Mr. Speaker, to my colleague from Kings—Hants, I recently completed a rural economy tour in southeastern British Columbia and I heard from small business and tourism owners some of the challenges they face and the fact that the federal government is missing in action in the partnership the business owners need with the local, provincial and federal governments. They talk about the reduction in tourism marketing, and the absence of skills and apprenticeship programs that help them access the people they need.
I wanted to hear from the member whether anything at all in the large corporate tax breaks or in the EI tax premiums and so on helps to address those issues that the owners of small businesses and tourism businesses face.