Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Nouvelle-Écosse 50e 5e Discours du Trône 27 Novembre 1973 Clarence Gosse Lieutenant-gouverneur LIB Nova Scotia: Speech from the Throne, Fifth Session of the 50th General Assembly, November 27th, 1973 I am pleased to welcome you to this the Fifth Session of the 50th General Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia. I extend my very best wishes to each of you. As this is the first occasion I have had to address you as Lieutenant Governor, my Government desires at this time that I express its gratitude and appreciation to my predecessor, the Honourable Victor de B. Oland, who discharged the responsibilities of his office in an unselfish and devoted manner. It is my earnest hope that during the time of my term of office the wise counsel of my Ministers and support of this Legislature will result in continuing improvement in the way of life for all Nova Scotians. My Government is pleased to report that during the past year Nova Scotia's economy continued to enjoy a healthy rate of growth. It is projected that in 1973, total capital investment in this Province will exceed $776 million. This represents a 32.7 per cent increase over last year. In addition, projections in all other economic sectors point towards a continuing upswing of Nova Scotia's economy in 1974. In addition, my Government is pleased to note that over the past two months unemployment figures for the Province reached their lowest level in recent years. In September, the number of jobless in the Province was 5 per cent, while for October, it was 5.3 per cent of the labour force. The unemployment figure of 3.2 per cent for the Halifax-Dartmouth metropolitan area makes it one of the highest employment centers of any metropolitan area in Canada. My Government is presently engaged in the process of compensating Eastern Nova Scotia fishermen who suffered heavy losses as the result of a severe storm on June 17, 1973. My Government will be paying $1,525,000 or 68 per cent of the total compensation to be paid by the Federal and Provincial Governments. My Government is particularly pleased with the fact that an additional $31,000,000 will be provided to Nova Scotia through an amendment to the special areas and highways agreement under the Department of Regional Economic Expansion. Within the Halifax-Dartmouth special area the amendment provides for additional industrial land development, water and sewage systems for the Bedford--Sackville and Eastern Passage areas and the design and construction of Trunk Highway Number 7 in Dartmouth. It also provides for a solution to the critical problem of a regional water supply system and development of a regional solid waste disposal program. Projects for the Strait of Canso special area include additional serviced industrial land in the Point Tupper area, assistance to the community use components of a combined community centre - junior / senior high school complex and improved traffic access to the refinery being built in the mainland side of the Strait. My Government notes with pleasure that as a result of an amendment to the existing Special Highways Agreement, Nova Scotia will receive an additional $10,000,000 to cover work on six trunk highways in the Province. This amendment extends the Special Highways Agreement to March 31, 1974, and brings Federal funding under the agreement to 530,000,000. My Government is also pleased to note that the Nova Scotia Power Corporation's new 150-megawatt generating unit at Point Tupper has been completed ahead of schedule and at a cost of $1 million below the original budgeted figure. Since this House of Assembly was last in Session, a number of national and international events have occurred which have had a profound impact on the people of this Province. As a result of these events, the cost of living in Canada has increased substantially. My Government is concerned that it take whatever steps are within its power to reduce the impact of this rising cost of living on the residents of Nova Scotia. To this end, a number of measures will be placed before you aimed at lessening, as much as possible the burden of recent cost of living increases. In particular, legislation will be placed before you removing the seven per cent health services tax from all articles of clothing and footwear. You will be also asked to consider a measure which will give additional powers to the Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities in matters related to the wholesale price of fuel oil and gasoline. My Government recognizes that the increased cost of living has placed a very heavy burden on those receiving Workmen's Compensation Awards. Therefore, you will be asked to consider a measure increasing the current level of Awards so that those who are unfortunate enough to be receiving Workmen's Compensation shall not unduly suffer from increasing prices. During this Session, my Government will announce a new scale of Provincial Social Assistance payments designed to help many less fortunate Nova Scotians, including the physically or mentally disabled, widows, deserted or unmarried mothers and foster parents. As a further means of protecting the consumers of this Province, a measure will be placed before you re-organizing and expanding the powers of the Consumer Services Bureau. You will be asked to consider legislation which will enable owners of homes in cooperative housing developments to stand for municipal office and to vote at municipal ratepayers meetings. To these and all of the matters which may come before you, I ask your most careful attention, praying that Divine Providence may guide you in all your deliberations and decisions.