International Trade committee  Yes, please.

International Trade committee  Maybe I'll start there and then work back to your other questions. It's precisely why I have the portfolio of small business and export promotion. I put a bit of an emphasis on promotion. In the three and a half months that I've been minister, I've met with about 1,200 small an

International Trade committee  I'm not sure. The ones I worked on before were pretty hard-working too.

International Trade committee  Mr. Chair and committee members, thank you so much. It really is a pleasure to be here. Before I begin the official remarks, I want to thank the committee for the work that you're going to be doing. As the chair says, there are many trade agreements that have been negotiated and

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. That is why our government has worked with credit card companies so that they would lower the rates for small businesses. We are very proud of the work we have been doing. This is going to save small businesses $7,50

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, this is small business week, which is a time to recognize the important contributions of small business owners to our community and our economy. Small businesses make up 98% of all Canadian businesses and employ over eight million people. They are truly the backbone

Carbon Pricing  Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, which is why our government lowered taxes on small businesses to 9%. We worked hard for small businesses, and we will keep working hard for small businesses.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed