Heavy on rhetoric, light on details
Speech from the Throne in Ottawa makes many promises to Northerners
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Updated Monday, October 21, 2013
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Canada's North was highlighted several times on Oct. 16 as Governor General David Johnston read the Speech from the Throne to open the second session of the 41st Parliament of Canada. However, the speech fell short of making new commitments to Northern people or providing new funds for Northern projects.
Throne speech commitments
- A balanced budget by 2015
- New legislation requiring federal government to keep a balanced budget
- 25 per cent debt to GDP ratio by 2021.
- Freeze overall operating budget and hiring
- Temporary Foreign Worker Program reform
- Complete a free trade agreement with the European Union.
- Create an Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act to allow trans-provincial and territorial boundary crossing with alcohol
- Enshrine the Polluter Pay Principle into law
- One-for-one rule enshrined in law that will require one regulation be taken away for every new regulation imposed on businesses
- Require cable providers to unbundle packages
- Reform election laws.
Source: 2013 Throne Speech
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Developing natural resources was a common theme, as was surmounting a "lack of infrastructure" that threatens to "strand these resources" - alluding to the construction of controversial pipelines to the west coast of British Columbia, or potentially up the Mackenzie Valley.
The speech also committed to training Northerners for the resource-development jobs that are coming.
"Our government recognizes that the future prosperity of the North requires responsible development of its abundant natural resources," read Johnston.
"Northerners must benefit from this treasure. Our government will work alongside Inuit, First Nations, territorial governments and industry to ensure that Northerners are well trained to take their place in this new economy."
Leona Aglukkaq, Environment Minister and the Conservative MP for Nunavut, gave News/North more specifics on job training, saying the federal government has committed $27 million nationally for adult basic education, and during the annual Northern tour, the establishment of a mobile training centre in partnership with Yukon College was announced.
A devolution implementation bill is expected to be presented to the House of Commons sometime in the near future. When asked when Northerners can expect this bill to come forward, Aglukkaq could not offer details but said the Conservative party is committed to transferring power over lands and resources to the GNWT on April 1, 2014.
Still, the implementation bill has to go through due process, including a debate before committee.
"I think Northerners should know that our government will be supporting the historic devolution agreement with the Northwest Territories - that the Northwest Territories want," said Aglukkaq before alluding that the bill will face opposition by Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington.
"Northerners should know that Conservatives are very supportive of that but the member of parliament for the NDP may not be supporting that, so that's what they should be watching out for."
Bevington told News/North that he has definite concerns with the devolution implementation bill.
He could not comment on the specifics of the bill before it is officially tabled, but said he would be concerned if it included sweeping changes to the NWT Act that had not been discussed with Northerners.
"While devolution has some opportunities with it, it also may not be the panacea that both the territorial government and the federal government are promising in terms of the authority and control," he said.
In terms of the implications for the North, Bevington said the government fell short of making clear commitments and opted to re-announce projects that have already received federal investment.
Also, there was absolutely no mention of global warming or melting permafrost and sea ice, which he found troubling.
"Our government remains committed to taking action to address climate change," Aglukkaq responded.
"We are taking actions that are actually achieving results. The approach that we have taken is we are moving on a sector-by-sector approach."
So far, changes have been applied to the transportation sector and efforts have been made to reduce the amount of energy from coal, she said.
The next sector that will see an overhaul to emissions standards will be the oil and gas industries, she said, pointing to promises in the throne speech to revamp regulations for those industries.
