Minutes after asking General Mary Simon to dissolve Congress and trigger the April 28 election, liberal leader Mark Carney launched a campaign on March 23rd outside Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Carney made a new policy announcement during his speech, saying it would cut the lowest income tax range by 1%.
His remarks focused heavily on the Trump administration, saying that the US president was threatening Canada’s sovereignty and that he wanted a “strong and positive” mandate to deal with Trump.
He also took indirect shots with Pierre Poilierble, a conservative leader who has criticised the tenure of the liberal government.
Kearney said there are more opportunities for people of his generation, and life is more affordable for them compared to the younger generation. He said his career informed him about how the world works and that he could use it for Canada’s benefit in a plan to address the current challenges the country is facing.
He also said that his government agreed to France and the UK to boost Arctic security and increase its involvement with Canada on security issues regarding the $6 billion purchase agreement his government made for Australian radar technology.
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Carney said his government has abolished the increase in Trudeau’s capital gains coverage, and that consumers have removed the carbon tax to “end the sector” it created. He previously said that instead he would place the carbon price on “big polluters.”
He also stated a pledge to remove barriers to interprone trade, and said he would use the proceeds of Canadian retaliation tariffs against the US to help Canadian workers.
Below is the text from Carney’s March 23rd campaign speech.
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A statement submitted by Liberal Party leader Mark Carney outside Ottawa’s Rideau Hall on March 23rd.
Two months ago I was at the Rink in Edmonton and learned to play hockey. That’s as much as you can get from the grandeur of Rideau Hall. And because I was there, I was raising my hands to run for the leadership of the Canadian Liberal Party. And I knew our country needed to take action, so I did. We had to act to correct the economy. I had to act to fight the Americans. They had to act to deal with Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Nine days ago, our new government was sworn in and decided to act immediately. This week we reached a new national defense agreement with Australia to protect Canada.
We have strengthened our security ties with France and the UK to protect Canadians. To provide more support to Canadian companies, we have launched discussions on a new trade agreement with the European Union.
We eliminated the tax on consumer carbon for small businesses and farmers, and ended the sector that we were creating among Canadians.
We overturned the capital gains tax increase, encouraged builders to take risks, and encouraged them to be rewarded when successful.
When I met the Prime Minister in Ottawa on Friday, we agreed to eliminate barriers to trade and mobility in our country, and the federal government is leading the way by July 1 by leading the end of all federal barriers to intercolonial trade into law.
Over the past week we have acted to protect workers using the proceeds of retaliatory tariffs for unfair US trade actions.
We have acted to unlock major infrastructure projects and move them quickly, including clean, traditional energy, key minerals, new trade corridors with trusted trading partners.
We acted to create new support for farmers and businesses during this trade war. We expanded dental care for millions of Canadians and incorporated all of these actions to create a stronger Canada.
There’s more to secure Canada, invest in Canada, build Canada, and unite Canada. That’s why I want strong and positive delegation from my fellow Canadians.
I just requested that the Governor dissolve the assembly and call for an election on April 28th. She agreed.
We face the most important crisis of our lifetimes due to President Trump’s unfair trade actions and his threat to our sovereignty. Our response must be to build a strong economy and a safer Canada.
President Trump has argued that Canada is not a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We won’t let that happen. We are shocked by betrayal, but we must never forget the lesson. We have to look for ourselves. We have to look for each other.
We know we have to take care of each other. We know we cannot control the President of the United States, but we can control our own destiny. We are masters of our own home. We can control our destiny.
For us, we can build a new Canada. We can give ourselves more than foreign governments can take away. And the best way we can deal with this crisis is to build our strength at home and help those who are hit hardest by these tariffs. That’s right, that’s fair, that’s Canada. That’s what makes us stronger.
As part of that strategy, today I am proposing middle class tax cuts to help all working Canadians move forward. Reduce the minimum income tax range by 1 percentage point for middle class tax cuts that will benefit two-income families up to $825 a year.
I am proposing a middle class tax cut that will help all Canadian workers. Reduce minimum tax brackets by 1%. This tax cut for the middle class will allow families to pay $825 in return.
We ask Canadians to have a strong and positive mission to deal with President Trump and build a new Canadian economy that will serve everyone.
You know, my generation was lucky. For us, there was more opportunity and life was more affordable. You had to work hard, but you can move on. It was a bargain, but for the generation that follows, they either work as hard as we do or even harder, but they struggle to pay rent, put groceries on the table, saving their children’s education.
I have spent every career understanding how the world works and how it works for us so that we can benefit most. This has been a priority for the last nine days and it will always be a priority for our new government.
The challenges are important, but I want every Canadian to understand that they have the right plans, whether they work together, and that they have everything they need to succeed in Canada. Because building a strong Canada helps everyone and we must demonstrate leadership.
When you’ve never fixed anything, it’s easy to be negative about everything. When you’ve never built anything, when you didn’t need to create a salary, it’s easy to be negative about everything. But negative slogans are not the solution. Anger is not action. The division is not strength. Negation does not win a trade war. Negativeness does not pay rent or mortgages. Negativeness cannot lower grocery prices, and negativity does not strengthen Canada.
We’ve seen what negativity and division have led to in the US. When we are united, we become stronger. We don’t allow ourselves to be weak, so let us unite during this time of crisis.
I love Canada. Our country has given me everything. I was standing up in Edmonton two months ago and am standing here today because I want to bring everything back to Canada. This causes Canadian children to grow up in Nanaimo, Montreal, St. John, Scarborough, or Inuvik.
It’s time for us all to come together and be strong.
So I’m asking for your vote, so we’re going to be Canada’s strong.
Long Live Canada.
