PIERRE Poilievre, Conservative critic for Finance, and Pat Kelly, Conservative critic for Small Business and Western Economic Development, in a statement regarding the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program and the Trudeau government’s failure to help small businesses, said: “[Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau’s failed rent assistance program has ended, and the Liberals have no plan to help small businesses and their employees survive the second wave.”
They added: “The Liberals’ rent assistance program has been a disaster. It has done nothing for 90 per cent of small businesses in Canada and has been widely criticized by entrepreneurs across the country. The program should have sent assistance to small businesses, not the landlords, as this would have dramatically helped businesses pay their rent during the pandemic.
“Canada’s economic recovery is tied to the success of small businesses in Canada. These hard working and entrepreneurial businesses are how we will replace the one million missing paychecks in Canada, and it’s time that the Liberal government understood that.
“Conservatives will continue to stand up for workers and entrepreneurs across Canada. Under the leadership of Erin O’Toole, we will ensure that they get the support they need to weather this pandemic.”