Prime minister cameron, your excellencys, parliamentary colleagues from both houses, ladies and gentlemen. It is for me an enormous pleasure and an undoubted privilege to be able today here in this room to introduce the Prime Minister of canada, Stephen Harper to you and to do so in a personal and official capacity. The Prime Minister is no stranger to the ways of westminster, being a politician of considerable range as well as Outstanding International vision. There is far more he could tell you and me about this place then i could tell him about the parliament in ottawa. That said, it was my privilege to get to load the nonbiased the longestserving one. Speaking in your history, and more recently to have a rapport with the youngest occupants of the fear. Your speaker. R, youre very welcome visit to britain, this is less a diplomatic engagement than a andstanding close friends, it is all the more appealing for having that quality to it. I hope you feel at home. The ties between our two countries are so strong it is almost umbilical. It has long been fashionable in the United Kingdom to describe our american counterparts. I would not for one moment to repudiate that association. Canadians are our cousins in so many respects. And First Cousins at that. Hear. R, rather than those of the same blood but at certain times removed. I have enjoyed the incredible warmth and half the talent he the incredible warmth and hospitality of your nation in my time so far as speaker. It is an experience that will always remain with me. Your parliament is a wonderful institution. In truth, we also have much to learn from it. Your good self and from canada at large. The lessons are political and social. Politically you have the experience of government without a single Party Majority before we did. The question of how best to the within avolution democracy. Socially, you have tackled an age of Economic Uncertainty and how to assimilate many new citizens into one community. Canada has always struck me as a country of optimism. It is an admirable quality which you personally embody. Therefore, it is a huge to thise to welcome you place and to this audience. Prime minister, thank you for coming here today, for representing the canadian people and to speaking with us. [applause] thank you lord speaker, mr. Speaker, Prime Minister, deputy Prime Minister, leader of the opposition, lords and members of the house of commons, colleagues. For anyone who fully understands and truly cherishes our free and Democratic Institutions and their nature and the long history upon which they rest there is no honour to compare with an invitation to stand here, at the very cradle of our political system and to address the members of the parliament of westminster. Canada is in many ways such a different country from yours, with our vast geography, our many cultures, and our two National Languages ,a heritage , at their very core, our language] eign francophone. Ofnadian institutions government are most profoundly indebted to their british ancestors for both their shape and their remarkable durability. And so, as a canadian, i am deeply honoured, and profoundly humbled to be here. Mr. Speaker, thank you also for your kind words of welcome. And Prime Minister, i am reminded of your generous compliments before the parliament of canada two years ago, and your warm hospitality over the past one, upon the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for her majesty the queen, and the funeral of former Prime Minister margaret thatcher. Might i say in response how much i have admired your determined efforts and your wise and principled leadership during these past few years, as we have dealt with the difficult and Critical Issues facing our countries and the world, issues which require the best of what has always made britain unique and strong, and which you have plainly and repeatedly demonstrated. And, of course, it goes without saying, that i have also valued your friendship, which is without price. I would also be remiss, while here in london, if i did not extend the very best wishes of the canadian people, to the duke of edinburgh, for his good health and to the duke and duchess of cambridge, as they prepare to welcome their first child. Now ladies and gentlemen, some will tell you that i am the second canadian Prime Minister to address the british parliament. The truth be told, i am the third. It is true that William Lyon Mackenzie king was the only other Prime Minister of canada to address a gathering such as this. But andrew bonar law often addressed this parliament, during the 1920s, in his capacity as Prime Minister of great britain. And he was also canadian, born in new brunswick, just a few leagues removed from the place where my own ancestors settled after arriving from england in 1774. However, with due respect to bonar law, it is the former Prime Minister of canada, mackenzie king, to whom i now wish to refer. In may 1944, at the invitation of sir winston churchill, he addressed the members of this parliament. A few years before that, in the darkest days of the second world war, churchill himself had delivered his famous some chicken, some neck speech to the parliament of canada. As the master orator that he was, churchill had heaped fulsome, and i must say, well deserved praise, upon canadas remarkable contribution to the war effort. Now, it was kings turn. He did not disappoint, and there is much in his remarks that bears repetition, nearly seventy years later. He spoke of friendship. He spoke of timeless principles. And he spoke of the power of the values that we share to call forth from us the very best parts of our character. Canadas entry into the war, he said, was not from obligation, but was the outcome of our deepest political instinct, a love of