Canada's financial house is in order but it must be cautious about what's going on in Europe right now, Tri-City MP and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore said today.
Speaking to a packed house at the Tri-Cities' Chamber of Commerce luncheon held at the Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club in Coquitlam, Moore told the crowd of business, cultural and political leaders on Friday that Europe - especially Greece - is in a precarious state.
"Even with this week's austerity actions that were approved in Greece, Europe is still very much in trouble and we need to be very mindful and responsible for the way in which we react to that," he said, adding, "our government is moving forward and taking action in controlling what we can control."
Moore pointed to the Conservative government's fiscal policies over the past few years during the global economic downturn, in particular, its Economic Action Plan that he said has poured millions of "stimulus" dollars in B.C. and the Tri-Cities.
In a slide show presentation, Moore highlighted a long list of infrastructure projects that have received federal cash such as, locally, upgrades to the Pitt River Bridge, Percy Perry Stadium and Rocky Point Park.
"Taken all together, all across the province, all across the country and the Tri-Cities... it has been the largest investment in infrastructure in Canada's history," he said. "And, as a result today, Canada has recovered all of the output that we lost from the recession in 2008 and 2009."
Besides speaking about Canada's "enviable" financial position and hinting that a budget would be coming soon, Moore also touched on the country's export growth in China and India, and the Tory government's free-trade stance.
"Canada has never shone more brightly on the international stage than we have today," he said.
Afterwards, Moore fielded questions from the floor about the Conservatives' controversial crime bill, skilled labour shortages and the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund ESPN's winter X Games in Whistler in future years.
