House of Commons Hansard #57 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was countries.

Topics

HealthAdjournment Proceedings

6:35 p.m.

Liberal

Darren Fisher Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, to wrap up on the question of the topic that we have been discussing, the Government of Canada recognizes that provinces and territories are best placed to address the spread and the impacts of COVID-19 based on the unique circumstances in their jurisdictions, and we will make every effort to support them in this respect.

The government has provided significant funding to support health care system capacity and other needs. We are working to procure and distribute tests, PPE and vaccines to help ensure their availability to provincial and territorial governments and Canadians across the country as we work to contain the pandemic, address its effects and work toward a long-term solution to COVID-19.

The Government of Canada remains committed to providing surge support capacity wherever possible for the provinces and territories that require and seek further assistance. The government urges provinces and territories to take the strongest possible approach to containing the virus and addressing its impacts to ensure that these resources can be used strategically to benefit all Canadians.

Small BusinessAdjournment Proceedings

6:35 p.m.

NDP

Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are at the heart of our local economies. They create jobs and add value to our communities. They have been doing their part during the COVID-19 pandemic by closing their doors to support public health and adapting, and the NDP has pushed the government to give these small businesses the help they need by improving the commercial rent and wage subsidy programs. The problem is that we are 11 months into this pandemic and many small businesses are still falling through the cracks. Start-ups in particular have been completely left out of these programs, prevented from accessing much-needed government supports.

The last time I stood up to support small businesses in the House, I talked about Bear & Joey, a new restaurant in my riding. After years of planning and pouring his life savings into developing the business, the owner was finally ready to open it in May. It is facing the exact same challenges as other small businesses, but because it had the bad luck of opening during a global pandemic, it did not qualify for wage or rent subsidies.

Since then I have heard from many other businesses in Victoria that are also not getting the help they need to survive. I would like to share a few of their stories.

The Vicious Poodle, on Johnson Street in Victoria, is another small business that had the bad luck of opening during a global pandemic. It is a new LGBTQ2SAI+ pub and currently the only LGBTQ+ dedicated space on Vancouver Island.

After securing a location in September 2019, the owner began renovations with plans to open the first week of April, but the pandemic meant the completed space sat empty for two months before it was able to open at a reduced capacity. It created 20 local jobs in a welcoming environment for marginalized workers who often have difficulty finding respectable employment. It does not qualify for any government programs. As the pandemic has gone on, the owner has had to lay off more and more of his staff and is now in the position of having to close the doors for the next few months and hope he does not lose his business entirely.

Another business in Victoria, Hey Happy Coffee, first opened in 2014 and enjoyed five years of steady growth. In 2019, when the space next door became available, owner Rob Kettner took the opportunity to knock down the wall and expand the business. He put $400,000 of his own savings and loans into the expansion.

When it was finished in February 2020, there were lineups around the door and every seat was full. However, less than four weeks later it was forced to close its doors because of the pandemic. When it was able to reopen in May as a take-out window, Rob signed up for the wage subsidy program, which covered 75% of labour costs at first. However, once the wage subsidy formula was amended, he began receiving only the base minimum of 10%.

The new formula does not take into account that a year ago Hey Happy Coffee was a much smaller business, with much lower rent and costs. Before the pandemic, Hey Happy Coffee was financially successful, but today it is losing between $10,000 and $15,000 a month. Rob said the irony of the situation is that he expanded his business because of its success and popularity, but he may now lose everything. He could not have possibly foreseen the pandemic, but he told me that if Hey Happy Coffee could receive a fair wage subsidy based on its new business model, he believes his business can survive the pandemic. However, if it goes under, it will be because the government has let it fall through the cracks.

These small businesses and many across the country feel abandoned. After doing their part to support public health, why are small businesses and start-ups still not getting the help they need to survive the pandemic? Why are they being left to fail?

Small BusinessAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

Dartmouth—Cole Harbour Nova Scotia

Liberal

Darren Fisher LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning of this pandemic, we have demonstrated that we were going to work in every way possible to be there for all Canadians and businesses. Every day since, we have done exactly that.

The government has rolled out the largest economic measures in Canadian history to support small businesses across this amazing country. This includes programs such as the Canada emergency wage subsidy and the Canada emergency business account, which were put in place to protect jobs through this crisis.

The government's COVID-19 support programs have worked to protect millions of jobs, but we know that the second wave of this virus continues to weigh on many workers and businesses. That is why the government is partnering with Canada's largest financial institutions to introduce the new highly affected sectors credit availability program or, as we like to call it, HASCAP.

Through HASCAP, Canadian-based businesses that have been hardest hit by this pandemic will be able to receive low-interest loans starting at $25,000 and up to $1 million. Hard-hit businesses, such as a chain of hotels or restaurants with multiple locations under one related entity, could be eligible for up to $6.25 million. These loans are 100% backed by the Government of Canada, and they can be used for rent, utilities and help with payroll.

Let me assure everyone that the government has been listening to Canadians, and it will continue to do whatever it takes to support businesses. To continue supporting workers and businesses, the government has increased the maximum base wage subsidy to 75%. We have expanded the Canada emergency business account, and launched the Canada emergency rent subsidy and lockdown support for businesses, among many other measures.

Acknowledging that tourism businesses have been particularly hard hit, the government is helping even more businesses through a $500-million investment to the $1.5-billion regional relief and recovery fund. The government knows that it is absolutely critical to get Canadian businesses online so that they can sell to the billions of customers around the world. That is why we are revamping CanExport to help businesses expand their commercial presence and grow in international markets.

These supports are there to help businesses weather this storm and be ready for a robust recovery that will create jobs and strengthen the middle class. Together, we will be able to rebuild a stronger, more resilient economy where everyone has a chance to succeed.

Small BusinessAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

NDP

Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, more loans and more debt is not the answer for these businesses. I am glad the government has made some changes, and I am proud of the work the NDP has done pushing for these much-needed improvements, but there are still too many small businesses, especially start-ups, falling through the cracks. We have been at this for over 11 months now and the government cannot blame the unprecedented nature of the situation anymore.

A made-in-Victoria solution, which the mayor of Victoria recently shared with the minister, is for new businesses to supply to the federal government whatever information they provided to a third party, whether a bank or private investor, that financed their businesses, as check and balance in place to demonstrate business viability. There are solutions. We are ready to work with the government to help these small businesses survive. The longer the pandemic goes on, the more urgently they need help.

Simply adding more debt is not sustainable. They are facing the same challenges that so many other small businesses across Canada are facing, but they are not getting the same support. They have invested in our communities and they are doing their part, so why is the government leaving them out in the cold?

Small BusinessAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

Darren Fisher Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS

Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate that since day one of the COVID-19 crisis, this government has been there to support Canada's businesses and the millions of Canadians that they employ. Our government acted quickly to introduce critical supports to ensure that small businesses are able to get through the worst of this pandemic, and we will continue to listen to businesses. The government is committed to doing whatever it takes to support businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and help rebuild Canada's economy.

Our COVID-19 support programs have worked to protect millions of jobs, but we know that the second wave of this virus continues to weigh on many workers and businesses. Again, that is why we launched the highly affected sectors credit availability program to help these businesses hit hardest by the pandemic with low-interest, government-backed loans. By investing in Canada's businesses, as well as workers and their families, we are investing in our shared recovery and a better future for all.

Canadians will get through this crisis together, and together we will build a stronger, more inclusive and sustainable Canada.

Small BusinessAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:47 p.m.)