Transcription
My colleague, Madame Set, is the souvenir. The list do Britannic. The scenario, million. Now, rebellion, model, Canada, resilience, combative pragmatism, authority, Britanic. Volunt. Okay. Colony American shows the difference. Difference. And from that choice, initially practical, even self-interested, something remarkable emerged. Not a myth, not a miracle, but a growing commitment that coexistence could make us stronger. That we can build an identity which not only respects our differences but also celebrates them. Build it together.
The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor condemns that contends that people aren't blank slates, but that our identities, personal and national, are constituted through history. In his words, "The past is sedimented in the present, and our choices are shaped by what came before." Our country was built on the bedrock of three peoples: indigenous, French, and British. Long before the battle on these plains, long before the first French ships sailed up the St. Lawrence, indigenous peoples were the original stewards of this land. They built nations, trading networks, and systems of governance that spanned the entire continent. The hedinusiab, the Wendat, and the Inu shaped this land and were shaped by it. Then the French came. They built a new society adapted to the realities of North America. Shaped by the river and forest, by trade with indigenous nations, and by the determination to survive and flourish in this land. When the British came, that civilization did not disappear. It endured and now it thrives. Canadian propos. Wilfford languism official Canada Malgio. We may collabor. We set Set respect source the force. Eastwan Canada. May sir, Canada.
What makes Canada a great country? It's a great country for everyone. It's the greatest country in the world to be a regular person. You don't have to be born rich or to a landed family here. You don't have to be a certain color or worship a certain god. Canadians believe in the value of every other Canadian. Their boundless potential to make this great country even better. Our ancestors, despite their differences, believed in each other and in us. Now, there are long periods of history where these values can prosper unchallenged. Ours is not one of them. Our values must be fought for. That's what we are doing. That's what Canadians want. Canadians are up for it.
Our history traces an arc of broadening inclusion: from biculturalism to multiculturalism. From being British subjects to becoming Canadian citizens. From being two founding peoples to being many peoples living in true partnership with indigenous peoples. From William Line McKenzie's King's social citizenship to Louis San Lauron's liberal internationalism. From Defan Baker's One Canada to Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Brian Moloon's environmentalism to Justin Trudeau's pluralism and reconciliation. Each generation of Canadians has built a modern progressive liberal state that embraces the values of caring and sharing, of equity and fairness for all. Institutions make up the body of that progressive state. But our values are at its heart. Institutions from the civil code to public healthcare, from modern self-government agreements to parliament's recognition of the Quebec people as a nation. Values of inclusivity, fairness, solidarity, sustainability, and ambition.
Canadians are inclusive. We know our country is stronger when everyone belongs, when newcomers are welcome, when minorities are protected, when indigenous peoples are true partners. That commitment to inclusion was institutionalized first in the Bill of Rights and then embedded in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It was manifest in our adoption of multiculturalism, first as policy and then as law. In the same spirit, the enshrinement into law of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples reflects our fundamental commitment to reconciliation and to respecting indigenous peoples as equal partners in building our country together. And inclusion means going beyond the protection of rights to the commitment to creating a society in which everyone can flourish. That's why we introduced the Combating Hate Act to preserve the freedom of people to practice their faith and culture without intimidation, harassment, or violence. The solidarity PDA institution service the guard. Oh, Canada.
Canadians believe that fairness includes equality of opportunity so that every Canadian has a shot at a good and fulfilling life. And the foundation of this commitment is access of every Canadian to comparable public services, particularly education and healthcare. These commitments were institutionalized when equalization was first introduced in 1950 and then embedded in our constitution in 1982. And by protecting services like child care, dental care, pharmarmacare, we strengthen the sense of security that Canadians rely on every day. A strong and united Canada stands up for families and workers and protects those who are most vulnerable, whether they're a newcomer, a person with a disability, or a member of the two-spirited LGBTQI+ community.
Now friends, the advent of artificial intelligence will simultaneously challenge fairness, inclusion, and solidarity. Well, it creates enormous opportunities for how we live, work, and play. And these tensions can only be reconciled if AI works for all. AI can provide powerful solutions: better healthcare, better education, better government services. It can empower Canadians with new skills for more fulfilling jobs. But realizing that potential will require fundamental reforms to our education system, how we do skills training, and to our social welfare system. Our upcoming AI for all strategy will begin to tackle these challenges to maximize the potential of AI for all Canadians. The development territo. Come acid natural.
