This afternoon, Governor General Adrienne Clarkson will rise to deliver
the government's Throne Speech. The last throne speech (January 2001)
focused on two themes, "innovation" and "inclusion". For today's we can
safely add "investment" as a third theme given the Prime Minister's
recent statements.

In fairness, these themes, three "I's" if you will, are laudable
objectives for any government policy agenda. But the devil - as always
-- is in the details. For example, innovation can be fostered through
progressive tax policy such as abolishing the capital tax on businesses
(a $1.4 billion revenue haul for the feds) or innovation can be botched
via the expansion of the federal government's existing corporate welfare
and regional development schemes (a $4 billion boondoggle).

"Innovation" as a theme unto itself is relatively neutral, it is the
choice of fiscal instruments that determines whether the innovation
agenda will succeed or fail -- ditto for "inclusion" and "investment".

So how will these themes be articulated in the Throne Speech? Short
answer: Big, expansionist, and intrusive government. Having doubts? Take
a look at what the PM said on Aug. 20 in Chicoutimi, Que.

"We are now extremely well positioned to pursue an activist agenda for
the rest of our mandate. An agenda whose foundation is an unswerving
commitment to the fiscal discipline that has brought about an era of
balanced budgets, lower taxes and debt repayment."

Activist agenda, yikes. Sure the PM pays lip service to balanced
budgets, etc., but we should remember that this so-called "fiscal
discipline" was mostly a product of Ontario's and Alberta's economic
growth (boosting federal revenues) combined with ripping off workers and
employers to the tune of $42 billion in EI overpayments.

Mr. Chretien then said: "But our Liberal agenda recognizes that this
healthy balance sheet will only remain healthy if we continue, as well,
to make strategic, long term investments in our social and economic
infrastructure: in learning, in children, and in the environment."

Of course learning (a good thing) will be closely tied with the
innovation agenda (a bad thing under the Liberals so far). As for
children, expect another vacuous commitment on eradicating child
poverty. Remember the last commitment made by Canada at the U.N.? Child
poverty was to be eliminated by the year 2000. Enough said.

The throne speech will also (for the umpteenth time) promise 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 all above the Canadian average and a sad testament
to our efforts in this critical policy area.

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.

And we have already seen the government's environmental agenda:
ratification of Kyoto. Jean Chretien seems destined to inflict a $40
billion bill and 450,000 lost jobs on Canada in his search for a legacy.
Innovation, inclusion and investment.

After today's throne speech, "innovation, inclustion and investmetn" may
become four letter words as far as taxpayers are concerned.