Alison Redford's government is promising to manage its finances better, and bring improvements to health care and education.

Those are some of the key messages from Tuesday's throne speech.

Lt.-Gov. Donald Ethell started the speech from the throne by highlighting the importance of sound finances. He said Alberta is heading towards balanced budgets and strong growth.

But under a new framework the government says foundational change is needed to make that happen. From now on the government will bring “predictable” funding on three-year cycles to make programs more stable.

Lt.-Gov. Donald Ethell gave the speech from the throne Tuesday, which gave a glimpse of the direction of Alison Redford's government. (CBC)

Ethell said investments in education is another key pillar for the government.

Education, health care mentioned

The government says it's going to strengthen the post-secondary sector and improve health care, promising to improve access to primary care.

It also plans to expand community-based care by bringing in family care clinics staffed by teams of health care professionals, with three pilot projects planning to be in place by spring.

Ethell says this is a long-term plan and not a quick fix.

It's the first speech from the Alberta government under the Premier Redford's leadership, and outlines the government's agenda in broad strokes.

Budget bill introduced

After the speech was tabled, Premier Redford stood up to introduce Bill 1 — the Results-Based Budgeting Act.

"This bill, if passed, will establish a new approach to government budgeting, one that emphasizes results for Albertans and fiscal discipline for government," she said.

After the throne speech, Premier Alison Redford introduced the Results-Based Budgeting Act. (CBC)

"We will scrutinize every doll spent to ensure it's being used in the most effective way possible."

More details will come Thursday when the provincial budget is handed down.

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce released a statement saying the speech’s focus on smart spending, economic competitiveness and accessing new markets is right on the mark, but it is concerned about implementation.

“We are encouraged by the province’s focus on fiscal restraint,” said Ben Brunnen, director of policy and government affairs and chief economist with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. “However, the commitments for education, municipalities and health programs will make this challenging.”

Throne Speech Highlights

*Supplied by Alberta Government

Finances:

• Budget 2012 will bring predictable funding on a three-year cycle to education, advanced education and municipalities.
• Government’s new budgetary review process will include a results-based approach.
• Entire fiscal framework will be examined to ensure government spends Albertans’ tax dollars appropriately, while saving for the future.
• Reviews of the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, Sustainability Fund, capital and infrastructure projects, gaming revenue, operating budget and income taxes and existing government programs.

Education

• Give every Albertan the opportunity to benefit from a cutting-edge education, from kindergarten to post-secondary.
• Strengthen Alberta’s post-secondary sector.
• Increase the supply of highly-skilled, educated and innovative people and high-performance work environments.

Health

• Improve access to primary care for all Albertans.
• Implement three pilot projects this spring with family care clinics staffed by multi-disciplinary teams of health care professionals.
• Give local Health Advisory Councils a more active voice and greater input in decisions that impact their communities.
• Provide seniors with supports, services and care they need to remain healthy, happy and productive.
• Empower the Alberta Health Quality Council to make sure the health care system delivers timely, unprejudiced and equitable outcomes in which Albertans can have confidence.

Strong Communities

• Work with partners to ensure Alberta’s vibrant arts and culture scene flourishes.
• Continue support for anti-gang initiatives to ensure safe communities.
• Build on the long tradition of effective partnerships with municipal governments and review the Municipal Sustainability Initiative to streamline the program and increase its flexibility to give municipalities greater ability to meet local needs.
• Initiate a comprehensive Northern Alberta Development Strategy to help the region continue to grow and develop with an outstanding quality of life.
• Use Albertans’ contributions to the Property Rights Task Force to make common sense decisions on this issue.

Energy, Environment and International

• Better integrate global strategies to bolster Alberta’s reputation abroad and showcase our diversity in everything from tourism to arts and culture, education, and trade and investment opportunities.
• Work to develop a Canadian Energy Strategy and design initiatives to access global markets and assist Canadians and our trading partners in understanding Alberta’s energy goals.
• Partner with the federal government to promote Alberta’s energy sector and develop an improved oil sands environmental monitoring program that is among the best in the world.
• Invest in emerging technologies that keep Alberta beautiful and its economy healthy.