Speech to Businessmen on Launch of Election Campaigns
I will begin by thanking all of you for offering me this opportunity to make an outlay of the programs and policies that the conservative party has developed with this country in mind. I believe, and I am sure that this is a belief shared by all of you in attendance today, that the conservative party of Canada presents the best choice for the people of Canada to live up to their ideals of a just society. This, my fellow party members, is an ideal which we hold dear, and which we will work tirelessly to ensure that we deliver upon it at all times. We do not wish, unlike our opponents, at any time bring into disrepute the integrity of the Canadian people. I make this promise to the Canadians, we shall always deliver on our promise to create a better and more fitting life for all the people of Canada at all times.
On this auspicious occasion of the launch of our campaigns, I wish to make an outline of our plans for this nation to the voters. I intend to deliver a promise to the Canadian people regarding what they should demand of us when they give us the mandate to lead this country. Our party has a long history of making a priority the needs of the people, and it is my solemn promise that we shall deliver on this end.
Our economy, like many others in the world, has been a victim of the economic downturn which was experienced in the last few years. Our industries, workers and the general population have felt the stinging effect of a falling economy. Though as a party we were not part in the architecture of this misfortune that befell our nation, we will not stand aside and allocate blame to those who failed in their mandate. Rather, we seek to rise, like the phoenix from the ashes, and from this experience build a stronger and more stable economy which will not be susceptible to the workings of a greedy machine of unbridled capitalism. I make the promise to the people of Canada, that we shall employ all the resources available to us to ensure that there is a full recovery of the economy, and that we start a new path of progression where all people of Canada will reap to the fullest the benefits of an economy operating under a just and democratic system under the conservative party of Canada.
We shall institute, in the first year of our government, policy changes in the labour market to ensure that the level of income to the Canadian household improves considerably to a level which can be considered comfortable. The strengthening of labour unions is one of the policies which we wish to undertake, and this will be done through proper legislation in the House of Representatives to govern the relationships of employers and the labour unions. The leadership of labour unions will be strengthened to ensure that the leaders of such unions operate under a standard which cannot be compromised for political gain by any party at any time. Through this, stronger unions will emerge and will be able to bargain more persuasively towards the fulfilment of the needs of their members at all time.
Our party has always strived to improve the level of livelihood for all Canadians. Upon our election to office, our party will implement a policy framework to improve the livelihoods of Canadians. This will be through the revival of key industries such as motor manufacturing, tourism and agriculture. It is important to develop the capacity for an increase in the earnings of our people, and through these policies, we shall seek to achieve that, and probably beyond. We shall also seek to review the level and complexity of federal taxation to see to it that the tax burden borne by our countrymen lowers considerably. We do not wish that the progress of our people be inhibited by an unrealistic federal tax burdens whose positive results in the econ0my is not identifiable.
The state of the health industry in our nation is also a central part of the focus of our party. The cost of health care has been rising over the last few years and we intend to do something about this. We shall not let the industry suffer from uncontrolled cost increases which ultimately come down to bear on the citizens. To this end, we shall institute programs to heavily subsidize some of the sectors that serve health care provision in our nation. The government intends to develop a partnership with local and international drug manufacturers to see to it that the cost of health care is brought down through properly managed subsidies. We also seek to develop a comprehensive national insurance framework to ensure that all the citizens receive quality medical care at a very reasonable cost. This will be done over a period of several years and with proper consultation to all the relevant sector players. Should the need arise; we may even seek the opinion of the electorate on the matter.
The education sector will also be positively affected by our policy changes. Since our country is multilingual, we intend to improve the education sector by factoring in the differences in languages in the formulation of our policies. It is not proper that segregation on language should occur at any level in the Canadian society; rather, we should ensure that the equality that is enshrined in our constitution is protected under all circumstances. This will be partly be achieved through education policy changes to reflect our diversity while holding as one.
Our party, since its inception about a decade ago, has always been a vocal and firm champion of decentralization. This is because as a party we realize the need to devolve powers to the provinces. It is an established fact that decentralization is key to the establishment of a just society through proper devolution of federal funds to the local governments. This is a principle which we shall continue to uphold, and as we move towards the election, we shall seek to further strengthen our devolution organs to ensure that its workings are more streamlined towards the improvement of the livelihoods of Canadian citizens.
