May 12, 2023 – Government of PEI: The first session of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of Prince Edward Island opened today with the reading of the Speech from the Throne by Hon. Antoinette Perry, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island.
The speech outlines that the re-elected King Government will continue to invest in Islanders by improving access to healthcare, increasing the availability and attainability of housing, and making life more affordable for Islanders.
“Islanders have put their trust in our government to continue on the path of investing in Islanders,” says Premier Dennis King. “As outlined today in the Speech from the Throne, our government will put a strong emphasis on healthcare, housing and making life more affordable for Islanders, while we continue our path of strengthening programs and services that make Prince Edward Island the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
Highlights of the Speech include:
Healthcare:
- Renewal of the primary care system including implementing 30 Patient Medical Homes across the province by the end of 2024 and providing more options for Islanders to access primary care;
- Making a record investment in expanding our health human resources team by hiring more nurses, more LPNs, more social workers, and more allied health professionals;
- Reducing pressures on Emergency Departments by reducing off-load delays, adding care providers and patient advocates in waiting rooms, and integrating Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners;
- Prepare the health system across the province to train medical students and expand medical residency seats;
- Provide free tuition for students training to become RCWs, LPNs, RNs, and Paramedics; and
- Reduce barriers to recognizing credentials of foreign-trained healthcare practitioners including launching an Associate Physician license
Read the full news release here
Read the full Throne Speech here