly one-half of the timber requirements of the Province. My Government is greatly interested, therefore, to note the progress being made in construction of a pulp-mill at Castlegar in the Kootenay Valley and in plans for the production of pulp-chips from sawmill waste in the Kamloops area. These projects represent the first steps toward diversification of the forest industry in the Interior, and equally encouraging is the modernization project soon to be undertaken at Woodfibre and Howe Sound. The programme of continuous inventory of the forest resources of the Province was maintained. An increasing proportion of this effort is being directed to detailed surveys necessary to the practice of sustained-yield forestry. The scourge of forest fires was less apparent last year than during the tragic 1958 season. The number of fires was still in excess of the ten-year average, however, and suppression costs were exceeded only by those in the serious forest-fire years of 1951 and 1958. It is encouraging to note that the forest industry has embarked on a militant programme of fire suppression, and has formed a co-operative company which has purchased four huge aircraft and is now converting them to aerial tankers for the water bombardment of local fires. My Government is pleased that the long-recognized need for a basic steel industry in British Columbia is now being met through construction of an iron-ore smelter at Kimberley. Upon completion of this project, the reduction of iron ore in commercial quantities will become practical reality for the first time in our Province. The past year has seen the reopening of the copper mine at Britannia, and the resumption of mining and milling at the old Phoenix properties. Similar operations at Greenwood have indicated a substantial degree of recovery in this phase of the mineral industry. Activity in the lode-mineral field during the past year included discovery of a new asbestos deposit south-east of Cassiar and extensive development work in the Highland Valley. Rapid growth of our natural-gas and petroleum reserves in the Peace River area and north to the Yukon boundary has resulted from vigorous exploration and development during the past year. Substantial additions to the refining capacity of the natural-gas scrubbing plant at Taylor are nearing completion, and as a result a wider range of petroleum products will become available. Recently my Government authorized the construction of an oil-gathering pipeline system which, through interconnection with existing pipe-lines, will transport Peace River crude oil to refineries in the Vancouver area. These facilities will greatly enhance the market possibilities for British Columbia crude oil, with a resultant increase in royalty benefits accruing to the people of the Province. Additionally, the existence of an assured transportation link for crude oil will stimulate new exploration in the Peace River area. Recently, too, my Government authorized the construction of a natural-gas pipe-line from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island. It is expected that deliveries through this pipe-line will begin late in 1961. During the past year, responsible Ministers and senior officials of my Government have met on a number of occasions in joint committee with representatives of the Government of Canada to determine optimum plans and principles intended to govern hydro-electric development of the Columbia River in Canada, and the apportionment of down-stream benefits resulting from such development. These joint discussions and decisions are shaping a concerted Canadian position with respect to subsequent negotiations with the United States of America on the harnessing of this great river's power potential. My Government will continue to press for the earliest possible development the Columbia River on terms consistent with the best interests of our people. A comprehensive plan for hydro-electric development of the Peace River has been filed with the Comptroller of Water under the provisions of a memorandum of agreement previously disclosed to this House. Because this plan necessitates the use of one of the major energy resources of the Province, and as the sale of energy for public purposes is involved, the submission is under active study by the Water Comptroller and, if approved, must later be examined by the Public Utilities Commission. During the past year my Government entered into a further agreement with the Government of Canada which provides for reconstitution of the Fraser River Board. This Board will complete studies and surveys of the water resources and requirements of the area comprising the Fraser River watershed with respect to effective regulation of the river for flood control. My Government has given close attention to the matter of financing nursing homes which are publicly operated on a non-profit basis, and will implement a programme whereby Provincial grants may be utilized to assist in meeting approved construction costs. The first requirement of such a programme is an accurate appraisal of bed requirements in various parts of the Province, and an intensive survey to assess these requirements will be undertaken. I am extremely pleased to note that during the current year my Government proposes to undertake an active chronic-care programme as an extension of the British Columbia Hospital Insurance Service. You will be asked to approve measures which will permit the implementation of a Province-wide superannuation programme for the employees of hospitals which receive payments from the British Columbia Hospital Insurance Service. My Government will continue to emphasize its programme of services to the handicapped. The rehabilitation service which was established in 1954 is being strengthened with a view to the broadening of those rehabilitation practices feasible of development at both acute and chronic hospitals, and in the home. The Tranquille school for mentally defective persons was opened last year, and this unit now houses more than 100 patients who have been transferred from The Woodlands School. Another noteworthy extension of the Mental Health Services programme was the opening last summer of the new Valleyview Building, which is a modern hospital and admitting unit for the Home for the Aged division. The increase last year in the incidence of polio was a serious one, but it is gratifying to note that my Government's extensive Salk