Governor General Adrienne Clarkson rose in the Senate Chambers to open the 2nd session of the 37th Parliament with the Speech from the Throne.

The point of the speech is to provide Canadians with an outline of what the government's agenda is for the parliamentary session - without any numbers attached. Since there is no budget, the speech is usually an airy-fairy, pie-in the-sky, make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside type of exercise. This one was no exception.

At last count, there were at least 16 spending priorities laid out in the government's plan. Some notables include the resolution to ratify Kyoto by the end of the year, which incidentally no one knows how much it's going to cost. A 10-year commitment to assist with infrastructure for cities, again, no cost evaluation. They did mention the two words Health Care, but that is it. They are going to wait for the Romanow commission's report then have another meeting in 2003.

Other commitments of note include re-introducing pesticide legislation, renewing federal health protection legislation, renewing the government's commitment to raising the standard of education - see a trend Not much new here. It appears that Jean Chretien has become so concerned about the environment that rather than come up with any new ideas, he had one of his staffers go through the recycling bin to sift through Throne Speeches of the past.

What about taxes you ask This issue was strategically glossed over in the Throne Speech. No mention of income tax cuts, no word on eliminating the capital tax on business, no indication on debt reduction and no plan to cease the exodus of our taxpayers to other parts of the world.

The Throne Speech also (for the umpteenth time) promised 'action', 'strategies', 'investments' not to mention innovative-this and inclusive-that to address the tragic problems faced by native/aboriginal youth in Canada.

However, past policy approaches (ie: more money, more money, more money) will not suffice. The incidence of substance abuse, school dropouts, and teen suicides for aboriginal youth are just one example of where the more money approach has failed.

Scrapping the Indian Act, reforming band elections, building greater capacity in native financing issues and experimenting with a regime of property rights on reserves would really foster "inclusion" of our aboriginal communities. While several native accountability coalitions are advocating these reforms, sadly our $10 billion annual "Indian Industry", including the government, clings to the status quo.

In fairness to the government, everything presented in the Throne Speech are laudable goals. All Canadians want better education and infrastructure for their city. Cynicism gains ground when there is no mention of the price tag.

So what does this mean for the average taxpayer in Manitoba It is difficult to say without a budget to clearly define the numbers - but it is obvious that the government intends on going on a spending spree of epic proportions.

Is this all in the name of Mr. Chretien's legacy Only time will tell but perhaps someone should remind the PM of whose money he is spending.