Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to have this opportunity to participate in the debate on the Conservative Party motion about measures to support small businesses because I completely agree with my opposition colleagues. This is a very important issue, and it is the focus of what I do every day as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business.
Every day since this public health crisis began, I have been talking to women and men in my riding and across the country who have invested money in their businesses and poured their hearts into them. I believe that hearing what they have to say is crucial to ensuring that our support programs really meet their needs.
Everyone here in the House knows just how deeply the pandemic has affected small business owners and employees. These businesses create good local jobs as well as a sense of local pride. They are the backbone of our economy and our communities. Our government immediately recognized the importance of helping our small and medium-sized businesses weather the crisis and acted fast to launch the largest suite of economic support programs in Canadian history.
I know that we have heard many speeches today, and I will briefly go through some of the very important programs we have put in place.
The Canada emergency business account provides an interest-free loan that includes a non-refundable portion. Why? It is because myself and colleagues right across the country, representing their constituents, heard from small business owners who were worried about taking on too much debt. As I have mentioned numerous times in the House, this has become one of the most significant programs for our small businesses. That is why we recently announced an increase, a $20,000 top-up, to this important loan program, half of which, once again, can be non-refundable.
We also have the Canada emergency wage subsidy, which is helping to subsidize nearly four million Canadian paycheques.
For the rent subsidy program, I point out that this is normally within provincial jurisdiction, but our federal government was asked to take the lead to help our entrepreneurs with what is essentially one of their most significant fixed costs. Thanks to the feedback that my colleagues and I received, we changed this program to ensure that the subsidy went directly to tenants and small business owners themselves.
We also know the importance of going digital. That is why we have put in place several programs and partnerships to help our entrepreneurs go online and sell their goods and services, often for the first time.
I would also like to mention the regional relief and recovery fund, or RRRF, a special fund implemented by the six regional economic development agencies, federal government agencies that are literally on the ground across Canada. They work with key partners such as community futures development corporations, or CFDCs. Thanks to the RRRF, we have been able to provide financial and technical support to thousands of businesses.