DIE GAH HO!

BON SOIR, TOUT LE MONDE.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

AND THANK YOU, JASON, FOR THAT WARM INTRODUCTION,AND FOR THE TREMENDOUS WORK YOU ARE DOING AS CANADA’S MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCEAND MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURALISM.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FRIENDS,

AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A NATIONAL ELECTION.

FOR JASON, FOR MYSELF, FOR ALL OF OUR CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES IN THIS ELECTION, THE ECONOMY IS OUR NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY.

THROUGH THIS TIME OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC INSTABILITY, OUR CAMPAIGN IS ALL ABOUT CREATING AND PROTECTING JOBS, LOWERING TAXES, AND HELPING FAMILIES, HERE IN RICHMOND HILL AND ALL ACROSS THIS GREAT COUNTRY.

ON OCTOBER 19, CANADIANS FROM COAST TO COAST TO COAST WILL DECIDE WHOM YOU TRUST TO MANAGE AND PROTECT OUR FRAGILE ECONOMY AND CANADIAN JOBS DURING A TIME OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC TURMOIL.

THE ANSWER IS CLEAR, MY FRIENDS THE ANSWER IS A RE-ELECTED CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT! I’LL HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.

BUT BEFORE I GO FURTHER, I ALSO WANT TO EXTEND MY SINCERE THANKS TO OUR HOSTS, “CHINESE CANADIANS FOR A STRONGER CANADA,” AND PRESIDENT WINNIE LEE! AND I’D LIKE TO WISH EACH OF YOU, AND ALL CANADIANS OF CHINESE HERITAGE JOYEUSE FÊTE DE LA LUNE! A HAPPY MOON FESTIVAL! FRIENDS, I CAN THINK OF NO BETTER PLACE TO CELEBRATE THIS JOYOUS HOLIDAY THAN RIGHT HERE, IN THE GTA, AN AREA THAT IS THRIVING IN NO SMALL PART DUE TO THE CHINESE COMMUNITY.

INDEED, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SPEAK TOO HIGHLY OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO OUR NATIONAL LIFE BY CANADIANS OF CHINESE ANCESTRY, IN BUSINESS AND IN ACADEMIA, MATHEMATICS AND MEDICINE, SPORT AND SCIENCE, ANYWHERE A STRONG WORK ETHIC, A COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION, AND A DEDICATION TO FAITH AND FAMILY, ARE KEYS TO SUCCESS.

THESE VALUES ARE ALSO CONSERVATIVE VALUES, AND, FRIENDS, IT’S BECAUSE OF OUR SUPPORT FOR FAMILY VALUES IN PARTICULAR, THAT WE DO NOT AGREE WITH THE OTHER PARTIES IN THIS ELECTION WHEN THEY PROPOSE MAKING MARIJUANA MORE ACCESSIBLE TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE! WE ALSO OPPOSE LIBERAL AND NDP PROPOSALS TO ALLOW DRUG INJECTION SITES IN OUR COMMUNITIES, AND TO MAKE PROSTITUTION LEGAL.

WE SHARE THESE COMMON-SENSE FAMILY VALUES, WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, AND WITH COMMUNITIES RIGHT ACROSS OUR COUNTRY! OUR GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO BEEN SENSITIVE TO OTHER ISSUES OF CONCERN TO THE CHINESE-CANADIAN COMMUNITY.

WE WERE PLEASED TO ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY COUNCIL ON TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE, AND IN OUR ECONOMIC ACTION PLAN 2014, WE PROVIDED AN EXEMPTION FROM THE GST FOR ACUPUNCTURE AND NATUROPATHIC HEALTH SERVICES! AND, ON A PARTISAN NOTE, I’M HAPPY TO TELL YOU THAT TONIGHT, TO HELP CANADIANS OF CHINESE ORIGIN CONNECT WITH THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY, WE ARE LAUNCHING OUR CHINESE-LANGUAGE WEBSITE, CHINESE.

CONSERVATIVE.

