Alberta Hansard — 8 March 1990, Afternoon sitting (15:00) (Legislature 22, Session 2)

19900308

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

March 8, 1990 Alberta Hansard 1 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Thursday, March 8, 1990 3:00 p.m. Date: 90/03/08 [In accordance with the Royal Proclamation dated March 7, 1990, summoning the Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to convene on this date, the House met at 3 p.m.] SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Order! All rise, please. [The Clerk read the Royal Proclamation] CLERK: Please be seated. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Order, order! Mr. Speaker. [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] head: Prayers MR. SPEAKER: Let us pray. The prayer we use is that as used at Westminster, the Mother of Parliaments, since the year 1659.

We, Thine unworthy servants here gathered together in Thy name, do humbly beseech Thee to send down Thy heavenly wisdom from above to direct and guide us in all our considerations. Amen. Please be seated. [The Premier, the Clerk, and the Sergeant-at-Arms left the Chamber to attend Her Honour the Honourable W. Helen Hunley, the Lieutenant Governor] SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Order! All rise, please. Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor. [A fanfare of trumpets sounded] [Preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Lieutenant Governor, her party, and the Premier entered the Chamber.

Her Honour took her place upon the Throne] HER HONOUR: Pray be seated. head: Speech from the Throne HER HONOUR: Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly: I have the honour to welcome you to the Second Session of the 22nd Legislature of the province of Alberta. Albertans look forward, this summer, to the visit of Her Majesty the Queen. In recognition of International Women's Day, I am pleased to observe that all members of the Assembly are wearing the commemorative symbol, the red rose.

As we begin this first session of this new decade and move forward to the next century, it is important to outline the role my government will undertake. My government must be a steward for Albertans. They have placed their trust and faith in this Assembly through this province's strong, democratic traditions, and this Assembly must be everything a steward should be: a manager, a provider, a protector, a responder, a defender.

As a steward my government does not dictate the common will but rather must listen to the voices of Albertans and express their will through the instruments of government that Albertans entrust to this Assembly. I now outline the direction this stewardship will take. Fiscal Responsibility: Managing the Treasury As stewards of the budget my government's ultimate responsibility is to this and future generations of Albertans.

Recognizing the perils of deficit spending and the effect it has on investor and consumer confidence and recognizing the priority Albertans place on fiscal responsibility, my government has presented a plan for a balanced budget by 1992. My government has heard Albertans' concerns with regard to maintaining the quality of services they now enjoy.

While it may at first appear that these two concerns – balancing the budget and maintaining the quality of service – are contradictory, my government is confident that through careful fiscal management, the elimination of duplication of programs and services, and an expanding economy, both goals will be achieved. My government must act as steward for Alberta on other fiscal matters.

Two federal initiatives – the proposed goods and services tax and the Bank of Canada high interest rate policy – threaten to undermine Alberta's current economic growth, to undermine my government's ability to respond to the needs of Albertans, and to undermine their economic freedom. My government remains strongly opposed to both these federal initiatives. The Economy: Providing Opportunity As an economic steward my government will provide information, assistance, and encouragement, but it is the efforts, ideas, and abilities of Albertans that make the economy so vibrant.

Alberta must continue on its path towards diversification in new industries and enhanced competitiveness in traditional industries.

My government will assist Alberta business to seize the economic opportunities of growing world markets through helping Alberta and foreign businesses make contact, providing intelligence on current markets, promoting this province and its businesses, continuing trade negotiations in order to reduce barriers to trade, providing an efficient transportation system throughout the province, and providing education and training programs that better equip Albertans for the ever changing world economy. My government is committed to reducing intervention in the Alberta economy.

The people, management and labour together, and market forces must determine Alberta's economic future. Alberta's traditional industries, agriculture and energy, will continue to provide a strong economic base. Within these industries Albertans continue to diversify, streamline, and expand. My government recognizes and is grateful for Albertans' efforts in building these industries. The results of their efforts are major projects and increasing markets for natural gas, which will provide for sustained growth well into this decade.

In Alberta's newer sectors – tourism, forestry, high technology, petrochemicals, and manufacturing – Albertans show the rest of Canada and the world their extraordinary ability and flexibility in creating and developing a diversified economy throughout the province. These are truly the industries of the future and will provide tens of thousands of Albertans with rewarding employment opportunities. My government welcomes the growth of small business and the new breed of entrepreneurs in this province. 2 Alberta Hansard March 8, 1990 The economic future of Alberta is filled with challenges and opportunities.

