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Archived - A message from the Prime Minister
Balanced budget
I am very proud that Canada for the first time in thirty years will have a balanced budget. When we think that four years ago we had a deficit of forty two billion dollars, more than six percent of GDP, and now we have a balanced budget. So, that will give the opportunity for the Canadians to do things that are very important for the future, and that we will be able to reduce the taxes and pay off some of the debt. And of all the nations of the world, you know when they say that Canada for example of the G7 will be the one with the best financial position of them all. So, it’s because of you Canadians that we have been able to do that. You have shown that we have collectively the discipline and the will to do the right thing, not only for us but for our children and grandchildren.
Millenium Scholarships
One of the big features of the budget is the Millennium Scholarship program. Because we believe that it was important for us to invest in knowledge to prepare the young people for the 21st century. As you know those who have a degree from university or post secondary education, they do much better; it is easier for them to have a good job. So because we are balancing the books and we have for the first time in thirty years a balanced budget, we’ve been able to invest money through the creation of these bursaries that will permit the people who have the will and the dedication to be educated properly, so they will be in a position to compete in the 21st century, because you know the future will be no more, you know, the wealth in resources. It will be the wealth that we will have collectively in the education of our young people. So it is why we decided to invest in the Millennium Scholarship program.
