Ottawa, ON – Pat Kelly, Conservative Shadow Minister for Small Business and Western Economic Development, and Philip Lawrence, Shadow Minister for National Revenue, released the following statement regarding the passage of the Conservative motion to support small and medium sized businesses:
 
“Today, with the passage of our motion in the House of Commons, Conservatives have secured more help for small and medium sized businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of our efforts, the Trudeau Liberals must pause their punishing audits on small and medium sized businesses until June 2021 and provide additional flexibility in the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and other programs to support entrepreneurs and workers.
 
“This builds on our Conservative track record of standing up for small and medium sized businesses and making the government’s emergency programs better for Canadians. This includes increasing the wage subsidy from 10 to 75 per cent, advocating for changes to the Liberals’ failed rent subsidy program, and now, postponing the Liberal audits on small and medium sized businesses.
 
“It’s shameful that the Trudeau Liberals failed to support this motion and voted for punitive audits on small and medium sized businesses during the second wave of the pandemic. These community businesses are fighting to keep their doors open, and Justin Trudeau wants to make it harder by sending the tax collector after them. While Justin Trudeau and the Liberals think small businesses are tax cheats – Conservatives know they are the backbone of our economy.
 
“Conservatives understand that there is no Canadian economy without our small and medium sized businesses. It’s as simple as that. Under the leadership of Erin O’Toole, we will continue to stand up for workers and entrepreneurs across Canada and ensure they get the support they need to weather this pandemic.”

Ottawa, ON – The Honourable Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and of the Official Opposition, today issued the following statement on the Conservative Opposition Day motion calling for better supports for small and medium sized businesses:

“There is no Canadian economy without our small and medium sized businesses. It’s as simple as that. For Conservatives, these businesses are our country’s backbone, the local shops that keep communities together.

“In bringing forward today’s motion, our Conservative team sends a strong message on behalf of Canadians.

“The government should be postponing audits of these businesses until at least June 2021. Small business owners and their staff deserve better than this.

“We also ask for additional flexibility in the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and other support programs. While the government made it easy for everyone, including some wealthy individuals, to apply for the CERB, they keep adding red tape for small businesses.

“The rent relief program was far too restrictive and only allowed large landlords to apply for relief, rather than tenants. It required businesses to have lost 70 percent of their revenues in order to be eligible, but if your revenues fell by 69 percent, you got nothing.

“Today there are tens of thousands of businesses in Canada that aren’t getting the help they need – at a time when Canada already has the highest unemployment in the G7.

“And if they shut down, all of Canada suffers. That’s because small businesses provide employment for millions of Canadians from coast to coast.

“They help moms and dads work hard and provide for their families; they offer the first job out of school; like Rom Sandhu of Sandhu Computers in Edmonton, they are often set up and operated by new Canadians; and, they stayed open when so many Canadians worked from home.

“Justin Trudeau likes to pit Canadian workers against small businesses. I’m here to tell him Canadian workers want small businesses to stay open.

“Because whether he likes it or not, Canadians don’t want two more years of the CERB – they want to get back to work.”


The Conservative Opposition Day motion is:

That, given that the pandemic has had devastating consequences on Canadian workers and businesses, especially in the restaurant, hospitality and tourism sectors, the House call on the government to: (a) immediately pause the audits of small businesses that received the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy until at least June 2021; and (b) provide additional flexibility in the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and other support program.

The motion can also be found here.