Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Stratton. We'll turn to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, represented by Mr. Kelly, president and CEO. Welcome.

Finance committee  Good morning. Thank you so much for seeing us this morning. We're happy to be here. We have several ideas that we wanted to share with you for the 2019 budget, of course, and for the election platforms that your respective parties will be putting together. We want to start by talking about some of the challenges that small and medium-sized firms, our members, are facing in Canada right now.

Public Safety committee  However, if the movement is well under way, perhaps it would be appropriate for the various chambers of commerce associations or federations, such as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to conduct awareness campaigns. Ultimately, this could be a tax credit. It might be a good idea to offer a tax credit to any company that decides to purchase a defibrillator.

Natural Resources committee  D'Avignon is not the only concerned business leader. Laura Jones, executive vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, has said: If uncertainty is allowed to continue, it risks doing serious damage to this country’s reputation. We need to find a better path forward and we need to do it now.

Oil Tanker Moratorium Act  The Liberals go around the world telling people to come and invest in Canada, and yet a number of investment dollars have left. Last summer, when the Liberals mused about making tax cuts, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business brought in stakeholders and talked about how a billion dollars had left the country, because capital can flee. Given some of the challenges that have been going on with building pipelines, does the member believe that we are going to be in trouble in terms of being able to attract direct foreign investment as we move forward from this point on?

Natural Resources committee  He also said, “This can have lasting consequences.” Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said, “If uncertainty is allowed to continue, it risks doing serious damage to this country's reputation. We need to find a better path forward and we need to do it now.”

Trans Mountain Expansion Project  The CEO of the Business Council of B.C. said, “This is no longer about a pipeline but whether you can rely on government and the rule of law if you choose to invest. This can have lasting consequences.” The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said, “If uncertainty is allowed to continue, it risks doing serious damage to this country’s reputation.” The B.C. NDP-Green coalition has been challenging federal jurisdiction aggressively, asking for more studies about the product that has been in the pipeline for decades, putting up roadblocks through construction, and intending more if the expansion does get built.

Government Operations committee  Hello, committee members. My name is Louis-Martin Parent, and I represent the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Thank you for this opportunity to present to you today on SMEs and federal procurement. Thank you especially for your openness to my presenting via video conference.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We've heard from the advisory council on economic growth, from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and from Dan Kelly, the President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. This is a good thing. It's good for our economy, it's good for our social fabric, and it's also good for those we are going to affect from overseas. That said, today we heard a lot of questions.

Government Operations committee  In order to accomplish this objective, we're actively engaged in a number of industry associations: Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council, women-owned business enterprises, Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, Canadian Construction Association, Association de la construction du Québec, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies, and Bureau canadien de certification intégrité.

Government Operations committee  The challenge, based on our research, is that 80% of these SMEs do not engage. A study done by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business showed that only 20% of SMEs actually engage with the government or try to do business with it. The reasons are really simple. The first is that it's too long a process.

Finance committee  I did wear a different suit this week, Chair, just to try to throw you off, but it didn't work. I am here today not in my capacity as head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, but as a member of the Coalition for Small Business Tax Fairness. This coalition started less than a month ago with 35 business associations coming together to raise their concerns over these issues and now has grown to over 70 business associations across the country, representing hundreds of thousands of Canadian employers and millions of Canadian employees.

Finance committee  Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here. You've been keeping us very busy at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business over the last few months. I also want to say a special thanks to your committee chair, who has recently become a bit of a folk hero on the part of members of CFIB for recent comments he's made in the media.

Taxation  Even though the government was forced to back down on some of the most egregious proposals it made, there are still concerns. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is still very concerned with the proposals, the small business changes coming in, because they are coming in a matter of weeks. Here we are approaching the second week of December, these changes take place January 1, 2018, and small businesses still do not know what they will look like.

Government Operations committee  My question is for the representatives of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. If there is enough time left, the representative from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business can answer as well. Would you be supportive of federal government efforts to expand the agreement and sign one with the Quebec government? Are you even aware of those efforts?