"The relationship between Britain and Canada is deep and strong"
Prime Minister David Cameron praised Canada's role on the world stage in a speech to the Canadian Parliament, and focused on the global economy.
In an address to a joint session of the Canadian Parliament, the PM said that this could be the ‘Canadian Century’, adding:
In the last few years, Canada has got every major decision right.
The Prime Minister had flown to Canada from New York, where he had just addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Before delivering his speech to Parliament, Mr Cameron had visited the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and held a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
In his speech, Mr Cameron went on to praised the efforts of the Canadian armed forces throughout history, saying:
Our two countries have always been prepared to bear the burden and pay the price to make our world safer and defend our whole way of life.
But the Prime Minister’s main focus was the global economy, and the actions that should be taken to tackle the economic problems that face the world.
Just as Britain and Canada have worked together for the world’s security so we must now work together on the biggest challenge this year: securing strong and sustainable growth in the global economy.
The PM asserted that a long-term solution is needed to tackle the “fundamental problem of excessive debt”, and that this solution had three parts:
- to get to grips with the debt and restore credibility and confidence
- to make it easier to do business and create jobs by freeing up our economies
- working together across the world to boost world trade
Mr Cameron dealt with each of these in turn, and concluded by saying:
Let us in this new century look to the future, secure in our joint values, and seeking new opportunities.
You can read the PM’s speech to the Canadian Parliament in full.