Industry committee  I'd like to go in a different direction. We've heard testimony from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business that talked about the inefficiencies associated with regulation, and that it is somehow affecting businesses in being able to either create jobs or expand within the economy.

Opposition Motion—Plan for Reopening the Economy  On November 12, 2020, workers in the airline industry on forced leave called for a plan. On February 19, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business called for a plan. On March 16, Unifor-Québec called for a plan. This is not the first time the government has been asked for a plan. We are here to represent our constituents and to answer questions from them and from groups.

Human Resources committee  I come from a riding where the majority of people work for or run small businesses. Many are members of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Has your organization been consulted about the potential imposition of mandatory contributions for those who are self-employed? I know this exists in other European countries, and I was wondering if you have had conversations about mandatory EI for self-employed Canadians.

Opposition Motion—Plan for Reopening the Economy  What vaccination rate does it consider to be the threshold for lifting the health restrictions? Businesses are waiting. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, or CFIB, many small businesses are no longer in business or are unsure of their future. The CFIB itself now has 15,000 fewer members as Canada enters a second year of the pandemic.

Industry committee  For the questions that I'm going to ask, if the presenters could make sure that we are dealing with that aspect and how that affects them.... We know from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business that regulations cost Canadian businesses about $30 billion each year in compliance costs alone, and small businesses are the ones that feel the brunt of that. We've just heard that delays make you lose clients, and this is one of the critical aspects that we have.

Business of Supply  We have Unifor asking for “a national recovery plan to include adapting border restrictions to safely reopen borders”. There is the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The Tourism Industry Association of Canada has stated, “The news of COVID vaccine distribution gives us reason for cautious optimism”, but said that we need to plan for the recovery of Canada's tourism industry now.

Employment Insurance Act  We know that over 800,000 jobs have already disappeared altogether. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the CFIB, has said that up to 220,000 small businesses may be eliminated because of the pandemic and up to three million jobs will disappear as well as a result. It is incredibly important that the Liberal government bring forward a plan to Canadians.

Finance committee  You can't get enough of me, can you? I'm sorry I missed you in our meeting yesterday, Wayne. Chair and committee members, it's a pleasure to be back again. I'm really happy to present on this bill—a bill that CFIB strongly supports. As you can imagine, we are not tax policy experts in the way that an accounting firm would be, but certainly from a small business perspective, we have data to share that supports the spirit of this legislation.

Finance committee  Mansfield, for explaining that in reasonable layman's terms. Tax policy is complicated. We turn now to Mr. Kelly from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. I believe we saw you just last week. Go ahead, Dan.

Points of Order  The Deputy Prime Minister was responding to a question from the member for Abbotsford and was talking about the need to talk to people like Dan Kelly, who is the head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Business of Supply  Slow vaccine procurement and a refusal to ensure a robust system of tracking and tracing have ensured that people will have to endure far longer than necessary. The government has failed miserably. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business stated that one in six independent businesses across Canada is at a significant risk of closing. That means there could be 181,000 fewer small, independently owned and operated businesses across the country, businesses that go bankrupt or wind down permanently, directly as a result of COVID and the damage sustained due to lockdown.

Business of Supply  In particular, I note he referenced Bill C-14, a very important piece of legislation for small businesses in Canada. As a matter of fact, Dan Kelly, the head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said that “Bill C-14 has some important measures.... CFIB urges all parties to ensure this support is passed quickly”, and yet the Conservatives voted against it.

Business of Supply  I will provide a few thoughts on support for small business. Many of our small businesses are still falling through the cracks. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimates that by the time the COVID pandemic is done, we will have lost 240,000 small businesses, and it could be worse than that. Thirty-seven per cent of Canadian small businesses are losing money every day they are open.

Employment Insurance Act  Even if we do achieve that vaccination goal by the end of September, we know that jobs will not miraculously return overnight. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has said that between 71,000 and 220,000 small businesses will close permanently, which will eliminate between one million and three million jobs from the Canadian job market.

Finance committee  I see no irony in your question coming from a person by the name of Fast—the faster you can get this type of legislation into place, if I could put it that way without any pun intended, the more of those small businesses will stay in existence. That was the case before COVID hit, but the comment from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business now is that if a quarter of a million of these businesses, 240-some thousand of these businesses, may not make it because of COVID, it could be a big help. All sides of the House are looking for ways to be able to help small businesses stay in place, the 1.1 million I talked about earlier.