Industry committee  The truth is that it's almost irrelevant to our sector, to our members. We don't have the bandwidth or the capacity to even investigate the program and its potential utilities. Any restaurateur, frankly, who has survived to this point is already online. They know how to use the Internet.

Industry committee  Thank you for the question. It's a great one. It's one that we've been grappling with for the last six months, frankly. I think, to be perfectly candid, that a great majority of them have been lost to other sectors that can offer the job security that we can't. It has been proven over the course of this pandemic that we can't.

Industry committee  I don't have a crystal ball. If I did, I'd probably have a more comfortable desk chair, but I think what we can expect is that a lot of companies are going to have no choice if they want to stay open. If they want to keep the lights on now that they can keep the doors open, how do they staff up?

Industry committee  Absolutely, yes please. Let's do this yesterday.

Industry committee  Yes, absolutely. When we talk about a “do no harm” approach, we mean specifically in relation to taxes, fees and red tape, in order to create the best possible conditions for recovery. Frankly, after more than two years of losing money or barely breaking even, food service operations need a government to take a “do no harm” approach, which would include a whole-of-society approach to single-use items, one that's built on evidence-based policies and consistent standards across jurisdictions—

Industry committee  Sure. I'll go as fast as I can. The federal support programs were absolutely 100% crucial to our survival. Nine out of 10 food services' businesses relied on, for example, the wage and rent support subsidies to help them survive the pandemic. It was absolutely crucial for us to even make it as far as we did, and it was thanks to these programs.

Industry committee  Absolutely.

Industry committee  What we've been hearing, certainly from my members, in the last several weeks to several months has been, “We are competitive. We are a supportive environment. We invest in our staff.” Also, it's not just a job; it's a career. Nearly every single person on my board, for example, got their start washing dishes in a restaurant.

Industry committee  Even before the emergence of COVID-19, consumer demand for takeout and delivery was already on the rise. The pandemic has clearly reinforced the critical need for those single-use items to ensure the health and well-being of Canadians as they continue to expect off-premise dining options.

Industry committee  Everyone is facing incredibly similar challenges. I would be remiss if I didn't position restaurants as being unique—certainly, given my job title—but the reality is that small businesses across the country are facing very similar uphill battles. Whether it's the death by a thousand tax cuts or regulatory burdens, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the global economy.

Industry committee  Yes, it's a full-stop yes. It feels very much like death by a thousand cuts, and even in the best of times pre-apocalypse restaurants operate in a razor-thin profit margin. They make, on average, maybe 4%, and I think what most Canadians don't know is that for every $10 spent on a restaurant meal, the food service establishment keeps less than 50¢.

Industry committee  Our numbers indicate something very close to what CFIB has, because many of their members are also restaurants. On average, that's the hole, the pit, we're looking at. That mountain of debt is coming at a cost literally and figuratively. One of our key asks has been to defer repayment of those loans and to increase loan forgiveness on the part of the government for those costs, because we don't have the dollars.

Industry committee  Thank you for the question. Across the country, we are and historically have been the number one source of employment for young Canadians, for new Canadians and for people looking to build a business and a life for their family. We offer above minimum wage in nearly all jurisdictions across the country, but we also offer the flexibility that a lot of students require with their class schedules.

Industry committee  Thank you so much for the question. Speaking of the “do no harm” policy, I think coming out of this apocalypse...and I call it that not to be facetious but because that's what it's really felt like for so many of our members and small businesses across the country. They have struggled for so long, white-knuckling it to keep their doors open, and now, finally, fingers-crossed, knock on all various wood products, they're going to be able to stay open.

Industry committee  Absolutely. Our concern with the excise tax has been very public and very much on the record since it was first implemented so many moons ago at this point. The problem is that it's an escalator tax, so every year it goes up without parliamentary approval, and it's creating exponential ripple effects on our operational costs, on our bottom line.