Hello, everybody. I would like to thank the committee for this kind invitation. My colleague and I will share the speaking time allocated for opening remarks.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business represents 100,000 small business owners. We have members in all sectors of the economy and in all regions of the country.
Canadian SMEs are very concerned about the negative impact that labour disputes in federally regulated sectors can have on their business, their employees and the economy in general. Small businesses are the collateral damage of those work stoppages. Often, unions will launch strikes not just to hurt the employer but also to deliberately hurt businesses and the economy. Last year's Canada Post strike during the holiday season is the perfect example of that. Hurting SMEs is a tool that large unions are using to selfishly gain benefits for their members. Work stoppages have harmful consequences for the economy that are disproportionate to any benefit a union might gain.