TORONTO - Students, seniors, low-income families and Ontario's First Nations were all singled out for special attention Thursday as the Liberal government kicked off the fall session of the legislature with its first speech from the throne since last month's election win.
New Lt.-Gov. David Onley read the speech on behalf of the government, which promised to boost education spending to $15.5 billion by 2011 -- an increase of $3.1 billion a year -- and to give college and university students a $300 grant each year for books and technology.
The Liberal speech also outlined a plan to establish government targets for reducing poverty, including a $45-million dental plan for low-income families.
"A new cabinet committee will begin work developing poverty indicators and targets and a focused strategy for making clear-cut progress on reducing child poverty,'' Onley said as he delivered the speech in a packed legislative chamber.
Anti-poverty activists were encouraged to see the Liberals focus on the issue, but said they were disappointed "there wasn't a little more flesh on the bones'' of the government's strategy.
"We would've liked to have heard commitment to a consultation process throughout the province over the next six months, to get public input, particularly the voice of low-income people,'' said Jacquie Maund of Campaign 2000.
The New Democrats complained the throne speech failed to address manufacturing and forestry job losses, and said the poverty agenda was inadequate and a pledge to help aboriginals too vague.
"There is no concrete measure, like an immediate $10 minimum wage to fight poverty,'' said NDP Leader Howard Hampton, citing one of the key planks of his party's campaign platform.
There is a poverty strategy that is hungry for details. There is a First Nations plan that is platitudes without a plan.''
Two of the throne speech's 13 pages were devoted to aboriginal affairs as the government, which has wrestled with how to resolve a native occupation in Caledonia, Ont., that's nearly two years old, vowed to forge more positive links with First Nations and to help create jobs for aboriginal youth.
"We are reaching out to our First Ontarians; for the first time the government is doing that in a real and meaningful way,'' Premier Dalton McGuinty said afterwards.
"For too many generations now, we have not moved in lockstep, arm-in-arm with our First Nations.''
The Liberals also promised to trim climate-change emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2014, and introduce legislation that would reduce toxins in the environment and ban the cosmetic use of pesticides on lawns -- moves hailed by environmentalists and given cautious approval by Green party Leader Frank de Jong.
"I was glad to hear (climate change) was mentioned,'' de Jong said. "I'm glad Ontario has committed to the Kyoto targets, but I'd like to see the mechanism'' to achieve those cuts in emissions.
The Liberals said they would expand their wait-times strategy to include emergency room visits, children's surgery and general surgery, and also plan legislation to ban trans fats from school cafeterias.
Ontario's current generation of children may be the first in a long time to have shorter lifespans than their parents, McGuinty warned.
"We've taken junk food out of our schools. We've made physical activity mandatory in elementary schools,'' he said. "The commitment we've now made is to take trans fats out of our cafeterias and to develop a plan to make sure that our kids are more active beyond elementary schools.''
The government also promised to broaden home care services for seniors and introduce a caregiver grant for those caring for elderly family members.
A new $165-million Ontario venture capital fund and a richer Northern Development fund -- $100 million, up from $60 million -- are also in the works.
The throne speech also called on the federal government to be fair to Ontario in its fiscal policies, especially the Employment Insurance system, and to offer more federal support for the province's workers.
"We could do more together in forestry, in manufacturing, in farming and in investments in infrastructure,'' said McGuinty.
"The fundamentals are right: we've got a balanced budget and a growing economy . . . but there are some real challenges.''
Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said McGuinty needs to do more to stop the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs in Ontario.
"The best anti-poverty measure is a secure job,'' Tory said. "Ontario's economy is just like the Toronto Maple Leafs: the players are doing their best but the management here at Queen's Park just can't get it right.''
Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion said she was pleased the province will also start paying for some services that the previous Conservative government downloaded onto municipalities.
"They have started uploading -- they're not doing it fast enough and I hope that the budget will move it more quickly.''
