CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Thank you very much for the warm welcome, Andrea. And thank you for the great roundtable and the great conversation that we had.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq.

I also want to offer condolences to our friend and colleague, Lawrence MacAulay, and the entire MacAulay family on the passing of his brother. I know he was a cherished member of this community.

It is so great to be here back on PEI and to have the chance to spend some time with two amazing colleagues: Sean Casey and Heath MacDonald.

I am really glad to have had a chance to talk to the amazing people of United Way, and also to hear about the work being done at Blooming House. You are the people who are helping the most vulnerable among us. I loved that message of supporting people from poverty to possibility. That is the work you do. It’s hard work and it’s important work. And I really want to recognize that.

Today is a big day and I have a great announcement to make—but before that I’d like to talk a little bit about where we are right now in Canada and the Canadian economy.

Inflation in Canada is down to 2.8 per cent—the lowest it has been in more than two years, down from a high of 8.1 per cent in June of last year, and the lowest of any G7 country.

Canada had the strongest economic growth in the G7 over the course of 2022, and our real GDP exceeded expectations in expanding by 3.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year. 

Nearly a million more Canadians are working today than when COVID first hit, and that includes a near-record high labour force participation rate of 85.4 per cent in June for Canadian women in their prime working years. That is very much supported by our program of early learning and child care—something that PEI has really played a leadership role in putting in place—and that is a program which supports our economy, which supports families and gives kids a great start in life. 

Since 2015, our government has lifted half a million children out poverty, and with the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the enhanced Canada Pension Plan, we are supporting our seniors as never before.

From $10-a-day child care to a new Canadian Dental Care Plan, our government has made historic enhancements to Canada’s social safety net—all while ensuring that Canada maintains the lowest deficit and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7.

Our economic plan is fiscally responsible—and it is delivering results for Canadians and for the people here on PEI.

Today, I have some more good news.

I am really glad to be able to announce that, starting today, millions of Canadians will be receiving their first automatic advance payments of the Canada Workers Benefit.

The Canada Workers Benefit helps to make life more affordable for Canada’s lowest paid—and often most essential—workers, by putting more of their hard-earned money back in their pockets.

Last fall, we enhanced the Canada Workers Benefit to support up to 4.2 million low- and modest-income Canadians each year.

An eligible family can now expect to receive more than $2,600 this year—and an eligible single worker can expect to receive more than $1,500. 

And now, if you’re eligible, you will receive your enhanced Canada Workers Benefit through quarterly payments throughout the year, instead of having to wait until tax time—because we know that the essential workers—the low and modest-paid workers who are getting the Canada Workers Benefit— they need their money right now. It’s really a hardship for them to have to wait until the end of the year.

So, if you are working full-time at a grocery store in Summerside, you should have to worry a little bit less about paying your bills at the end of the month.

And if you are working full-time cleaning offices or hotel rooms here in Charlottetown, you are doing hard and important work—our government recognizes that. The Canada Workers Benefit is there for you to top up your hard-earned income, and it’s going to be coming to you throughout the year.

This is immediate support for those working hard to get ahead. It’s a hand up for people whose work is really hard, really demanding, really draining—and those same people very often don’t get paid very much.

During the pandemic, we got used to referring to many of the lowest-paid working people in Canada as “essential workers.” It’s really important that, as a country, we don’t just say those words—we mean them, and we act on them.

That’s why we have enhanced the Canada Workers Benefit to ensure that our lowest paid, our essential workers, receive the support that they need and that they deserve.

So, for those who are eligible—for essential workers here on Prince Edward Island—be sure to keep an eye out for your new, enhanced Canada Workers Benefit payments—they are starting today.

Thank you very much, and I’m happy to take your questions.