Canada Focused on Jobs and Growth at G-20 Meeting in Moscow

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, will urge his Group of Twenty (G-20) colleagues to be ambitious in their reform efforts as they work to develop the St. Petersburg Action Plan to be endorsed by Leaders in September. In this respect, Minister Flaherty will encourage countries to undertake reforms that boost jobs and growth while ensuring fiscal sustainability over the medium term.

“The key task for all countries is to boost jobs and growth while committing to credible plans to achieve fiscal sustainability over the medium term,” said Minister Flaherty.

“Canada is not immune to ongoing weakness from beyond our borders. A fragile global economy and potential external economic threats add an extra layer of challenges.”

In light of these challenges, the Government of Canada remains focused on the economy and implementing Economic Action Plan 2013 to create jobs, while keeping taxes low and returning to balanced budgets in 2015.

The Government has also taken aggressive action to crack down on international tax evasion and tax avoidance. Minister Flaherty will encourage further leadership by the G-20 in the development of a cohesive international approach to address these issues.

As co-chair with India of the Working Group on the G-20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth, Canada continues to play an important leadership role in preparing the action plan for endorsement by G-20 Leaders at the St. Petersburg Summit in September.