Hello everyone. Thank you Rebecca for that warm and kind introduction. I also want to acknowledge a few people who are here with us today. We’ve got Mayor Robertson, and Alex Gagnon and Jesse Dougherty from Amazon. I’ve also got my two dear friends, Dr. Hedy Fry and Terry Beech from our federal Liberal caucus here. Thank you all for being here.

It’s so great for me to be back home in Vancouver and particularly great for this exciting announcement here today for Amazon in Canada. For years now, Amazon has been growing across the country, something I’ve actually witnessed many times as Prime Minister. Less than two years ago I was is in Brampton to celebrate the launch of the Amazon fulfillment centre, and last November our government welcomed the news that Amazon would add a thousand jobs right here in Vancouver. Over that span, Amazon also opened its first Canadian data centre in Montréal, and yet another fulfillment and distribution centre in Balzac, Alberta.

Now there are many reasons why industry giants like Amazon choose to settle and grow in Canada. Our workforce is highly educated, skilled and diverse. Folks across the country are ready to take on the jobs of tomorrow and help companies like yours shape the future – a future where innovation drives economic growth and helps improve the lives of middle class Canadians and people working hard to join it.

Moreover, the unemployment rate is at its lower level in nearly 40 years. In fact, about 600 000 more Canadians have a job today compared to only two years ago. And in 2017, the Canadian economy recorded the fastest growth among G7 countries. Thanks to our stable investment climate, the low cost of running a business in Canada and our sound banking system, companies like Amazon know that investing in Canada and in Canadian talent is a smart decision for the future.

But above all, I think Canadians also believe that every day is day one. Generations of innovators, thinkers, and hard workers have made Canada what it is today: a country where new ideas are welcomed, talent thrives, and creativity flourishes. Our cities are home to countless artists, innovators, students and young professionals who have made our communities not only great places to work, but to live. Canadians share your passion for invention and your commitment to excellence, and that’s why we’re so excited to see Amazon growing right here in Vancouver.

Today, the government welcomes Amazon’s decision to add 3,000 good jobs to their downtown office, which will expand into a brand new location in QuadReal’s “The Post” redevelopment in 2022. There – here – new employees will join the Vancouver team and help build products and services to be useful around the world. This is great news for Canadian professionals who are looking for new markets and new challenges, or students who are ready to enter that job market.

And on that last point, I want to highlight Amazon’s commitment to recruiting top talent from our universities and giving students the opportunity to have a direct impact on the evolution of their technologies at an early stage of their career. Our government is proud to champion companies who invest in the future of our people and of our communities.

Amazon’s decision to add 3,000 good jobs to their downtown office is a vote of confidence for Canada and for Canadians. This is great news for people living in Vancouver, and for workers across Canada seeking new job opportunities.

Our vibrant cities, which are home to some of the best talent in the world, are poised to attract premier investment that creates the jobs of tomorrow, and today’s announcement is proof that Canada is the right place to shape the future.

Once again, I want to thank you all for making the trip and for choosing Canada, and I want to congratulate the extraordinary Amazon employees that demonstrate every day the calibre of innovation, creativity and hard work that Canadians are ready and able to do from coast to coast to coast.

Thank you, my friends, for being here today.

Sorry to keep you from your jobs this morning ... productivity will decline ...

(Laughter)

But it’s a good thing because we are truly building for a better future and a better Vancouver for us all.