The Alberta government has outlined its plan for the spring sitting of the legislature.
Lt-Gov. Lois Mitchell read the speech from the throne Tuesday, officially opening the new session.
The UCP government says this session will see several bills to advance Alberta’s fair deal goals. Albertans will be able to put important issues, such as a carbon tax, to a referendum through a new citizen initiative law.
A new recall act will allow voters to remove MLAs, mayors, municipal councillors and school board trustees between elections.
Legislation will also be introduced to replace the federal parole board with a provincial board for provincial inmates.
Premier Jason Kenney says his government is obsessed with job creation. “That’s why we’ll introduce our Blueprint for Jobs, which builds on policies brought in last year to keep business taxes low, cut job-killing red tape by one-third, and stand up for our energy sector. We’ll also defend Alberta jobs by making sure illegal blockades don’t threaten Albertans’ ability to earn a living or put food on the table”.
Other highlights of the throne speech include a $6.4 billion commitment to the 2020 Capital Plan and new legislation to protect survivors of human trafficking, toughen sanctions against impaired drivers, and prevent sex offenders from changing their names.
The UCP government also says in its official news release that to address fiscal issues, it will carefully reduce overall spending by less than 3% over three years. Health care, education and social services funding will be maintained at or increased to historic levels, and government will continue to protect front-line services.