Ottawa, Ontario - 19 October 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark the Business Development Bank of Canada’s Small Business Week, which runs from October 19-25, 2014:
“Today marks the beginning of the Business Development Bank of Canada’s Small Business Week, a time to acknowledge and honour the immense contributions that small business owners and entrepreneurs make to the prosperity of our country and to the standard of life we enjoy.
“Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, employing approximately 70 per cent of the total labour force in the private sector, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of Canadian exporters, and contributing about 41 per cent to Canada’s private sector gross domestic product.
“Through their vision, ingenuity, dedication and hard work, small business owners and entrepreneurs invest in our economy, transform new ideas and discoveries into advanced products and technologies, provide services to Canadians, help build our communities, and more importantly, create jobs. In so doing, they generate wealth, economic growth and long-term prosperity at every level of our society, keeping our economy strong, modern and competitive.
“It is essential that Canadian small businesses remain globally competitive and successful. That is why our Government has taken concrete measures to support them, including ongoing tax relief, cutting red tape and freezing Employment Insurance and Canadian Pension Plan contribution rates that would hit their bottom line. Small businesses will also benefit from the Canada Job Grant which will match skills training with employer needs. Finally, our Government is opening up international market access to Canadian businesses like never before. Recent trade agreements with both the European Union and Korea will generate exciting new opportunities for small businesses across the country.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I thank our hardworking small business owners and entrepreneurs for the enormous contributions they make to our collective prosperity and our country’s continued economic success.”