CA! SO IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT, IN THIS ELECTION, NOTRE PARTI CONSERVATEUR A PLUS DE CANDIDATS D’ORIGINE CHINOISE QUE TOUT AUTRE PARTI! OUR CONSERVATIVE PARTY HAS MORE CANDIDATES OF CHINESE ORIGIN THAN ANY OTHER PARTY! THIS IS SOMETHING WE’RE VERY PROUD OF.

THEY AREN’T ALL HERE TONIGHT, BUT LET ME LIST THEM: SCARBOROUGH-AGINCOURT, BIN CHANG WELLINGTON HALTON HILLS, ONTARIO, MICHAEL CHONG FROM WILLOWDALE ONTARIO, CHUNGSEN LEUNG RICHMOND CENTRE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, ALICE WONG NEPEAN, ONTARIO, ANDY WANG WINDSOR WEST, ONTARIO, HENRY LAU SAINT LAURENT, QUEBEC, CHAG TAO (JIMMY) YU VANCOUVER EAST, JAMES LOW STEVESTON-RICHMOND EAST, B.

C.

KENNY CHIU AND FROM VANCOUVER SOUTH, WAI YOUNG.

FRIENDS, THE CONTRIBUTION OF THESE PROUD CHINESE CANADIANS TO OUR PARTY, AND OUR POLITICAL LIFE, IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS COMMUNITY IS BUILDING OUR COUNTRY! NOW, SADLY, AS YOU KNOW, CANADA WAS NOT ALWAYS OPEN TO THESE CONTRIBUTIONS, LIKE IN 1923, WHEN THE-THEN LIBERAL GOVERNMENT PASSED THE CHINESE IMMIGRATION ACT, MAKING IT ILLEGAL FOR CHINESE PEOPLE TO IMMIGRATE HERE.

AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL OUR GOVERNMENT TOOK OFFICE THAT CANADA APOLOGIZED AND MADE COMPENSATION, WHERE APPROPRIATE, FOR THE PUNITIVE HEAD TAX ONCE IMPOSED ON CHINESE IMMIGRANTS.

THOSE WERE TWO THINGS THE PREVIOUS LIBERAL GOVERNMENTS HAD REFUSED TO DO, BUT WE ARE PROUD OUR CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT FINALLY DID THEM! AND WE ARE ALSO PROUD THAT THE FIRST MP OF ASIAN ORIGIN WAS A CONSERVATIVE, A MAN WHO HAVING FOUGHT FOR REPEAL OF THE CHINESE IMMIGRATION ACT, AND WAS ELECTED IN 1957 TO REPRESENT VANCOUVER CENTRE, THE GREAT DOUGLAS JUNG! CHERS AMIS, LE CANADA BÉNÉFICIE ÉNORMÉMENT DE L’IMMIGRATION.

FRIENDS, CANADA HAS BENEFITTED ENORMOUSLY FROM IMMIGRATION.

BUT, SADLY, YEARS OF LIBERAL MISMANAGEMENT HAD LEFT CANADA’S IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IN DISREPAIR.

FRIENDS, CONSIDER THIS: EVERY LIBERAL GOVERNMENT IN THE LAST 45 YEARS, HAS SLASHED IMMIGRATION, SOMETIMES BY NEARLY 60 PERCENT! THE LIBERALS IMPOSED AN EXPENSIVE LANDING FEE ON NEW IMMIGRANTS, AND INCREASED WAIT TIMES FOR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS.

THEY FROZE FUNDING FOR IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT.

UNDER THEIR WATCH, THE BACKLOG OF IMMIGRANTS SOARED, BY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS.

FRIENDS, WHEN OUR GOVERNMENT WAS FIRST ELECTED, THAT IS WHAT WE INHERITED, AND WHAT WE HAVE WORKED HARD TO FIX.

AND, FRIENDS, OUR HARD WORK IS PAYING OFF.

SINCE 2006, THE LIBERAL BACKLOG AND PROCESSING TIMES HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF! WE ALSO CUT THE LANDING FEE IN HALF, SAVING NEW IMMIGRANTS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AND WE HAVE TRIPLED SETTLEMENT FUNDING FOR NEWCOMERS! SINCE 2006, NEARLY 300,000 NEW PERMANENT RESIDENTS HAVE IMMIGRATED FROM CHINA TO CANADA.

