New Governor General Mary Simon’s Speech from the Throne was different from that of just over a year ago. While a trumpeting interventionism marked the speech of September 2020, considerably longer, the last opus appears very pale in comparison. It is certainly the continuation of the first, but in a lessened, almost wise way.
In health, for example, the term “new national standards”, a sort of show of force against certain provinces, including Quebec, has disappeared. However, we cannot deduce from this that the Trudeau government has abandoned its desire to intrude into this area of jurisdiction. But he seems less inclined to shout it from the rooftops.
Because the rhetoric remains vague in this regard, the Legault government cannot breathe a sigh of relief. If the tone is different, the aims are the same. “To build a better future, we must strengthen our health care system,” as if there was only one in Canada. “There is work to be done. In terms of accessibility, care in rural communities, postponed surgeries, mental health and addiction. Long-term care. And data collections, ”recited the Governor General, an enumeration that suggests targeted funding with accountability rather than an increase in the federal health transfer.
In economic matters, the Trudeau government is as satisfied as it was last year with the state of public finances. But now the specter of inflation appears on its radar screen. Singularly, it responds with two measures already implemented, the construction of affordable housing and its $ 10 per day child care program, two areas which, by the way, come under the jurisdiction of the provinces.
To support the economy, the Trudeau government intends to further increase the number of immigrants admitted to the country. There would be a lot to say about this strategy that makes Canada the world champion in this area. This excessive use, while it necessarily increases the size of the economy, does not help increase the standard of living of the population and, it goes without saying, reduce inflationary pressures. What is more, while federal officials block the arrival of French-speaking foreign students in Quebec while opening the floodgates for English-speaking students, the Trudeau government is striving to reduce the demographic weight of Quebecers in Canada as a whole. This is reminiscent of the systematic policies of previous centuries to drown the French-speaking presence in the Dominion.
For the most part, the Trudeau government is picking up where it left off. As promised, he will introduce a bill to strengthen the Official Languages Act. In the meantime, the Governor General, who does not speak French but who makes an effort, tells us (the translation is not ours): “Listen to the many voices that speak a multitude of languages and that shape our country. “