Thankful

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This weekend, as we gather with our families, all Canadians are reminded of what is truly important.

For me, as a husband and a father, the happiness of Sophie, Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien are never far from my thoughts. As Liberal Leader, the security, well-being and prosperity of all Canadian families is my primary concern.

That is why, as Parliament adjourns for Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to reflect on what we accomplished over the past several weeks, and why you have so much to be proud of.

In the most important debate before Parliament this Fall, the Liberal Party of Canada took a principled position against Prime Minister Harper’s decision to go to war in Iraq. Liberals supported the initial 30-day non-combat mission, but Mr. Harper and his government were not forthcoming with information on the next phase for Canada’s involvement. (Please watch my speech to learn more).

I said when I became leader that I will begin, spend and end every day thinking about and working hard to solve your problems. The past few weeks have been no exception.

I am extremely proud of the efforts of Liberal MPs to spearhead a new Employment Insurance proposal. This plan would offer an EI exemption to businesses so that for every new job a business creates, it would stand to receive a benefit of nearly $1,300. The plan could reward and encourage the creation of more than 175,000 new jobs starting this January. (Go here to learn more about the plan).

The Conservatives also released an EI plan this Fall, but it’s clear it won’t work for Canadians because it gives greater incentive for businesses to fire people than to hire them. The Conservative plan would reward a business with a benefit of over $2,000 to fire a worker, but only $200 when they hire one.

The Conservatives said their plan could create 25,000 person years of employment. Yet the Parliamentary Budget Office revealed the Conservative program would actually only create 1,000 person years of employment, or 200 jobs in 2015, and 600 jobs in 2016. Meanwhile, because the Conservatives want to keep EI premiums high to offset the costs of their program, Canada would actually stand to lose 2,000 jobs in 2015 and another 8,000 in 2016. That’s not good enough for Canadians.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the Conservatives. A government that thinks the most effective use of Parliament’s time is re-writing copyright laws to help the Conservative Party legally use news coverage for attack ads has clearly lost touch with the priorities of Canadians.

I remain focused on you. Building the team. Building the plan. And earning the support of Canadians.

And our movement is growing. We have nominated over 115 extraordinary and talented Canadians to our roster of candidates. I have met with Canadians in over 350 communities and continue this important outreach every week. And our membership has grown to over 200,000 with hundreds of thousands more signing up to receive emails like this one.

None of this is possible without your support. Thank you for all you do, and may you have a happy Thanksgiving and restful long weekend with family and friends.

With hope,

Justin Trudeau