vaccine programme provided protection for many thousands of our citizens. During the forthcoming year, this programme will be broadened to offer the opportunity for immunization to every person in the Province. During 1959, many new hospital beds were brought into use in British Columbia, including 504 beds in the new Centennial Pavilion of the Vancouver General Hospital. This marked the greatest increase in hospital facilities of any year in our history. The success of the penal reform programme begun by my Government in 1952 is becoming apparent, and in line with the objectives of this programme you will be asked to approve a broadening of a probation service. A "Wills Act" introduced for study at the previous Session of the Legislature will be presented for your approval, as will an Act providing for the publication this year of a revision of the Statutes. My Government will propose that a committee of the Legislature be appointed to study the matter of trading stamps and similar sales-promotion devices. I am pleased that my Government is continuing its policy of developing practical measures for the benefit of agriculture. The expanded land clearing and development programme has been of material assistance to farmers throughout the Province, and particularly to those in the Central British Columbia and Peace River districts. This programme will be broadened during the current year, and its credit provisions will be extended to include the cost of tile used in draining farm lands, thus increasing the productivity of those lands. My Government has continued to encourage the settlement of farmers in Central British Columbia and the Peace River area. The programme to eradicate brucellosis from the cattle herds of the Province is progressing satisfactorily. Three more areas have been accepted by the Canada Department of Agriculture for administration under the Federal-Provincial policy. My Government has continued to impress on the Government of Canada the need to implement appropriate sections of the Customs Act to provide reasonable protection to our fruit and vegetable producers against unfair competition from outside our borders. The inventory and evaluation of British Columbia's agriculture which was initiated last year is progressing satisfactorily and will be completed in 1960. My Government is working closely with the University of British Columbia to facilitate arrangements whereby the staffs of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University and of the Provincial Department of Agriculture may achieve the maximum degree of integration. I am pleased to note that my Government will this year conduct an extensive campaign of advertising and promotion to encourage the consumption of British Columbia food products. My Government is concerned at the decline which has occurred in the export of British Columbia lumber to the United Kingdom. In June of this year, therefore, it will receive an influential group of United Kingdom traders and lumber-users who have been invited to inspect the operations and facilities of our lumber industry. During 1959 my Government made representations to the Royal Commission on the Great Slave Lake Railway inquiring into proposed routes from Northern Alberta to Pine Point in the Northwest Territories. My Government continues to be concerned at the cost of railway transportation as it affects the people and industries of British Columbia, and will make representations to the Royal Commission which has been appointed by the Government of Canada to study this question. The programme for erection of new public buildings throughout the Province, which has seen an average of one new major building opened every five weeks since 1955, is continuing in a highly satisfactory manner. As noted earlier, the opening of the new Government House was a major achievement. Construction of the Victoria Law Courts is proceeding, and I am pleased to note that my Government will soon begin work on a new Government building at Mission City. Additions to the Court-house facilities in Vancouver will be undertaken this year. A significant programme of maintenance work on public buildings is being carried out this winter, and my Government will continue its winter work programmes. Every citizen of our Province can take pride in the beautification projects undertaken in Greater Victoria by the Capital District Improvement Commission which was established by my Government in 1956. The continuation of this programme will provide amenities of a character and dignity perhaps unrivalled in any Provincial capital. Through the "Local Services Act," my Government has undertaken the direct responsibility for orderly development of the more populated parts of the Province's unorganized areas. This will be of great benefit to present and prospective property-owners in these areas and qualified persons to carry out the programme are now being engaged. You will be asked to approve amendments to the "Municipal Act," together with certain amendments to the " Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act." The wide-ranging programme of highways construction which my Government is conducting continued apace last year, and I am pleased that this progress will be maintained and increased. I am pleased, too, that my Government has taken steps to ensure that the greatest possible amount of this construction including that of forest access roads, is being done during the winter months to provide steady employment for more of our citizens. A major new link in our highways system, the Deas Island Tunnel under the Fraser River and the throughway which connects it with the Oak Street Bridge to Vancouver, was formally opened last year by Her Majesty the Queen. The tunnel is the first of its kind in North America, and the 10 miles of four-lane, divided throughway already completed is the first constructed in British Columbia. My Government will extend this throughway to the United States border. Construction of another major access route from Rosedale to the populous Lower Mainland area, the relocated Trans-Canada Highway, is going forward rapidly. Work began last October on a four-lane bridge across the Fraser River at Port Mann, and from that point the modern, multi-lane highway will extend to the new Second Narrows Bridge across Burrard Inlet. Completion of this bridge, delayed by a tragic accident in 1958, is expected this year, and still another new