Reconciliation at the heart of Mary Simon’s speech from the throne

Indigenous Governor-General Mary Simon on Tuesday delivered a throne speech focusing on reconciliation with the First Nations, but also on key themes that will guide the government in the near future in the fight against COVID-19.

Also read: Speech from the Throne: Conservatives call for an end to spending

“The discovery of the anonymous graves of children who died in the residential school system shows just how devastating the actions of governments and institutions of the day were for the local people who are still suffering today,” D’Im immediately said.^Me Simon.

“We can not ignore these results: they cause deep wounds. But despite the intense pain, there is hope.”

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Presented mainly in English, the half-hour speech still has some parts in French, the language of Mr.^Me Simon has no functional command, and the others are in his native language, Inuktitut.

“Supporting the official language minority communities is crucial to protecting and promoting French not only outside Quebec but also within Quebec,” she said, recalling the government’s intention to reintroduce the envisioned version of the Official Languages ​​Act.

Kovid-19 has priority

Despite everything, the fight against COVID-19 remains the government’s “top priority”, and the governor-general emphasizes that getting out of the pandemic is key to economic recovery.

Access to vaccine doses for children, mandatory vaccinations for travelers and federal officials, and cooperation with other countries around the world to control the virus; The government has promised to continue the fierce fight against the virus.

Justin Trudeau also focused on the government’s environmental aspirations in the wake of the warning that “our planet is in danger”.^Me Simon.

Opponents have criticized the lack of content

Leaders of opposition parties struggled to keep themselves in line with the discourse, and in the end, there were mainly broader philosophical tendencies, but some new specific actions.

Black member Yves-Franois Blanchett mocked the “double-spaced hollow 24-page assembly”. “Even if you read slowly, the throne speech is short,” he said.

M. Blanchett Mary Simon was careful not to criticize the French. “It was not her idea to know if she spoke French. The Prime Minister sent a strange message to French Canadians and Quebecs by electing a Governor-General who did not speak French.”

For his part, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has largely criticized the liberals’ approach to economic problems and inflation, presenting himself as the only party that takes the cost of living seriously.

M^Me Simon presented two axes of government to fight inflation: investment for more affordable housing and a daycare system at a rate of $ 10 per day.

“The liberals’ spending will exacerbate the inflation crisis, but their ideology will play divisive and this government mediocrity,” he denounced.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, for his part, believed that the speech from the throne was “really empty” and that it “does not indicate a desire to work together”.

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