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Overview of 2004 Throne Speech

• What are the underlying values? – The basic political values and beliefs is the government attempting to promote.
• What is the role of the state? – The role the state will take in key areas such as the economy, social services, etc.
• What are the priorities of government? – The policies and areas the government will and will not devote resources to.

Underlying Values

The underlying values of the Throne Speech were made apparent in the Introduction of the Throne Speech. These include:

• Human dignity – People are worthy of esteem or respect.
• Caring and Compassion – Attention to others and desire to provide assistance. Feel the suffering of others as one's own suffering.
• Justice and Fairness – What people are due – socially, politically and economically – should be distributed in a manner that is fair to all.
• Recognition of diversity – Cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity should be recognized and respected.

Role of the State

The Introduction of the Throne Speech also indicated the general role of the state in Canadian society. The Speech talks about the state as “shaping the course,” “leading the way,” and “developing a national consensus on common goals.” These phrases indicate that the government envisions a moderately active role for the state in society. The government will not use the state to change society in a top-down manner (the government representing the top). Neither would the government have the state simply follow the dictates of individuals and groups in society. Instead, the government is indicating that the state should be used to build a consensus among different individuals and groups and then provide the necessary conditions for that consensus to be successful.

Specific examples of this vision of the state can be seen in other sections of the Throne Speech. In the Changing the Way Things Work in Ottawa section, the consensus building role of the state is emphasized with the desire to re-engage citizens with Parliament (a primary institution of government) and to return Parliament to the centre of national debate and decision-making. In the sections of the Speech that focus on the economy and social services, the enabling role of the state is emphasized. The state does not direct the economy, but provides what it perceives to be the necessary environment for a successful economy (fiscal responsibility and free trade). Further, the state does not dictate what goals citizens are to pursue, but provides the goods they may need to pursue them (health, education, security, etc).

Furthermore, the underlying values made explicit in the Introduction of the Speech are informing the particular nature of the state. For example, the values of human dignity and compassion can be used to justify the government's commitment to a state that provides universal public healthcare, gives attention to the hardships of immigrants and Aboriginals, and that seeks to supply cheaper medical drugs to developing nations.

Priorities of the Government

The priorities of the government in the 2004 Throne Speech are shown in both the Introduction of the Speech and on the emphasis placed on certain policies throughout the Speech.

In the Introduction, the government makes clear that it that it has three primary goals:

• Strong Social Services – The government is committed to providing necessary social services to citizens. Throughout the Speech the government emphasizes healthcare, post-secondary education, support for Aboriginals, childcare, and services for persons with disabilities.
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• Strong Economy – The government is committed to growing and adapting the Canadian economy. Throughout the Speech the government stresses fiscal management (no deficits), free trade and trade diversification, training and education, and providing the means to commercialize technological research in Canada.
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• International Participation – The government is committed to maintaining Canada 's presence internationally. The government stresses a renewed relationship with the United States, attention to the needs of developing nations, as well as some spending to increase the country's military capacity.
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Throughout the Speech, emphasis is also placed on other government priorities:

• Democratic Reform – One of the first sections in the Speech focuses on the desire of the government to reform the democratic process in Canada . Most of the reforms are centred on giving members of parliament a larger role in government, as well as providing for greater transparency and accountability in government.
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• Fiscal Responsibility – Throughout the Speech, the government's commitment to fiscal responsibility is mentioned. The government states the commitment to balancing the budget. Further, it often qualifies its commitment to social services by stating that it will only spend what it has.
• New Deal with Cities – A major part of the Speech was concerned with the government's new deal with cities. This involved a commitment to greater funding to municipalities, as well as the encouragement of social, cultural and economic strategies for cities.
• Federal -Provincial Cooperation – The government committed itself to strengthening the relationship between the federal government and the provinces. Throughout the Speech it re-stated that it would work with and cooperate with the provinces in introducing new programs and policies.

It is also important to note what was not included in the Throne Speech:

• No Tax-Cuts – While the government is committed to fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget, the government did not commit to any new tax-cuts.
• Provincial Transfers – The government stated that it would provide $2 billion in additional healthcare transfers to the provinces this year. However, there was no further commitment to increase financial transfers from the federal government.
• Other Democratic Reforms – The government committed to giving members of parliament a greater role in government. However, it did not commit to other democratic reforms such as Senate reform and/or proportional representation.
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• No Iraq Policy – The government committed to a new relationship with the United States and a stronger role for Canada internationally. However, there was no financial or military commitment of Canada to war in Iraq.
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Responses to 2004 Throne Speech

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