Economy, Transparency Top Priorities in Throne Speech

The Tories unveil benchmarks by which their next four years ought to be judged.

The Conservatives used their speech from the throne today to say they will introduce Senate term limits, hold Senate elections, and phase out the per-vote subsidy, while cutting the deficit before the next election. The speech, read by Gov. Gen. David Johnston, is a statement of what the government intends to do for the duration of this Parliament. Broadly, the two main areas are "focusing on the economy" – to borrow a phrase that the Tories have bludgeoned to death – and reforming government. The government plans to complete free-trade deals with the European Union and India and launch a “digital economy strategy,” while bringing in a slew of tax credits expected to be reintroduced in next week's budget.