Province	Législature	Session	Type de discours	Date du discours	Locuteur	Fonction du locuteur	Parti politique
Nouveau-Brunswick	47e 	1re 	Discours du trône	2 mars 1971	M. Wallace Samuel Bird	Lieutenant-Gouverneur	PC


Mr. Speaker and Hon. Members of the Legislative Assembly,

On behalf of Her Majesty the Queen it is my pleasure to address you today on the occasion of the opening session of the Forty-Seventh Legislative Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick.

My government accepts the charge of the citizens of New Brunswick to correct the many deep-rooted social and economic problems that persist in our province. My government, inspired by the opportunities to be found and exploited in New Brunswick, will initiate programs to make these opportunities available to our people.

My government is fully aware, and emphasizes that effective programs are rarely the result of fragmented or uninformed decision-making. Further, each program exacts its cost from our severely limited financial resources. It is essential, therefore, that government base its programs on careful planning--planning which integrates programs, one with the other planning which reflects hard judgments concerning the selection of priorities, and planning which makes the fullest possible use of our imagination and intelligence.

The economy of New Brunswick has been persistently afflicted by high rates of unemployment, and this problem, to the concern of my government continues today. The thrust and force of my government's efforts will be to expand the provincial economy, to create additional viable and permanent job opportunities and to provide a better standard of living for the people of New Brunswick.

Efforts to encourage industry to locate or expand in the province are presently less effective than they should be, because of a proliferation of industrial promotion agencies. My government will take measures to make these agencies more productive by consolidating and coordinating their efforts.

In addition, efforts will be made to promote among the business community greater knowledge of the various forms of assistance which are available to firms from federal and provincial governments, and of the methods of applying for such assistance.

In certain areas of business in New Brunswick the level of management skill is low, and imposes an even greater limitation on industrial growth than financial limitations. My government will take steps to ensure that management advisory services are made available.

A modern economy can only progress through the cooperative efforts of labour and management. To provide a more effective framework for these joint efforts, my government will introduce a new Industrial Relations Act to replace existing labour relations legislation. An innovation in the new Act will be the establishment of a special panel to deal with the problems of the construction industry, including the accreditation of employer organizations for bargaining purposes. This should be of great assistance in maintaining the industrial peace which will be so vital to the economic growth of our province.

My government has given priority to the renegotiation of the federal-provincial agreement for northeast New Brunswick, with emphasis on the creation of viable jobs and improved means for overcoming the serious social and economic problems of this region.

For almost two centuries the forest industries have formed the backbone of the New Brunswick economy and have provided productive employment for thousands of our citizens. While this remains true today, my government is not satisfied with the present level of utilization for our forest resources. Production from the net annual growth of our forests could be increased by one-third, as a conservative estimate. Each year the utilization of wood becomes more fibre oriented, and sawmills are rapidly disappearing, partly for lack of access to adequate timber. Stands of hardwood are not being fully utilized, and we have very little manufacturing of such piece products as furniture. Much of this underutilization of the forest resources is a result of timber holdings and taxation policies which fail to promote more intensive use of the forest resource.

My government in 1971 will initiate a thorough study of the forest resources, with a view to finding improved methods of resource allocation which will allow the economic potential of our forests to be more fully realized. This study will be followed by others specifically aimed at the harvesting, manpower, transportation, manufacturing, pollution and marketing aspects of our forest-based industries. In this manner my government hopes to take the lead in making available to our citizens the thousands of jobs which lie dormant in the unused capacity of our forests.

As an intermediate step you will be asked during this session to approve legislation to create a New Brunswick Forest Products Commission. This commission will be given the authority to promote better forest management on private woodlots, and to establish equitable prices for woodlot products.

Revised agreements are being sought with the federal government for projects in the two designated growth centres of Moncton and Saint John. The Multiplex Corporation has been established in an attempt to effectively promote the multiple industry concepts for the Saint John area.

Transportation is always a key element in economic development. To ensure the availability of the necessary information and expertise to allow it to deal comprehensively with transportation questions whether land, sea or air, my government will establish a small but competent transportation research team.

During 1971 my government will proceed actively with its program of geological surveys to stimulate greater utilization of the province's mineral resources.

My government will restructure the Dairy Products Commission in line with the proposals made by the Royal Commission on the New Brunswick Milk Industry. These changes will provide a much more effective vehicle for the marketing of dairy products in the province.

Over the next decade New Brunswick shall have to find ways to resolve two conflicting demands: the need to overcome the poverty which blights the life of so many of our citizens, and the determination to preserve and restore our environment for the enjoyment of generations to come. To help find solutions to this contemporary dilemma, my government is establishing the new Department of Fisheries and Environment. This change will bring more attention to bear upon the establishment and enforcement of environmental standards. In this connection, my government will also introduce a Clean Air Bill and an amendment to the Water Act.

My government will move as well to provide professional and financial assistance to improve community planning in the province. Legislation will be introduced to extend subdivision control regulations throughout the province and to allow for the administration of these controls at the local level.

My government is committed to achieving greater citizen participation in government planning. The concept of regional councils is being thoroughly explored to ensure that when they are established these councils will be effective means for involving citizens more fully in the development of our province.