It will be the ability to make timely decisions that will determine this future. I am confident that Albertans, with my government's help, will make the right choices. The Environment:. Protecting the Province My government recognizes how important the environment has been to Albertans and how important this issue will continue to be as we move towards the next century. My government is proud that as a result of the people of Alberta and my government working together, Alberta is the cleanest province in Canada.

We live in a time of rapid change, and my government recognizes the evolving needs of this province, Canada, and indeed the world with respect to this challenge. My government also recognizes that economic development and environmental protection do not have to be at odds with one another. As we begin this new decade, my government is confident that Alberta can show the rest of the world what sustainable development really means.

By developing new, comprehensive laws in full consultation with the people of Alberta, by holding public discussions on major development projects throughout the province, by increasing public awareness of the environment and the role all Albertans have to play in protecting it, by incorporating the latest environmental technologies in all our industrial sectors, by preserving land for parks and recreational use, by developing new waste management and recycling techniques and industries for use in Alberta and export around the world, and by working with other governments to find common environmental standards, Alberta can both develop its vast natural resources and protect and enhance the environment and, in doing so, achieve our enormous potential.

Finally, my government recognizes that Alberta's air, land, and water are affected by the actions of others. A global approach to protecting the environment must continue. Whatever expertise we have must be shared, and whatever expertise we are lacking must be sought. This is how my government, an environmental steward, will proceed. The People: Responding to the Need The greatest resource of this province is the people, and my government must be a government for all Albertans.

A steward for the young and the old, the rural and the urban, for men and women equally: my government must respond to the needs of the whole of the province. Encouraging Albertans to live healthy and productive lives continues to be a very high priority of my government. Health and productivity do not result only from providing medical services to the ill but from providing access to preventative services, treatment services, and educational programs that will allow them to maintain and improve their physical and mental well-being.

Whether it is enhancing the mental health system or providing better access to substance abuse treatment or implementing recommendations of the Premier's Commission on Future Health Care for Albertans, my government will continue to respond to the health needs of the people. A productive life is one that is more than just healthy; it is an enriching and rewarding life as well.

These riches and rewards come from strong families, education, recreational opportunities, acceptance of different religions and cultures, safe communities, ensuring equal opportunities for women, and the security of knowing that society will assist those who become disabled or disadvantaged.

By ensuring that our assistance programs reflect the needs of Albertans, by caring for seniors, by providing day care programs that provide parents with secure options for raising their children, by preventing violence in and out of the home and providing assistance to those victims of violence, by ensuring the law protects the individual rights and freedoms of Albertans, and by responding to the changing educational needs of the people, my government will help to make Alberta a more rewarding and enriching place to live.

These educational needs are the top priority of my government, for the future success of this province lies in the success of the children. As a steward my government will ensure that Alberta students have access to all levels of education regardless of where they live in the province; ensure that curricula prepare students for higher education and the workplace, particularly in the areas of science and technology; and ensure that new tuition policies are developed in consultation with students, faculty, and the public.

Alberta in Canada: Defending the Constitution As a steward two other roles my government must perform are to defend Alberta's place as an equal partner in Confederation and to help improve Confederation. With respect to these roles, there are major challenges that will continue to face this province and this country in the months ahead. On October 16, 1989, more than 600,000 Albertans voted in the first senatorial selection in the history of our nation and chose a nominee for appointment to the Senate of Canada.

To this date the Prime Minister has not appointed Alberta's clear choice, and my government finds this completely unacceptable. Further, my government will resist any court challenge of the constitutionality of Alberta's Senate selection. Democracy in Canada is not unconstitutional! My government will also continue its efforts to achieve comprehensive reform of the Senate. An equal, elected, effective Senate, a model for reform developed by Albertans, will provide all the provinces a better voice in the federal Parliament and improve the workings of Confederation.

As a steward my government will continue to provide leadership throughout Canada on this issue. My government will continue to support constitutional change on the principle that change must make Confederation whole, with all provinces as full participants.

Recognizing that change must provide for the constitutional equality of the provinces and that Albertans will not accept second-class status, that change must not grant any special powers or status to any one province, that change must provide the provinces with a greater role in immigration and appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada, that change must strengthen the provinces' ability to carry out their responsibilities without interference from the federal government and their fiscal powers, and finally recognizing that change must provide a process through which Senate reform will be achieved, my government wishes to see these changes to our Constitution succeed.

The Constitution exists to serve the people of Canada and therefore must evolve as society evolves. My government is committed to this evolution, in a spirit of caring, compromise, and generosity. My government also stewards Alberta's international relations. Building upon the special relations Alberta has maintained with Heilongjiang, the People's Republic of China, Hokkaido, Japan, and Kangwon, the Republic of Korea, my government has recently signed an agreement with the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.

