Address of The Honourable Hilary M. Weston Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Ontario on the opening of The Second Session of the Thirty-Seventh Parliament of the Province of Ontario April 19, 2001

21 Steps Into the 21st Century Removing Barriers to Jobs, Investment and Growth Paying Down Debt Smaller Government More Efficient Government Improved Customer Service and E-Government Preparing for the New Economy Promoting Growth Among All Regions and Industries Holding the Broad Public Sector Accountable to Taxpayers Smart Growth Flexibility and Choice in Education High Education Standards and Performance-Based Accountability Giving Our Children the Best Start in Life Post-Secondary Access for Each Qualified Student Ensuring a Skilled Workforce National Leadership in Health Care Reform Improving Health Services Protecting Environmental Health and Safety Helping People Off Welfare and Into Jobs Enhancing Community Safety and Victims’ Rights Equal Opportunity for All Citizens Parliamentary Reform Members of the Legislative Assembly, citizens of Ontario: Welcome to the 2nd Session of Ontario’s 37th Parliament. Today, on Yom HaShoah, we pause to remember victims of the Holocaust. We join citizens around the world in pledging, "Never again." Since the Assembly last met, Ontario has lost three distinguished public servants. Ellen MacKinnon, the first female legislator from Lambton County, cared deeply about our education system and devoted herself to building a better society. Wilf Spooner was an accomplished cabinet minister whose commitment to the people of the North, including residents of his hometown, Timmins, earned him the nickname "Mr. Northern Ontario." The sudden loss of Al Palladini reminded us how fragile human life is. We remember his sense of humour, love of life, compassion for others and desire to give back to a country that gave him so much. He will be missed. Those who have gone before provide the inspiration to move forward and build a brighter future for all. Since 1995, your government’s plan to improve the lives of Ontario families has been consistent and clear. The plan is to strengthen the economy by cutting taxes, reducing red tape and eliminating barriers to economic growth. Your government’s goal is ambitious, yet achievable: that within 10 years Ontario will enjoy the best-performing economy and the highest quality of life in North America. Economic strength and quality of life are inseparable. Only a strong economy provides the means to support important services such as accessible health care and quality education. Only a strong economy supports assistance for children, the elderly and the most vulnerable in our society. Only a strong economy offers hard-working families the promise of a better life. The plan is working. The people of Ontario have seized new opportunities, yielding remarkable results: More than 822,000 new jobs. More than 578,000 people escaped welfare. In the last two years, Ontario’s economy outperformed that of each G-7 nation … growth unseen since 1985. The successes of yesterday do not, however, obscure the challenges of today. Ontario faces real and pressing tests. The world economy is changing at a rapid pace. Local economies that fail to adapt or cannot compete will be left behind. Responsible choices must be made if our province is to remain competitive and strong. Amid global uncertainty and change, the provincial economy continues to grow, but slowly. Responsible choices are required to keep the economy growing, and to determine spending priorities among competing demands that in total would far exceed the growth in revenue. Health care spending has increased at a dramatic pace: 27 per cent in five years, 19 per cent in the past two years alone. Yet spending does not equate to quality. Is Ontario’s health care system 19 per cent better than two years ago? The United States and Canada lead the world in health spending; do they lead the world in health care? To increase spending without improving quality is unwise. To increase spending unsupported by economic growth is unsustainable. In recent years, even as Ontario’s "red hot" economy grew at an historic pace, health spending grew faster. At the current rate of increase, within five years health spending would consume 60 per cent of the Ontario government’s operating budget ¾ up from 44 per cent today and 38 per cent since the government was first elected. Other provinces face the same challenges. In Saskatchewan, government health care spending is projected to increase faster than government revenue, leading to a gap of $300 million at the end of four years. In Nova Scotia, within 10 years, rising health costs could consume the entire provincial government budget. Responsible choices and tough decisions are needed not merely to sustain, but quite literally to save, Canada’s health care system. To meet all the challenges of the 21st century, your government has chosen to focus on three priorities: Growth; Fiscal Responsibility; and Accountability. Growth ¾ growth in the economy, growth in jobs ¾ remains your government’s top priority. It will act with speed and conviction, pursuing a pro-growth agenda that will protect jobs, keep families financially secure and maintain the strength of all communities. Sustained growth is essential to protect the gains that have been made. Sustained growth is essential to continued support for health care, education and other services that people depend on. Fiscal responsibility begins with the prudent use of tax dollars ¾ a focus on priorities such as health care, education, environmental protection and infrastructure. Fiscal responsibility requires that everything government does, it does efficiently, while offering citizens best value at lowest cost. Yet it also demands that government make clear choices about what it cannot and should not do. The principle of "doing better for less" is important, but it only applies to functions government should perform in the first place. Accountability is required, not just of Ontario’s government, but of all governments and indeed of all institutions funded by taxpayers. Government is the servant of the people, not master. Citizens are more than "customers" or "clients"; the entire public sector belongs to them. Citizens are entitled to transparency in the operation of public institutions, including openness about how they spend and reporting of their performance and results. Growth, fiscal responsibility and accountability: These priorities underlie an action plan outlining the new ideas and decisive steps essential to protect the economy and sustain Ontario’s quality of life. An action plan of 21 steps leading into the 21st century. The first part of the action plan is presented in this speech. The remainder will be outlined in a series of daily announcements, culminating in the provincial budget, May 9. The steps of the plan are clear and measurable, allowing citizens to hold their government accountable for its commitments. The government will provide regular progress reports to the people and the legislature.. A new task force will measure and monitor Ontario’s productivity, competitiveness and economic progress compared to other provinces and the U.S. states. The independent task force, led by Roger Martin, Dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management and one of Canada’s leading experts on competitiveness, will report to the public on a regular basis.