Highlights from BC Speech from the Throne
February 17, 2019
Earlier this week, Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin delivered the Speech from the Throne, setting out the Government of British Columbia’s priorities for the new session of the Legislative Assembly.
Below are some highlights of interest to the Canadian library and information management community:
Education
Your government has invested more than $900 million to build, expand, and upgrade schools, and purchase land for future schools in growing communities. Since September 2017, B.C. has approved 24 seismic upgrade projects, with one-third of all projects completed or underway.
Many students in B.C. are enjoying smaller class sizes, with the hiring of 3,700 new teachers, including special education teachers, teacher psychologists and counsellors.
Government is supporting Indigenous learners by implementing a new First Nations history curriculum and developing full-course offerings in Indigenous languages.
And government is making sure schools are welcoming and inclusive by expanding anti-bullying programs and making sure all school districts have resources for mental health and wellness, and sexual orientation and gender identity.
Higher Education
B.C. students are struggling with the costs of a higher education. To help ease the pressure, this government reduced the student loan interest rate by 2.5% in 2017. Budget 2019 will help make life a little easier for B.C. students.
Heritage
Government will modernize the Royal BC Museum, to protect its historic holdings and provide better access to its collections. Government will also establish a new Chinese Canadian Museum, to honour the community’s significant contributions to our province.
Internet
Connectivity opens doors to new opportunities for every person in B.C. Our government is helping connect people in rural or remote communities through high-speed internet. People in 190 rural and remote communities, including 69 Indigenous communities, will soon have more bandwidth to run their business, access public services and connect to the world.
Mental Health and Addiction
The overdose emergency is the worst public-health crisis in our province’s history. By the end of this day, four people in B.C. will have died from a poisoned, illegal drug supply.
It is difficult, and it is heartbreaking. But there is also hope. Your government is working to save lives by expanding harm reduction, increasing access to Naloxone, addressing the unsafe drug supply, and connecting people to life-saving supports, including treatment and recovery. More resources have been allocated to law enforcement to control the criminal elements fuelling this crisis.
We must not lose sight of services for people living with mental illness, particularly young people. Your government is creating an integrated, province-wide network of health and social services for youth, including Foundry wellness centres.
These vital services are all part of B.C.’s actions to help people living with mental health and addictions challenges, where every door is the right door on the path to recovery and healing.
Reconciliation
This year, government has begun working with First Nations to make sure they are full participants in decision-making that affect their rights and lands. B.C. will be the first province in Canada to introduce legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, legislation co-developed with the First Nations Leadership Council and other Indigenous organizations.
This legislation will form the foundation for the Province’s work on reconciliation, mandating government to bring provincial laws and policies into harmony with the Declaration.
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