All right, I will.
We also applaud the government's willingness to reimburse employers for their contributions to employment insurance, public pension plans and, for Quebec employers, the Quebec parental insurance plan. This will reassure employers about the cost of their labour and make it possible to avoid many layoffs and to look forward to a quicker economic recovery. Beyond the promise of support, the money will obviously need to get to employers as quickly as possible.
Loans made possible by the BDC and the EDC partially meet our members' needs. For an SME, having a substantial additional loan is sometimes not an option. It only delays the impact of the crisis on businesses. Flattening the economic impact curve is necessary, but it will still have an impact in the long term, and it also means a more sluggish economic recovery.
Uncertainty and fear at the prospect of repaying a large additional debt could force many employers to make very tough decisions rapidly. For many businesses providing essential services, the crisis does not involve declining revenue, but an explosion of costs caused by more difficult procurement, heightened security procedures and, in some sectors, the obligation to provide additional compensation, comparable to the amount paid by the Canada emergency response benefit, in order to motivate employees.
The government has repeatedly said that it is considering converting some loans to direct assistance. We encourage you to communicate the criteria for doing so quickly, if it is the case, and to include financial institutions in the overall development process, where they are involved.
Many of the measures announced will help us get through the crisis, but we need to start thinking about reopening. Increased and accelerated investment in certain sectors could help get Canada back on track. We encourage you to consider awarding more government contracts as soon as possible, particularly in the areas of information technology, research, technological innovation and transportation infrastructure. A crisis is also a way to think differently and to innovate in order to increase Canada's productivity and facilitate its entry into the fourth industrial revolution.
In conclusion, strong and rapid economic recovery will require business networks capable of informing and supporting our businesses. Chambers of commerce across Canada are being hit hard financially by the current crisis, while businesses are demanding them more than ever.
Unfortunately, we cannot expect Canadian employers to be able to support chambers of commerce as they did before. With this in mind, we encourage you to think with us about how to support these key networks of NPOs dedicated to economic development, but also to operationalizing the decisions you make as parliamentarians.
Thank you.