SMEs deliver election priorities to federal parties

OTTAWA – Small business owners are calling on the federal parties to include measures that support economic growth in their platforms.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is delivering nearly 9,000 signed letters from small business owners across the country as it meets with major party leaders.

“They want to see all parties put forward measures that address their biggest concerns around affordability, labour and financing,” said CFIB president Dan Kelly. “They’re not asking for government handouts, but they are looking for careful consideration and common-sense.”

In their letters to the federal parties’ leaders, small business owners ask to them commit to:

• Reducing the costs of hiring and training by lowering the EI rate for small firms or introducing an EI holiday for youth between the ages of 15 to 24
• Addressing the growing tax burden by slowing down or halting additional CPP increases after 2019
• Repealing the federal carbon tax and instead working with each province to find a way to address climate change that minimizes any negative impacts on small businesses
• Making it as easy to sell a business to a family member as it is to a stranger
• Cutting red tape in policies, guidelines and legislation, and improving government services
• Supporting family-run small businesses by exempting spouses from the new income splitting rules
• Reversing new rules on passive investment income
• Putting in place a plan to balance the budget within the next five years

Earlier this summer, CFIB released its Small Business Platform with detailed policy recommendations on how these goals can be achieved. CFIB has presented its recommendations to MPs, Ministers and senior representatives from all major parties as they prepared their official election platforms, including recent meetings with Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.