Minister, I'll tell you who wasn't in the room: the small businesses that have been absolutely destroyed. The provincial level has been equally detrimental to these companies. Cumulatively, with the federal government's regulations, more red tape, and particularly Bill C-69, that has led a lot of these companies to move south. They don't have time to come to see you in a banquet hall somewhere to celebrate everything you think is great. These are companies that have lost employees. They're laying off people. The unemployment rate, again, is at 8%. I think that's the highest it's ever been in Alberta, and it's largely because of initiatives your government has introduced.
You now sit at the cabinet table and have a tremendous opportunity to stand up for these small businesses. Quite frankly, if you're not prepared to do that, the repercussions are going to be that you're not going to have members from Alberta next time around.
It's also detrimental to the entire economy. Alberta's a major driver of the Canadian economy. To continually put on these initiatives is just attack after attack on these small businesses. You didn't hear from them, Minister, while you were there, because they're not there anymore. They've moved. They've left the country. They've found somewhere else to do business, which has a lot less red tape and fewer regulations than what this government has put on them.
I encourage you again, Minister, to have those conversations with the environment minister and with the finance minister on how detrimental this government's policies have been for small businesses. Thank you.