Thank you everyone, and thank you for being here: 900 Progressive Conservatives strong!
This is important. Being here together is important. It’s where we draw our real strength as a party.
I can stand up here and talk about being an open party, about being an inclusive party all night. Je peux parler du fait que nous sommes un Parti qui se bat pour défendre nos droits à l'égalité et à une bonne gouvernance.
But if you all didn’t take the time away from your families and businesses to make it here, then it wouldn’t make a lick of difference.
We really are stronger together, and I see it every day in my work as leader and as premier.
And by taking the time to be here, to discuss, to debate, and to build our party together, I know you understand that too.
Lorsque nous faisons le bilan de notre Parti et de son incroyable histoire, je pense que notre succès est dû aux hommes et aux femmes qui, comme vous, insistent pour être ici pour améliorer notre Parti, ensemble.
Today we have more party members than ever before. And thank you for making this the biggest AGM in the history of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick!
The work we do when we join together is what has made the difference in our efforts to build New Brunswick stronger, together!
As New Brunswickers, and as Progressive Conservatives, it’s true that we are fiercely independent. It’s in our DNA, and it’s probably in our soil and our water too. It’s who we are.
But we know we are at our strongest when we are working together. Our history proves it and our future depends on it.
Aujourd’hui, le Nouveau-Brunswick a besoin de cette force plus que jamais. Les Libéraux ont affaiblit notre province. But I am convinced we can emerge stronger together. The papers tell us the Liberal Party of New Brunswick is doing some real soul searching right now.
I have heard Liberals reading from their script saying they need to figure out what it means to be a Liberal in New Brunswick in the 21st century.
That got me wondering about this mysterious concept of a Liberal in New Brunswick in the 21st century. And I think I figured it out.
If you oppose the very same policies you introduced when you were in government, then you just might be an NB Liberal, as Jeff Foxworthy might say.
If you’re stuck in the past, and still fighting the 2010 election against members of your own party, then you just may be an NB Liberal.
If your former EA is the only person who reads your blog, then you just may be an NB Liberal.
If you spend more time on twitter than you do in your riding meeting with constituents, then you just may be an NB Liberal.
And if you spent more hours in a tanning bed this year than you did in your seat in the legislature, then you just may be an NB Liberal.
And if Dominic Cardy makes more headlines than you, and has a lot better ideas than you too, then you just may be an NB Liberal.
If you were the architect of billion dollar deficits, thrown out of office by New Brunswickers, and one year later your idea of constructive criticism is giving me an F, then you just may be an NB Liberal.
And finally if you expect your grandkids to pay off your debts, if you conduct peek-a-boo labour negotiations, if you slash French immersion, if you give tax dollar handouts to your friends’ companies, and if you consult citizens only when a judge orders it, then you just might be an NB Liberal.
But all kidding aside I think the reason they need to do this soul searching is that New Brunswickers have told them you can’t just be a be a political party for one month every four years. It’s called a Liberal siesta, and it’s expensive.
It’s what happens when you sleep for four years and wake up a few weeks before an election and ask for votes that you have already lost. Ensemble, nous avons prouvé que ce n'est plus acceptable. Seeing 900 of you here shows me there’s a pretty strong sense of what it means to be a Progressive Conservative in New Brunswick in the 21st century.
Some claim to be big tent parties, but I prefer to think of us as a big family. And the family is now bigger than ever! And we’re still growing!
In fact today nearly one in 5 New Brunswick voters are card-carrying Progressive Conservatives.
Our party has never been this strong!
Ensemble, nous avons fait du bon travail pour bâtir notre Parti. It’s my responsibility as leader to ensure we keep building each and every day with an even greater focus!
It’s not only my responsibility as leader, it’s my promise to you!
There will be no “PC siestas” on my watch!
In our first budget we cut the deficit by a full half!
Afin de montrer l'exemple, nous avons réduit le nombre de ministres au Cabinet!
We kept our promise to not increase the HST in order to protect our most vulnerable citizens. We froze power rates and ordered NB Power to become more efficient and accountable.
Afin d’accroître l'économie et de créer des emplois dans toute la province, nous avons lancé Investir NB, nous avons réduit les impôts des petites entreprises et nous mettons sur pied des fonds de création d'emplois pour le Nord et Miramichi.
Nous avons établi un fond afin d’aider les parents à faible revenu à payer pour le matériel scolaire de leurs enfants. Et nous avons aussi adopté une stratégie globale sur le diabète et un plan d'action pour la santé mentale.