Because of the sweeping democratic reforms taking place in the Soviet Union and the rest of eastern Europe, this agreement will provide opportunities in many areas, including trade, investment, culture, education, recreation, science, and technology. Nineteen ninety will be highlighted by exchanges and celebrations to commemorate the centennial of March 8, 1990 Alberta Hansard 3 Ukrainian immigration to Canada. Today I have outlined my government's vision for Alberta. The people of Alberta have entrusted my government with the instruments that are necessary to carry out this vision.

Because vision alone cannot address the needs and aspirations of this province and its people, a plan of action is required. My government has that plan.

Having listened to the people of Alberta and having heard the common will, my government will in this session • introduce comprehensive environmental protection legislation, • create a natural resources conservation board modeled after the highly respected Energy Resources Conservation Board, • introduce a new loan and trust corporation Act that will reflect today's complex and competitive financial sector, • introduce a financial consumers Act that will provide more fairness to consumers, • implement training standards for day care managers and workers, • establish the Alberta family life and drug abuse foundation, • amend the Individual's Rights Protection Act to prohibit discrimination based on mental disability, • introduce reforms to the social allowance program to encourage greater independence, • establish program policy for International Literacy Year, • establish the Lakeland provincial park and recreation area, • expand and improve the Treasury Branches, • introduce changes to the oil sands lease tenure system, • institute a comprehensive crop insurance program, • seek an amendment to the Constitution of Canada to implement the Metis settlements agreements, • introduce legislation to reflect the new realities of telecommunications and advanced technology industries, and • introduce other legislation, programs, and fiscal measures for consideration and deliberation in this House.

As a steward for the people of Alberta, performing all the roles I have outlined today, my government must be flexible and focused, diverse and united, but most importantly my government must reflect the honesty, decency, and integrity that are ever present in Alberta society. As a steward my government must mirror the values of Albertans and reflect their high ethical standards. In due course you will be presented with budget estimates. You will be asked to authorize the necessary funds for operating services and expenditures and to endorse a program of capital financing for the government of Alberta.

You represent a beautiful province of strength, hope, and promise. And now I leave you to the business of this session, confident that as elected representatives you will in every way fulfill your responsibilities as stewards for Albertans. Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, I pray that the blessing of God may rest upon your deliberations. God bless Alberta. God save the Queen. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Order! [Preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Lieutenant Governor, her party, and the Premier left the Chamber as a fanfare of trumpets sounded] [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] MR.

SPEAKER: Please be seated while we await the return of the Premier. head: Introduction of Bills Bill 1 Premier's Council on Science and Technology Act MR. GETTY: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to introduce a Bill, being Bill 1, the Premier's Council on Science and Technology Act. I believe all members of the Legislature, and indeed all Albertans, know how important science and technology is to the future of our province. Along with the education of our children, I think it is one of the keys to how we will compete in the future.

We wish to be able to seek advice, consultation, from a broad spectrum of Albertans in this regard, and this Act allows us to do that. [Leave granted; Bill 1 read a first time] MR. SPEAKER: I have the honour to table a copy of the speech graciously given by Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor. head: Motions MR. GETTY: Mr. Speaker, I move that the speech of Her Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor to this Assembly be taken into consideration tomorrow. [Motion carried] MR. MAIN: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Votes and Proceedings of the Assembly be printed, after first having been perused by Mr.

Speaker, and that he do appoint the printing thereof and that no person but such as he shall appoint do presume to print the same. [Motion carried] MRS. McCLELLAN: Mr. Speaker, I move that the select standing committees for the present session of the Legislative Assembly be appointed for the following purposes: 1. Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing, 2. Public Accounts, 3. Private Bills, 4. Law and Regulations, 5. Public Affairs, 6. the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Act, and 7. Legislative Offices. [Motion carried] MR. FJORDBOTTEN: Mr.

Speaker, I move that a special committee be appointed, consisting of seven members hereinafter named, the said committee to prepare and report with all convenient speed lists of members to act on the select standing committees ordered by this Assembly: Mr. Day to serve as chairman, Mrs. Black, Mr. Cherry, Mr. Hyland, Mrs. B. Laing, Mr. Fox, and Mrs. Hewes. [Motion carried] [At 3:34 p.m. the House adjourned to Friday at 10 a.m.] 4 Alberta Hansard March 8, 1990

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	19900308
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L22 S2 19900308 1500 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	5faa294ae95a86bb0957d3e17ffde5c7ba22b81f

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