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PM delivers remarks following the swearing in of the new Ministry
18 May 2011
Ottawa, Ontario
Good morning. On May 2, Canadians chose to endorse our Conservative record and platform. In particular, Canadians chose to endorse Canada’s Economic Action Plan by returning our Government with a national majority.
For more than five years, our government’s highest priority has been Canada’s economy, a priority which has had even more attention during the upheaval in global markets over the past two and a half years.
As you know, shortly before the Opposition forced the election, Minister Flaherty presented our government’s sixth Budget. In it, he outlined the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.
Throughout the election campaign, our team sought a mandate to pass the budget, to stay the course and to guide the Canadian economy through the completion of the global recovery – a recovery that, while promising, remains nevertheless fragile.
The election mandate we received on May 2 is a vote for this focus on the economy and, more broadly, a vote for stability. While the economy is our top priority, we will be hard at work on all of the priorities on which we campaigned.
Canadians can count on this government to pursue measures that create jobs and growth, support seniors, protect our health-care system, and fight against crime, while, of course, working to reduce and eliminate the deficit. We have received this mandate because, after five years, people know they can count on our team. It has the experience and the track record.
Although a number of changes have been necessary and desirable, the new Ministry is, fundamentally, about stability and continuity. Any hockey coach will tell you that if a team is going to keep winning over time, it must maintain a core of veterans and then gradually blend in new talent.
I’m proud to say that our team does have a deep roster. In fact, it has a deeper roster than ever before. There are promising new MPs, and many veterans deserving of promotion. Indeed, I find choosing between so many worthy candidates an increasingly difficult task. That said, I believe this Ministry represents the right mix of experience and new blood at this time.
I’m confident that the team which was just sworn-in by His Excellency the Government General, is the right group of men and women to lead the job of keeping Canada moving forward towards greater prosperity.
It has strong representation from all regions, and it will hit the ground running.
Thank you.
