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Liberal Throne Speech |
2004 Throne Speech
The following is an edited and condensed version of the 2004 Throne
Speech.
Full text of the 2004
Throne Speech
Prime Minister Martin's
Reply to the 2004 Throne Speech
The Speech was divided into 16 sections, all of which are presented
below. They include:
- Introduction
- Changing the Way Things Work in Ottawa
- Restoring Trust and Accountability
- A Stronger Relationship [Provinces and Territories]
- Strengthening Canada 's Social Foundations
- Partnership for a Healthy Canada
- Caring for Our Children
- Creating Opportunity for Canadians with Disabilities
- Aboriginal Canadians
- Great Places To Live - A New Deal for Communities
- Building a 21st Century Economy
- Lifelong Learning
- Science and Technology
- Regional and Rural Development
- Sustainable Development
- Canada's Role in the World
Introduction
Canada is a mature nation that expresses its true values of human dignity
and respect for others in a number of ways:
- Commitment to peace and a desire to create a world where fairness,
justice and decency reign is represented by Canadian troops in Afghanistan
.
- Concern for others was exhibited in the face of recent natural disasters,
such as the devastation of the fires in British Columbia or the destruction
of Hurricane Juan on our eastern coast.
- The caring and compassionate nature of Canadian society stems in
large part from our recognition of diversity. Aboriginals, Francophones,
Anglophones and immigrants play a significant part in Canada 's history
of diversity.
Canadians are embracing change with a new confidence, and want a government
that helps shape that course, that leads the way - and that also engages
them in building the future.
- Canadians want governments to reflect our values in the actions they
take. This includes living within our means; investing as we can afford;
and looking to the future.
- Canadians want their government to do more than just settle for
the status quo. They want a government that can lead change, develop
a national consensus on common goals and have the wisdom to help all
of us achieve them.
The goals of the Government of Canada are clear:
- A Canada with strong social foundations, where people are treated
with dignity, where they are given a hand when needed, where no one
is left behind. Where Canadians - families and communities - have the
tools to find local solutions for local problems.
- A strong economy for the 21st century, with well-paying and meaningful
work; ready at the forefront of the next big technological revolution;
and built on a solid fiscal foundation.
- A role of pride and influence in the world, where we speak with an
independent voice, bringing distinctive Canadian values to international
affairs.
This Speech from the Throne marks the start of a new government; a new
agenda; a new way of working. It marks a renewal, built on partnership,
opportunity, achievement - and the real engagement of Canadians.
Changing the Way Things Work in Ottawa
The government is committed to re-engaging citizens in Canada 's political
life by reconnecting citizens with Parliament. The Government is committed
to:
- Returning Parliament to the centre of national debate and decision-making.
- Restoring the public's faith and trust in the integrity and good
management of government through greater transparency, ethical standards,
and financial accountability.
- Creating a new partnership with provinces and territories, focused
on the interests of Canadians.
- Implementing democratic reform, including more free votes in Parliament,
an enhanced role for Members to shape laws, an enhanced role for Parliamentary
Committees to hold the Government to greater account, and a more active
role for Parliamentary Secretaries for greater engagement between the
Government and Parliament and with Canadians.
Restoring Trust and Accountability
Canadians want the Government of Canada to do better in meeting ethical
and accountability standards. The Government is committed to:
- Enhancing the ethics code for all federal public office holders
- Reinstating and adopting legislation establishing an independent
Ethics Commissioner reporting to Parliament and an Ethics Officer for
the Senate
- Creating a new agency for continuing excellence in public service
- Launching an ongoing process of expenditure review, overseen by a
new Committee of Cabinet. This will ensure that spending reflects priorities
and that every tax dollar is invested with care to achieve results
for Canadians.
A Stronger Relationship [with Provinces and Territories]
Canadians expect, rightly, that their governments will co-operate in
common purpose for the common good - each working from its strength.
As such, the Government is determined to put relations with provinces
and territories on a more constructive footing.
Strengthening Canada's Social Foundations
Strengthening Canada's social foundations will help all Canadians to
achieve their goals. This means ensuring that all Canadians have the
opportunity to develop and use skills and knowledge to their fullest,
removing barriers to opportunity, and building on the fundamental fairness
of Canadians.
