Madam Speaker, I listened very closely to the comments that were made, and I know I will get two opportunities to respond: this evening, for a few minutes, and the next time this comes up for debate, when I will try to deal with a bit more of the content.
What concerns me is that members from different political entities in the House have tried to give an impression that I do not believe is accurate. We need to recognize that virtually from day one, the government and the Prime Minister have recognized the importance of small businesses, whether they are the family farms in our rural communities or the stores and shops in our urban centres and rural communities. We have seen this amplified over the last number of months in different ways. I encourage my colleagues on all sides of the House to, at the very least, recognize some of the ways we have done that.
This legislation talks about the issue of taxes, a sense of tax fairness and wanting to see family businesses continue on as much as possible through family members, in a fair fashion. On the issue of tax fairness, the government has demonstrated very clearly where our priorities have been, and we have seen significant tax changes take place.
I want to focus, in what little time I have, on an area of concern that members have talked about in the last hour.
Small business is the backbone of our Canadian economy. It even goes beyond our economy, to our society and lifestyle. It has been such a positive force for decades and will continue to be a driving force into the future. That is why, virtually from day one of the pandemic, we have invested so many resources, whether through the wage subsidy program, the rent assistance program, or working with banks so small businesses would have the leverage to get the loans that are necessary.
I see my time has expired. I look forward to continuing the next time the bill comes up for debate.