THAT’S AN INCREASE OF TWENTY PERCENT! CHINESE STUDENT VISAS HAVE TRIPLED, AND FAMILY-CLASS IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA HAS ALSO INCREASED BY OVER TWENTY PERCENT.

WE’VE INTRODUCED OUR POPULAR AND FLEXIBLE SUPER VISA.

IT’S A TEN-YEAR, MULTIPLE-ENTRY VISA, FOR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS.

OUR GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY ISSUED 50,000 SUPER VISAS, AND 80 PERCENT OF THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE PROCESSED IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS! FRIENDS, IT IS ALSO UNDER OUR GOVERNMENT THAT CANADA HAS RECEIVED APPROVED DESTINATION STATUS FROM THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, LEADING TO A STEADY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CHINESE TOURISTS VISITING CANADA.

IN FACT, THE NUMBER OF VISAS ISSUED TO CHINESE VISITORS TO CANADA LAST YEAR, WAS NEARLY FOUR TIMES GREATER THAN UNDER THE PREVIOUS LIBERAL GOVERNMENT! AND, UNDER OUR GOVERNMENT, CANADA HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN TWO MILLION VISITORS FROM CHINA, AND THAT’S NOT INCLUDING OUR FRIENDS, ER-SHOON, AND DAH MAO! THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: WE WILL CONTINUE TO WELCOME MORE IMMIGRANTS AND TOURISTS FROM CHINA, BECAUSE IT IS IN CANADA’S LONG-TERM INTEREST THAT WE DO SO.

IT’S GOOD FOR CANADIAN-CHINESE FAMILIES; IT’S GOOD FOR CANADA’S ECONOMY; AND FRIENDS, IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE GOOD FOR CANADA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.

CHINA IS ALREADY CANADA’S SECOND-LARGEST TRADING PARTNER.

EN FAIT, LES ÉCHANGES COMMERCIAUX ENTRE LE CANADA ET LA CHINE ONT PLUS QUE DOUBLÉ SOUS NOTRE GOUVERNEMENT CONSERVATEUR! IN FACT, TRADE BETWEEN CANADA AND CHINA HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED UNDER OUR CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT! OUR GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO CONCLUDED A FOREIGN INVESTMENT PROMOTION AND PROTECTION AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, SOMETHING THE LIBERALS DIDN’T DO, AND THE NDP OPPOSED.

WE’VE OBTAINED APPROVAL FOR A RENMINBI TRADING HUB RIGHT HERE IN CANADA.

AND, FRIENDS, NOTWITHSTANDING THE ECONOMIC INSTABILITY WE’RE SEEING IN CHINA TODAY, WE BELIEVE THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR THIS RELATIONSHIP TO GROW.

THAT’S WHY, AS PRIME MINISTER, I HAVE LED THREE TRADE MISSIONS TO CHINA! I KNOW MANY OF YOU HERE THIS EVENING WOULD BENEFIT FROM, AND CAN CONTRIBUTE TO, INCREASED TRADE WITH CHINA.

OUR GOVERNMENT WILL BE RELYING ON YOUR EXPERTISE, YOUR TALENT, AND YOUR CONNECTIONS OVER THE COMING YEARS.

SO, FRIENDS, THE BIG PICTURE IS THIS: OUR GOVERNMENT HAS WORKED HARD TO IMPROVE OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM, TO STRENGTHEN PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES, AND TO EXPAND TRADE WITH CHINA, BECAUSE ALL THESE THINGS, ARE GOOD FOR CANADA’S ECONOMY.

AND RIGHT NOW, DOING WHAT’S BEST FOR CANADA’S ECONOMY IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC INSTABILITY IS OUR GOVERNMENT’S FIRST PRIORITY.

FRIENDS, THIS ELECTION WILL DECIDE WHAT OUR ECONOMY WILL LOOK LIKE FOUR YEARS FROM NOW.

