Good afternoon everyone. It’s a pleasure to be gathered here in Toronto alongside some of my cabinet colleagues to participate in a long-term investment summit, organized in collaboration with BlackRock. For those who aren’t familiar, BlackRock is a New York-based asset management corporation investing trillions of dollars on behalf of clients around the world. And some of their key partners are here today to talk about investing in Canada.

Now it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone Canada has long stood tall on the world stage. And, over the past year, we have been a proud champion for inclusion and integration within our broader global community. We’ve welcomed skilled immigrants and refugees to our towns and cities, broken down trade barriers, and engaged in progressive international diplomacy. Canada has long been, and continues to be, an island of stability for investors. An investment in Canada and in Canadian workers is a smart, pragmatic choice.

It’s an ideal place to do business, for a number of reasons. Canada has the fastest growing GDP and the lowest business costs in the G7. We have well‑functioning capital markets and one of the most secure baking systems in the world. And we have clear and predictable rules for foreign investment. But that’s not all. Canada benefits from privileged access to the global economy, having concluded free trade deals with several countries. As you know, we have very recently signed the Canada-European Union free trade deal, which will give us unprecedented access to the markets of European Union member states.

In addition, the Canadian workforce is diversified, innovative and among the world’s most educated. And we are recognized around the world as a leader in several areas, including clean technology, energy, transport, life sciences, the creative sector, artificial intelligence and quantum physics.

So today we’re talking with these global investors about win-win propositions that will support Canadian innovation and large-scale infrastructure projects. We are giving them a broader idea of the Canadian vision for growth, where we currently stand as a nation, where we ultimately want to go, and what it’s going to take to get us there.

Since forming government, my team has made it a priority to develop strong relationships with political and business leaders on the international stage. And we’ve done this because we know that in order to create good jobs, grow the economy, and strengthen the middle class, the private and public sectors must work together as partners. So today we welcome global investors and BlackRock to Toronto, and we look forward to continuing our discussions on the unparalleled benefits of investing in Canada and in the people who call it home.