freedom and a sense of justice. And he spoke of the fraternity of those countries that, when they look at themselves, see something of the values they inherited from great britain. My friends, the uncertainties and the challenges before us today are plainly different and i dare say lesser, than those of the 1940s. Not values, however, do change, though they may be at times forgotten. Allow me, therefore, to suggest that in times of difficulty, recourse to such values, and to the friends who share them is just as relevant today as it was when the fate of our civilization itself, rested in the hands of greater men such as churchill and king. Now is not the time, therefore, to doubt our values or our friends, or, indeed, ourselves. Reer, now is the time to discover our values, to reaffirm their importance and to fall back upon them. Britain and canada may not be today the largest economies in the world, nor the biggest military powers, nor the greatest in terms of population. But i believe we share things that are more lasting, 800 years of Constitutional Order and evolution that has allowed us to achieve what others wish for, to choose our governments and to hold them accountable. To worship god, in our own way, and to live in harmony with neighbours who do so differently, and to enjoy standards of living once considered unimaginable, while aiding our fellow citizens in their times of illness, unemployment and need. These are the things to which ordinary men and women the world over aspire, many of which first arose here in the generations brought forth on this very soil. And so, what we need for the new challenges of a new world is not a new set of values. It is the steadfast resolve to fully apply those timehonoured principles that we already know work. Certainly, that has been the canadian approach to the economy which, i know, Prime Minister, is the top priority for both your government and mine. For example, in canada, we have proceeded on the conviction that we must live within our means, make sound, longterm decisions, and reward hard work and those who play by the rules. Things know that, all being equal, a dollar in a citizen . S own pocket is more beneficial than a dollar in the hands of sir humphrey appleby. Hear, hear. [applause] now, i often tell you that in canada, some have come to believe that sir humphrey is a real person. [laughter] indeed, early on i have to tell you a former Senior CanadianPublic Servant informed me that yes, Prime Minister is not a comedy; it is a documentary. [laughter] so, friends, knowing these things, in canada, when times were good, we ran surpluses, and we used them. Not to expand the state, but to pay down debt and to lower taxes. A result, since our [speaking foreign language] government came to office, the average canadian family now about 3,300 about 2,200 every year. Lowestnow also has the rate of tax on new Business Investment in the g7. Consequently, we are widely regarded as the best place in the world to do business, and we have the best postrecession job creation record among the developed economies. Our values also tell us, as you have put it, Prime Minister, that you cannot borrow your way out of a debt crisis. . Crisis, so during the we were able, to borrow to sustain Economic Activity and confidence, but in a way that was timely, targeted and temporary. And we are now returning, gradually but surely, to a balanced budget, without raising taxes. I know that, in many countries, there is a considerable debate between austerity and growth. Let me tell you, it is a false dichotomy. You need Good Measures of both. In canada, we are investing future growth like research, innovation, skills and infrastructure. Yet we are also fiscally responsible, finding substantial reductions and efficiencies in government, and ensuring that vital social programs target those genuinely in need and will be financially sustainable for the generations to come. Another value whose certainty has been repeatedly proven, though sadly sometimes more in application, is that everyone gains in an open economy. Our businesses grow when new markets are opened. Hardworking families find that their money goes further when they have wider choices at lower prices. And everybody gains, when they specialize in doing what they do best. Therefore we have resisted calls for protectionism. We said no to those who would tear up our trade agreements and build economic walls around our country. In fact, we are doing the opposite. We have reduced liberalized trade is at the heart of our economic action plan. Since coming to office, our government has concluded trade agreements with nine countries, and has begun trade talks with more than fifty more. [speaking french] and it remains our hope that we will soon achieve a comprehensive economic and trade agreement with the european union, canada . S secondlargest trading partner after the United States. Step a monumental one, in fact a joint canadaeu study has shown that a commercial agreement of this type would increase twoway trade by 20 percent. Now in this matter, as in global trade matters generally, Prime Minister, i should like to express my deep appreciation to you and to your government, for your robust advocacy on behalf of this agreement. It will be a great benefit to all of our citizens. [applause] of course, when it comes to creating jobs, growth, and long term prosperity, friends there is no silver bullet, only clear objectives, consistent application and hard work. That is what we are doing in canada. That is why the canadian economy has created one million new jobs, one million net new jobs, since the end of the recession, why more people are working in canada today than ever before. Sometimes there is pain, to be sure. But, a nettle once firmly grasped is