Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for appearing here before us.
I want to talk a little bit about small businesses and why small business owners in my riding are encouraged by Budget 2011, especially by things like better transparency and accountability in the Canada Revenue Agency and the hiring credit for small businesses.
We've heard quite a bit. I wanted to quote some of the good news we've heard, for instance, from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. They said:
In this Year of the Entrepreneur, we give credit to the government for continuing to work to balance its books while finding important, low-cost ways to help small firms grow the economy.... The government took some important steps to enhance job creation and recognize the economic contributions of small businesses in Canada.
The Timmins Chamber of Commerce said:
In Timmins, we estimate the hiring tax credit will affect approximately 90% of all Chamber members. It's something that can be used for training and to encourage hiring.... It's great to see some of the tools being given back to businesses.
I wonder if you could talk to us for a few moments and tell us about the hiring credit for small businesses included in Bill C-13 and how it will help small businesses.