This philosophy is given concrete expression in:
- Our system of universal health care
- Social programs that seek to level the playing field for everyone
- Programs to provide our seniors with income assistance and care when
needed
- Our openness to immigrants and refugees and abhorrence of racism
- Our commitment to gender equality
- Measures to better the opportunities for Aboriginal Canadians
Partnership for a Healthy Canada
The Government will pursue the goal of a universal, high-quality, publicly
funded health care, consistent with the principles of medicare, as set
out in the Canada Health Act. The Government is committed to:
- Providing a further $2 billion health-care transfer to the provinces
and territories this year
- Reducing waiting times for the most important diagnoses and treatments
- Working with its provincial and territorial partners on the necessary
reforms and long-term sustainability of the health system.
A top priority of the government is safeguarding the health of Canadians
from the emerging threats of global epidemics and contaminated water.
The Government is committed to:
- Creating a new Canada Public Health Agency that will ensure that
Canada is linked, both nationally and globally, in a network for disease
control and emergency response.
- Appointing a new Chief Public Health Officer for Canada
- Overhauling federal health protection through a Canada Health Protection
Act
Caring for Our Children
Governments are not parents, but they do have a role to play in ensuring
that every child gets the best possible start in life, that families
get the supports and tools that they need, and that children are protected
from exploitation and abuse.
The Government is committed to:
- Providing, in co-operation with the provinces and territories, more
quality child care more quickly under the existing Multilateral Framework
for Early Learning and Child Care.
- Extending the community pilot project Understanding the Early Years
to at least 100 communities, to help communities identify children
whose readiness to learn is at risk.
- Ensuring the safety of children through a strategy to counter sexual
exploitation of children on the Internet and by reinstating child protection
legislation.
Creating Opportunity for
Canadians with Disabilities
Many Canadians with disabilities are ready to contribute but confront
difficult obstacles in the workplace and in their communities. We want
a Canada in which citizens with disabilities have the opportunity to
contribute to and benefit from Canada 's prosperity - as learners, workers,
volunteers, and family members.
The Government is committed to:
- Working with the provinces and territories to fill the gaps in education
and skills development and in workplace supports and workplace accommodation
for people with disabilities.
- Leading by example in supporting the hiring, accommodation and retention
of Canadians with disabilities in the Government of Canada and in federally
regulated industries.
- Improving the fairness of the tax system for people with disabilities,
and their supporting families, based on the findings of the Advisory
Committee on Tax Measures.
Aboriginal Canadians
Aboriginal Canadians have not fully shared in our nation's good fortune.
While some progress has been made, the conditions in far too many Aboriginal
communities can only be described as shameful. This offends our values.
The Governments goal is to see Aboriginal Canadians participating fully
in national life, on the basis of historic rights and agreements - with
greater economic self-reliance, a better quality of life.
The Government is committed to:
- Aboriginal children getting a better start in life as a foundation
for greater progress in acquiring the education and work-force skills
needed to succeed.
- Working with First Nations to improve governance in their communities.
This includes enhancing transparency and accountability in First Nation
governments, and supporting Aboriginal governance capacity by establishing
an independent Centre for First Nations Government.
- Working with provinces and territories and Aboriginal partners in
a renewed Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy to foster
education and skills development.
- Working with its partners to expand the Urban Aboriginal Strategy
to help Aboriginal people off reserve respond to the unique challenges
they face.
- Engaging other levels of government and Métis leadership on
the place of the Métis in its policies.
- A more coherent approach to Aboriginal issues by establishing a new
Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister;
a Parliamentary Secretary; and an Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat in
the Privy Council Office.
Great Places To Live - A New Deal for Communities
Our communities, our towns, our cities are key to our social goals and
our economic competitiveness. Large and small, rural and urban, Canada
's communities are facing new challenges, often without sufficient resources
or the tools they need.
The Government will pursue a new deal for Canada 's municipalities.
Under this new deal, the Government is committed to:
- Providing reliable, predictable and long-term funding to municipalities.
The Government will provide all municipalities with full relief from
the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Government will also work with
provinces to share with municipalities a portion of gas tax revenues
or to determine other fiscal mechanisms that achieve the same goals,
and will also move to quickly commit funds within our existing infrastructure
programs, so that our partners can plan properly.