on its way to being pulled out by the roots. Prime minister, in this regard, i acknowledge and applaud your own leadership in taking tough decisions to reign in spending. Both at home, and within the councils of the g8 and g20, the responsible actions of your government have set a powerful and necessary example to other nations as they grapple with massive sovereign debts of their own. And i know you are making the tough decisions, because you believe, because you understand, they are the right decisions, the necessary decisions. Countries that do not bring their finances under control or that close their economies to the world, will face consequences. Himand those consequences are not only economic. In the absence of solvency, relevancy will also disappear. Nothing can lead more quickly and more completely to diminished influence in the world than the decline of Economic Performance and financial credibility. Should we fail to faithfully adhere to our values in economic matters the wider values that we wish to protect for all humanity, values of freedom, democracy and justice, of dignity, compassion and security, those values will almost certainly be eroded. And they will be eroded friends at a time, when they are most needed. Because for good to happen in this world, someone must speak up for these values, and have the will and the capacity to act, so that these values are not mere sentiments. I speak of the courage to denounce oppressors and aggressors, to counter extremist ideologies, and to confront the abominations that must not be tolerated. Lord speaker, mr. Speaker, distinguished guests, i know there are many here among us who could tell a hundred stories about how such values have guided our generations to this very day. From the war of 1812, to the great conflict that brought churchill and king together, to the dusty landscapes of afghanistan in our own time, britons and canadians have pursued what is right in the world, often at great cost. The most recent example is libya, where, under your global leadership, Prime Minister, and under the military command of lieutenantgeneral bouchard of the Royal Canadian air force, a nation that faced massive and imminent slaughter at the hands of the psychotic architect of the lockerbie horror, was given its freedom and the opportunity not yet fully grasped of a peaceful and democratic future. We have also clung jointly to our values in the south atlantic, supporting the right of free People Living on small islands to determine their own future. Frankly, though, friends, that pales today in comparison to the all too many, dangerous situations of a truly global nature, situations where, as societies based on values and principles, we are called upon to recognize evil, even if, the actions we should undertake are sometimes far from self evident. In the pacific, a coldwar totalitarian state, north korea, lingers on, determined as ever to present a real and growing danger to regional security. In the middle east, its only true western democracy endures, but israel does so amidst an unrelenting hostility to its very existence by many of its neighbours. A sorry testament to the persistent hatred of the jewish people, and the moral relativism in so much of World Affairs that provides shelter to such anti semitism. But no such nuance can attach to the government of iran and its determination to acquire nuclear weapons. Irans leaders openly brag that they will eliminate israel from the face of the earth. This is a profoundly malevolent regime that threatens us all, and whose first victims are the iranian people themselves. Canada will continue to urge the International Community to show steadfast resolve on iran in the days ahead. Meanwhile, the iranian ally in syria is locked in a bloody war with its own people. And herein lies a grotesque dilemma decent people agree that assad must go, syrias government must represent all its people, including its minorities. Yet the extremist, sectarian nature of much of the opposition cannot be ignored or wished away. Syria cannot be allowed to become another safe haven for the hydraheads of terrorism. Such monsters already lurk far too close to home, as we have seen in the murder of drummer rigby, god rest his soul and bless his family, and the foiled plot in canada to sabotage a via rail express. Now of course, not every Global Challenge is one of security, nor should every response be military in nature. Even as we deal with the economic challenges our citizens face at home, we should never compare our problems with the brutal deprivation that is the daily reality for still far too many of our fellow human beings in much of the world. In canada, we take pride in our leadership, begun at muskoka in 2010, to reduce the appalling mortality among children and Young Mothers in the developing world. And, Prime Minister, we salute you and your government for the fact that, even as you have grappled with enormous budgetary pressures, you have continued your worldleading efforts in so many areas of humanitarian and development assistance. We also fully support your initiative to help ensure that the citizens of emerging economies get a fair deal when others develop their resources. That is why i announced yesterday, in advance of the g 8, that canada will establish new mandatory reporting standards for the payments canadian extractive Companies Make to governments foreign and domestic. We also firmly believe in the principle that widespread prosperity can only be achieved where there are stable, transparent governments, absent corruption, and fortified by a respect for human rights and a commitment to the rule of law. We value all of these objectives for the worlds poorest. But, make no mistake, if we wish to spread prosperity to others, we must be prospe