Surplus will allow new targeted spending, says MacLauchlan

P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan says his government is moving into the new legislature session with the program it laid out in 2015 mostly complete, and is looking forward to further progress.

The fall session of the P.E.I. Legislature opens Tuesday afternoon with a throne speech to be presented by Lieutenant-Governor Antoinette Perry.

MacLauchlan feels it has been a productive two years since he was elected premier in 2015, with 113 bills passed.

"The program that we laid out in 2015 is substantially completed and we now have a window when we can really add to that and build further progress for Islanders," he said.

"If you compare that to what's gotten done in Ottawa in roughly the same amount of time 32 bills or in Washington, probably closer to zero, we're pleased that Prince Edward Islanders can see that we've got a working legislature where people work together, put forward a program, act on it and get the work done."

Busy session planned

The now-balanced budget will allow the government to tackle new priorities, he said, and the environment will be a central focus of the fall session.

"One of the big pieces in this coming session will be a Water Act, which we haven't had in that comprehensive form before," said MacLauchlan.

Twenty bills are planned for this session, includinga Lobbyist Registration Act and amendments to the Rental of Residential Property Act.

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