Just a few short months ago, Canadians gave our Conservative Government a strong mandate to govern. Since the election, we have been working hard to deliver on our promises. Today, I am pleased to say that by the end of the year, a whole compilation of new legislation will become law.

Our Government is committed to keeping our streets and communities safe by getting tough on crime. We delivered on our promise to pass legislation within the first 100 sitting days of the Parliamentary Session to crack down on child sexual offenders and on dangerous dealers who sell drugs to children. The Safe Streets and Communities Act will ensure criminals are held fully accountable for their actions.

We also received a strong mandate to give Canadian growers the freedom to market their own wheat and barley on their terms. That is why the Conservative Government moved to get rid of the monopoly that the Canadian Wheat Board has saddled producers with, extending the same rights Ontario farmers have, to those in our western provinces.

And of course, our focus remains on the economy. Investments in our infrastructure have been a cornerstone of our recovery. We continue to invest in programs like the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, the Knowledge Infrastructure Program and the Building Canada Fund. At the same time, we are also doing a serious review of our spending. As one of the members tasked with finding efficiencies, I am very pleased with the progress we are making on the deficit reduction committee.

And finally, after months of delay, we were able to pass The Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan which included measures like the Family Caregiver Tax Credit, the Children’s Arts Tax Credit and the Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit.

Canadians gave our Conservative Government a strong mandate to stay focused on what matters – creating jobs and economic growth, and we remain committed to those goals.

In the coming year, we’ll continue with our plan. That begins early in the new year with Budget 2012. I would like to invite you to join in the conversation by attending one of my upcoming townhall meetings. These will be taking place in the new year in Milton and Burlington. Please call my office at 905.693.0166 for more information and to register. Refreshments will be served.

I wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season, Merry Christmas and all the very best for the coming year.