We shall seek to develop a most lean government. It is our responsibility as the party to ensure that Canadians are not burdened by.
On the moral issues that plague our society today, we shall remain firm. The case of legalising abortion still remains a big no in our party. We shall not involve ourselves in a debate which makes light an issue which is murder. We do not seek that form of progressiveness, and if that is the measure of liberalism and protection of rights, then i say that we would rather remain on the historically conservative position which to date has proved to be firm and beneficial to the society as a whole. I reiterate here again, abortion is an immoral act to which we shall not be part, now or in the future.
On the issue of same sex marriages, our party will keep a distance to the debate. We shall not seek to make a ban to what was approved before. We shall not seek to develop any legislation that bans same sex marriages, and will uphold the law. There has been in the recent past comments from section of our party which may have given an indication that our opinion in this issue was contrary. I seek to reassure you that our party will not ban same sex marriages in Canada; our commitment to the law remains unshaken (Flanagan 2007).
The world recognizes Canada's capacity for growing talent. We need to do more to retain that talent, to leverage it when it moves abroad, and to use our environment to attract the world's best and brightest to Canada. Canada needs to ensure that when ex–pats wish to bring their expertise home there aren't barriers (such as significant duties) to discourage them. Canada needs to implement immigration policies that expedite the entry of highly skilled foreign nationals; and encourages international students, to remain in Canada once completing their studies. Start–up and emerging technology companies require top talent but struggle with the ability to pay fair market compensation, frequently relying on equity–based compensation as a solution. Our party promises to do all these (Flanagan 2007).
Another major issue facing Canada is lack of sufficient capital. Canada's venture capital pool remains small, resulting in the need to access larger rounds of funds abroad. Despite recent actions surrounding Section 116 of the Federal Income Tax Act, access to foreign investment continues to be a key issue. Industry and Government need to do more to help companies get "investment ready" and better attract foreign investors (either VC's or Strategic Investors).Policies that penalize companies for accepting foreign investment must be reviewed and unnecessary barriers to foreign investment in Canadian Venture Funds removed. Canada must simplify and clarify the tax situation to allow foreign investors to invest in Canadian Limited Partnerships on a level playing field. Foreign venture capital investment needs to be encouraged through co–investment programs similar to the BC Renaissance Fund, delivered by the Government of British Columbia. Our party will be keen to implement these measures (Flanagan 2007).
Our party will also ensure that Canada is a digital economy. Accessing information and processing it efficiently and effectively are crucial skills for all Canadians. One strategic area for a digital economy is in helping Canadian technology companies achieve export success. Although many Canadian companies see North America as their domestic market – and choosing the US as their primary market – many companies lack the scale and expertise required to effectively sell in the US and even more so to reach Asian and European markets. This will create a pool of employment to many Canadians and ensure that there is true productive efficiencies (Flanagan 2007).
While supporting small businesses is a commendable goal for government, with respect to the digital economy, government and industry needs to be encouraging the growth of larger companies – companies with the business skill and market reach necessary to scale and create true economic wealth. Our party will be keen in ensuring that this framework is put into place (Flanagan 2007).
Our party will also have aggressive foreign policy review to strengthen ties with Latin America. Our officials will visit Mexico, Cuba and VenezuelaAlso Canada will give an increasing amount of development funds to a number of Latin American countries .this will help to strengthen bilateral ties with these countries and thus creating a good business environment (Flanagan 2007).
I wish to reiterate to you that the party will continue developing ways to improve the current business climate in Canada, and we shall strive to ensure that the cost of doing business reduced to the minimum possible. We shall strive to provide incentives to you to ensure that you have continued prosperity.
Thank You.
References
Brown, Jesse (13 April 2011). "Harper's promise: a warrantless online surveillance state: Why ‘lawful access’ legislation is on its way and why that should worry you". Macleans.ca. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
Canada (30 October 2008). "Shuffle reflects No. 1 priority: the economy". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
Flanagan, T. (2007). Harper’s Team. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Hoberg, G. (2013) "Canada and North American Canada and North American Integration S35 Integration". Canadian Public Policy. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
