Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Alberta 27e 1re Discours du budget 22 avril 2008 Mme Iris Evans Ministre des Finances et des Entreprises PC Mrs. Evans: A budget is about more than numbers. It is about what those numbers represent. I begin our government's Budget 2008 with the number that matters the most: 3.5 million. That, Mr. Speaker, is the number of Albertans who call this great province home. Two million of us are working, 867,000 of us are in classrooms from kindergarten to postsecondary, and 362,000 of us are seniors. Today Alberta continues its fine tradition as a beacon of hope, a fresh start, a place that offers something better, not simply more. In this Assembly we contemplate the great risk taken by many of our ancestors, even some of our members, who came to Alberta. They came here to build a better life for their families and themselves. They came here to fulfill their dreams. Taking risks and taking responsibility are part of the culture of our province. Those attributes bring to mind the platforms on which any budget should stand: managing choices wisely while building for future growth. We will continue to build the right plan for today and tomorrow. So let's start with two premises. The first involves our financial operating environment. Our economy is strong, and our finances are strong. Hard work and good fortune have made these exciting times in Alberta. Uncertainties like energy prices as well as exchange rates, national and international rules and agreements as well as the downturn in the American economy also challenge us to carefully consider our financial strategies. This environment offers both opportunity and risk. Albertans have learned to manage both for generations. The second premise for our budget plan relates to our recent provincial election. Our government made clear commitments in five priority areas: delivering health care effectively and efficiently; protecting our environment and developing our energy resources in a responsible, sustainable way; broadening Alberta's economic base; ensuring strong, safe, and vibrant communities; and providing the infrastructure that we need. Budget 2008 frames our new mandate, our plan to deliver on our commitments and on Albertans' trust in our Premier and in our government to provide sustainable solutions to manage the pressures of growth responsibly and to improve Albertans' quality of life and support wise, compassionate choices in a free democracy. Let's start with our operating environment. It's no secret that Alberta has been growing at a torrid pace. That growth may cool somewhat, but it will still remain strong. There will continue to be essentially full employment and a healthy growth in population. We forecast real growth in Alberta to be 3.2 per cent over the next four years. Let's be clear on this: Alberta will remain a major driver of the Canadian economy. Our provincial programs and services will continue to attract people and jobs. Though the United States may show less demand during this time for our goods and services, our strong foundation of investment will continue to fuel growth, create wealth, and expand new markets. We have developed our financial plan, recognizing that Alberta is in a special position. Our income offers the tremendous privilege of funding services that are beyond the capacity of other jurisdictions. Price volatility is very real. When we presented our budget last year, oil was at $61.83 per barrel. Just five years ago it was less than half that price. A shift of only a dollar in the price of oil over 12 months gains or loses Albertans $130 million. We have budgeted the price of oil at $78 a barrel this year. That's at the cautious end of a wide range of private-sector forecasts, and we believe that our price forecast is within our tolerance for risk and a reasonable point from which to plan. Once our new structure for royalty revenue is fully implemented next year, it will generate a further $1.8 billion a year based on our forecast prices and production levels. This year we expect our total revenue to be $38.6 billion. Our financial plan includes our Premier's direction to support a more sustainable economic future with a renewed call for an investment and savings policy for the long term. Albertans save money for their children's education. They save for their retirement. So it's important for their government to ensure that future generations cope with this resource-reliant and therefore cyclical nature of Alberta's economy. Based on our revenue predictions and our spending commitments, we target a surplus of $1.6 billion this year. Of course, that could be higher if energy prices stay where they are today. We have a plan to deal with surpluses that come in higher than expected. This involves allocating one-third of any increased surplus to savings. The other two-thirds will go to capital spending, of which at least half will go for maintenance. Last year under this policy we saved a billion dollars, which was placed in the Alberta heritage savings trust fund. Altogether we have put almost $7 billion into long-term savings since we retired our provincial debt. This includes not only the heritage fund but other endowments supporting scholarships and medical, scientific, and engineering research. This year we'll deposit $279 million into the heritage fund to keep pace with inflation. Over the next three years we plan to contribute almost a billion dollars plus any additional savings that will accrue from in-year surpluses. Let's look now at how our government will deliver on its spending commitments to Albertans. Respecting those commitments, our total expenses this year will be $37 billion. That's an increase of $3.3 billion, or 9.7 per cent. It reflects the growth in population and inflation in Alberta last year as well as capital commitments and new and expanded services. In 2007 Alberta grew by almost 68,000 people. That's more than the population of Medicine Hat. As people keep coming to Alberta, the demand for services and the costs of producing those services continue to rise. More than 70 per cent of our operating expenses is spent on health, education, advanced education, seniors, and also those people that are most in need, Albertans that really need our help. Based on our three-year capital plan as well as our longer-term 20-year plan, our capital spending rises by 22 per cent this year to a record $8.7 billion. That's almost $2,500 per person, which is more than three times the average of our fellow provinces. Now let's examine our five priorities. Mr. Speaker, health care is Albertans' largest priority. It's also our largest spending area, taking a third of our budget and the largest portion of our spending increase this year. Our program expense