On Thursday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered the keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

The Prime Minister highlighted Canada’s economic strengths and well as the choices our country will face as we work toward long-term prosperity for Canadians amid a difficult global environment.

Prime Minister Harper was clear — our number one priority is prosperity through job creation and economic growth.

The wealth of the Western world’s economies is based on good growth-oriented policies, tough choices, and hard work done in the past.  To build on this foundation in the Canadian context, our Conservative Government will make better economic choices now to sustain growth, job creation and prosperity, for the next generation.

We will continue to:

• keep tax rates low
• make necessary investments in science and technology to sustain a modern, competitive economy
• advance our trade relationships

We will make it a national priority to ensure Canada has the capacity to export our energy products beyond the United States, specifically to Asia.  We will also undertake significant reform of our immigration system, to ensure our economic and labour force needs are the central goal of our immigration efforts in the future.  In addition, because of Canada’s aging population, we will work to ensure the sustainability of our social programs and fiscal position over the next generation.

In finishing his speech, Prime Minister Harper stated that each nation has a choice to make: whether to create the conditions for growth and prosperity, or to risk long-term economic decline.

“Canada’s choice will be, with clarity and urgency, to seize and to master our future, to be a model of confidence, growth, and prosperity in the 21^st century,” said the Prime Minister.