The Liberals have said they will cut the taxes on income earned between $44,701 and $89,401 to 20.5 per cent from 22 per cent while increasing taxes on the top 1 per cent of earners.
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“We will undertake these and other initiatives while pursuing a responsible and transparent fiscal plan suited to challenging economic times”.
The speech said the government would create a new “nation-to-nation relationship” with indigenous peoples, saying it was a path to economic growth.
“As this new Parliament begins its work, PSAC will be holding the Liberal government accountable to act quickly on its commitments to uphold labour rights”, she said.
The speech did not address another security-related campaign promise, however, to repeal controversial aspects of the anti-terrorism legislation that was brought in by the previous Conservative government.
He said: “Canadians have told us they want a real and fair chance at success”.
On marijuana, the throne speech promised that the Liberal government “will legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana”.
The gathering that falls a week ahead of the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission probing Canada’s dark residential school legacy.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gives a thumbs-up before the Speech from the Throne in the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015.
In his address, Trudeau also pledged to increase spending on public transit and to reform Canada’s “first-past-the-post voting system”, which now allots seats in parliament based on hundreds of district elections, conceivably allowing a party to win a majority of the votes while still falling short of a majority in the legislature.
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.
Promises to enhance the Canada Pension Plan and the employment insurance system were reiterated Friday, as well as the government’s commitment to support veterans and develop a new health accord with the provinces and territories.
“I think the speech from the throne just formalizes the work plan of this government over the next year and this certainly has been a high priority on that list”, he said.
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Cumberland-Colchester MP Bill Casey acknowledged there were few surprises in the speech but called the Liberal plan an ambitious one.
