Something old and nothing new: The 2013 Throne Speech
Chances are you didn't hear much in the
news about what's supposed to be a major
landmark in every government's time in
office — the throne speech. The speech takes
place every time a new session of parliament
is about to begin and sets the direction for
the government throughout that session. The
speech is written by the government of the
day and communicated through the
Governor General, David Johnston, to symbolize
the Queen's approval, which still matters
for some reason.
The throne speech was delivered on October 16 in Ottawa and despite the teasers handed down by various Conservatives in the week(s) prior, the address failed to deliver on very many consumer issues. In fact, the vast majority of commitments made were announced months ago including immigration reform and the Canada Jobs Grant. Other topics like the unbundling of cable channels and revised roaming charges aren't even government territory as they fall under the jurisdiction of the independent body the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, which is already purportedly taking action to protect consumer interests.
Potentially the most misleading statement was concerning the provision of safe food for Canadian families. “Our Safe Food for Canadians Act was a significant milestone in strengthening Canada's world-class food safety system,” was one of the lines in the speech. Despite Canada's “world-class” food safety system, Health Canada has issued five warnings about contaminated beef this month on the heels of last year's announcement that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would no longer be inspecting food products to confirm their ingredient lists. Factor in $56 million in cutbacks to the agency since 2011 and the largest food product recall in Canadian History last fall, and you can't help but wonder how loose they're being with the term “world class.”
Predictably, the throne speech touted the Conservative government's track record of fiscal responsibility and renewed their promise to eliminate the federal deficit by 2015. In addition to the endless comparisons of the government to a well-functioning household, the speech addressed the Conservative plan to shrink the federal work force, which employs over a quarter-million people, and alluded to salary reform in the public service. In a stroke of irony, the address bragged about Canada's number-one ranking of G7 countries for funding university research, while the University of Regina is under fire for several major financial blunders, including a new million-dollar sign and a wildly over-budget residence project.
While it's not uncommon for the throne speech to be objectively quite bland, it was surprisingly selective by failing to address the hot-button issue of airlines bumping passengers, as Conservatives had intimated it would. The length, vagueness, and self-congratulatory nature of the whole affair epitomized why Canadians don't think the government is listening. What used to be a barometer for the agenda on Parliament Hill has become an hour-long lecture during which public servants making north of six-figures try to look interested, because it's being broadcast on live TV.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The throne speech was delivered on October 16 in Ottawa and despite the teasers handed down by various Conservatives in the week(s) prior, the address failed to deliver on very many consumer issues. In fact, the vast majority of commitments made were announced months ago including immigration reform and the Canada Jobs Grant. Other topics like the unbundling of cable channels and revised roaming charges aren't even government territory as they fall under the jurisdiction of the independent body the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, which is already purportedly taking action to protect consumer interests.
Potentially the most misleading statement was concerning the provision of safe food for Canadian families. “Our Safe Food for Canadians Act was a significant milestone in strengthening Canada's world-class food safety system,” was one of the lines in the speech. Despite Canada's “world-class” food safety system, Health Canada has issued five warnings about contaminated beef this month on the heels of last year's announcement that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would no longer be inspecting food products to confirm their ingredient lists. Factor in $56 million in cutbacks to the agency since 2011 and the largest food product recall in Canadian History last fall, and you can't help but wonder how loose they're being with the term “world class.”
Predictably, the throne speech touted the Conservative government's track record of fiscal responsibility and renewed their promise to eliminate the federal deficit by 2015. In addition to the endless comparisons of the government to a well-functioning household, the speech addressed the Conservative plan to shrink the federal work force, which employs over a quarter-million people, and alluded to salary reform in the public service. In a stroke of irony, the address bragged about Canada's number-one ranking of G7 countries for funding university research, while the University of Regina is under fire for several major financial blunders, including a new million-dollar sign and a wildly over-budget residence project.
While it's not uncommon for the throne speech to be objectively quite bland, it was surprisingly selective by failing to address the hot-button issue of airlines bumping passengers, as Conservatives had intimated it would. The length, vagueness, and self-congratulatory nature of the whole affair epitomized why Canadians don't think the government is listening. What used to be a barometer for the agenda on Parliament Hill has become an hour-long lecture during which public servants making north of six-figures try to look interested, because it's being broadcast on live TV.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
