Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Nouvelle-Écosse 52e 1re Discours du Trône 7 Décembre 1978 Clarence Gosse Lieutenant-gouverneur PC Nova Scotia: Speech from the Throne, First Session of the 52nd General Assembly, December 7th, 1978 I am pleased to welcome you to this First Session of the 52nd General Assembly convened in our Province. I extend my best wishes to each one of you, particularly those who are new Members of the House. Today, being here is an unexpected pleasure, but I am sure that this will be the last time I shall be privileged to read "The Speech From The Throne". I would like, therefore, to thank the Members of this House, especially the Members of two successive Governments and Oppositions, for the warmth and respect which all have shown to the Office of Lieutenant-Governor, and to my wife and to me personally. It has been a delightful experience to serve for over five years the wonderful people of this Province and I would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks for the affection which they have extended to us on so many occasions. We both would also like to express our warmth and our love for our Province, a small part of the world which, not Without difficulty, became an essential ingredient of a great confederation, a country with an important and enviable future in which, despite some unwarranted pessimism, our faith and pride grow stronger by the day. These are times of economic uncertainty, not only for Nova Scotia, but indeed for the whole of Canada. The burden of unemployment lies heavily upon our people and my Government is convinced that action to alleviate this burden is of primary importance at this time. My Government considers that this is a time to reaffirm the importance of traditional Nova Scotia values: frugality, self-reliance, initiative and hard work. It is firmly convinced that effectiveness of government can be improved significantly by the application of these values. While my Government realizes that the private sector is the most important source of jobs, and intends to take measures to enhance and strengthen the job creating ability of the private sector, my Government intends to do everything within its power to create the greatest possible number of jobs in this winter. To this end, my government has already accelerated the commencement of a number of planned public works projects. These projects will be of lasting and beneficial use to the citizens of Nova Scotia. My Government is determined to create employment not solely for the sake of jobs, but also to provide long-term benefits to the Province. My Government is also rapidly developing programs for the resource sectors and municipalities which will create thousands of jobs in the short term, but again the taxpayer will receive value for the expenditure of public funds because the projects will be of enduring benefit to the Province of Nova Scotia. My Government is concerned with the lack of progress over the past number of years with respect to developments which would take advantage of one of the finest deep-water harbours in North America, the Strait of Canso. My Government will establish an action committee which will promote the development of the Strait of Canso area. Recognizing the need and demand for adequate housing for all Nova Scotians, and recognizing that a vital housing industry promotes the creation of jobs and of further proliferation of jobs through suppliers and suppliers' services, my Government will embark on a vigorous and ambitious Housing Program. To this end, my Government will examine the organizational structure of the Nova Scotia Housing Commission with a view to streamlining its operation in order to allow more effective delivery of the Housing Program in this Province. In addition, meaningful and innovative programs for our senior citizens will be introduced. The current program of new senior citizen housing will continue, but those of our senior citizens who wish to do so will be encouraged to stay in their own homes. This will be achieved through a program of rehabilitation for existing homes, a small loans program, and other methods of assistance to our deserving senior citizens. Measures will be taken to stimulate new home construction. Projects will be presented to encourage first-time home buyers. Through effective land servicing programs, the private contractor will be encouraged to purchase fully serviced lots for the immediate construction of new- homes. My Government considers that the increased effectiveness of government is a major priority and to that end has established a number of special Cabinet Committees and other groups to consider means by which government services can be improved without imposing an additional tax burden on Nova Scotians. My Government has directed all departments to review their budget expenditures for the current fiscal year with a view to ensuring that current expenditures do not exceed the projected revenue for this fiscal year. My Government has already identified Energy and Transportation as two areas where reorganization will be beneficial to Nova Scotia. Transportation has always been a factor of great importance to the Nova Scotia economy. The impact of the transportation policies of the National Government, upon all areas of our economic activity, are traditionally a matter of concern to my Government. Negotiations with the Government of Canada on transportation related matters are pending. My Government considers that a separate department charged with the particular responsibility of considering and dealing with the whole range of transportation issues affecting Nova Scotia will strengthen our ability to convince the Government of Canada of the need to so design their policies as to permit equality of access for Nova Scotia goods and services to the Central Canadian market. To that end you will be asked to consider legislation to establish a Department of Transportation which will encompass the present responsibilities of the Department of Highways, the Office of Communications Policy and various other transport related groups in other departments. My Government is concerned about the mounting number of fatalities and injuries attributable to highway accidents. A comprehensive Highway Safety Program will be adopted emphasizing public education and enforcement. Priority will be given in highway construction to the upgrading of trunk and secondary routes. My Government will proceed immediately with the completion of Highways 101 and 103. The cost of electric power to Nova Scotia homes and businesses is a matter of continuing concern to my Government. You will be asked to consider legislation to provide for the establishment of a Department of Mines and Energy. This Department will have overall responsibility for the development