Thank you Myron for that introduction.

Good morning everyone. Thank you for being here today.

I am happy to be here today to talk to you about our plan to grow the middle class and revitalize the economy.

We know that strong, resilient economies start with people from the middle class who have more money in their pockets to save and invest, and we will talk about that.

As many of you know, I'm in town for the Nuclear Security Summit, which I am very much looking forward to.

But when given the opportunity to talk this morning about the future of North American relationship and our plans to grow Canada's economy, I just couldn't say no.

That first point, the future of the North American relationship, was at the centre of my last visit to Washington just a few weeks ago.

I was here with members of the Canadian delegation to continue the important work on that partnership.

It was about strengthening the enduring bond that exists between our countries and giving President Obama the chance to make a few hockey jokes at our expense.

Thank you Myron for continuing that. (Laughter)

We had productive meetings about our countries' mutual interests, and we made significant progress on issues like climate change, cross-border trade, and creating a clean-growth economy.

I came away from our time together even more convinced of one thing: that the progress we made was possible, not because of the people in the room--after all leaders come and go--but because of the deep, lasting relationship that our two peoples enjoy.

As I said on the south lawn when Sophie and I arrived for the official visit, there is no relationship in the world quite like the Canada-US relationship.

Together we are an example to the world on how countries can and should engage with each other, as friends and neighbours, as partners and allies united in common purpose.

I am confident that in the years ahead, Canada and the United States, and our neighbours in Mexico, will accomplish amazing these together. Working together, we can steer our countries towards a clean and prosperous future, one that provides good jobs and great opportunities for every North American.

That's what I see in our shared future.

Now when it comes to Canada, there are some ongoing challenges that need to be addressed, and some unique opportunities that ought to be embraced.

We've been working hard since our election last October to make a difference in the lives of Canadians.

The most significant opportunity came with the introduction of our first federal budget just weeks ago on March 22nd.

With that budget, we had the opportunity to put dollars behind our ideas, to take the things that matter most to Canadians, things like growing the economy, creating jobs, and strengthening the middle class, and to make real meaningful progress towards those goals.

If you want to know what my government sees as the future of Canada's economy, you don't have to look any further than the budget's title: Growing the Middle Class. 

It has long been understood that a strong economy starts with a strong middle class.

When middle-class Canadians have more money to save, invest, and grow the economy, everyone benefits. That's why one of the first things we did after we were elected last fall was to cut taxes for the middle class by asking those who've done extremely well to do a little more.

The result? Millions of Canadians have seen bigger pay cheques since last January.

We made that tax cut a priority because it was the fair thing to do and the smart thing to do for Canada's economy.

In our budget, we also introduced and simpler tax-free and more generous child benefit for Canadian parents.

As the cost of raising children continues to climb, families need help to make ends meet, and we're happy to deliver it. With the Canada Child Benefit, nine out of ten families will receive higher monthly benefits than before.

That's money that will be spent right away in our economy, and more importantly, money that will help to ensure that every child across our country will have the best possible opportunities to succeed.

To grow our communities and create good quality well-paying jobs, our government is also planning to invest

more than $120 billion in public transit, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure over the next ten years.

Investments that are dearly needed and with historically low interest rates, the time to invest is now.

Both domestically and internationally, we are scaling up our efforts to blend capital and leverage the know-how from both public and private sectors to deliver on our infrastructure promises.

Over the course of the next year we will work on developing a long-term infrastructure strategy

that includes large scale infrastructure projects and investments in our ports, and in port and trade corridors to the US and Asia.

One thing that Canadians have come to realize over the years is that environmental protection and economic growth must go hand in hand.

In the rapidly expanding global marketplace, the reality is this: new growth is increasingly clean growth.

We have an opportunity to seize that momentum by making smart investments today in the industries and technologies that will form the bedrock of our shared economic future. 

There are billions of dollars and hundred of thousands of good jobs on the table for the countries that get this right.

In direct complement to this is our plan to prioritize ambitious new ways to innovate.

Budget 2016 outlines a bold vision for Canada that positions us as a centre for cutting-edge global innovation.

Everyone in this room knows that investing in new ways of thinking, supporting clean technology, and encouraging sustainable practices will foster emerging industries, job growth, market access,

and global competitiveness. Canada, and likewise the United States, must lead the way in innovation and embrace the opportunity to create the jobs of the future.

This is North America. We don't fear the future; we invent it.

We don't worry about the new economy; we create it.

We all know that governments can't do everything, nor should they try to, but there are certain fundamental things that governments have to get right.

We will find responsible, sustainable ways to get our goods to market.

In an era of global trade, our economies depend on it.

We will make sure that the business community, job creators, just like you, are supported and that you'll have a

chance to create more good jobs, and we will do more to strengthen the middle class and help those working hard to join it.

We have a chance in 2016 to build better countries, stronger economies, and a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.

In Canada, we are working hard to do just that, and isn't that what it is all about?

Everybody, both in this room and outside of it, wants to leave to our kids a better world than the one we inherited from our parents.

The good news is we have the experience, the entrepreneurial spirit, and the drive to make it happen.

We have a relationship, Canada and the US, unlike any other in the world,

and I know that if we continue to work together, citizens, business leaders, and government, there is no problem we can't solve.

Thank you once again for having me here today and I look forward to my discussion with Susan.
(Applause)