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Premier's Speeches
Remarks for Premier Rodney MacDonald
State of the Province
Westin Nova Scotia Hotel, Commonwealth Room
November 29, 2006
Thank you, Mark, and thanks to MT&L for your commitment to this event over the past 12 years. It is my pleasure to join the Halifax Chamber of Commerce for my first State of the Province Address.
The notion of leaving our province a little better for those that follow us is not simply a cliche; it is something I believe passionately. I believe we live in the best province in the country and the best country in the world. I am proud of our history and culture, our ties to the land and to the sea, our belief in hard work and our entrepreneurial spirit.
I wanted to be premier of this province for a specific reason: to build on our strengths to create a better, new Nova Scotia.
So what does this mean, creating a new Nova Scotia? The new Nova Scotia will be a place where every child gets an education that prepares him or her for the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities of adulthood.
The new Nova Scotia will be a place that is recognized as a leader in creating economic opportunities in technology, innovation and environmental industries.
The new Nova Scotia will be a place that attracts and welcomes immigrants, a place that beckons home our friends and relatives (who have dispersed across the country) because the opportunities they left for are now available at home.
Creating the new Nova Scotia also means recognizing the significant challenges ahead of us, and planning to meet these challenges with creativity and foresight. Let me raise two specific challenges: our aging population and the need to create opportunities here at home for young Nova Scotians.
The government I lead knows that the answer to both these challenges is the same: we must grow our economy.
The key to securing Nova Scotia’s future prosperity lies in making smart investments that will create the jobs for which Nova Scotians will stay and for which they will return home—and create the revenues we need to maintain quality programs.
The new Nova Scotia will have the winning conditions for success; where Nova Scotia is a leader in creating economic opportunity; and where healthy, active people live in safe and vibrant communities.
A tall order, perhaps, but one that is within our reach because we are already part way there. We have five consecutive balanced budgets, significant down payments on the debt, improved credit ratings, and lower taxes.
More of us are working than ever before. Consumer spending (a sure measure of that confidence) is up, and economic growth is expected to continue its steady pace into 2007.
We are part way there because we have more than 1,400 information technology firms; almost 2,400 researchers in leading-edge life sciences; 11 first-rate universities and a community college system that is second to none; and, according to KPMG, four of the 10 best places in Canada to do business.
That’s a great start, and my government is ready, willing and excited to take Nova Scotia’s advantages to the next level.
In fact, we’re well on our way to doing it. Last week my government announced investments in three major financial services companies that will lead to almost 1,000 well-paid jobs in Nova Scotia. I welcome to our province—I know all of us here do.
These companies are all major players in the financial services industry. They could have taken these jobs anywhere, but they didn’t go just anywhere—they chose Nova Scotia. And, my friends, there are more good news announcements on the way.
Of course, to be successful, you need to focus on what you want. I want Nova Scotia to be known as a world leader in information technology industries. IT doesn’t just mean the computer on your desk, the BlackBerry on your hip, or the IPod head phones in your teenager’s ears.
IT is also a means to keep business competitive: from the latest sonars and fish-finders that allow fishermen to increase their catches, to manufacturing lead-free circuit boards.
Technology knows only one direction—forward. More precisely, it is in information technology that the winning conditions of the new Nova Scotia will be set. It is critical that all Nova Scotians, no matter where they live, share these winning conditions. That is why we need to expand broadband Internet coverage to all parts of Nova Scotia.
Many Nova Scotians living outside the bigger towns and cities are at a distinct disadvantage because they do not have broadband Internet service. I expect most of you in this room cannot imagine your world without high speed Internet. It’s there, it’s taken for granted, and it is a critical part of your organization.
Yet, there are more than 140,000 Nova Scotians who can only imagine a world where a fast, efficient Internet connection is taken for granted. No matter how resourceful a business person you are, it is difficult to compete in the web-based retail world when your Internet service consists of a screechy dial-up connection.
Our 66 schools without broadband are at a distinct disadvantage to those that do. The Internet is a vast resource of knowledge and information for students, but only if you can access it.
In Nova Scotia, we do not have room for second-class schools or second-class opportunities for our communities—not on my watch.
Expanding our broadband Internet access is as important to our society in 2006 as electrification was in 1936. For this reason, I am committing to you today that by the end of 2009 all Nova Scotians, no matter where they live, will have 100 per cent coverage.
