Canada PoliticsOntario Premier Kathleen Wynne reaches out to opposition parties in inaugural throne speech
New revenue streams for transit, tackling youth unemployment and balancing the budget by 2018 were among the key priorities in Tuesday's throne speech in Onatario.
After four months of prorogation, the province's MPPs returned to Queens Park to hear Lieutenant Governor David Onley deliver the minority Liberal government's vision for upcoming legislative session.
[ Related: Ontario Tories talk tough ahead of Tuesday’s throne speech ]
As is the nature of throne speeches, it was slim on details and big on generalities. In many respects it was a speech to appease the opposition parties and avoid a snap election.
Premier Wynne addressed reporters shortly after the Onley's presentation
"I hope you heard how committed we are to work with all the parties in the legislature and the amount of work and the amount of work that has to be done," she said.
"So much of it is not partisan, whether it's youth unemployment,...making sure the backlog of people waiting for home care gets addressed and all the while being very aware that balancing the budget is what has to happen.
"I think there is lots for both opposition parties to work with us on and I hope that they're able to see that and I really hope they hear the echos of the conversations we had."
[Related: Attack ads target Wynne's role in gas plant decision ]
Not suprisingly, Wynne's reach-out has worked on the NDP but not the Tories.
According to NewsTalk 1010, NDP leader Andrea Horwath says that her party will vote in favour of the throne speech on Wednesday, despite it being "vague to the extreme."
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, PC leader Tim Hudak said that the Liberal vision isn't the way forward.
"Today was a moment of truth for Ontario. The Speech from the Throne presented an opportunity for this government to make the necessary and urgent decisions to put Ontario on the right track," he said.
"Regrettably for Ontario, Premier Wynne appears to have chosen to entrench the McGuinty agenda that led Ontario to the biggest jobs and debt crisis of our lifetime. The only way to end our jobs and debt crisis, to take us off the wrong track, to change the direction of the province is to change the team that leads it."
Here are some of the highlights from the throne speech:
Battling the debt and deficit:
Your new government will restrain program spending to reduce Ontario's debt-to-GDP ratio, while recommitting itself to eliminating the deficit by 2017-2018. And after that, it will restrict overall spending increases to one per cent below GDP growth until the province's debt-to-GDP ratio returns to the pre-recession level of 27 per cent.
Job Creation:
Your government will coordinate its services with those of non-profit and private sectors so that recent graduates, new Canadians and the unemployed can find a practical path into the workforce. To address the serious issue of youth unemployment, your government will join forces with high school educators, colleges, universities, training partners and employers to establish opportunities for young people to enhance their skills; find placements, internships and co-op programs; and gain valuable, real world experience.
A fair society and consumer protection initiatives:
The happiness and health of Ontario residents must be enshrined, and so your government will also continue to build the strongest and most innovative health care system in the world. It will help this province's nine million drivers by continuing to implement the recommendations of the Auto Insurance Anti-Fraud Task Force, protecting individuals against fraud and working to reduce insurance rates across Ontario. And it will look to strengthen the rights of Ontario's consumers when it comes to door-to-door sales, debt settlement services, real estate transactions and mobile and smartphone contracts.
Making the legislature work:
For the benefit of the entire province, your government intends to work with opposition parties, in a spirit of renewed cooperation, to get the people's business done. It does not believe that we are irreparably divided. Or that the challenges we face cannot be overcome.
Traffic and tolls:
Our government understands that infrastructure is the underpinning of our economy, and that if we continue to lag behind then we will never leap forward. The people of this province are ready to have a serious conversation about the needs of their communities, whether those needs are better roads or stronger bridges, repaired underpasses or accelerated, integrated transit planning.
Labour:
As your government moves forward, Ontario's labour force will be treated fairly and with respect. It will sit down with its partners across all sectors to build a sustainable model for wage negotiation, respectful of both collective bargaining and a fair and transparent interest arbitration process, so that the brightness of our shared future is not clouded by the indisputable economic realities of our time.
Scandals:
Your government, and your cabinet ministers, will be accountable to all the people of Ontario, and work to prevent mistakes before they occur. And it will work with all parties in the legislature to review the decisions to relocate energy infrastructure in this province.
(Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press)
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