Hello everyone.

Thank you Michael for those words and for welcoming us here to your beautiful riding and to this extraordinary community centre that has turned out a lot of extraordinary young people, including yourself.

And I also want to thank, obviously, Chrystia Freeland, our Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, who’s been at the forefront of making sure we’re there with supports for Canadians who need it, making sure we continue to be responsible in our approach so that we can rely on our resources to support Canadians in times of trouble, and of course, to build for a stronger future for the decades to come.

We’re here at the Dennis R. Timbrell Resource Centre. We had the chance to chat with families and seniors just a few minutes ago. I want to thank them all for joining us today. You are why we are here today, and I really appreciate your presence.

As global inflation caused by the pandemic and Putin’s war is making things more expensive for people around the world and having a real impact on Canadians, too. People here, like Rummy and Georgina, who have two kids, are worried about being able to pay their bills, and others are having a tough time paying rent or saving for retirement. We know that too many Canadians are dealing with the rising cost of living. We hear you, and we’re there for you.

The first thing we did when Parliament came back this fall was to introduce legislation to put more money in the pockets of the middle class and people who need it. That’s why we’re doubling the GST Tax Credit for six months for 11 million households, and those payments are landing in bank accounts across the country today.

If you look at your bank balance today and you’re one of the 11 million households that gets GST credits and returns, you should see help for you directly. It’ll help you pay the bills. Couples with two kids will get up to $467 more, and seniors will get an average of $225 more.

We’re doubling the GST Tax Credit for six months for 11 million households across the country. Those payments are starting today. For middle-class families and people who need it the most, it means more money in your pockets to help pay your bills. Couples with two kids will get up to $467 more, and seniors will get an average of $225 more.

Yesterday, Chrystia presented the Fall Economic Statement. This is our plan to make life more affordable and build an economy that works for all Canadians. Right now, we’re seeing economies around the world slowing down. No matter how hard the slowdown hits, Canada is best placed to withstand it because of our responsible approach since the start of the pandemic, which keeps us resilient. In fact, just today we saw that last month, the Canadian economy added 108,000 jobs. The bottom line is this, our government will continue being there for you. We’re moving forward with measures to help people pay their bills and create thousands more good, well-paying jobs.

So, what does our plan mean for you, in everyday terms? For small businesses, it means that our government is working to lower credit card fees. For families, we’re working so everyone can afford to send their kids to the dentist. For students, we are permanently eliminating interest on Canada student loans and apprenticeship loans. For young people, we’re moving forward with a new Tax-Free First Home Savings Account, that’ll make it easier to save for a down payment. For low-paid workers, we’re providing advanced payments of the Canada Workers Benefit to put more money in your pockets sooner. And for all Canadians, we’re securing tens of thousands of good middle-class jobs to produce critical minerals and build electric vehicles and batteries while we fight climate change.

We are taking real action to help seniors, families, and young people. We’re continuing our work to build an economy that works for all Canadians.