- Recognizing the importance of municipalities to the national agenda.
Municipalities are crucial in helping the Government meet its national
priorities, including the integration of immigrants, opportunities
for Aboriginal Canadians living in urban centres, tackling homelessness,
and emergency preparedness and response.
- Recognizing and encouraging the social and environmental contributions
of municipalities through the “social economy.” The Government will
work to widen the scope of programs currently available to small and
medium-sized enterprises to include social enterprises, and will continue
to advance the Voluntary Sector Initiative to strengthen the capacity
and voice of philanthropic and charitable organizations and to mobilize
volunteers.
- Recognizing and encouraging the cultural contribution of municipalities.
The Government will work with parliamentarians to modernize our arts
and culture policies and federal cultural institutions to bring to
bear the new technological possibilities of the digital age and to
reflect Canada 's regional diversity and multiculturalism.
- Ensuring language duality by ensuring that minority language communities
have the tools that enable their members to fully contribute to the
development of Canadian society.
Building a 21st Century Economy
A nation's social and economic goals are inseparable. A stronger economy
requires stronger social foundations. And if we want to build a fairer,
more equitable society, we need a stronger economy.
The Government will pursue a Canadian economy that is:
- A world leader in developing and applying the path-breaking technologies
of the 21st century
- Creating high-quality jobs that will meet the ambitions of young
Canadians and keep them in this country
- A magnet for capital and entrepreneurs from around the world
- Open to the increasing number of women entrepreneurs
- Built on innovation with world-class research universities, smart
regulation and innovative financing
- Strong across all regions of the country
These goals will be achieved primarily through the efforts of Canadians
themselves. But government has an essential enabling role by providing:
- A sound macroeconomic environment and fiscal prudence
- An economy open to the world through free trade
- Less economic dependency on the United States through closer economic
ties with other regions of the world, in particular the emerging economies
of China , India and Brazil
Lifelong Learning
Investing in people will be Canada 's most important economic investment.
The Government's goal is to ensure that a lack of financial resources
will not be allowed to deny, to those with the motivation and capacity,
the opportunity to learn and aspire to excellence in pursuing a skilled
trade, a community college diploma, or university degree.
The Government is committed to:
- Working with provinces and territories to modernize the Canada Student
Loans Program in recognition of the rising cost of education. This
includes improving grants and loans to increase access for middle-
and low-income families and their children, increasing loan limits,
and improve loan terms for part-time students.
- Providing a new grant for low-income students, to cover a portion
of the tuition cost of the first year of post-secondary education.
- Creating new incentives to encourage low-income families to begin
investing, right from the birth of their children, for their long-term
education.
- Enhance its programs to encourage skills upgrading, in concert with
sector councils, unions, and business.
- Working with provinces to update labour market programming to better
reflect the realities of work in the 21st century, such as the growth
of self-employment and the need for continuous upgrading of skills.
- Deepening the pool of Canada 's talent and skills by ensuring more
successful integration of new immigrants into the economy and into
communities. This includes speedier recognition of foreign credentials
and prior work experience, and measures to inform prospective immigrants
and encourage the acquisition of necessary credentials before they
arrive in Canada .
Science and Technology
Canadian entrepreneurs have made great strides in building the innovative,
technology-enabled economy needed to succeed in the years ahead. The
Government has invested $13 billion since 1997 in basic research. The
Government will pursue the goal of ensuring that our knowledge investment
is converted to commercial success. The Government is committed to:
- Providing to firms early-stage financing and the capacity to conduct
the research and development needed to commercialize their ideas. This
includes building on the venture financing capabilities of the Business
Development Bank, and creating access to capital for the commercialization
of science in areas where we can be among the world leaders.
- Building on the experience of the National Research Council to help
small firms bridge the commercialization gap.
To help integrate and focus these efforts, Canada 's new National Science
Advisor will re-engage universities, colleges, and enterprise in a truly
national science agenda.
Regional and Rural Development
The objective of the Government is to ensure that every region of the
country has the opportunity to move forward, socially and economically,
on a rising tide of progress. The Government therefore remains committed
to:
- Supporting economic development through the regional agencies where
the focus must be on strengthening the sinews of an economy for the
21st century, building on indigenous strength.
