Okay. Thank you.
These measures should include tax writeoffs for cybersecurity investment, waiving interest on all government-backed pandemic loans, including CEBA, BCAP and HASCAP, and encouraging domestic travel through new tax incentives on domestic tourism, travel and hospitality activities.
Next, we need to build a strong labour force that works for the Canadian economy. Simply put, Canada does not have enough workers to keep up with demand, and this structural labour deficit has no short-term fix.
The solution has to include elements such as reskilling and upskilling, but can also include more immediate solutions such as a streamlined temporary foreign worker program, a decrease in our refugee and immigration processing times and easier credential recognition in Canada for internationally trained professionals.
Finally, the government can ensure that small businesses have the tools for success through prioritizing the introduction and passage of severely needed updated privacy legislation. While the original version of the digital charter implementation act introduced in the previous Parliament was not perfect, outdated legislation risks holding Canadian businesses back among our international peers. It also encourages a patchwork approach at the subnational level.
As much as we all want to bounce back quickly, the road to recovery is a long one, made even longer by the lingering impacts of “financial long COVID” on small businesses.
Thank you, and we look forward to your questions.