This is just one of the investments we will make to create the new Nova Scotia. Over the weeks and months ahead of us, my government will be faced with many choices. My commitment to you and to all Nova Scotians is that the choices we make will be grounded in what advances the creation of the new Nova Scotia.
Our choices will help make Nova Scotia a world leader in information technology. If a choice does not advance this goal, the answer will be a loud and clear “NO”.
The choices we do make will be those that allow us to invest in creating the winning conditions for prosperity, to seize new economic opportunity, and help us build active, vibrant and healthy communities for Nova Scotians.
This is why we are proud to support the bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Halifax. It's our chance to welcome the world, show what we're made of, and use the games and new facilities as a means to a healthier, more active Nova Scotia.
When I use the term “invest”, I do so quite deliberately. These will be true investments in opportunities that will continue to pay long-term dividends for years to come.
One such opportunity is to develop Nova Scotia as North America's Atlantic gateway. Among our many blessings is that geography and the Suez Canal combine to make us the continent's closest mainland entry port to Europe and southern Asia. The same can be said for our world-class airport and, yes, even our time zone for doing business around the world.
Geography has dealt us the basis of a winning hand, it is now up to us to make the most of it and ensure the Atlantic gateway is developed right here in Nova Scotia. As I said in Ottawa last month, the question is will it be developed here in Canada or in the United States?
Gateway is one of those once-in-a-generation opportunities to create a lasting and profound impact on the economic future of our region: faster delivery of goods throughout the world, thousands of new jobs. It is simply an opportunity I am not prepared to let slip by!
No one should regard this as a local or provincial or even a regional project. It is a national project that will be good for Canada. I applaud Prime Minister Harper for his support of Canada’s Pacific gateway, and I look forward to his leadership in establishing the Atlantic gateway here in Nova Scotia, which needs to begin with a multi-year agreement for our transportation corridors and highway system.
I have two top priorities in our relationship with the federal government—gateway is one, and the other is fixing the fiscal imbalance that exists within Canada.
One of the great characteristics of our democracy is that (after this speech) commentators and critics will have their own interpretation of what I’ve just said.
I fully expect you will hear things like: “Where was health care?" "Where was education?" "A 20 minute speech and the premier didn’t say a word about improving health care or education.”
Well, that this wasn’t a speech about health care reform doesn’t mean that excellence in health care isn’t important. Same thing for education. In fact, the reason we need to create the new Nova Scotia is precisely because health care and education are so important. In order to pay for these key areas, we need to strengthen our base, grow our revenues and plan for the future. That’s what creating the new Nova Scotia is all about.
It's about providing excellence.
There is another aspect of Nova Scotia that I wish to address with you today. It is a feature of our society that I believe is critically important. I’m speaking about the state of democracy in our province.
For years, Nova Scotians could always take great pride in the strength of our democracy. If voter turnout is any indication, and I believe it is, we must replace that pride with worry and concern. In the June 7, 1960, provincial election (when getting to the polls was considerably more difficult than it is today) 82 per cent of the electorate voted.
Forty six years and six days later, just 60 per cent of Nova Scotians exercised the right. I am most concerned about the trend here, in Halifax County. In the June 13 election, no riding in Halifax County had more than 59 per cent turnout and two ridings had less than 50 per cent.
The right to vote is something so many people throughout history have fought and died for. And today, we have young men and women in uniform fighting for democracy much the same as our veterans did years ago. My friends, these young men and women deserve our thanks for putting their lives on the line, each and every day, for us and for freedom throughout the world.
We cannot take for granted what they do, nor can we take for granted the democracy they are fighting to promote and protect.
The state of our democracy is the responsibility of each and every Nova Scotian. If you have a child, it is your responsibility. If you care about the economy, health care, education or any other issue, it is your responsibility.
While the state of our democracy is the responsibility of each and every Nova Scotian, it is fair to expect government to lead the debate on how to rekindle the fire. This is why last month I urged senators to support federal legislation that would limit the terms of senators to eight years and see an elected senate.
Secondly, my government has put forward legislation to reform campaign financing. This is good, balanced legislation that can only help the state of democracy in Nova Scotia.
And finally, the Legislature is forming a Select Committee on Participation in the Democratic Process, which will travel the province during the next several months to gather public input. We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to reverse the current trend.
The official name of this event is “The State of the Province”. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the province of Nova Scotia is strong. And on my watch, it will get stronger. It's about taking bold steps. Not letting any opportunity to pass us by. And creating the new Nova Scotia, together.
Thank you so much.