July 2, 2010

2010 IS CANADA’S YEAR IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Wherever you go in Canada, you can feel a growing optimism for the future, and a sense that 2010 is our year in the international spotlight. Earlier this year, Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia hosted the world, and our Olympic and Paralympic athletes made us even prouder to be Canadian. Canada will hostthe world yet again this spring, when leaders will converge in picturesque Muskoka and cosmopolitan Toronto for the G8 and G20 Summits.

When it comes to economic leadership, Canada can teach the rest of the world a thing or two as our economy has been a shining beacon to countries around the globe. Thanks to our Government’s policies of paying down debt and reducing the tax burden on Canadians to its lowest point in 50 years, Canada was in a much stronger position than many other countries when the global economic recession emerged last year.

In spite of our country’s strong fundamentals, action was needed, which is why our Government introduced Canada’s Economic Action Plan last year. Our plan has helped to create nearly 310,000 jobs since last July, and our communities are becoming better places to live, work and play as our Government invests in better roads, bridges, parks, wastewater facilities, public transit systems, hockey arenas and other projects across the country.

Leading the way on jobs and growth is our Government’s top priority, but we’re delivering results for families in other ways, as well. Our Government has been opening new markets for our hard-working farmers. We’re standing up for our men and women in uniform by tabling a bill that would increase the eligibility for EI parental and sickness benefits for military families. And our Government will continue to crack down on crime by providing tougher sentences for criminals and more resources for the men and women of law enforcement.

Canadians deserve safer streets, yet the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois disagree with our tough on crime approach, and they have all played political games with our Justice bills. Liberal stalling on fighting crime is further proof that Michael Ignatieff is out of touch with the values and concerns of ordinary Canadians.

Michael Ignatieff called for a carbon tax when he ran for the Liberal leadership four years ago. He won’t rule out a GST hike, and the Liberals are openly in favour of hiking job-killing business taxes. Raising taxes during a fragile economic recovery might make sense at Harvard, but ordinary, hard-working Canadians know it’s a sure-fire way to kill jobs.

While the Liberals spend their time protecting criminals and dreaming of coalitions and higher taxes, our Government will continue to keep taxes low, help create jobs, crack down on crime, deliver real results for Canadian families and ensure that 2010 is remembered as Canada’s Year in the international spotlight.