Speech

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

---

Address by the Prime Minister to the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce

June 10, 2006
Toronto, Ontario

PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY


Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Honoured guests of the head table,

Members of the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce,

Ladies and gentlemen.

First of all thank you for your warm welcome.

And thank you Ajit for that kind introduction.

I am pleased to be here tonight at this, your Annual Awards and Gala Evening.

For the past 29 years, the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce has served as a strong voice for Indo-Canadian business, and indeed for the Indo-Canadian community as a whole.

For Canada, you are an important bridge between our great country and one of the most important and fastest-growing regions in the world today.

On behalf of Canada’s New Government, I want to congratulate your organization for its exceptional work on behalf of its members, the Indo-Canadian community, and Canada.

Tonight we celebrate the achievements of some of the exceptional men and women in Canada’s Indo-Canadian business community.

As you all know, the Indo-Canadian community has a strong and rich history, one replete with examples of ordinary people doing quite extraordinary things.

The first immigrants from India came to Canada at the end of the 19th century

Most of them settling on Canada’s West Coast.

By today’s standards, these were very tough times, and all the more so for these newcomers.

Most worked in jobs that required hard physical labour.

And they faced adversity of all kinds on a daily basis.

But they persevered.

And through a combination of hard work and determination they built thriving communities in cities such as Vancouver and Victoria.

In the decades following the Second World War, attitudes in this country began to change.

And Canada opened its doors to more and more immigrants from India and around the world.

No matter where or when it is taken, the decision to leave a country and a culture that one’s family has called home for generations is never easy.

But it is an opportunity that millions, motivated by the hope for a better life for themselves and their children have been willing to embrace.

And the ambition and the energy of those immigrants have, in a few short generations,

Provided the prosperity and dynamism of the great country that we all call home today.

That is especially true of the contributions made by Indo-Canadians.

To gauge the depth of talent in the Indo-Canadian business community one need look no further than last year’s award recipients.

Consider, for instance, the accomplishments of Manjit Minhas, the winner of last year’s Young Achievers Award.

At the age of 18, Ms. Minhas started her first company, Mountain Crest Liquors Inc., in her native Alberta.

Since then, she has started other companies.

As of last year, companies owned and operated by Ms. Minhas had revenues in excess of 25 million dollars.

This is a phenomenal record of achievement for anyone, let alone someone merely in her 20s.

Rob Bakshi, the recipient of the 2005 Business Man Award, is another example of this calibre of entrepreneurialism.

In 1996, Mr. Bakshi started Silent Wireless Enterprises, a company which enjoyed sales of 5.6 million dollars in its first year alone.

By 2004, this figure had soared to ten times that amount, earning the company a place of pride on Profit Magazine’s list of fastest growing companies in Canada.

And these are but two examples from a list that is growing by leaps and bounds each and every year.

Such successes, however, should come as a surprise to no one.

They are the direct result of the strong values that define the Indo-Canadian community.

Values such as the importance of:

• Hard work;
• Strong families; and
• Excellence in education.

I honour your commitment to these values.

They are the very values that underlie Canada’s success as a nation.

They are values reflected in the agenda of Canada’s New National Government.

That’s why we’re going to cut personal taxes for all Canadians by reducing the GST from seven to six percent on July 1, as well as introducing an employment income tax credit of $500 that will rise to $1,000 on January 1, 2007.

That’s why we’re going to encourage post-secondary education by:

– Providing a tax credit for students` textbooks; and

– Exempting all income from scholarships and bursaries from federal taxation.

And that’s why we’re going support all Canadian families by introducing a Universal Choice In Child Care Allowance of $1,200 per year for each child under the age of six also on July 1.

While I’m talking about family life, let me also mention that our Government will be working hard in the weeks ahead to pass legislation aimed at cracking down on the plague of gun, gang, and drug crime that is afflicting too many of our communities.

We will crack down on street-racing.

We will end conditional sentences, so-called “house arrest”, for serious crimes.

And we will bring in mandatory prison sentences for crimes involving guns.

These are the priorities of our Government for the simple reason that they are the priorities of hard-working Canadians like you.

Simply put, our Government is committed to building a better Canada.

A stronger Canada.

For all of us.

And as you in the Indo-Canadian business community well know, there cannot be a strong Canada without a strong economy.

An economy in which the men and women who take risks who build businesses and create jobs and prosperity are rewarded, not penalized.

It’s no secret that when taxes are too high, the success of business is impeded.

Whether one is a newly arrived immigrant who has opened a restaurant, or a second-generation Canadian running a multi-million-dollar software company, high taxes get in the way.

They hinder the creation of new jobs.

They take money away from investment.

And they end up funding too much red tape.

Our Government realizes this fact, and that’s why we’re acting.

The recent budget of the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, is aimed specifically at helping businesses of all size and spurring economic growth.

