00:00Good evening, my friends. Good evening, everyone. Hello, my friends.
00:04You know, as I look out across this room, I have just one question.
00:12How's the Liberal Party doing tonight?
00:15Hello, Grace. I know that the past few years have not been easy for Zav, Adrien, and you.
00:29Thank you for being patient with me, even when I was stressed, when I traveled too often,
00:36when I couldn't think of anything other than work.
00:41But know that in the most difficult times, it was you who inspired me,
00:48you who gave me the courage, who reminded me to focus on what was important,
00:55not just on what was urgent.
00:58Serving as Prime Minister has been the honour of my life,
01:03but I can't wait to devote myself 100% to my most important role, that of a dad.
01:11I am proud of the three of you, and above all, I love you.
01:15Now, sit down.
01:23Now, I can imagine that you're all expecting me to stand up and talk about all that we've accomplished together.
01:30And don't get me wrong, I am damn proud of what we've done over these past 10 years,
01:36for the middle class and people working hard to join it.
01:41But tonight, tonight is about our future, as a party, as a country.
01:48Now, I know that we as Liberals, as a government, often get criticized by our friends
01:53for not taking a victory lap after we get something big done.
01:58We do something really big, and then we move on right away to the next challenge.
02:04Because as progressives, as Liberals, we know there is always more to do.
02:11So it is important to take the time to reflect on and share the big successes.
02:19But not tonight.
02:23Not tonight, because when Liberals gather, we're always focused on just one thing.
02:30The work that still needs to be done to build a country that stays worthy of all Canadians.
02:38And simply put, that's the work of a lifetime for each and every one of us.
02:50It's very simple.
02:52Liberals are dedicated to making this country even better, not because we think it's broken,
02:59but because we have an opportunity, and therefore a responsibility,
03:05to ensure that Canada stays the best country on earth.
03:12Now, these past years, these past 10 years, have been challenging.
03:25Crisis after crisis has been thrown at Canadians.
03:29But through every crisis, Canadians have shown who they are.
03:35We've pulled together. We've stood up for each other.
03:39And every single time, we've emerged even stronger.
03:45And now, as Canadians face, from our neighbour, an existential challenge, an economic crisis,
04:00Canadians are showing exactly what we are made of.
04:11Canadians are showing what it is that makes us Canadians.
04:17Not by defining ourselves by who we're not, but by proudly embracing who we are.
04:31We're a country that knows that standing up for everyone's fundamental rights
04:38is the only way to protect our freedom.
04:47We're a country that believes no one should be left behind
04:52and that everyone should have a real and fair shot at success.
05:01We're a country that refuses to accept the false choice
05:05between a strong economy and a healthy environment.
05:13We're a country that embraces reconciliation and Indigenous peoples as true partners
05:19because it is the only path to a shared, prosperous future.
05:30We're a country that makes its culture shine and protects its heritage.
05:37We're a country that makes the French language live and make it heard around the world.
05:48We're a country that celebrates its diversity and finds strength in its differences.
06:00We're a country that celebrates the right of each and every person
06:05to be who they want to be, to pray as they pray, and love whom they love.
06:22We're a country that will always defend a woman's right to choose.
06:30And we're a country that will be diplomatic when we can, but fight when we must, elbows up!
07:00Elbows up! Elbows up! Elbows up!
07:17But you, you here in this room, and our fellow liberals watching across the country,
07:25you know all about fighting with grit, with determination when the going gets tough.
07:32You remember where we were 15 years ago with just 35 seats in the House.
07:39You remember our ups and downs and all those times that people counted us out,
07:45all the times they said our party was on its last breath.
07:50Like all Canadians, it's when you try to count us out that we liberals show our true mettle.
07:59You showed it in 2015, in 2019, in 2021.
08:15You mobilized, you knocked on doors.
08:19You did it in the rain, in the heat, in the cold.
08:25You did it in the middle of a pandemic, with a mask on your face.
08:30You fought for your country, and you changed it for the better.
08:40But you know, a party is more than a name, a logo, a leader.
08:48It's you, you who, every day, carry the hopes of Canadians.
08:56A country is more than a flag and a territory.
09:00It's a vision.
09:02A vision that is built little by little, day after day, between friends and neighbours.
09:10And I want to thank all those who have been there so that we can build this vision together.
09:17I think of my first volunteers, 18 years ago.
09:22To those who have been there since the very beginning.
09:26Ryan, Louis-Alexandre, Stavroula, and so many others.
09:33I think of the parking lot of a Papineau grocery store, where we went to speak to the world and convince them to join this movement.
09:42Tonight, I'm also thinking of two friends, in particular, who've been there with me and for me every step of the way.
09:54For close to 20 years.
09:57The extraordinary Adam Scotti, and the unstoppable Katie Telford.
10:12Now, as I look at all of you in this room, no speech could be enough to thank you all as much as I'd like to.
10:23As much as you should be.
10:26I can't even offer you a well-deserved break because, once again, we need you.
10:32Your country needs you, maybe more than ever.
10:36And I have no doubt that you will answer the call because you've done it before.
10:43Liberals will meet this moment.
10:46And make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment.
11:08Democracy is not a given.
11:12Freedom is not a given.
11:16Even Canada is not a given.
11:20None of those happen by accident.
11:23None of them will continue without effort.
11:28It takes courage.
11:30It takes sacrifice.
11:33It takes hope and hard work.
11:3660 years ago, standing atop Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson first raised our beautiful maple leaf into the Canadian sky.
11:57It was much debated at the time, but Pearson knew well what we all know now.
12:03That our flag would serve as a unifying symbol that would define the next chapters in our national story.
12:1360 years later, there are still so many more chapters to write.
12:20And I can tell you, the world is looking to see what Canadians will do.
12:27So let us not dwell on all the great things we've achieved over the past 10 years.
12:41Let us aspire instead to achieve even more over the next 10 years and the decades to come.
12:48Let us remain steadfast, defiant and united.
12:58And let us not just think about our party, let us prove our love of country.
13:04As your leader, as your Prime Minister, I have done my level best each and every single day to help build a country that stays worthy of all Canadians.
13:25I've done it for Xavier, for Ella Grace and Hadrian.
13:28And I've done it for your kids too, and I've done it with you.
13:36And although you'll always find me alongside you cheering along, their future and your future is now in your hands.
13:47Thank you my friends, thank you for everything.
13:58Log on to OneIndia.com for more updates.
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