Government Canada is ambitious. Canada is an ambitious nation of builders and explorers. We mapped this continent before the Americans had even left St. Louis. We built a transcontinental railway in 5 years, the St. Lawrence Seaway in four. We created a healthcare system that became a model for the world. This government, Canada's new government, shares that ambition. We've already removed all federal barriers to interprovincial trade and we're catalyzing hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in nation-building projects. We're doubling our defense spending by the end of this decade. And we're working to ensure that core Canadian capabilities, including in AI, in quantum, in cyber, and critical minerals, will maximize the economic benefit for Canadians of these new security imperatives.
Now we need to execute fairly and fast. Satan revolution Security no community economy. That's why we're undertaking the strongest tightening of the criminal justice system in generations. It's why we're making the largest investment in defense in a gen in in generations. It's why we're securing our borders through more CBSA agents and greater surveillance resources. And it's why we're building one Canadian economy and launching nation-building projects that will connect and transform our country. We will give ourselves far more than any foreign government can ever take from us.
A core mission while we're doing that core mission of our government is to lower costs for Canadians. That's why on day one we cancelled the divisive consumer carbon tax. That's why we've cut income taxes for 22 million Canadians. It's why we've cut taxes for first-time home buyers. It's why we reduced tolls on the Confederation Bridge and Atlantic Ferry Fairs. It's why we're launched and we have launched Build Canada Homes to build affordable housing construction at a pace not seen since the end of the Second World War. This past fall, we launched the automatic federal benefits for up to 5 and a half million low-income Canadians to ensure that our most vulnerable get the money to which they are entitled. We also made the National School Food Program permanent so that kids have the nutrition they need at school. We've started as we mean to go on with a relentless focus on improving affordability to help Canadians get ahead.
I said we had to do two things. The second is first is to be a bastion. The second is to be a beacon, an example to a world that's at sea. In a time of rising populism and ethnic nationalism, Canada can show how diversity is a strength, not a weakness. In a time of democratic decline, we can show how rights can be protected and equal freedoms endure. And in a time of rising walls and thickening borders, we can demonstrate how a country can be both open and secure, welcoming and strong, principled and powerful. There are literally billions of people who aspire to what we have built: a pluralistic society that works. A public square that's loud, diverse, and free. An economy that delivers broadly shared prosperity. A democracy that chooses to protect the most vulnerable against the powerful.
Now, Canada can't solve all the world's problems, but we can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn't destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion. It can still bend towards progress and justice. There we go. Leadership Canada force no capacity security disposal resource Lis not force the northier resilience grass.
So, let me return to where I began, where Canada began 267 years ago. This ground was soaked with blood. Two empires had collided, one had prevailed, and the question was, "What will come next?" The answer that emerged slowly, imperfectly, not without struggle, but unmistakably was cooperation, partnership, a shared future. That response was not inevitable. That response was chosen. Chosen by British administrators who eventually saw the wisdom of cooperation. Chosen by French Canadians who eventually committed to build within the new reality. Chosen by the founders of Confederation who believed that two peoples could become partners in one country. And chosen by every subsequent generation who built on that foundation.
Don't know system federal notonsibility. In this time of great consequence, we are choosing. We are choosing to work together to build one Canadian economy. We've made great progress over the past year. Now, we have to redouble our efforts with the provinces and territories. We're choosing to find new markets and develop new partnerships. We've announced a dozen new economic and security partnerships across four continents in the last 6 months. More will come, all will deepen. We choose to build in solidarity with Canadian workers, creating hundreds of thousands of goodaying union jobs and investing in apprenticeships and skills training so that young Canadians can have the careers of tomorrow. New Mayor Cleman. We're choosing to build inclusively in full partnership with indigenous peoples, inclusively to ensure that AI benefits all Canadians. To respect diversity, to accept others, and to combat hate so that every Canadian feels free to be themselves and can thrive in the greatest country on earth.
When we live our values, we grow as individuals and we build as a people. When we're kind, kindness grows. When we're united, unity grows. When we're Canadian, inclusive, fair, ambitious, Canada grows. Canada, Canada and the United States have built a remarkable partnership in the economy, in security, and in rich cultural exchange. But Canada doesn't live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian. News. We choose to build a bright future worthy on the of the ground on which we stand. We choose Canada. Thank you very much.