Friday, November 30, 2007
For the Attention of
Hospital CEOs, Hospital Board Chairs, OHA Board of Directors and CACN Members
Hilary Short
President and CEO
Throne Speech Highlights
On Thursday, November 29, 2007, The Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, opened the first session of the 39th parliament of Ontario with a Speech from the Throne.
The speech sets out, in broad strokes, the McGuinty government’s legislative agenda for the medium term.
With respect to health care, the speech outlines a plan for “A Healthier Ontario”, which includes a promise to “continue reducing wait times by shortening waits for emergency room visits, children's surgery and general surgery”. The government also said that they will aim to ensure the hiring of “9,000 more nurses” and “work to ensure that 500,000 more Ontarians have access to a family doctor”. Both wait times and access to care were cited as priorities during the Liberal government’s election campaign.
The full text of the Throne Speech can be found on the Premier’s website at www.premier.gov.on.ca.