of new energy strategies to meet our pressing energy problems. As a matter of priority, my Government will actively pursue the immediate creation of the Maritime Energy Corporation with New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to act as an umbrella for regional co-operation; to co- ordinate existing electrical energy systems; to plan and finance new generating and transmission facilities; and generally to manage electricity supply for maximum benefit to the Maritime area. We welcome the creation of the Lower Churchill Development Corporation with the expectation that the Maritime Energy Corporation may become a major customer for their electrical power. My Government is pledged to negotiate over the longer term with the Federal Government for a new national pricing system which will relate the price of energy to national average cost. With regard to the Nova Scotia Power Corporation, my Government has launched a special inquiry into the Corporation's operations with particular reference to the Public Utilities Board finding that the growth of administration costs within the Corporation impose an undue burden on consumers. My Government is determined to cut costs and to eliminate waste and duplication within the Nova Scotia Power Corporation. An audit of the Wreck Cove and Lingan Projects will be undertaken with a view to minimizing the costs involved in these ventures. My Government is committed to the orderly and systematic examination of the entire body of regulations issued under the Statutes of Nova Scotia and the elimination of those regulations which are unduly restrictive, unnecessary or obsolete, or result in red tape for business and the public. Following the reform of the Province's regulations, my Government will bring about the complete consolidation of these regulations for the first time. In order to ensure that the process of examination of the regulations proceeds in an orderly manner and at a reasonably rapid pace, my Government will appoint a de-regulation task force. To assist the public in monitoring the activities of government and to act as a spur to efficient and effective management of the public purse, my Government will place before you a new Freedom of Information Act. My Government is concerned that senior citizens, who wish to do so, be able to remain in their homes and familiar surroundings; to assist in this objective, my Government has proceeded to expand the Home Makers Services Program. My Government will establish the Senior Citizens Opportunity Program for Employment. This program will allow senior Nova Scotians the opportunity to continue to use and develop their skills through various forms of voluntary employment. My Government will issue provincial senior citizen supplement cheques at the same time each calendar year in order that our senior citizens may properly budget these funds. My Government will stress the role that education can play in the strengthening of the economy and in providing more opportunity for young people seeking work through improved programs of career education, with emphasis on our resource industries and on actual Nova Scotian opportunities generally. An examination of programs will be undertaken with a view to dealing effectively with the educational needs of those in our Province experiencing learning disabilities as well as those with exceptional abilities. Changes in curriculum in Nova Scotia and co-operative efforts with other provinces will be considered to increase emphasis in our schools on Canadian and Nova Scotian studies. Knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their Country and of Nova Scotia's unique place within it will increase the capacity of our young citizens to build a better future for themselves and their Province. Again in the field of education, my Government is reviewing the present and probable future impact upon schools and post-secondary institutions of declining enrolments, increasing costs and changing expectations. My Government hopes, while providing continued adequate support to education, to restrain increased expenditures through more effective use of existing resources. The prospects of continued slow growth, in Canada and other developed countries, means that we must plot our course more precisely than has been necessary in recent years. Consequently, we must ensure that we are using every avenue open to us to bring more jobs and higher incomes to Nova Scotia. Accordingly, my Government will prepare a comprehensive economic development strategy for the Province of Nova Scotia. As this work proceeds, we will be placing high priority on the advice of business and labour on development issues. My Government considers a co-operative approach by businessmen, labour and Government to be essential to future prosperity in Nova Scotia. My Government will negotiate with the Government of Canada the termination of the activities of Mainland Investments Limited. Industrial Estates Limited will be restructured together with the Department of Development to better enable my Government to assist business growth. Small business, the backbone of our economy, will be assisted by my Government by reducing red tape and regulatory controls which are costly to business in terms of money and time. My Government will institute new programs particularly directed to the needs of small business. The Sydney Steel Plant continues to be one of the most serious problems confronting Nova Scotia. Losses have escalated during the last two fiscal years. Therefore, the long-term goal must be to reduce and finally eliminate this financial loss. The debt load is now at a crushing level and must be restructured if the Sydney Steel Corporation is to cut losses. The other major reason for losses at Sysco is the fact that production methods particularly in the steel making facilities are out-moded and must be modernized. My Government is determined to cut losses at the Sydney Steel Plant and to that end, negotiate an agreement with the Government of Canada to share in the financial restructuring of the capital debt and modernization of the plant. In the fisheries sector, my Government has already taken steps as a result of the First Ministers' Constitutional Conference, to establish a joint Federal-Provincial agency to manage such areas of concern as the licensing procedure governing vessels and the management of fisheries stocks, together with other matters affecting the industry in which our Province should be involved in formulating decisions. My Government will bring forward in consultation with our fishermen a comprehensive program for the balanced development of the inshore and offshore fisheries. Recognizing the growing importance of the fishery to the economy of Nova Scotia, my Government has increased the money available to the Fisheries