in Health and Wellness is up by 9.1 per cent this year to more than $13 billion. This pays for professional services, facilities, equipment, and information systems. It also provides new and redeveloped health facilities in places like Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat, and Sherwood Park. Over the next three years we'll commit $145 million to attract and retain physicians and other health care professionals. On energy development and the environment we'll proceed in a leading role in responding to climate change through carbon capture and storage, saving energy, and greener energy production. We'll commit almost $600 million over three years to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gases. We will invest almost $800 million to support our Water for Life strategy and other water, waste-water, and irrigation projects. To broaden the base of our economy, a new Alberta Enterprise Corporation will receive $100 million and boost access to capital for early-stage knowledge-based industries. A new scientific research and experimental development tax credit will provide incentives for business to invest in research and development, starting at $60 million and growing over time. Our government also recognizes that the pressures that agriculture and forestry have been under have been enormous. We are committing just over $1 billion to Alberta's traditional strengths in agriculture and rural development, and we're allocating $55 million to protect our forests against the mountain pine beetle. Mr. Speaker, to support safer communities, we will spend $500 million over the next three years. This year we'll hire 67 new Crown prosecutors and court staff and a hundred new front-line police officers. More resources will go to high needs like mental health beds and services and expanded efforts to prevent addictions. In the priority area of infrastructure our support for our communities continues through our municipal sustainability initiative. Over the next three years municipalities will receive $5 billion for capital projects from this and other initiatives. We will fund specific new projects in the Fort McMurray region, and we'll improve and expand our provincial road network. This includes twinning highway 4 at Milk River, replacing the Smoky River bridge at highway 49 near High Prairie, working towards completion of the ring roads in Calgary and Edmonton. In total, Mr. Speaker, we'll be paving 2,800 kilometres of Alberta highways. So immense are the demands of economic growth in Alberta that in the last five years our funding for roads has gone up by 300 per cent and our commitment to municipal infrastructure by 600 per cent. Mr. Speaker, our government understands that the measure of a society is how well it takes care of its most disadvantaged citizens. This year we're dedicating more than $500 million to Albertans in need of housing. We will continue to fund the construction of 11,000 new affordable housing spaces over five years. We'll continue to support emergency and transitional shelter services as well as to improve our strategies to prevent homelessness and eviction. There are funding increases for aboriginal people, for Albertans on lower incomes, for seniors, and those with special needs. We will also increase funding to agencies contracted by our government to provide care for Albertans to help those agencies recruit and retain staff. We continue to invest in our children and our youth and their education. We will create 14,000 new child care spaces over the next three years. We'll build or do major upgrades to 134 schools, and we'll expand capacity and access for postsecondary learning and provide more support for members of groups that are underrepresented in the adult learning community. We have always valued education in our province. Our children, our students remain our most cherished hope for our future. Reflecting the importance of Alberta's grassroots and our volunteers, we're allocating over $500 million to community facility projects this year. We will contribute $50 million towards the new capital region river valley park as part of our efforts to promote tourism. The new community spirit donation program will provide $20 million to encourage charitable donations. We recognize that culture is vital to our well-being. We'll provide $12 million to implement our new cultural policy, the Spirit of Alberta, most of which will be dedicated and allocated to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Mr. Speaker, overall, Albertans pay the lowest taxes in Canada, and our government aims to keep it that way. Once again, we're increasing personal tax credits to account for inflation. We're also boosting tax credits for caregivers, for Albertans with disabilities, and also for working families with middle to low incomes. These measures will save taxpayers $180 million a year. Here's what this means to Albertans. Indexing tax credits to inflation will save a family with two children about $200 per year. A lower to middle-income family with two children will receive $316 under the increased family employment tax credit. Families caring for elderly, live-in parents will more than double their tax savings, from $436 to $936, and disabled Albertans who are eligible for the disability supplement will see their annual savings grow from nearly $1,200 to almost $2,200. Mr. Speaker, our Speech from the Throne reiterated our promise to eliminate health care insurance premiums within four years. We're going to do even better than that. As of January 1, 2009, Albertans will not pay health care premiums. This will save Albertans and businesses $1 billion a year. Here's what this means to Albertans. A single person paying a full premium will save $528. A working family, a couple with two children, will save $1,056 a year. If you add up our reduction in taxes and premiums, individuals, families, businesses, and organizations will save almost $1.3 billion a year in this budget. If Albertans and Alberta businesses were in any other province, they would pay between $10 billion and $18 billion more each year in taxes. That would be about $3,000 to $5,000 for every single Albertan. Mr. Speaker, we believe this is the right plan for today and tomorrow. This plan and this budget respect the privilege of governing in Alberta. In this blessed time of prosperity Alberta will remain a beacon of hope for those who seek to improve their lives. Alberta's strength will continue to benefit all Canadians. As we celebrate the arrival of new pioneers every day, our government will keep working hard to maintain Albertans' trust, to open doors of opportunity for them, to engage citizens of all ages and backgrounds to achieve their full potential, and to build an even better Alberta together.