My government is dedicated to the creation of wider opportunities and greater social equity for all of our citizens. A number of specific measures will be directed to this purpose.

My government will introduce a program of legal aid in criminal cases, to ensure that a person in financial need is able to retain competent counsel of his choice. The goal of this program will be to achieve greater equality before the law for all citizens. This is the first phase of what ultimately will become a comprehensive system of legal aid covering civil as well as criminal procedures.

In addition, legislation will be introduced this session to establish a system of compensation for the innocent victims of criminal acts.

My government shall organize a system of family courts to deal with family problems more effectively and with compassion so as to avoid the depressing effects of present adversary procedures. The jurisdiction of these courts will embrace juveniles, deserted families, unwed mothers and their children abandoned or neglected children, custody and adoption. The initial family courts will be located at 8athurst and Saint John, with additional courts to be established later.

A law reform division will be organized to keep our laws under continual review and to ensure that the various statutes are modified in line with the changing needs of society.
(Translation)

Work will continue on the translation of the statutes into French. During 1971, preparation will be made to enable the courts to conduct their affairs in French as well as English, with the objective of providing French-language trials as quickly as possible.
(English)

You will be asked to approve legislation establishing a new human rights code for New Brunswick. This code will ensure, so far as legislation can, the preservation of human dignity and the prevention of unjust discrimination in the daily life of our citizens.

In addition, my government is approving upward revisions to the minimum wage schedules.

My government will also begin reform of electoral legislation. As a first step you will be asked to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 for provincial, municipal and school board elections. Steps will be taken to establish an electoral boundaries commission, which will lead to the creation of single-member constituencies for the Legislative Assembly. The terms of office, and hence the effectiveness of municipal councillors and school board members will be extended to three years, and legislation will be introduced to give the residents of the town of Oromocto the right to elect all members of their town council.

You will be asked to create a separate Department of Welfare. This will allow changes in administrative structure and program emphasis to increase the effectiveness of social services to individuals, families, and the community. To achieve the greatest possible control of costs, the department will focus its attention on preventative and rehabilitative programs.

Pending the report of the Task Force on Social Development, no major changes in social legislation will be undertaken. However, amendments will be sought for the Child Welfare Act and the Adoption Act to simplify the adoption process.

My government will take measures to increase the supply of teachers of vocational and commercial subjects for the province's French-language schools particularly in northern New Brunswick.

In addition, plans will be developed to merge the teacher-training programs of the province's universities and teachers colleges, to improve the quality of these programs and to relate the output of new teachers more closely to requirements.

A health services advisory council is being established to represent both those who use and those who provide health services. My government is very much concerned with the matter of hospital construction, and later this year will announce a hospital construction program.

My government also intends to establish a Study Committee on Alcoholism, to improve our methods for combating this distressing social problem.

A new Department of Tourism has been established to stimulate leisure and recreation-based activities. This department will be responsible for planning and promoting both public and private facilities. A number of park areas will be created, and others will be upgraded. A tourism advisory council will be formed to assist planning in this important area.

Over the next few years high priority must be given to improving the planning and raising the efficiency of administration of government services. This work has already been accelerated with the establishment of a Cabinet Secretariat to help plan and coordinate government policies and programs. My ministers also intend to modernize government budget and accounting procedures so that citizens may identify government objectives more clearly, and measure their attainment, or the lack of it, more readily. A committee of senior officials has been established to coordinate the administration of housekeeping services required in common by several government departments. Further, a special staff group will be set up to improve business procedures and methods.

Generally, my ministers will move to make government more accountable for the results of its activities. To this end, legislation will be introduced to strengthen the office of the Auditor General, and to require the government to present to the Legislative Assembly any expenditures in excess of original budget figures.

My government will also introduce an improved system for administering construction contracts. In addition to requiring public opening of tenders, government agencies will follow standardized contract conditions and procedures. There will be new measures to ensure equitable treatment of subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers. Procedures will be developed to make local firms more aware of business opportunities associated with government construction programs, and to encourage them to compete effectively for contract awards.

The next few months will require important decisions to be made concerning the structure of the proposed Canadian constitution. My ministers are sincerely dedicated to the task of national purpose and unity, including reduction of the economic and social disparities which have been such divisive forces in the past.

This past year was highlighted by publication of the Report on Maritime Union, which calls for much closer cooperation and eventually full political union of the three Maritime Provinces. This far-reaching document emphasizes the real advantages which can flow from combining our own efforts with those of our neighbours in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

My government is committed to the principle of regional cooperation, and to giving the most positive consideration to the recommendation of political union in the report.

Arrangements are now being made to hold the first formal meeting of the Council of Maritime Premiers in Fredericton during the latter part of May

In addition, the Premiers have agreed in principle to proceed with the establishment of a Maritime Provinces commission.

You will be asked, along with your counterparts in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, to establish a joint legislative committee, to examine the recommendations concerning a joint legislative assembly, as well as questions associated with achieving uniformity of legislation on particular subjects.

Members of the Legislative Assembly: As I leave you now to your deliberations, I am confident that new spirit of cooperation alive in the Maritime Provinces today will influence you to work diligently for the people you represent, for the region you live in, and for the Canada we love.

May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberations.