He said: “Canadians have told us they want a real and fair chance at success”. “Canada succeeds in large part because here, diverse perspectives and different opinions are celebrated, not silenced”.
Advertisement
The throne speech was read by Gov. Gen. David Johnston in the Senate, as MPs and senators crowded into the chamber, accompanied by dozens of guests ranging from citizens and diplomats to former prime ministers Jean Chrétien, John Turner and Joe Clark.
Spelling out priorities, the speech began with the economy and the Liberals’ promised tax cut for the middle class. Those cuts – and a promised tax hike on those making more than $200,000 a year – could be the first order of business next week when Parliament sits for a brief pre-Christmas session, though the tax hike was not mentioned. Rather, it promised more generally to produce “a fiscal plan that is responsible, transparent and suited to challenging economic times”.
The tone was the substance in this Throne Speech.
The speech said the government would create a new “nation-to-nation relationship” with indigenous peoples.
Trudeau’s win in October effectively ended conservatives’ hold on the government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to address a special chiefs assembly in Ottawa next Tuesday hosted by the Assembly of First Nations.
After years of sharp partisanship in the House of Commons, the government says that trust in public institutions, including Parliament, has been “compromised”.
The speech did not specifically reiterate Trudeau’s promise to run deficits of no more than $10 billion over the next three years and produce a surplus in the final year of his mandate. The promise to legalize marijuana was one of Mr. Trudeau’s (Papineau, Que.) promises that pre-dated the election campaign.
Government will promote open debate, as well as reform and strengthen committees.
“We saw no mention of the agricultural sector, no mention of the auto sector, no mention of the energy sector”, said Ambrose.
“If you’re not prepared to actually name the threat how are you prepared to take the fight to the threat”, she said. The government promised to “legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana”. “I would still be very concerned about how they would structure regulations that will keep it out of the hands of youth”.
In a statement after the throne speech, Mr. Trudeau said the government’s agenda was developed by Canadians and also reflects their priorities.
New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair praised several elements but said some pledges were missing, for example, the promise to restore door-to-door postal delivery.
Advertisement
The Liberals have also indicated that they may revisit the Conservative’s response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on prostitution, which decriminalizes prostitution but makes it illegal for people to pay for sex.
