At the last throne speech before the next election, the Liberals tried to sell the NB Power-Hydro-Quebec deal while protesters raged outside.
The Liberals gave the same message that they’ve been issuing for a month: NB Power is being sold, and this is for the better.
“When confronted with a gap between where we are and where we want to be,” the speech preambled, “it takes more than timid steps to clear that chasm. It takes courage, conviction and a willingness to seize an opportunity and make a great leap.”
The proposed sale of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec, Lieutenant-Governor Graydon Nicholas said, has the protection of New Brunswickers as its primary goal. The deal was cited as an “enormous opportunity.”
“By seizing this opportunity and reducing our dependence on carbon-based fuels, New Brunswick can make important strides in environmental protection as part of this proposed agreement,” Nicholas said.
The speech suggested that New Brunswick energy rates are not competitive, making it hard to attract investment and thus costing the province thousands of jobs.
Following the speech NB Premier Shawn Graham told a news conference he expects the debate over the NB Power sale to be “lively and vigorous.”
The speech, written by Graham, also highlights the many other initiatives the Liberal government plans to tackle in the next 10 months. Two of the most talked about were poverty reduction and the Action Plan to Transform Post-Secondary Education.
Nicholas outlined the New Brunswick Community Colleges Act, which has elements that “respect linguistic duality.”
“By April 2010, the New Brunswick Community College and the College communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick will each be led by a president and governed by a board of directors. The head office for NBCC will be located in Fredericton and for CCNB in Bathurst.”
The plan is supposed to create student-focused, better- equipped, more entrepreneurial learning opportunities that are responsive to the job market. The government also plans to set up a new apprenticeship model to be developed and implemented in the near future.
Nicholas also touched on recent initiatives to overcome poverty. Overcoming Poverty Together: The New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion Plan was signed two weeks ago. The speech calls the plan “ a roadmap to reduce poverty and create opportunity in our communities.”
“It has long been unacceptable that in a society as blessed as ours, people have been expected to live on less than $300 per month. During this session, your government will announce an immediate 80 per cent increase for this group,” Nicholas said.
The plan includes other improvements for those living in poverty as well, such as an affordable prescription drug plan and a rise in minimum wage.
The speech also discussed creating jobs, enhancing health and senior care, promoting literacy, and encouraging economic growth for New Brunswick.
Health care was addressed with work on a new universally affordable drug plan. The province also introduced the Midwifery Act, plans to implement an electronic health records system, a mental-health strategy, a Prescription Drug Monitoring Act, and chronic disease prevention and management strategy.
The 2009 Speech from the Throne was delivered on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009.
A list of all the major programs and initiatives the throne speech discussed, as well as the full text of the speech, can be found on the NB Legislature website, http://www.gnb.ca/legis/index-e.asp
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