About the Throne Speech in Canada (Govt.)

The term Speech from the Throne in Canada refers to the speeches that open sessions of parliament on an annual basis at both provincial and federal levels. At the provincial level, the Speech from the Throne is delivered by each province's respective Lieutenant Governor. "Some throne speeches have grand visions, others are devoted to serious legislative house cleaning, but all are written to make the governing party look as good as possible" 1. This paper outlines and compares the Speech(es) from the Throne for the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba for the parliamentary year of 2006. All three provinces, chosen for the purpose of this paper, have different governing parties; Alberta: the Progressive Conservatives, Ontario: the Liberals, and Manitoba: the New Democratic Party.

All three speeches start with an introduction; Ontarian and Manitoban introductions include people of the province as a part of their reason for success in the past year whilst the Albertan speech acquired a patronizing tone right from the start.

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Albertan Lieutenant Governor, The Honourable Norman L. Kwong, stated:

The year was filled with special events large and small, legacies created in nearly every community, and birthday celebrations that spread across the entire province. These reflected the tremendous pride Albertans have in this province, and their optimism for its future. That optimism is well placed. Alberta is beginning its second century from an enviable position. By nearly every economic measure, Alberta leads the country. 2

On the other hand, Manitoban Governor, The Honourable John Harvard, reflected similar sentiments as his Albertan counterpart but he mentioned that their "current prosperity owes much to hard-working and creative Manitobans" 4. Further, Ontarian Governor, The Honourable James K. Bartleman dedicated his speech to Ontarians as well when he said:

While this is a Speech from the Throne, it...