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November 15, 2006 RETAINING YOUTH, BUILDING THE PROVINCE FOR THE FUTURE HIGHLIGHT PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT'S THRONE SPEECHBuilding Manitoba’s economy through the development and export of clean, renewable energy and keeping young people living, learning and working in the province through a new tax initiative were highlighted in this year’s speech from the throne along with further commitments to attract and retain more doctors and nurses, continue the renewal of the province’s roads and highways, and make neighbourhoods and streets safer.
The speech, delivered by Lt.-Gov. John Harvard, opened the fifth session of the 38th Manitoba legislature and emphasized that Manitoba is changing for the better by building new partnerships, building new opportunities and building for the future.
It noted that more of Manitoba’s young people are receiving advanced education and training, with increases in college and university enrolment of over one-third since 1999, and that new economic opportunities are being developed based on Manitoba’s advantages in resources and technology: in clean energy, in food production and bio-technology, in cultural industries and in advanced manufacturing.
Significant new initiatives and commitments unveiled in the speech included:
· a commitment to build the 1,250-megawatt Conawapa dam;
· a $4-billion commitment to improve and maintain highways over the next 10 years, the largest commitment ever made in Manitoba;
· a 60 per cent tax rebate on tuition fees for all post-secondary students who stay and work in the province, a first in Manitoba;
· a new target to double the current immigration level in the decade to come, adding another 1,000 immigrants annually;
· the introduction of a green energy manufacturing tax credit to promote development and manufacturing of clean energy technology in Manitoba;
· funding support for public transit to help restore the 50-50 cost-sharing formula with municipal governments that was cut in the 1990s;
· a $2,000 rebate on the purchase of hybrid vehicles; and
· legislative changes to modernize the Employment Standards Code to reflect today’s economy, the changing face of the labour force and the needs of families.
The speech noted that growth over the past seven years has resulted in a stronger housing market, increased consumer confidence and greater opportunities to work and innovate. It has also created demands for skilled workers to support the fastest-growing sectors of the province’s economy.
Manitoba will continue to build for the future by:
· committing to build the Conawapa dam;
· upgrading key transportation routes in every region of the province including the Trans-Canada Highway and highways 75, 10, 6 and 59;
· committing to capital improvements to University of Winnipeg to house a new College of the Environment; and
· building and enhancing facilities at the University College of the North (UCN) in other regional centres.
The speech noted that crime rates have dropped in Manitoba but, while Manitoba was one of only two provinces in Canada where gang activity did not increase in 2005, more work needs to be done to keep communities and streets safer.
In the coming year, fighting crime will continue to involve a three-pronged approach aimed at giving youth alternatives to gangs, building the police presence and increasing consequences for breaking the law.
To this end, the speech pledged to:
· open five new Lighthouses, giving at-risk youth safer and fun alternatives for recreation;
· expand the police in school program;
· provide new resources to help police maintain a greater presence in Manitoba communities;
· expand Manitoba’s successful Turnabout program, the only program of its kind that provides help and consequences for children under 12;
· introduce new tools to provide police and prosecutors with new methods of fighting gang crime; and
· introduce new legislation requiring the mandatory reporting of child porn found on computers.
The speech emphasized that health care will continue to be a priority in the coming year, especially the training and retention of doctors and nurses. Front-line service providers remain the backbone of the health-care system. Work will continue to educate, recruit and retain health-care professionals in Manitoba.
To this end, the speech committed to:
· add two additional pediatric residency positions, one in Brandon and one in Thompson;
· expand nurse and specialist training opportunities;
· expand training for emergency medicine physicians and recruitment of oncologists; and
· develop a made-in-Manitoba cancer strategy focusing on prevention, early detection, treatment and care.
The speech also outlined how the hard work of Manitobans, entrepreneurship and targeted investments in training and research have kept Manitoba competitive and at the forefront of some of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy.
The speech committed to keeping Manitoba competitive by:
· ensuring that post-secondary education is affordable for Manitoba families;
· expanding the sector council network, concentrating on developing and expanding apprenticeship and co-op education programs, improving recruitment from colleges and universities, and introducing new vocational options at the high-school level;
· developing an alternative high-school diploma to recognize work experience and academic credentials; and
· creating a new flex fund to deal with training needs in key areas.
The speech also noted that Manitoba has won widespread recognition for its leadership in environmental protection and innovation. Last year, U.S. Business Week magazine put Manitoba’s climate change policies first among states and provinces in the world. More recently, the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance awarded Manitoba the top grade in Canada for promoting and supporting energy efficiency.
To keep Manitoba green and growing, the speech pledged to:
· provide a $2,000 rebate on the purchase of hybrid vehicles;
· increase transit support to help restore the 50-50 cost-sharing formula with municipal governments that was in place prior to cutbacks in the 1990s;
· introduce a new phase of the Power Smart program to target specific communities for special retrofitting projects; and
· further protect Manitoba’s lakes and rivers by introducing the first-ever limits on the application of phosphorus, the nutrient linked to algae growth on Lake Winnipeg.
On taxes, the speech noted that in 1999 Manitoba had the highest corporate income tax rate in the country at 17 per cent – a rate that had not been reduced for 50 years – and a small business tax that was the second-highest in Canada at eight per cent.
Since 1999, cuts have been made to personal income taxes, business and education property taxes including the elimination of the provincial property tax on education. Progress on tax cuts will continue with the following tax reductions:
· On Jan. 1, Manitoba’s corporate tax rate will be lowered to 14 per cent.
· The small business tax will be lowered to three per cent, taking it from the second-highest to the second-lowest rate in Canada.
· On Jan. 1, the middle-income tax rate will be lowered once again to 13 per cent, a 22 per cent cut since 1999.
· Seniors will be allowed to split eligible pension income when calculating their provincial income tax saving pensioners an estimated $11 million annually.
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