Supporting Canadian Families

So far, the results have been strong. Canada leads the G7 in job creation. Our financial system has been rated by the World Economic Forum as the soundest in the world, for five years in a row. Compared to other major developed countries, we are doing well, but there are still Canadians seeking work and the larger global economy remains fragile. In order to finish the job and to help protect the economy, it is essential that the efforts of our Government remain focused.

This is why we continue to implement Economic Action Plan 2012. It includes key measures to deliver immediate support, such as the Hiring Credit for Small Business, which delivers the measures that Canada needs today. The Hiring Credit directly supports employment by reducing the EI costs for small businesses that hire additional workers – making it more affordable to expand and create jobs.

We are also making vital investments in innovation and education to help ensure that Canada continues to create good jobs – and that Canadians are ready to fill them. We’re supporting Canadian universities and researchers with a strengthened emphasis on projects that have commercial potential. We’ve also strengthened tax credits to help young Canadians afford tuition and textbooks, as well as apprenticeships in the skilled trades.

We are also working to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. We are taking steps to deliver programs more efficiently, reducing waste in the operations of government, while protecting services to Canadians. We're also reforming MP pensions, so MPs pay a larger share of the costs and, in the future, will become eligible for benefits later. These common sense measures help protect Canada’s financial strength. Just as we paid down debt before the recession, we are working now toward a balanced budget. Our Government is helping ensure that Canada is ready to deal with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that we will face over the next few years.

We will stay focused on these measures, despite the alternatives proposed by the opposition. The Official Opposition advocates reckless new spending and risky economic experiments. Their main plank is a job-killing carbon tax that would raise the price of gas, groceries, electricity, and everything else. Canadians can’t afford to have billions taken from their pockets while they’re trying to make ends meet and Canada can’t afford the economic damage and lost jobs that would result.

Our Government is also acting on our other commitments to Canadians. We continue our work to help keep Canadians safe. We’ve already made progress with tougher penalties in place for serious crime, particularly violent crimes, to keep criminals off our streets longer. We’ve made it possible for courts to consider the real damage of white collar crime, when people have their trust abused and life-savings damaged or lost. Furthermore, we’re continuing to work with reforms to preserve citizen’s arrest and self-defence in urgent situations when the police aren’t around. Law-abiding Canadians deserve to know that the justice system is supporting them, not working against them.

The task before our Government is clear. Canadians can count on our Government to stand up for hard-working families. We will keep taxes low, implement our plan to support jobs and economic growth, and take the steps necessary to encourage long-term prosperity.