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Provincial government's throne speech outlines direction

Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons pleased with province's focus
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MAKES PLANS: Powell River – Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons was in the provincial legislature for the government’s throne speech, which sets direction for the coming legislative session.

British Columbia’s throne speech highlights the government’s commitment to helping people on a number of fronts and helping to outline a recovery from the effects of the pandemic, according to Powell River–Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons.

After delivery of the throne speech by lieutenant governor Janet Austin, April 12, Simons said the speech outlines the government’s imperative to ensure people have access to good public health care and that the system is equipped to address needs of the communities. He said another theme of the throne speech was that the government would be making investments that continue to ensure there is a strong foundation for rebuilding parts of the economy that have been hurt the most during the pandemic.

“I don’t think anyone was surprised by the perspective and the direction,” said Simons. “A lot of people will be waiting for the [April 20] budget to hear some of the specifics.

“Overall, the focus of the throne speech was getting past the current challenges and focusing on strengthening our communities. The throne speech outlines the general themes we’ll see reflected in the budget and the budget is more of the blueprint as opposed to the front cover page.”

Simons said the government’s direction outlined in the throne speech includes a combination of capital investment and infrastructure, and people will hear more in the budget about investing in communities. He said it’s important that the investments the province makes reflect the needs of the individual communities.

“We’re happy to see investments where we need them,” said Simons. “I’ve seen some important investments in arts and culture and in tourism and recreation on the Sunshine Coast.”

Simons said it’s clear the throne speech addressed the need to make plans for the safe and strong return to balanced budgets. He said the government has had to make difficult choices.

“My hope is the throne speech reflects the priorities of the province and in that regard I was pleased with what I heard the lieutenant governor announce,” said Simons.

According to a media release from premier John Horgan, the provincial government will table a budget next week that focuses on helping people now and creating the conditions for a strong economic recovery that reaches every British Columbian. The premier stated the coming budget will make health care better, while creating new opportunities for people, target help to businesses so they can grow and hire, and make record investments in infrastructure to create jobs and strengthen local communities.

“The focus of our government from day one has been to put people first,” stated Horgan. “When the pandemic struck, that focus did not waver. We moved quickly to provide relief for renters, middle-class families, hard-hit businesses and the most vulnerable. But we know that while we are all in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat. There is much more to do to ensure people don’t get left behind as we recover.”

The throne speech acknowledged that many people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, the premier stated. He added that in the year ahead, government will take concrete actions to make housing and child care more affordable, expand support for mental health care, and tackle inequality and discrimination – building on work underway before the pandemic struck.