Prince Edward Island is on a campaign to keep its young workers from leaving the province and to entice expats who have already left for work to move back to the Island.
This was a major theme in Premier Wade MacLauchlan's 2016 throne speech, delivered Tuesday byLt. Governor Frank Lewis at the provincial legislature in Charlottetown.
A number of new initiatives and programs for the year were announced in the speech, including several directly aimed at increasing the working population of P.E.I. and providing better opportunities for students and young entrepreneurs.
RELATED: CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL SPEECH
A total of 5,116 Islanders have left P.E.I. for other provinces since 2007, most of them in their 20s. Meanwhile, much of the remaining population is at or nearing retirement age.
“We clearly have to act on this and that’s why as a government we identify it as a priority,” MacLauchlan said Tuesday.
“To realize that as we look at what’s taking place with the workforce, the older population, what economists call the ‘dependency ratio’ we clearly need to make some new ground in terms of rejuvenation.”
RELATED: Opening day captured in photos
A comprehensive long-term strategy to repatriate, recruit and retain a skilled workforce will be launched this year, together with a new WorkPEI.ca website to help match job seekers with local employers.
The province will also support the creation of 1,000 student jobs this year with non-profit, public and private sector employers.
VIDEO: Government objectives outlined in throne speech
Networking events will be hosted in Ontario and Alberta to begin a dialogue with former Islanders working in those provinces. New marketing initiatives will be aimed at enticing Islanders to return home.
A transition to employment pilot project will aim to match P.E.I.’s 900 international students to local employers and the existing graduate mentorship program will be expanded to include international grads.
Some provision of seed capital for young and new entrepreneurs will also be available to help them with start-up costs.
Continuing with a 2015 campaign promise of greater openness and transparency, the MacLauchlan government will provide some new measures of accountability.
A new Lobbyist Registration Act will be introduced in the fall of 2016 that will require anyone who transacts or develops business with government to register this publicly.
“Strengthened” legislation to ensure loan-write offs from Crown corporations are made public will be re-introduced this spring, and government will implement a “policy of open government and a practice of open data.”
New legislation will also address campaign financing.
The throne speech also outlined a number of new initiatives in health care.
The number of nurse practitioners in P.E.I. will be increased and their scope of practice will be expanded.
Also, a rural recruitment program will be launched to enhance health care access.
Additional specialists will be added in high-need areas.
A new youth mental health day treatment program will open this spring, supporting 50-60 Island youth each year.
Due to the increasing number of Island seniors needing care, government will also review the continuum of home care, community care and long-term care services.
Parking fees at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be addressed, but MacLauchlan is remaining vague on this for the present, saying only this will be achieved by “putting in place the best solution possible.”
The 15-page throne speech makes no mention of what will be in the upcoming 2016-17 budget or any hints on whether the HST will be increased, as has been widely speculated in recent months.
But it does indicate government is zeroing in on the public service in looking for savings.
Future benefit arrangements for the public service will be reviewed, including the golden handshake “service gratuity” currently paid out to retiring civil servants.
Government will also reduce severances MLAs receive when they leave office or are defeated.
“My government will work with all partners, notably the public service, to find a better balance in the application of public funds for short and long-term requirements,” the speech states.
MacLauchlan says he intends to work collaboratively with the public sector unions on this work.
“That’s why we are able to talk with confidence about balancing our revenues and expenditures because we’ve been in the budget development process for a number of months now in consultation with Islanders,” MacLauchlan said.
“The nature of the process is that you first indicate that you’d like to have a look at it, and we’re always in discussion with our employees and our employee representatives and this is something we’d be happy to have a conversation about.”
Prince Edward Island is on a campaign to keep its young workers from leaving the province and to entice expats who have already left for work to move back to the Island.
This was a major theme in Premier Wade MacLauchlan's 2016 throne speech, delivered Tuesday byLt. Governor Frank Lewis at the provincial legislature in Charlottetown.
A number of new initiatives and programs for the year were announced in the speech, including several directly aimed at increasing the working population of P.E.I. and providing better opportunities for students and young entrepreneurs.
RELATED: CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL SPEECH
A total of 5,116 Islanders have left P.E.I. for other provinces since 2007, most of them in their 20s. Meanwhile, much of the remaining population is at or nearing retirement age.
“We clearly have to act on this and that’s why as a government we identify it as a priority,” MacLauchlan said Tuesday.
“To realize that as we look at what’s taking place with the workforce, the older population, what economists call the ‘dependency ratio’ we clearly need to make some new ground in terms of rejuvenation.”
RELATED: Opening day captured in photos
A comprehensive long-term strategy to repatriate, recruit and retain a skilled workforce will be launched this year, together with a new WorkPEI.ca website to help match job seekers with local employers.
The province will also support the creation of 1,000 student jobs this year with non-profit, public and private sector employers.
VIDEO: Government objectives outlined in throne speech
Networking events will be hosted in Ontario and Alberta to begin a dialogue with former Islanders working in those provinces. New marketing initiatives will be aimed at enticing Islanders to return home.
A transition to employment pilot project will aim to match P.E.I.’s 900 international students to local employers and the existing graduate mentorship program will be expanded to include international grads.
Some provision of seed capital for young and new entrepreneurs will also be available to help them with start-up costs.
Continuing with a 2015 campaign promise of greater openness and transparency, the MacLauchlan government will provide some new measures of accountability.
A new Lobbyist Registration Act will be introduced in the fall of 2016 that will require anyone who transacts or develops business with government to register this publicly.
“Strengthened” legislation to ensure loan-write offs from Crown corporations are made public will be re-introduced this spring, and government will implement a “policy of open government and a practice of open data.”
New legislation will also address campaign financing.
The throne speech also outlined a number of new initiatives in health care.
The number of nurse practitioners in P.E.I. will be increased and their scope of practice will be expanded.
Also, a rural recruitment program will be launched to enhance health care access.
Additional specialists will be added in high-need areas.
A new youth mental health day treatment program will open this spring, supporting 50-60 Island youth each year.
Due to the increasing number of Island seniors needing care, government will also review the continuum of home care, community care and long-term care services.
Parking fees at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be addressed, but MacLauchlan is remaining vague on this for the present, saying only this will be achieved by “putting in place the best solution possible.”
The 15-page throne speech makes no mention of what will be in the upcoming 2016-17 budget or any hints on whether the HST will be increased, as has been widely speculated in recent months.
But it does indicate government is zeroing in on the public service in looking for savings.
Future benefit arrangements for the public service will be reviewed, including the golden handshake “service gratuity” currently paid out to retiring civil servants.
Government will also reduce severances MLAs receive when they leave office or are defeated.
“My government will work with all partners, notably the public service, to find a better balance in the application of public funds for short and long-term requirements,” the speech states.
MacLauchlan says he intends to work collaboratively with the public sector unions on this work.
“That’s why we are able to talk with confidence about balancing our revenues and expenditures because we’ve been in the budget development process for a number of months now in consultation with Islanders,” MacLauchlan said.
“The nature of the process is that you first indicate that you’d like to have a look at it, and we’re always in discussion with our employees and our employee representatives and this is something we’d be happy to have a conversation about.”
Lieutenant Governor Frank Lewis inspects the military band