section of the highway, which includes two more major bridges, is being built through North Vancouver to join the already-completed Upper Levels route to Britannia and Squamish. I Great progress is being made, too, on Interior sections of the Trans-Canada Highway. Typical achievements last year were the opening of a 400-foot highway tunnel at Saddle Rock near Yale, and of a new 350-foot high-level bridge at Nine Mile Canyon. New contracts have been let on all sections, including the new route through Rogers Pass, east of Revelstoke. Further contracts were left, and work is going ahead, on the Christina LakeKinnaird cut-off and on the Salmo-Creston cut-off of the Southern Trans-Provincial Highway. Major highway projects are in progress in all other parts of the Province, and work in as many as sixty separate locations is being carried out at one time. Great benefit to the economy of Vancouver Island will accrue from the opening this year of the British Columbia Government ferry service between the Island and the Mainland. Two 330-foot vessels have been built for the Toll Highways and Bridges Authority to provide a fast car-ferry service between Tsawwassen, south of Ladner, and Swartz Bay, on the northern tip of the Saanich Peninsula. My Government notes with pleasure the continued construction of elderly citizens' housing units in all parts of the Province. You will be asked to consider further privileges with respect to housing for the aged. Many improvements in working conditions have been realized by employees of the Province of British Columbia. My Government will extend further benefits to these employees, who give such excellent service. I was privileged to be present at ceremonies held in this chamber last November when twenty-three Civil Servants of the Executive Development Training Course received diplomas from the Chancellor of the University of British Columbia to mark their successful completion of three years' study. My Government will continue this programme, and a fourth Executive Development Training Course is being convened. Further assistance will be extended to certain retired Civil Servants. My Government has co-operated closely with the Government of Canada in civil defence and in the Emergency Measures Organization, with the result that provisions are being made for the continuity of government in the event of a nuclear attack. Continued organization for disaster operations in peace or in war is also proceeding. The work of both the Alcoholism Foundation of British Columbia and the Narcotic Addiction Foundation of British Columbia has received the constant sup-port and encouragement of my Government. You will be asked to make provision for the extension of these programmes. Much progress has already been made toward the restoration of historic Barkerville, and my Government will continue and extend this programme to other parts of the Province. Legislation will be introduced to ensure the protection of archaeological and historical sites and objects. Legislation to provide for the creation of an official British Columbia flag will be placed before you. My Government will recommend to you the cancellation of borrowing powers authorizing the issue and sale of obligations of the Province in connection with capital construction works. The benefits of electrical service are being extended by my Government to more British Columbia homes and industries, through the agency of the British Columbia Power Commission. Last year the Georgia thermal generating-station near Chemainus and the hydro-electric generating-station at Ash River, near Alberni, were put into service, adding 135,000 horse-power to the Power Commission's generating capability on Vancouver Island. A programme to extend electrical service to more than eighty communities which do not now enjoy such service is going forward. The modernized Pacific Great Eastern Railway continued last year to experience notable growth in car loadings and revenues, and the railway is providing a valuable service to communities throughout the Interior. My Government was highly gratified by the public support of parity development bonds issued last year by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, and a similar issue will be offered this year on behalf of the British Columbia Power Commission. A master plan for the development of Garibaldi Park has been completed, and its first stages will be implemented this year. The construction of a relocated road to the northern sector of the park will open a vast recreational area. My Government was instrumental in the formation of an Access Committee which is dealing with matters of citizen access to many valuable recreation areas of the Province. Encouragement of the interest of youth in the outdoors has been fostered through the Youth Crew Training Programme. You will be asked to authorize an increase in expenditure for this worth-while work. My Government's encouragement of the tourist industry resulted last year in tourist revenues which equalled the record centennial income of 1958. Further assistance for the promotion of this industry will be recommended to you. A notable new publication instituted last year by my Government is the magazine " Beautiful British Columbia, Land of New Horizons," which portrays in vivid colour the many industrial and tourist attractions of our Province. This magazine has been accorded an excellent reception wherever it has appeared, and its distribution will be widened. My Government has continued to place Crown reserves on desirable properties to permit their enjoyment and use by all our citizens, and this programme will continue. Plans are going forward for the construction of a fish-hatchery in the Kootenay District to aid in maintaining the great sport fishery of that area. The provision of healthful recreation for our people is a constant concern of my Government, and you will be asked to approve increased capital expenditures for a programme of park development. The reports of the various departments of my Government will be laid before you, as will the Public Accounts. The ways and means for supply to be granted to Her Majesty during the forthcoming year embody measures to cope fully with current needs and the requirements of our economic growth. Honourable Members, I leave you now to the discharge of your legislative duties. I pray that Divine guidance will attend your labours on behalf of all our citizens.