For example, it had measures such as:

– Reducing corporate tax rates, and eliminating the corporate surtax for all corporations, effective next January;

– Winding up the federal capital tax in 2006 – two years ahead of schedule;

– Increasing the amount of small business income eligible for the small business tax rate from $300,000 to $400,000, and

– Lowering the rate from 12% to 11% over the next two fiscal years.

Using tax dollars efficiently and keeping taxes down is a fundamental principle of this Conservative Government.

And as our resources allow, we will continue to reduce this country’s tax burden so that we can better compete against very best.

Because our Government is committed to helping Canada realize its full economic potential.

So that all Canadians – be they newly arrived immigrants, or eighth-generation Canadians like my children – have a chance to get ahead.

And to build a better life for themselves and their family.

That is what Canada is all about.

A land of opportunity where everyone - regardless of their ethnicity or religion - can achieve success.

A place in which where you are going matters more than where you came from.

Where those of different backgrounds live and work and succeed together.

Now, friends, this diversity and this dynamism, which goes to the heart of what defines us as a free and democratic society, gives us great strength but also confronts us with some challenges.

In the last week, much press attention has focused on those who would use terror and violence against a diverse and democratic nation such as ours.

Let us never forget that such people today - as in the past - may make use the symbols of culture and faith, but they speak for neither. They represent nothing but hatred.

Earlier in our history, Fenians threatened Canada in the name of Irish nationalism.

But their only real contribution was the assassination of a leading father of confederation, Darcy McGee.

We can only guess what motivated those who bombed Air India Flight 182 in 1985, but we know that they succeeded in killing 329 of our fellow human beings.

Our Government is proud to have finally established a full public inquiry into these murders.

Under retired Supreme Court Justice John Major it will thoroughly review all of the facts and ensure some measure of closure for those families.

This was the worst terrorist act in our history, and our Government - working with every person of goodwill of every cultural and religious community in this country - will do all that we can to ensure that such acts cannot happen ever again.

And, in so doing, we will preserve and strengthen the diversity that makes us strong.

Which leads me to the last topic I want to touch on specifically tonight – immigration.

As I’ve already said, our Government believes strongly in immigration.

That is why we are working hard to attract highly-skilled immigrants, and make it easier for them to integrate into our labour markets and mainstream Canadian life.

Immigration is how our history has been built.

And on which our very future depends.

Like all Canadians, immigrants just want the opportunity to work hard and get ahead.

They are not looking for special favours.

Just a fair deal.

That’s why, in its first 100 days, our New National Government has cut the landing fee put in place by the previous administration by half.

This move will leave new Canadians with more money in their pockets so they and their families can get ahead and begin building a new life.

And we have also provided an additional 300 million dollars in the budget for immigrant settlement services to help ease the transition of newcomers into Canadian society.

We’re also taking concrete steps to address the labour shortages Canada is facing in several key areas of our economy.

These shortages are particularly frustrating in light of the fact that there are thousands of immigrants already in Canada who already have the skills and training needed to do this work.

The problem, as you know, is that often they can’t get their qualifications evaluated and recognized by employers or the appropriate licensing or professional bodies.

As a result, these men and women have no choice but to work in jobs that fall far beneath their skill sets.

Our Government recognizes that this is not only a drag on our economy, it’s also a tragic waste of human potential.

That is why we are moving ahead with the creation of a new foreign credentials recognition agency.

One which will help new immigrants navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth of credentials by working in concert with the provinces, professional and licensing bodies, and employers.

So that we can ensure newcomers’ skills, training, and credentials are recognized, respected, and rewarded.

In support of this, we have set aside some 18 million dollars over the next two years.

It’s a worthwhile investment.

One we hope will pay big dividends, secure our economic future, and make Canada a more attractive place for highly skilled immigrants from countries such as India.

Ladies and gentlemen, our country proudly serves as a crossroads for the world.

Our past has been shaped by the millions who came before us.

Just as our future depends on the millions to come.

In that national story, the contributions of your community to Canada’s economic and cultural life have been and continue to be substantial.

And they will be in the future.

Our Government hopes to conclude a foreign investment protection and promotion agreement with India later this year.

That should encourage freer trade between our two countries and open up new opportunities for Canadians.

The Indo-Canadian business community is already helping to keep Canada’s economic engine firing on all cylinders, and it will broaden our horizons as we work to compete in the international marketplace.

On behalf of Canada’s New Government, I would like to thank you for those contributions.

And, in particular, I want to offer my sincere congratulations to all of the award winners who will be honoured this evening.

Your hard work, entrepreneurship and determination will no doubt inspire a new generation of Indo-Canadian business men and women to even greater heights of success.

Thank you.

God bless Canada.

---

The Prime Minister’s Office - Communications
[Note: You are receiving this e-mail for information only, and because you have subscribed to our distribution list. To modify your subscription or to have your name removed from the list, go to: (http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/subscribe.asp?login)]