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It has been a very busy week in Ottawa as the House of Commons begins its first sitting of the 45th Parliament.

As is customary, proceedings began with the "Speech from the Throne." This year marked a rare occasion, as King Charles III delivered the speech during a brief ceremonial visit to Canada specifically for this purpose.

For those unfamiliar with the Speech from the Throne, the House of Commons defines it as: "The Speech from the Throne usually sets forth in some detail the government's view of the condition of the country and provides an indication of what legislation it intends to bring forward."

Beyond the heightened attention due to King Charles's delivery, this Throne Speech marks Prime Minister (PM) Carney's first as leader of his newly elected Liberal government. The content of this Throne Speech primarily focused on promises made by PM Carney during the recent federal election. While some have criticized this point, I believe it is important that the government deliver on its many promises to Canadians—and this Throne Speech indicates their intention to do so.

Obviously as a member of the Official Opposition, I would be remiss if I did not point out that recent Liberal governments have developed a bad habit of promising things they have no intention of delivering on. The Throne Speech lacked specific details about how the Government plans to deliver on its numerous promises. The absence of a Spring Budget only increases uncertainty, as a Throne Speech is primarily rhetorical, while a budget requires concrete trade-offs and clearly signals Government's priorities to both the Canadian public and federal public service through fiscal commitments.

As one example, the Throne Speech notes that "day-to-day government spending" under the previous Liberal government grew by 9% each year. In this Throne Speech, the Liberals promise to introduce measures that will reduce this spending growth to under 2%. Since 2015, no Liberal government has met their own fiscal targets, making this a significant commitment from PM Carney—yet he has provided no details about how he will achieve this goal.

When one considers that PM Carney is currently inheriting a $60 billion deficit and has promised $130 billion in new spending in the Liberal election platform it will be interesting to see where spending reductions will occur.

Another notable area of the Throne Speech concerns immigration. During the election, PM Carney acknowledged that the changes the Liberals have made to Canada's immigration system "isn't working." Although PM Carney is proposing immigration caps, in the Throne Speech, he also make it clear and I quote: “The government will cap the total number of temporary foreign workers and international students to less than five per cent of Canada’s population by 2027.”

Given that PM Carney has acknowledged the immigration system is not working, why is he waiting until 2027 to take action? This delay seems particularly puzzling when, in the same Throne Speech, he emphasizes that "speed is of the essence" in many important areas.

On that note, I agree with PM Carney that swift action is essential in implementing necessary changes to previous Liberal government policies. I also agree with my constituents who have responded to my previous MP report that the government should also inform the public important fiscal information such as its economic projections, level of deficit and its debt load, usually found in a budget, which we will likely not receive until the Fall.

My question for this week: What do you believe should be the federal government's top priorities right now?

Join the discussion on my Facebook Page or reach me directly at [email protected] or call my 24/7 toll-free line at 1-800-665-8711. Your responses will help inform my priorities and activities in Parliament.

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Dan Albas is the Member of Parliament-elect for the riding of Okanagan Lake West - South Kelowna. Dan's riding includes the communities of Kelowna (Mission, South Kelowna & East Kelowna within specific boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland.
You can reach Dan by calling 1-800-665-8711, emailing [email protected] or please visit: DanAlbasMP.ca
Our mailing address is:
Dan Albas MP
101-3731 Old Okanagan Hwy
West Kelowna, British Columbia V4T 0G7
Canada

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