Justin Trudeau’s speech to supporters in London
January 20, 2015
Check against delivery
My Friends,
I’m so proud to have brought the Liberal Caucus to Southwestern Ontario. Thank you not just for your welcome to me, Deb, but to the whole Liberal Caucus.
Deb Matthews is not only important to the Premier, she’s important to all Ontarians and she’s a strong voice for London. I’m so thankful we can turn to Deb for her advice and support.
Our entire Caucus has learned from her – she has strong roots here, and is a great advocate for this region, not just in Ontario, but across Canada.
Thank you also to Kate Young, whom I first met a couple of years ago at the opening of Pierre Elliott Trudeau school in St. Thomas – she’s now running for us here in London West. Some students from that school are here tonight. Thank you for having me then, and being back now!
And Lori Baldwin-Sands, a former councilor for St. Thomas, now our candidate in Elgin—Middlesex—London, thank you also for welcoming me here tonight.
It was important to me to come here because this place is important.
Important not just because this region matters to all of you, but for the whole country. And it’s about time we had a government in Ottawa that understood that.
Thank you for your warm and enthusiastic welcome. Thank you for being here tonight, for the Liberal party and for Canada.
Over the weekend I heard from a young mother who was born and raised in London, living in Milton now, who had recently taken a job at Target. She’s married with a family – a children’s clothing buyer.
She knew when she took her job with Target that it might not last forever – no job seems to these days. But she certainly didn’t expect it to only last a few months.
On Friday, she was driving her kids to school. She had the radio on. Above the usual noise in the backseat, she heard the news: that Target was leaving Canada entirely. And that she was one of over 17,000 Canadians suddenly without a job. She didn’t know when her last day would be – sometime before May, though. And she didn’t know what kind of severance she might get.
So, she was left to wonder what would happen.
There’s a better way forward. There’s a better team. There’s a better plan. And if we work hard, this is the year we’ll give Canadians a better government.
Those are good questions – those are the kinds of questions more and more Canadians are asking themselves these days: What will happen? Can government help? And, with all those promises made about a strong economic recovery, how did it get to this point?
Here in London, and in Southwestern Ontario, this story is all too common these days. You know this. There are fewer full-time jobs in London today than there were a decade ago – even though the population has grown over 20 percent.
We simply can’t ignore these problems; what we need now is a plan.
My friends, just a few months ago we were having a different kind of conversation in this country. Events can change things very quickly. But it’s only a handful of instances where those changes force us to ask ourselves whether old ways are suited to these new times. I believe these new times call for us to come together and ask some straightforward questions.
Stephen Harper told Canadians a few times to trust him – that his was the hand we ought to have to steady the tiller.
- So, first question: Why would the Harper Conservatives bet so much of Canada’s future on oil prices staying high? Because they didn’t, they never do.
- Second question: Why didn’t Stephen Harper have a more balanced plan?
Mr. Harper’s economic vision neglected the things that have always made Canada prosperous: diversity, balance, and partnerships between regions and sectors. We need a smart economic plan for Canada that includes all regions and all sectors. A plan that recognizes the manufacturing advantages that already exist in Southwestern Ontario, the educated and skilled workers here, and uses that to innovate to Canada’s advantage.
A plan that gets those cutting edge, Canadian-made exports to global markets. A plan that includes small and big businesses – that includes all Canadians. With a real commitment to the skills and education of our people and the research we do.
Instead, Mr. Harper was busy not caring about manufacturing jobs drying up, and his Finance Minister was telling Ontarians they had “no one to blame but themselves.” Oil prices are through the floor, and Mr. Harper has no backup plan. None.
There’s a better way forward. There’s a better team. There’s a better plan.
And if we work hard, this is the year we’ll give Canadians a better government.
What Liberals have known for years is that Canada’s economy works best when it’s balanced – firing on all cylinders. When all our sectors are running as best they can, and every region is at work doing what it does best. Canada’s strength shouldn’t rely on any one thing or one place; it’s built on the diversity of our people and the diversity of our economy.
Yes, we need a strong West. But we also need a strong East, a strong North, and a strong Centre.
With the right leadership and vision in Ottawa, we can build that strength. Leadership that works hard for all Canadians, not just some.
And who exactly is Mr. Harper working for these days?
His top priority in this difficult time is to protect a gift of over $2 billion to the Canadians who need it least. I think that’s wrong.
To me, a strong economy is one that makes sure every Canadian has a real and fair chance at success.
It means a thriving middle class – one that provides growing incomes and job opportunities. And one that helps all those Canadians who are working hard every day to join the middle class. We don’t need Mr. Harper’s income splitting scheme for wealthy Canadians. Canada needs a plan that invests in the middle class, and those who are working hard every day to join it.
Because it all comes down to priorities, doesn’t it? And when times get tough, you really get to see what priorities a leader has.
What is Mr. Harper’s number one priority right now? Income splitting for the wealthiest Canadians.
Take a minute to think about that. The very basis for Mr. Harper’s economic plan for the last eight or nine years is crumbling beneath him. The one thing Mr. Harper bet would keep him afloat is sinking. And what does he do? He makes sure some of the wealthiest Canadians get a $2,000 gift. In these times Mr. Harper’s top priority remains to give wealthy families like his and mine $2000.
Let me tell you something: we don’t need it, and Canada can’t afford it.
To me, a strong economy is one that makes sure every Canadian has a real and fair chance at success.
We couldn’t afford it when oil was $100 per barrel, and we sure can’t afford it now. We need to be responsible. This means saying no to that income splitting. And I suspect, even though they’re not admitting it publicly, they already know this.
Why else would they put off their budget? Let’s talk about that for a minute.
On Wednesday the Finance Minister said falling oil prices would have no effect on the budget. Then Thursday, he said, oh wait, yes, they actually will – so much so that the budget is now going to have to be delayed until April. They’re making it up as they’re go.
Come on. I’m a teacher, and their excuses are the political equivalent of “the dog ate my homework.”
Would you call that leadership?
The Prime Minister’s job is to build people’s confidence in times like these. Instead, Mr. Harper is delaying his budget and cancelling meetings with our largest trading partners, and closest allies, the United States and Mexico. Canadians need leadership that has everyone’s best interests in mind – leadership that prioritizes success for all Canadians, not just the very few at the top. Canadians deserve leaders who help the people who need it the most, not the people who need it the least.
Over the past nine years, Canadians have learned one thing about this government: it will never change.
So, this year, if we work hard, Canadians will change this government.
Canadians are depending on us, my friends. We need new leadership in Ottawa.
So, talk to your neighbours; talk to your family; talk to your friends. Tell them about the great team Liberals have built, of Canadians they know and can trust. Tell them about the new kind of leadership we’re ready to bring to Ottawa – about the open, honest, accountable, and strong team that I’m so proud to lead.
So, keep knocking on doors. Keep telling your stories and keep listening to others. Keep building.
Above all, keep working hard.
We can do this, my friends.
We live in a great country. And this year, we can give it a better government.
Thank you.