Mr. Speaker, our entrepreneurs and small business owners are the backbone of our economy. Small businesses create good jobs and growth, and they help build our communities.
On January 22, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion and I had the pleasure of attending a lunch with more than 80 of these exceptional men and women. It was a chance for us to tell them more about how our government is helping SMEs grow. This includes lowering their taxes from 11% to 9%, creating the Canada summer jobs program and investing $2 billion to support women entrepreneurs.
I want to extend sincere thanks to the Île-Perrot Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vaudreuil-Soulanges for making this event possible. I also want to thank the small business owners for participating in the meeting and sharing their ideas with us, so we can do even more to support those who are helping to build our communities of tomorrow.