Prime Minister Harper breaks ground at Niagara College Applied Health Institute

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Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  First of all I want to thank Rob Nicholson for his introduction, and for the tremendous work he does representing this entire region in the cabinet of the Government of Canada.  Greetings also to my colleague Rick Dykstra, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, and special greetings to representatives of all levels of government who are with us here today, including Provincial Minister Jim Bradley, Regional Chair Peter Partington, his Worship Mayor Damian Goulbourne and Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs.  Let me also thank our gracious hosts today, Chairman Crispino, President Patterson and the faculty, staff and students of Niagara College. 

I'm very pleased to be back in Welland and here at your beautiful campus.  These are exciting times for Niagara College.  You have a lot to be proud of.  For the fifth year in a row, Niagara is Ontario's number one ranked college for student satisfaction.

This is no wonder.  Nearly 90 percent of graduates find good jobs within six months of graduation, and almost 95 percent of those employers who hire Niagara's graduates say they are very pleased with their new staff. 

There's more good news out of the Niagara College Teaching Winery, which recently won three Canadian wine awards for its outstanding chardonnays and ice wines.  All of this explains why enrolment is up again this year, making Niagara Ontario's fastest growing college.  So congratulations to all of you. 

Niagara College has a crucial role to play in the future of this region.  It is no secret that Welland has been particularly hard hit by the impact of the worst global recession in half a century.  But this city and this region have shown tremendous resilience.  As a recent headline in the Tribune put it, "Welland is reinventing itself."

Talented, hard-working entrepreneurs here in Welland are trying creative business approaches, to bring new energy to the downtown core.  Local companies are developing exciting new products, services, technologies, and our government has been proud to support these efforts to bolster the economy of this region. 

Canada's Economic Action Plan is supporting numerous important local infrastructure projects including upgrades to roadways, to the Welland arena, to the development of the Atlas Advanced Manufacturing Park.  Our long-term commitment to the prosperity of the entire region is symbolized by the new Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.  Launched this summer, FedDev Ontario will help workers and communities adapt to the ever-changing realities of the global marketplace.

Here at Niagara College, you have a big role to play in the reinvention of Welland and the surrounding region.  Many college graduates will apply the skills they acquire here, through the technology, communications, health sciences and other programs, to help build Welland's economic future.

Our government recognizes that advanced education is critical to Canada's economic growth and prosperity.  That's why we've made investment in post-secondary institutions one of the primary elements of Canada's Economic Action Plan.  We're upgrading the infrastructure of universities and colleges from coast to coast, building the classrooms and research labs that will keep Canada at the forefront of scientific and technological advancement. 

Our partnership with the province of Ontario to provide support for this college's new Applied Health Institute is part of this effort, and I'm very pleased to be here today to participate in the ceremonial groundbreaking for this Institute. 

This facility will be a permanent home for the college's Registered Practical Nurse and Personal Support Worker programs.  100,000 square feet of state-of-the-art educational space will host a wide range of new or expanded healthcare training programs. 

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to be supporting this project, a project that will create hundreds of jobs, tens of millions of dollars of economic activity, a project that will train the healthcare professionals of tomorrow, a project that demonstrates our faith in this community and in its future. 

Now, as you can see from the construction that's already going on, we're holding this official groundbreaking a little after the fact, but that's because under Canada's Economic Action Plan, our first priority has been to get infrastructure projects underway as quickly as possible. 

Because of the fundamental strengths of our economy, Canada was the last major industrialized country dragged into the global recession.  Because of our solid fiscal foundations, we've been able to respond to the crisis with one of the largest economic stimulus programs in the world, yet at the same time with one of the smallest deficits.

We moved quickly, we cut red tape, and we are implementing the Economic Action Plan in record time.  As a result, Canada remains less affected by the global crisis than most developed countries, and we are poised for a recovery that will see Canada emerge with one of the soundest, strongest economies in the world. 

But let me be clear.  Even though we have some good job news today, we are not out of the woods yet.  Just as Canada was dragged into recession through no fault of our own, our recovery could be affected by economic events beyond our borders or political instability at home. 

That is why now is the time to stay the course, to finish implementing our Plan, and to build the foundations of Canada's future prosperity.  By looking forward today and supporting projects like the Niagara College Applied Health Institute, we are seizing the opportunities that will get us through these tough times and ensure that our country emerges stronger than ever. 

Thank you.

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