Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Restaurant and Food Services Association has printed more than 10,000 neon yellow cards which make the important point that when taxes go up employment goes down.
The restaurant and food services industry employs more than 667,000 people in Canada. They know firsthand the devastating effect taxes can have on their businesses and jobs in Canada.
The last time the government made a tax grab with the GST the industry lost 46,000 jobs almost overnight. An Ernst & Young report concluded that two out of every three jobs lost were directly as a result of the new tax.
The restaurant and food services sector is a huge employer of students, recent immigrants and single mothers. It has been estimated that 30 per cent of those Canadians working today had their first experience in the workforce in food service. It is also an industry that depends on disposable income and is one of Canada's most labour intensive.
If taxes go up employment will go down. It is that simple. Taxes kill jobs.