- Emphasizing opportunities to add greater value to natural resources,
to develop Canada 's energy resources, and to maximize the potential
of our vast coastal and offshore areas through a new Oceans Action
Plan.
- Developing a Northern strategy, ensuring that economic development
related to energy and mining is brought on stream in partnership with
Northern Canadians, based on stewardship of our most fragile northern
ecosystems.
- Taking steps to safeguard the access of Canada 's farm economy to
international markets and to ensure that farmers are not left to bear
alone the consequences of circumstances beyond their control.
- Fostering a technologically advanced agricultural sector with the
supporting infrastructure of transportation and applied science.
Sustainable Development
Safeguarding our natural environment - in the here and now, and for
generations to come - is one of the great responsibilities of citizens
and governments in the 21st century. The Government is committed to:
- Making sustainable development a challenge of national and global
magnitude.
- Maintaining its commitments under the Kyoto accord on climate change
in a way that produces long-term and enduring results while maintaining
a strong and growing economy. This includes developing an equitable
national plan, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments
and other stakeholders.
- Undertaking a $3.5 billion program to clean up contaminated sites
for which the Government is responsible.
- Intensifying clean air and clean water projects and safeguards. This
includes engaging the United States on trans-boundary issues and the
provinces to achieve more stringent national guidelines on air and
water quality.
- Building on recommendations of the National Roundtable on the Environment
and the Economy by incorporating key indicators on clean water, clean
air, and emissions reduction into its decision making.
- Increase the resources to support innovative environmental technologies
and further encourage their commercialization.
- Engage Canadians directly through the One Tonne Challenge to raise
awareness and provide Canadians with information on how their individual
consumption choices contribute to the emissions that drive climate
change. The objective is to reduce emissions by 1,000 kilograms per
person, per year.
Canada's Role in the World
Canadians are uniquely positioned for the new global realities - open
to the world, comfortable with the interdependence of nations, aware
of our global responsibilities. Canadians want their country to play
a distinctive and independent role in making the world more secure, more
peaceful, more co-operative, more open. They want to see Canada 's place
of pride and influence in the world restored.
The Government will pursue the goals of:
- Fair distribution of the benefits of global interdependence throughout
the world
- Agreement on new rules governing international actions when a government
fails to protect its own people from tyranny and oppression
- Multilateral institutions that work. No one nation can manage the
consequences of global interdependence on its own.
- Greater collaboration among nations to ensure that economic policies
go hand in hand with stronger social programs to alleviate hunger,
poverty, and disease, and to help to raise the standards of living
in developing countries.
The Government has launched an integrated review of its international
policies. The review will be completed in the fall of 2004 and will then
be considered by a parliamentary committee, where Canadians will have
the opportunity to make their views known.
In the immediate future, the Government is committed to:
- The passing of legislation to enable the provision of generic drugs
to developing countries, making medical treatment accessible to millions
suffering from deadly infectious diseases, notably HIV/AIDS.
- Continuing to support Canadian cultural values abroad through the
creation of a new international instrument on cultural diversity, active
participation in la Francophonie, continued promotion and dissemination
of our cultural products and works around the world, and providing
continuing support for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.
- A meaningful capacity to contribute militarily in support of collective
efforts to safeguard international peace and security. This includes
immediate investments in key capital equipment, such as new armoured
vehicles and replacements for the Sea King helicopters.
- Protection of its citizens at home through the establishment of the
Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the appointment
of a National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, and the establishment
of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Public Health and Emergencies
and the new Canada Border Services Agency.
- Developing with its domestic partners Canada 's first national security
policy to address new threats, such as non-state terrorism.
Canada and the United States are connected not only by the shared geography
of North America and by hugely beneficial trade and investment flows
- the largest bilateral economic relationship in the world - but also
by ties of friendship and family, by commonly held democratic values,
and by shared interests and responsibilities. The Government is committed
to:
- A new, more sophisticated approach to this unique relationship
- Ensuring
a border that is open and effective in handling the volumes of people,
goods, and services flowing to and from our economies
- Building on
the success of the Smart Borders initiative. The Government will
engage with the United States to further strengthen North American
security while facilitating the flow of commerce and travellers. It
will also work toward infrastructure investments at key trade corridors
to ensure that we can facilitate the expanding trade between our countries.
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