The provincial government has recommitted to reducing the deficit, saying they've seen better than expected results.

The Manitoba government has also committed to making the province the most improved in Canada by attempting to improve services and rebuild the economy.

That was the message delivered Tuesday afternoon in the Throne Speech read by Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon.

"We need to get this province to a place of sustainability," Finance Minister Morden-Winkler MLA Cameron Friesen says.

He notes this September they revealed the government had reduced the deficit by nearly $150 million, the first time since 2003 the government had not outspent its planned budget.

"This is clearly the kind of results we said we needed to get for Manitobans," Friesen says.

Photo credit: Cameron Friesen on Twitter

However, much work remains especially as interest rates rise.

Strides continue to be made as they transform health care and reduce overlap and duplication in government services.

"We've hired 89 new physicians, there are 29 new paramedics, but we are transforming the healthcare system... we're acting on the advice of the experts," Friesen says.

He adds they continue to double down on the momentum and initial indicators of success,

"We're more motivated than ever," he says.

Other throne speech highlights include developing a new Early Learning and Child Care strategy and introducing a new provincial housing strategy for affordable and social housing.

The province has also committed to reforming the family law system to better protect parents and children.

"We have made significant progress, but there is much more to do as we continue with our plan to improve life in Manitoba for all its citizens," says Premier Brian Pallister. "We are again unveiling an ambitious agenda that will help create jobs for Manitobans and improve services for vulnerable citizens. We are in this together."

Part of the plan to improve services for Manitobans and cut costs involves reductions in the public sector. The PCs previously announced a plan to cut the provincial civil service by eight per cent over three years, primarily through attrition,

However, Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen says their plan goes far beyond just reducing the number of civil service jobs in Manitoba.

"What we're doing as a government is changing the culture within the civil service. The culture has drifted away from being service oriented and we're going to reverse that, and at the same time it becomes a dynamic place to work. So, when you have employees that are fully engaged and really enjoy working no matter where they are in the civil service then the public gets much better service and that's what our goal is."

According to the Carman MLA, the process of culture change is underway in his department. "We're working on this and there is a whole hearted endorsement of this idea."