Speech

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

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PM announces support for upgrades and expansion of the Vancouver Aquarium

August 9, 2010
Vancouver, British Columbia

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Thank you, Chuck Strahl, for that kind introduction. Please everybody welcome Premier Gordon Campbell here today. Our hosts, John Nightingale and Margot Spence of the Aquarium, thanks for hosting us. And I'm delighted that a number of my colleagues could join us, MPs Ed Fast, Alice Wong, Ron Cannan, Andrew Saxton and Senator Yonah Martin.

I am delighted to be back in British Columbia, and especially here in Vancouver. Being here immediately brings back the experiences of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and, of course, of the historic victories of our great young athletes.

These are recollections that as Prime Minister, that as a Canadian, I will cherish for the rest of my life. And I think we can all still hear O Canada echoing in the streets of this great host city!

Through the Vancouver-Whistler Games we showed the world what Canada is all about. We invested in our athletes. We invested in our infrastructure. We invested in security for the Games. And it all paid off.

Those who handled these investments, delivered. And those investments will continue to pay dividends for B.C. and for Canada long into the future. I have said it before: because of the Olympics, hundreds of millions of people, all around the world, got a glimpse of the extraordinary beauty of this province and of the generous hospitality of British Columbians.

Many of them will now want to enjoy the experience first-hand, which brings me to another important investment, and the reason we are here today.

The Vancouver Aquarium opened its doors in 1956 with a staff of seven. The very next day, five more had to be hired to handle the crowds. It was a sign of good things to come.

Since then the Aquarium has grown to more than 11 times its original size, and it is now home to 70,000 fish and animals. More than 35 million people have visited, and each and every year 80,000 school children learn about aquatic life through the programs here.

The aquarium employs 385 people, another 980 serve as volunteers, and it has a membership of 20,000 households!

Ladies and gentlemen, what do these numbers add up to? The Vancouver Aquarium is one of the top five… some say top three… one of the leading aquariums in the world.

In 1987 the federal government designated this as Canada's Pacific National Aquarium, a title befitting its global reputation and its significance as a national institution. It is a major tourist attraction, a beloved institution in B.C., and a point of pride for all Canadians.

It provides a great day for the family, and wonder and awe that last a lifetime.

It drives economic activity, and inspires a culture of conservation.

Let me give you just one small example of the good work done by the Vancouver Aquarium.

Its Marine Mammal Rescue Centre helps rescue and rehabilitate more than 100 distressed marine mammals every year. The program involves public participation and education. Now, animals don't have our capacity to understand the things that are happening to them. But they do have the capacity to suffer, to be in pain, to be distressed. So, apart from the research, the public education, and its economic boost to B.C., there's also something fundamentally decent – you could even say noble - about what the Aquarium does in this program. This is something that we all instinctively understand, something we can all support – something that grabs our attention, and our hearts. What a great job this institution does!

But the work of this crucial institution will be compromised without major upgrades to its facilities.

For this reason, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to announce that in partnership with the province and the Aquarium, our government has committed substantial funds to carry out these critical upgrades to this institution!

This investment builds on our support for improvements to the Aquarium's largest gallery, the Arctic Canada gallery, which Minister Day announced last year. And I would like to thank Minister Day - although not able to be here today, he has worked tirelessly to advance this project - and all the members of our B.C. caucus who advocated for today's major new investment strongly and unanimously.

Our investment in the Aquarium will not only protect and strengthen a wonderful institution for years to come. It will support research and community outreach, to help better understand and protect our natural heritage. And it will create jobs and economic activity, both now and in the long-term.

That is the purpose of Canada's Economic Action Plan – to keep Canadians working during the global recession, while investing in the foundations of long-term economic growth and prosperity. That Plan is working. Canada's Economic Action Plan is funding 16,000 projects from coast to coast to coast. That includes more than 1,200 projects here in British Columbia – better roads, highways, bridges, ports, border crossings; upgrades to college and university facilities, parks, and iconic attractions like this.

As a result, in the midst of the worst global economic crisis since the Second World War, the IMF, the Economist magazine and many other voices around the world are recognizing the emerging strength of the Canadian economy.

But despite all our achievements here in Canada, the global recovery remains very fragile. That is why our government is committed to implementing our stimulus plan fully, to ensure our recovery and long-term prosperity.

Vancouver 2010 ushered in what has been a very good year for Canada – a year in which the world has taken notice of our success.

Our support for the Vancouver Aquarium is another investment in excellence – an investment which will help ensure our continued success in the years to come.

Thank you.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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