CETTE ÉLECTION VA DÉTERMINER SI VOS TAXES ET VOS IMPÔTS SONT PLUS BAS OU PLUS ÉLEVÉS, SI NOTRE BUDGET RESTE ÉQUILIBRÉ OU NON, ET SI NOUS DÉPENSONS PRUDEMMENT POUR ASSURER LA CROISSANCE DE NOTRE ÉCONOMIE.

THIS ELECTION WILL DECIDE WHETHER OUR TAXES ARE LOWER OR HIGHER WHETHER OUR BUDGET STAYS BALANCED OR NOT, AND WHETHER WE SPEND PRUDENTLY TO KEEP OUR ECONOMY GROWING.

MORE JOBS, LOWER TAXES, PRUDENT SPENDING, BALANCED BUDGETS, AS CONSERVATIVES, THAT IS THE PATH WE CHOOSE FOR THIS GREAT COUNTRY! MAKE NO MISTAKE.

GLOBAL ECONOMIC INSTABILITY IS A SERIOUS RISK FOR CANADA, AND FOR YOU.

THE WRONG DECISIONS ON TAXES, ON SPENDING, ON DEFICITS, WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THOSE RISKS.

AND THE WRONG DECISIONS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE ECONOMY AND JOBS EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING IN COMMUNITIES LIKE RICHMOND HILL.

FRIENDS, OUR CONSERVATIVE PARTY HAS THE POSITIVE PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN! WE HAVE AN ECONOMIC ACTION PLAN FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ET LE POINT CENTRAL DE NOTRE PLAN POUR CRÉER DES EMPLOIS ET UNE CROISSANCE, EST L’ÉQUILIBRE BUDGÉTAIRE, DES DÉPENSES PRUDENTES, ET LA RÉDUCTION DES TAXES ET DES IMPÔTS.

AND THE CENTREPIECE OF OUR PLAN TO CREATE JOBS AND GROWTH IS BALANCING OUR BUDGET, SPENDING CAREFULLY, AND LOWERING YOUR TAXES.

AND BECAUSE OUR BUDGET IS BALANCED WE CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THE BENEFITS WE DELIVER YOU WILL KEEP AND THE TAXES WE LOWER, WILL STAY DOWN! FRIENDS, THE OTHER PARTIES OFFER CANADIANS A VERY DIFFERENT CHOICE, A VERY DIFFERENT PATH.

THEY PROMISE TO SPEND MORE MONEY - TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS - MORE MONEY THAN WE WILL.

AND HOW EXACTLY ARE THEY GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THAT? THE LIBERALS HAVE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED THEY WILL RUN DEFICITS.

“MODEST” DEFICITS “MODEST” DEFICITS OF AT LEAST 10 BILLION DOLLARS.

WE’VE SEEN SO-CALLED “MODEST” DEFICITS FROM LIBERAL GOVERNMENTS BEFORE THAT JUST KEEP GOING ONLY ENDING WITH HUGE TAX INCREASES, AND DEEP CUTS TO HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION.

AND, FRIENDS, WE ARE GOING TO WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE THE LIBERALS DON’T GET A CHANCE TO DO THAT AGAIN! AND THEN THERE’S THE NDP.

THEY’D RUN DEFICITS OF AT LEAST EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR PAYING FOR THE REST, THEY CLAIM, WITH TAX INCREASES.

FRIENDS, TAX INCREASES DON’T BALANCE THE BUDGET.

THEY JUST KILL JOBS; HURT TAXPAYING FAMILIES; AND WRECK THE ECONOMY, JUST LIKE THE NDP DID WHEN THEY WERE IN POWER IN ONTARIO.

AND WE MUST WORK HARD SO THAT NEVER CAN HAPPEN TO OUR GREAT COUNTRY! FRIENDS, BE UNDER NO ILLUSION.

LE PROGRAMME ÉCONOMIQUE DU NPD ET DES LIBÉRAUX FÉDÉRAUX, CRÉERAIT DES DÉFICITS PERMANENTS ET DES HAUSSES FISCALES.