There is a time to celebrate our successes, and we all had the chance to do that this weekend- maybe some of us did that a bit too much, isn’t that right?
But we can’t lay back and rest on those accomplishments, especially not at this point in our province’s history.
The Liberals sold out our future generations and saddled them with massive debt and deficits. We can’t allow them to do that again in three years.
Nous devons être plus organisés, plus concentrés, et plus préparés.
In 1956 Premier Hugh John Flemming and his team worked with the same drive as they did 4 years earlier, and he won his second election. New Brunswick would be a much different place today if Progressive Conservatives like you hadn’t worked so hard to win that election at that critical point in our history.
In 1974 Premier Hatfield faced a crucial election for our province’s progress, and the work of his team helped keep the Liberals out of government. C’était le début d’une des périodes les plus impressionnantes de l'histoire politique du Canada.
En 2003, notre province faisait face à plusieurs défis, mais avec l’aide de toute notre grande famille le premier ministre Lord a réussit à offrir son leadership et sa vision pour un autre mandat.
But even after two positive mandates in which we paid down the debt and delivered focused leadership, it only took 4 years for the Liberals to damage our province and leave us in a very vulnerable position.
Today we are once again approaching another critical decision point in our province’s history. We cannot afford to take 2014 for granted, the stakes are too high.
Notre province doit affronter de nombreux défis et nous avons beaucoup de travail à faire au cours des prochaines années. Nous savons que ce ne sera pas facile, mais nous sommes prêts.
We inherited an absolute disaster, and the battle we have begun to get back on track won’t be over in three years.
Le Nouveau-Brunswick ne pourra pas réaliser tout son potentiel avant que les pots cassés des libéraux soient réparés. Mais nous savons qu’ensemble tout est possible!
Si nous voulons continuer d’augmenter le nombre de députés progressistes-conservateurs à l'Assemblée législative, nous devons être encore mieux préparés!
Nous avons déjà commencé le travail pour arriver à ce but. I’m very pleased to announce a new AND permanent election readiness committee will be established.
This committee will operate on a continuous basis.
We are proving we can do better and accomplish anything, together.
Nous avons réécrit l’histoire de notre province lorsque le Parti libéral est devenu le premier gouvernement néo-brunswickois à siéger pour un seul mandat.
Et nous le prouvons avec votre travail sur le terrain et votre appui durant nos campagnes de financement. Our next campaign needs to be fully funded by 2014.
Our membership has never been stronger. Les gens des associations des circonscriptions sont très engagés et nous n'avons jamais été aussi prêts et organisés. Et c'est grâce à vous. Ensemble, tout est possible!
So we are working to be more responsive to you. And with 900 of you here I know you will hold us to it.
En faite, le Parti progressiste-conservateur du Nouveau-Brunswick, c'est vous.
It’s people working together to grow a stronger future for their families, for their communities, and for their province.
Ce sont des gens qui comprennent qu'en travaillant ensemble, tout est possible. Between now and then we have much work to do. That means all of us. From our new members who are here at their first meeting, to our official representatives, our Youth PCs. We need the contribution of our PC Women’s Association, which by the way is the oldest- or shall I say most mature in Canada.
We need every one who is ready to stand up and work for the values we share… These values include Integrity. Honesty. Personal freedoms and responsibility. Justice. Free enterprise. Equality. And faith in the will of the people!
Our federal friends here in New Brunswick certainly stood up tall to help Prime Minister Harper to form a strong, stable, national, Conservative majority government. Congratulations to the 8 Conservative New Brunswick MPs.
We support Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s initiative to bring democracy to Canada’s senate. I’m pleased to share with you that we are committed to strengthening New Brunswick’s representation in Ottawa by giving New Brunswickers a voice in the selection of their Senators.
With all of our energy, our talents, and our commitment, I am convinced that we will be stronger as a province and together as a party.
Thank you for everyone who reaches out to their neighbours to grow the Progressive Conservative Party in their communities.
Je veux remercier toutes vos familles pour l’appui qu'elles vous offrent afin que vous puissiez être au service de vos communautés et de la province. I have always believed that politics is about people, and making lives better.
And I know it’s easy to say that, but all of you in this room, you really demonstrate that in your work and your dedication.
You stand up for your communities and for your province.
And I know we can stand up even taller, even stronger, together! Merci!