Harper Sets Target Of 1.3 Million New Jobs By 2020

Today Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that a re-elected Conservative government would aim to create 1.3 million net new jobs by 2020.

“Our Conservative government’s Economic Action Plan is focused on protecting Canada’s economy and creating jobs,” the Prime Minister said. “That’s why we’ve balanced the budget, kept taxes low, and made affordable, targeted investments – in infrastructure, skills training, and innovation – to keep our economy moving forward. This plan will create the well-paying jobs for Canadians and keep our economy strong.”

The Conservative government’s Economic Action Plan has helped Canada become a leader among industrialized countries on a range of economic indicators including low debt levels, infrastructure spending, and public investments in science and technology. But most importantly, Canada’s economy has created 1.3 million net new jobs since the depths of the global recession – one of the strongest job creation records in the G-7.

“The global economy is weak and in turmoil,” Prime Minister Harper said. “But Canada’s economy has performed relatively well, particularly with respect to job creation. Setting a job-creation target will keep our focus on creating new, well-paying jobs over the next four years.”

Prime Minister Harper outlined his ambitious goal of creating another 1.3 million net new jobs by 2020, noting that this level of job growth would see new jobs created at a slightly faster pace than Canada has experienced in the past five years. But with the Conservative government’s low-tax, balanced budget plan, the Prime Minister stated that it was an achievable “stretch” target for the next four years.

“Our plan to cut payroll taxes by 20 percent and introduce a new, permanent Home Renovation Tax Credit are examples of the steps we’ll take to keep Canada’s economy growing and creating jobs,” he said.

Prime Minister Harper’s plan to create jobs stands in stark contrast with the plans put forward by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals and Mulcair’s NDP. The Liberals have promised to significantly raise payroll taxes on small businesses, forcing them to lay off workers or close down altogether. Meanwhile, experts have confirmed that the NDP’s plan to hike taxes will kill 250,000 jobs across Canada.

“The Liberals and NDP would run permanent deficits, raise taxes on Canadians and their employers, and kill jobs,” the Prime Minister concluded. “Only our Conservative government can be trusted to protect our economy and continue creating new jobs in a weak and unstable global economic environment.”

-30-