Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled his “Here for Canada” Conservative policy platform. The platform provides Canadians with a prudent low-tax plan to protect and create jobs by completing our recovery from the global economic recession. “Here for Canada” commits to eliminating the deficit by the 2014-2015 fiscal year without cutting transfer payments to individuals or to the provinces. And it contains concrete measures to secure Canada’s borders and keep our streets and neighbourhoods safe.

“Our Conservative Government has been consistent — we’re ‘Here for Canada,’” said Prime Minister Harper. “We’re taking action on the priorities of Canadians who work hard and play by the rules, and we’ve steered our country through the worst global economic recession since the 1930s. The next phase of our Economic Action Plan will guide us through the recovery. During this campaign, we have told Canadians about the low-tax plan that we will deliver when the budget is balanced, and we remain true to those commitments in this platform.”

The “Here for Canada” plan focuses on five key priorities:

• Creating jobs through training, trade and low taxes.
• Supporting families through our Family Tax Cut and more support for seniors and caregivers.
• Eliminating the deficit by 2014-2015 by controlling spending and cutting waste.
• Making our streets safe through new laws to protect children and the elderly.
• Standing on guard for Canada by investing in the development of Canada’s North, cracking down on human smuggling and strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces.

Canada is emerging from the global recession as one of the world’s top-performing advanced economies. Throughout the global crisis of the past two years, the world has looked to Canada as a model and an inspiration. Through the Economic Action Plan, Stephen Harper’s Government is making the necessary investments to protect Canadians and create jobs now, while laying a strong foundation for long-term economic growth. Our low-tax plan is helping businesses create jobs. And we’re reducing taxes on hard-working Canadian families, because we understand that household budgets are tight.

But there is more to be done. Now is not the time for instability, or for reckless, opportunistic experiments. The global economy remains fragile, and Canadians remain concerned about their jobs and their children’s future. Stephen Harper has a plan to meet these challenges — a plan that is working — and we need to stay the course.

On March 22, the Stephen Harper Government presented the 2011 Budget, the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, to Canadians. Stephen Harper’s low-tax plan for jobs and growth includes practical measures to complete our recovery and strengthen the financial security of Canadian workers, seniors and families. It also contains a plan to balance the federal budget. We make a solid commitment in our platform to eliminate the deficit a full year earlier than forecasted by reducing waste and overhead in government.

“Canadians face a clear choice in this election: between, on one hand, the opportunistic and reckless Michael Ignatieff-led Coalition, with its high-tax agenda that would stall our recovery, kill jobs and set hard-working families back; and, on the other hand, principled leadership and stable national government with our low-tax plan for jobs and growth,” said Harper. “Conservatives are Here for Canada — a Canada strong and free, a country of opportunity for all, proud of its history and confident of its future. We ask Canadians to support and join us in taking the next steps forward in building this great country for our children and grandchildren.”

Click here for the Here for Canada Conservative policy platform.