THE ECONOMIC AGENDAS OF BOTH THE NDP AND THE FEDERAL LIBERALS WOULD MEAN PERMANENT DEFICITS AND TAX HIKES.

INCREDIBLY, DESPITE A FRAGILE ECONOMY, BOTH ARE CAMPAIGNING FOR TAX INCREASES, ESPECIALLY, FOR BIG TAX INCREASES TO THE PAYROLL TAXES PAID BY EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS FOR CPP AND EI.

FRIENDS, THEIR PROPOSALS WOULD COST A CANADIAN EARNING $60,000 A YEAR, AT LEAST $1,000 RIGHT OUT OF THEIR POCKET AND ANOTHER $1,000 FOR YOUR EMPLOYER, OR DOUBLE FOR YOU IF YOU’RE SELF-EMPLOYED.

OVER TWO-THIRDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES SAY THEY WILL FREEZE OR CUT WAGES, OVER ONE-HALF SAY THEY WILL CUT JOBS, IF THAT HAPPENS.

THE LIBERAL LEADER SEES NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.

AFTER ALL, HE RECENTLY DECLARED THAT “A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF SMALL BUSINESSES” ARE JUST TAX SHELTERS.

REALLY? FRIENDS, WE ARE PROPOSING TO LOWER YOUR EI PAYROLL TAXES BY 20 PER CENT.

AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES AREN'T SCHEMES TO AVOID TAXES, THEY’RE THE BACKBONE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS; THEY’RE THE BACKBONE OF OUR CHINESE COMMUNITY; AND THEY’RE THE BACKBONE OF THE CANADIAN ECONOMY! THE SIMPLE FACT IS, THE NDP AND LIBERALS WANT TO SPEND MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY KNOW BEST HOW TO SPEND YOUR MONEY, BETTER THAN YOU.

AS CONSERVATIVES WE UNDERSTAND YOUR MONEY BELONGS TO YOU, NOT TO ANY BUREAUCRAT AND NOT TO ANY POLITICIAN IN OTTAWA! FRIENDS, IMAGINE WAKING UP ON OCTOBER 20, - THE POLLS TELL US - THIS IS VERY POSSIBLE TO FIND AN NDP GOVERNMENT OR A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT, MAKING DECISIONS ON BORROWING MONEY AND ON YOUR TAXES.

THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE.

AND THAT’S THE CHOICE, MY FRIENDS, ON OCTOBER 19TH: THEIR PLAN FOR HIGHER TAXES AND PERMANENT DEFICITS AND FEWER JOBS.

AND OUR PLAN FOR DES IMPÔTS PLUS BAS, UN BUDGET ÉQUILIBRÉ PLUS D’EMPLOIS, CA, C’EST NOTRE VISION.

LOWER TAXES, BALANCED BUDGETS, MORE JOBS.

THAT’S OUR VISION FOR THIS GREAT COUNTRY! FRIENDS, WE ARE BUILDING A CANADA THAT IS THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH TO OWN A HOME AND TO RAISE A FAMILY, A CANADA WHERE BENEFITS ARE PAID NOT TO BUREAUCRATS, BUT DIRECTLY TO PARENTS, A CANADA WHERE MORE TAX DOLLARS ARE LEFT IN YOUR POCKET, A CANADA, WHERE THE BUDGET IS BALANCED NOW, NOT ON THE BACKS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS! A CANADA, FRIENDS, WHERE PEOPLE WHO WORK HARD TO GET AHEAD CAN DEPEND ON WELL-PAYING JOBS.

THIS IS THE CANADA WE’RE FIGHTING FOR, OUR CANADA, THE MOST ADMIRED, THE BEST COUNTRY, IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! AND THAT’S OUR PLAN FOR PROTECTING OUR ECONOMY, OUR FUTURE, OUR CANADA, PROUD, STRONG AND FREE.

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION TO BE HERE.

HAPPY MOON FESTIVAL, EVERYONE, GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.

GOD BLESS CANADA!

This informaiton is from the office of Minister Jason Kenney of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism