Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Skeena talked about small business in a way as though Liberals in the country had never heard of small business. I can assure the gentleman that thousands of Liberals are business people and that thousands of businesses support the Liberal Party.
We know some of the problems faced by small business. If the gentleman from Skeena would have read the budget a little more closely, he would have noticed that small business plays a big part in the budget. We are attempting to do many things to make its life a little easier.
For example, we will be developing what we call a lending code for banks, because small businesses have been complaining vociferously for years about the way they are treated by banks. We will be establishing a venture capital fund. We are expanding information centres across the country because we know how important information is to small businesses that are not wealthy, as he pointed out, and do not have the resources to get information on their own hook.
We will be expanding the technology network because technology is important to small business. We will be expanding the parameters of the Export Development Corporation because exports are important to the country and important to small business. Small business can do a lot more in the way of exports. Right now only 8 per cent of our business community exports.
We have recognized some of the problems facing the small business community. It is recognized in the budget. I think the Reform Party does not do a service to this institution when it, it appears, deliberately ignores what was stated in the budget.