Mr. Speaker, I have been listening with interest to such terms as risk capital, investment and all other terms which the people in my constituency are using a great deal these days.
In the last two days and in the week previous to coming back to the House a minimum of 13,000 small businesses located across the beautiful constituency of Souris—Moose Mountain are in deep financial problems. They are not unlike other businesses in Canada. They have a huge capital investment. They also have a huge expenditure each year of operation. They have reached the point in the last year where their annual income is down 70%. The bad news is that the forecast for these 13,000 businesses is that they will be down even further in 1999.
These businesses are sitting with a minimum of $500,000 or more in capital outlay with huge taxes, tremendous taxes which have gone up some 48% in five years. The products they put on the market are literally worth nothing. These primary businesses do not qualify for the same protection as the bill is talking about. They do not qualify under this type of loan. They do not qualify under the loan guarantee. They are simply sitting there suffering and many will close up.
I go to the cities and the towns and talk to small businesses. I ask what they would truly like more than anything else. The other day I went to see the person who runs the Dairy Queen. It is great stuff; there are no calories in it or anything. The owner of the Dairy Queen asked me to send some people who had change in their pockets so they can continue their spending habits. I checked with the manager of another store and asked how were her sales this August compared to last August. That is the month when parents get their kids ready to go back to school. Her response was that it was the worst August since the business was established.
What I am referring to is directly related to the bill. Because these 13,000 small business people are currently going down the tube they will pull down a proportionate number of other small business people in towns and cities with them.
I am referring to our primary industry in Saskatchewan. It is a high investment. They vary in age. Many of them, 70% in some areas, have to work for other businesses to support their businesses. I conducted a research of three separate RMs and the lowest was 50%.
We can talk about business loans, business ventures and everything else, but if the government does not take a look at how it will support Canada's number one industry which is going down the tube it is useless to have the bill before us.
I beg the government to take another look at the situation faced by these 13,000 farmers in my constituency, many of whom will not be farming next spring without some assistance. Other businesses will go as well. They get no guarantees. They cannot draw upon money which is theirs. They cannot take advantage of similar government programs. I learned that under NISA they cannot even draw from their own accounts if they are working off the farm.
I spent three weeks trying to pacify young people of 40 years of age who are walking away and leaving what was left by their ancestors, leaving what was their dream. While the government is taking a look at the bill I beg it to remember the 13,000 small family businesses in my constituency. The bill may assist businesses but it will be an absolute failure unless it takes them into account.