Mr. Speaker, on behalf of small business owners in Vancouver South I congratulate the Minister of Industry for the bold measures which he has introduced for Canada's small business community. Through those measures outlined in "Building a More Innovative Economy" the minister has managed to strike the necessary balance between less government and better government; less government in areas like regulation, taxation and paperwork, and better government in areas like procurement, trading opportunities, business training and transportation.
I hope that a careful reading of the minister's plan will demonstrate to all members of this House that a vibrant economy is built on a well thought out and proactive plan. It can never be achieved through a simple minded slash and burn policy as promoted by members of the Reform Party.
During the election campaign we promised to make small business the centrepiece of our economic strategy. With the release of this plan I am proud to see that this government has kept yet another election promise.