OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 17, 2021
/CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin
Trudeau, today issued the following statement marking Small
Business Week, which runs from October 17 to
23, 2021:
"Small businesses are at the heart of our communities across the
country. They are the small neighbourhood café that makes the
perfect cup of coffee, the entrepreneur who started a new online
shop, and the family-run store that pivoted to making face masks in
the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses drive our
economy by creating the goods and services we need, while employing
millions of Canadians.
"Today, as we mark the start of Small Business Week in
Canada, we recognize that the past
year and a half have been difficult for small businesses, their
owners, and their employees. Small businesses across the country
were asked to make countless sacrifices to protect the health and
safety of people and communities. Through it all, they have shown
incredible courage and resilience, and an unprecedented ability to
adapt and innovate. And while some businesses have now reopened
their doors, many still need support as they continue to grapple
with the impacts of the pandemic.
"Supporting Canadian businesses is key to ensuring a strong
economic recovery. That is why the Government of Canada introduced a range of supports to help
small businesses during the pandemic – from assistance with
expenses through interest-free, partially forgivable loans with the
Canada Emergency Business Account
to rent relief with the Canada
Emergency Rent Subsidy. We also helped businesses keep employees on
the payroll through the Canada
Emergency Wage Subsidy and Canada Recovery Hiring Program, and
created the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program
(HASCAP) to help particularly hard-hit businesses in need of
additional support to weather the pandemic. These measures have
helped support hundreds of thousands of small businesses in
Canada, and the workers and
communities that rely on them.
"Small businesses are counting on us to get vaccinated, so we
can prevent avoidable lockdowns and help them get back up to speed.
By being there for businesses and their workers every step of the
way, the government is also continuing to create jobs, strengthen
the middle class, and grow the economy. We are supporting our
hardest-hit sectors, including tourism, hospitality, and cultural
industries. The government is also working to improve the Canada
Small Business Financing Program, so that small businesses and
entrepreneurs can access the funds they need to recover, innovate,
and achieve long-term growth. We are also helping small and
medium-sized businesses grow and thrive so that they can compete in
Canada's digital future. With
initiatives such as the Canada Digital Adoption Program, we are
assisting them in adopting new digital technologies and bringing
their products and services online.
"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I invite all Canadians to join me in
thanking small and medium-sized businesses for their dedication,
perseverance, and innovation every day, and particularly over the
past year and a half. Let us continue to support our local
businesses so that, together, we can build a more resilient economy
and a better future for everyone."
This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca
SOURCE Prime Minister's Office