Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for joining us today at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg.  It’s a real pleasure to be here at the South Y Childcare Centre to see firsthand the great work being done for families.

I’m happy to be back in Winnipeg to talk about a very special part of Budget 2017.  But let me take a second first to reflect more broadly on how important last week was for families in Manitoba and indeed for all Canadians.

Last week, we announced the second phase of our ambitious plan for Canada, a plan that will create jobs, grow the economy, and provide opportunities for hard-working middle-class Canadians. To prepare for the economy of tomorrow, we are making smart investments in skills training, innovation, and key infrastructure projects, starting today, because we know that the only way to grow the economy is to ensure prosperity for the middle class.

And fairness goes to the very heart of the notion of prosperity. We believe that every Canadian deserves a real, fair chance to succeed. That`s why we’ve developed an ambitious plan to help hard-working Canadians succeed.

Last year, for example, we introduced the Canada Child Benefit, a monthly tax-free benefit to help parents with the high costs of raising kids.  And the number don’t lie.  Nine out of ten Canadian families receive more help under this system than under the old system.  But we know that there are other important concerns facing Canadian families including here in Winnipeg.  We know, for example, that many parents don’t have access to affordable, high-quality childcare.  We’ve all heard stories about parents unable to return to work because the cost of childcare is so high, it’s cheaper to stay at home with the kids.  Or stories of desperate parents on childcare waiting lists for months or even years, hoping to land a coveted spot.  These families are currently struggling to gain access to something that is essential, and that isn’t fair.

And that’s why last week our government committed an additional $7 billion over 10 years to support and increase the number of high-quality childcare spaces across the country.  This is on top of the $500 million we announced for the same effort in our last budget for this year.  By working with our provincial, territorial and indigenous partners, we will support and create up to 40,000 subsidized childcare spaces over the next three years.

The impact that this investment will have on low and modest income Canadian families is huge.  Making sure that parents have a safe, secure, high-quality childcare option for their children at an affordable rate could be the difference between living in poverty and returning to the workforce or even going back to school.

With Budget 2017 we’re happy to finally address this challenge head on.  After all, we know that families are the heart of our economy and the centre around which our communities are built.  So when we support Canadian families we’re supporting a more prosperous country for all.

Our government is proud to be making the right choices for low-and medium-income parents.  We will continue to put families first in the coming years. So thank you again for being here with us today.