Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize the importance of small businesses.
Recently Mayor Gerry Taft and I met with a group of dedicated small business owners in Invermere, British Columbia, in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia.
These hard-working people came together to provide input on how federal, provincial, and municipal governments can better support small businesses in Invermere and elsewhere. Their feedback, and the feedback from other communities where I have hosted business forums, is invaluable.
According to Statistics Canada, there were 1.17 million businesses as of December 2015; 98% of these employed fewer than 100 employees, while over half employed fewer than five people. Seventy-eight per cent of the new jobs in Canada are created by small businesses. They are the lifeblood of their communities and they are key to Canada's economic stability and its future.
Today I would like to celebrate the hard work, ingenuity, and commitment of small businesses in Invermere, throughout my riding, and across Canada.