Thank you very much, everyone, for giving me the opportunity to talk at this very important point. I'll have a slightly different approach from the people who preceded me.
I work for Husky, and we ultimately convert raw materials into finished goods. I've spent almost 37 years of my life around the world helping customers make things like medical syringes, IV connectors, bottles, food containers and other things of that nature. The majority of what goes through our products is plastic, although we do process other materials.
When I think about Canada's economic recovery, I start first with the plastics industry. I think that incentivizing investment in Canada's plastics industry is crucial. Responsibly managed plastics have a lower environmental footprint than any of the alternatives. On top of that, fully 73% of all medical consumables used in the world—and that number has been growing—are made out of plastic. The plastics industry employs 370,000 people across the country; it represents $35 billion of GDP; and it is led by small and medium-sized organizations, which, as we know, are at the core of the economy and an essential group when we think about engaging them to build out the business.
The second element for me is the importance of the free economy. What I mean by this is that small business is already very fragile, and the actions over the last year and a half have really put a tremendous toll on a lot of small businesses. Some 99.8% of all Canadian businesses are small and medium-sized. Those entrepreneurs are the key to unlocking prosperity for the country. They have played that role historically, and engaging that group in thinking about how to do is very substantial in importance. That's why, when it comes to plastic, I'm a strong advocate of the circular economy. I've seen it around the world. Just last week, I was in one of the largest recyclers on the west coast. We're involved directly in processing a multitude of materials, and that's the solution for Canada's economy and to grow industry and small business even further.
The third thing, which has already been mentioned, but of course is crucial, is this concept of getting this pandemic behind us and getting Canadians access to the vaccines and the freedom they deserve. Nothing has been more devastating to the economy than the lockdowns and what we've all experienced. I think we realize that we could have done a whole lot better job at managing the pandemic and the vaccines relative to our neighbours in the south, where 60% of those wishing to be vaccinated have already had both doses, and where they're now incentivizing the remaining groups of people, where the economies are opening up, where there's been an unprecedented economic boom. The six customers I visit in the U.S. are all struggling to find enough people to keep up with the incredible demands on their business. Nothing could be more crucial than opening the free economy and getting the vaccines
The last comment I'd like to offer the committee is really about how we go about this issue. I have really been harmed, I guess, emotionally, being a Canadian, by the concept of “essential” and “non-essential” citizens. I don't like that terms. Canada to me has always meant that everyone was created equal, with the right to speak, the right to pursue their purposes. My neighbours who work in businesses that are deemed non-essential, I consider essential Canadians. Any type of recommendation that comes out of this that continues to designate people as “essential” or “non-essential”, in my opinion, is un-Canadian.
Look at some of the impact on those smaller businesses, with people whom I work with, my neighbours. In Toronto, for example, there were 306 days lost since the pandemic started when it comes to restaurants. Gyms has lost299 days. Hair and nail salons have lost 277 days. Small retailers have lost 161 days. Closures have put two million jobs at risk across the country, and almost half a million working moms have lost their job as a result of the pandemic, and as of January, have not gotten those jobs back. We look at the restaurant industry in Canada, and the impact is staggering: 10,000 restaurants have closed, 320,000 jobs have been lost. Six out of 10 of those who have lost jobs in that industry are women; 50% of those businesses are run by new Canadians; and the industry is the number one source of first jobs for young Canadians.
You can see that the impact across all of these segments has been devastating, and being assigned non-essential status doesn't make sense to me. I've asked every level of government where the scientific evidence is to suggest that funnelling every person through a smaller number of larger establishments when each of those establishments has the same hygiene standards is less risky than allowing small business to perform appropriately to maintain their ability to remain open to ensure that their livelihoods are secure, while maintaining the security of people in the process. I haven't gotten any answers yet to that.
That's probably the most significant part, to me. We need to build. We can take the industries and grow them. I think working with small business and greening them is the right solution.
Thank you very much.