Yes. I understand than an MP wants to provide a constituent with an avenue that might work for them. They don't qualify for the wage subsidy, so the MP says to apply for the CEBA loan. The business owner then spends a week trying to sort through all the details of the CEBA loan program only to discover that they're also not eligible for that. Then they go to the rent subsidy. Then they go to the HASCAP program.
It's been really painful for these businesses. They've come to us. Last year, we took over 80,000 calls from small-business owners, trying to provide them with some guidance into the support programs that work for them.
There are lots of good support programs, and businesses have received a lot of aid: 70% of our members said they would have collapsed by now had the federal government not created some of the programs it did. We can't just be satisfied with that. We have to fix the programs.
Even now, at this late stage in the pandemic, if we can get some money to these new businesses, they have a greater chance of being able to survive—because that debt has not gone away—allowing them access to some of these programs. We've laid out some detailed possibilities for government to consider. That would be super helpful.
I'm really begging you, as parliamentarians, to put pressure on the ministers to make this happen.