AB Government: Workers and families focus of 2019 throne speech

Press Release

March 18, 2019

Premier Rachel Notley will continue to fight for Alberta families by focusing on what matters most to them in the upcoming 2019 spring session.

The throne speech marks the start of the spring session for the Alberta legislature and highlights the government’s ongoing commitment to building a province that works for all Albertans.

“Our government has kept the promises we made to Albertans over the last four years, fighting for what matters to everyday workers and families – good jobs, pipelines, a more diversified economy and strong schools and hospitals. There is more work to do, and this year’s throne speech lays out the work ahead.”

Premier Rachel Notley

The 2019 throne speech details how the government:

• Built 2,000 new long-term care and dementia-care beds.
• Helped diversify the economy by attracting nearly $13 billion in new private-sector refining and upgrading investments.
• Works towards the completion of 240 new or modernized schools.

Looking forward, the Premier is committed to defending the things that matter to all Albertans, like affordable child care and public health care, while working to diversify the economy.

That commitment to Alberta families was reinforced by the first bill tabled in the spring session, the Public Health Care Protection Act. The proposed bill would protect Albertans from two-tiered, American-style health care.

If passed, the legislation would prevent queue-jumping and preferential access to insured medical services available to all Albertans.

“Whether you come to a hospital with a fur coat or no coat, you deserve the same, world-class health care as everyone else. It’s a fundamental right of all Albertans.”

Premier Rachel Notley
The government committed in the throne speech to:

• Defend Alberta’s public health care from an American-style system.
• Keep building more schools, including a new high school in north Calgary.
• Get more value from Alberta’s natural resources and continue to diversify the economy.
• Bring forward an important new program to help mothers and families save thousands of dollars a year and rejoin the workforce.
• Help more Albertans get the education and training they need to build great lives for themselves and their loved ones.

“With the course set in the throne speech, we are going to keep fighting for everyday workers and families. All the while, we will maintain stable, competent and honest government that has its priorities right.”

Premier Rachel Notley

Related information

• Throne speech highlights
• Read the speech from the throne

Multimedia

• Watch the throne speech
• Listen to Premier Notley’s news conference
• Watch Premier Notley’s news conference

Media inquiries

Government of Alberta
780-422-4905

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