(Ottawa) More than two months after the election, the real kick-off for parliamentary work was given by the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, who delivered a Speech from the Throne revolving mainly around the fight to end against COVID-19.
His first words were in Inuktitut, his mother tongue. They were dedicated to recalling the recent discoveries of hundreds of anonymous graves of children who perished under the residential school system, and to the theme of reconciliation.
“Bet on collaboration and listen to each other,” she pleaded in three languages - yes, Mary Simon, who doesn’t speak French but has promised to learn it, said a few sentences in the language of Molière. She did so by sticking to the text, and very hesitantly.
The “top priority”, insisted Mary Simon, remains the control of the pandemic, and “for that, vaccination is the best tool,” she said, while the immunization campaign for children aged 5 to 11 years old is about to get started.
Because “putting an end to the pandemic” is “the best thing to do for the economy”, she explained.
The progress made in this area has been notable since the last Speech from the Throne, read just over a year ago by Julie Payette, whose reign at Rideau Hall ended in disgrace. “We trust science to lead the fight until an effective and safe vaccine is available,” proclaimed the one who resigned last January.
Nearly 90% of the Canadian population aged 12 and over is now vaccinated. But with the economic recovery came another obstacle: the rise in the price level. A phenomenon that the Conservative Party has made a hobbyhorse – Finance critic Pierre Poilievre devoted a press briefing to it on Tuesday, before the Speech from the Throne.
The Liberal government’s response, from Mary Simon: “Inflation is a global challenge. And while Canada’s performance is better than that of many of our partners, we must continue to fight the rising cost of living. The government’s plan in this regard includes two priorities: housing and childcare ”.
The fight against climate change also has pride of place in this speech delivered to a sparse audience, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Richard Wagner, in the new Senate building. from Canada.
“By focusing on innovation, good green jobs, and working with like-minded countries, we will build a more resilient, more sustainable and more competitive economy,” said the Governor General, as she watched. her husband Whit Fraser.
And as the specter of American protectionism hangs over the Canadian auto industry, with the Biden administration’s intention to offer tax credits for zero-emission vehicles assembled in the United States, the Governor General has signaled that Canada’s prosperity depended heavily on “the strength and resilience of our supply chains” and “open trade”.
Health, conversion therapy, firearms …
The government of Justin Trudeau having already displayed its colors for the return to parliamentary session – it had, after all, more than two months to do so – several elements of this speech are not surprising: we promise to help sectors still undermined by the pandemic, to reintroduce the bill to ban conversion therapy, and to protect healthcare workers.
The specific question of health transfers is not there.
At most, we are content to commit ourselves to “working with the provinces and territories to obtain results that meet the needs of Canadians”, in terms of accessibility, postponed surgeries or even mental health and addiction.
These priorities, as crucial as they are, must not overshadow other issues, said the Governor General in her speech, which was attended by a handful of MPs from all parties who walked the few meters on Wellington Street that separate the West Block of that of the Senate of Canada, in parliamentary shuttles.
Issues like the scourge of gun violence.
“Gun violence is on the rise in several major cities. While we invest in prevention and support the work of law enforcement, we must also continue to strengthen gun control, ”she argued.
“The government will now introduce measures such as the mandatory buy-back of already banned assault weapons and move forward with provinces and territories that want to ban handguns,” added Mr.me Simon.
She concluded on a note of hope: “The decade is still young. With compassion, courage and determination, we can correct his bad start ”.