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From the Throne |
Highlights of the 2002 Throne Speech
The 2002 Throne Speech focused upon six areas:
- Canada and the world
- Health care in the 21 century
- Children and families
- Climate change and the environment
- Talent and investment
- Government and citizens
Canada and the World
Main themes included commitment to security (following September 11)
and aid to less-developed countries:
- Work with allies (and the United Nations) to ensure the safety and
security of Canadians; work with the United States to address our shared
security needs; and speak out internationally for the values of pluralism,
freedom and democracy.
- Address the growing global divide between rich and poor. This includes
doubling foreign development assistance by the year 2010 (with at least
half of that increase for Africa as part of Canada’s support for the
New Partnership for Africa’s Development), and eliminating tariffs and
quotas on almost all products from the least-developed countries (as
of January 1, 2003).
Health Care and the 21st Century
The government committed itself to putting the health care system in
place for the 21st century. Specific commitments included:
- The Prime Minister will convene a First Ministers Meeting early in
2003 to put in place a comprehensive plan for reform (including enhanced
accountability to Canadians and the necessary federal long-term investments).
- Renew federal health protection legislation; strengthen the security
of Canada’s food system; and develop a national strategy for healthy
living.
- Put in place a First Nations Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
strategy to improve Aboriginal health care delivery on-reserve.
- Modify existing programs to ensure that Canadians can provide compassionate
care for a gravely ill or dying child, parent or spouse without putting
their jobs or incomes at risk.
Children and Families
The government will work to ensure that all Canadian children have a
good start in life. Specific commitments include:
- Long-term investment plan to allow poor families to break out of
the welfare trap so those children born into poverty do not carry the
consequences of that poverty throughout their lives.
- Significantly increase the National Child Benefit for poor families;
increase access to early learning opportunities and to quality child-care;
and put in place targeted measures for low-income families caring for
severely disabled children.
- Address the gap in life chances between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
children by putting in place early childhood development programs for
First Nations; expanding Aboriginal Headstart; improving parental supports;
providing Aboriginal communities with the tools to address fetal alcohol
syndrome and its effects; and raise the standard of education on-reserve.
- Reform the Criminal Code and family law to increase the penalties
for abuse and neglect; provide more sensitive treatment for children
who take part in justice proceedings as victims or as witnesses; place
greater emphasis on the best interests of the child; and expand the
Unified Family Courts.
Climate Change and the Environment
Major commitments in the area of the environment, including:
- A resolution to Parliament on the issue of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol
on Climate Change
- Create ten new national parks and five new National Marine Conservation
Areas over the next five years.
- Reintroduce legislation to protect species at risk.
- Accelerate the clean-up of federal contaminated sites in Canada
- Accelerate its work with the provinces on improved national water
quality guidelines.
Talent and Investment
With respect to the economy, the government committed to the following:
- Balanced budgets, disciplined spending, a declining ratio of debt-to-GDP,
and fair and competitive taxes
- More investments in research, literacy and education, and in competitive
cities and healthy communities
- Enhance the climate for investment and talent in Canada
Government and Citizens
Finally, with respect to citizenship, the government committed itself
to:
- Better access for Canadians to their history, by creating a new institution
that brings together the National Archives of Canada and the National
Library of Canada, strengthening key arts and heritage institutions,
and protecting significant historic sites and buildings.
- Creating more opportunities for young Canadians to help clean up
our environment and assist in achieving Canada’s global priorities,
particularly in Africa.
- Reforming citizenship legislation to reassert the rights and reinforce
the responsibilities that go with being Canadian.
- Putting into action the accord it signed with the voluntary sector,
to enable that sector to contribute to national priorities.
- Working with provinces toward renewal of legal aid and better access
to adequate legal representation before the courts.
- Improving linguistic duality in Canada by implementing an action
plan on official languages that will focus on minority-language and
second-language education; supporting the development of minority English
and French-speaking communities; expanding access to services in both
languages in areas such as health; and enhancing the use of our two
official languages in the federal public service.
- Reintroducing legislation to strengthen First Nations governance
and economic institutions. The government will also work with Aboriginal
people to preserve and enhance Aboriginal languages and cultures.
- Providing clear guidance and better enforcement of the ethical standards
expected of elected officials and senior public servants. This also
includes new legislation governing the relationship with lobbyists,
as well as the financing of political parties and candidates for office.
- Introduce reforms for the public service to ensure that it can attract
the diverse talent it needs to continue to serve Canadians well.
Full Text of 2002 Throne
Speech
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