Development Fund from twenty-five million to fifty million dollars. My Government will encourage the growth of agriculture and will continue to assist new and expanding farmers develop their farms. To provide assistance to such farms, the loan limits of the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board will be increased from $125,000 to $200,000 in order to make available the necessary capital resources for an expansion of the industry. My Government will take measures to plan for a new Agricultural Developement Agreement with the Federal Government to follow the present agreement. My Government will assist the beef producers in the Province to plan for an expansion of this industry and will make available a special grant to assist these producers in organizing and developing this sector. Existing programs in agricultural marketing will be reorganized to take advantage of export market opportunities, together with increased market development and promotion in order to secure a larger share of our own local markets. My Government recognizes qualified farm labour as being necessary for future development of the agricultural industry; to this end, my Government will initiate more extensive Farm Labour Training Programs. My Government attaches great importance to the forest resources of the Province and will continue its activity directed to the expansion of these resources. Work is progressing satisfactorily on the expansion of new seedling greenhouse facilities at Debert and in Cape Breton. My Government is concerned at suggestions that the Government of Canada intends to reduce its expenditures on forestry research; my Government is developing contingency plans so that if such a reduction occurs, necessary research on trees adaptable to the climatic and soil conditions of Nova Scotia will be continued. My Government is actively pursuing the establishment of new coal mining operations on mainland Nova Scotia and is conducting negotiations with Devco concerning the further development of the industry in Cape Breton. The development of our mineral resources is of prime concern to my Government. As such, programs will be established to increase the role of the private sector and to encourage investment in the mining industry. The need for a coordinated and integrated approach between increased coal developments and the attainment of greater self-reliance in energy has become increasingly clear. My Government recognizes the importance of tourism to the economy of Nova Scotia and therefore has classified tourism as one of the resource industries of Nova Scotia. My Government will intensify negotiations with the Federal Government in connection with the DREE Subsidiary Agreement on Tourism. My Government acknowledges the importance of the tourist industry and you will be asked to consider the establishment of a Standing Committee of this House on Tourism. My Government intends to pursue several initiatives in municipal affairs. A Municipal Elections Act, developed through extensive consultation with municipal representatives to provide uniform procedures to replace the present multitude of statutory provisions, will be presented for your consideration. My Government will present legislation to establish a Municipal Finance Corporation to improve the ability of municipalities to obtain capital financing. Other legislation will be presented to keep our system of municipal government effective and up-to-date in a changing world. The concept of land-use planning has been a matter of serious concern in the Province in recent years. My Government has established a Planning Act Review Committee to bring forth recommendations on a Revised Planning Act after extensive public discussion. The planning process must be manifestly open, fair and responsive, taking all affected interests into account. My Government is concerned about the collective bargaining structure which exists in the construction industry. New approaches must be made to secure and maintain industrial peace in that industry, and promote conditions favourable to settlement of disputes. Consultation with labour and management will be held in an attempt to achieve that objective. One of the fastest growing areas in the province is the Bedford-Sackville-Waverley area. The Department of Health has been co-ordinating efforts with other government departments and the Bedford-Sackville Committee on Health Services to establish a multi-service Health and Human Services Centre for the area. To this end, legislation will be introduced for your consideration to establish a multi-service centre with community representatives appointed to its Board of Directors. The centre will be organized to deliver a broad range of services by separate government and community agencies in a coordinated and responsive manner to individuals, families and communities. Beginning in the next fiscal year, my Government will approve as insured services to qualified residents of Nova Scotia all medically necessary laboratory examinations for out-patient visits. These insured laboratory services will be supplied only on the direct request of a medical practitioner. This new program is in keeping with the reorientation of services from an in-patient basis to the less costly ambulatory care basis You will be asked to change the name of the Department of Recreation to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Fitness to reflect the scope of the Department's responsibilities. My Government continues to participate actively in the deliberations respecting reform. Nova Scotia has been successful in its effort to broaden the scope of the discussions to include the ownership of offshore resources and fisheries. My Government will continue to press for recognition of the legitimate claims of coastal provinces to jurisdiction over the subsea resources adjacent to their shores. You will be asked to consider legislation to amend the Income Tax Act to bring it into conformity with recent amendments to the Federal Act and to amend the Tax Adjustment Act of 1978 to authorize changes in the Tax Collection Agreement with the Government of Canada. Amendments to various provincial acts will be submitted for your consideration. My Government is continuing a broad and wide ranging investigation into the way in which the services of government are carried out. A special Committee of the Executive Council on Government Effectiveness will be established in this regard. This Public Accounts for the year ended March 31, 1978, will be presented for your consideration as will estimates for the fiscal year to begin April 1, 1979. To these and to all the other matters which may come before you, I ask your most careful attention, praying that sound judgement and Divine Providence may guide you in all your deliberations and decisions.