Chamber Forum - How Will You Help Small Businesses With Significant Pandemic Related Debt

On Tuesday evening the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce held an all candidates forum for all six candidates vying to be the next MP in the Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan riding.

To help voters make up their minds we are running the questions and the answers from the candidates to the questions put forward to them in that forum in no particular order.

The second question we feature is related to the debt small businesses had to take on and how, if elected, how the candidate will assist small businesses to get out of this pandemic related debt many took on to survive.

QUESTION - Recovering from this pandemic will take years and businesses have taken on significant pandemic related debt including many subsidy programs that are considered taxable income if elected how do you propose to address this issue to help small businesses get back on track and deal with COVID related debt.?

Chey Craik, People’s Party of Canada candidate, said the key was learning to live with the virus and to get the economy moving, workers working again and businesses open.

“We need to get the economy back on track. Absolutely we need to learn to live with this virus and we need to develop a plan to get our economy going again,” Craik said.

“And that includes getting our small business owners and our large business owners back to work,” he said.

“Getting Canadians off of CERB (Canada Emergency Relief Benefit) and just getting them back to work that is the biggest part of this is. We crashed our economy through our response to COVID,” he said, adding “Yes, there is a virus but we need to learn to deal with it and we need to get Canadians working again.”

Katelyn Zimmer, Liberal Party of Canada candidate, said that there were several steps needed to getting the economy back on track and number one on the list is ensuring anyone who is able to be vaccinated to be vaccinated.

Additionally a $10 per day childcare cost would ensure women had the opportunity to economically afford to return to work.

“I think the first step to getting back on track is making sure that employees can return to work safely and businesses can once again open their doors to the Public. And what that is going to take is vaccination,” Zimmer said. "

“The vaccine is the best tool that we have to fight this virus and so we need to ensure that anybody who can and is eligible to be vaccinated gets vaccinated. And we need to do that not only for the vulnerable people in our society, like immuno-compromised people and children, but what we need to do that for the economy,” she said.

“The other thing we need to do is to get everybody back to work,” she said, adding “And that includes women who have had to face the decision to stay home to abandon their careers due to the high cost of the availability of childcare. The focusing in on a $10 per day childcare program is going to be another way to get all contributing members back to work and stimulate the economy.”

“And finally we need to be forward thinking. We can’t be working ourselves out of a job. We need to innovative. And we need to be focused on jobs that are going to be around in the long run. And these are clean jobs. They are green jobs and that is going to put us at the forefront in the global economy,” Zimmer said wrapping up her response.

Talon Regent, New Democratic Party candidate, said first what is needed is to first end the pandemic as we are still in the midst of it. He said this would be accomplished through vaccination.

Following that there needs to be investment in the economy with the ultra-wealthy paying their fair share in a New Democratic COVID recovery plan costed out and admired by economists across the country for not a spending the way out of the pandemic.

“We are talking about the pandemic recovery but let’s not forget we are still very, very much in the midst of the pandemic itself. Saskatchewan is seeing the largest number of daily cases that we have ever seen and this includes during the lockdown,” Regent said. “So if we want to make sure we are recovering from the pandemic we have to beat the pandemic. And that includes vaccines.”

And it pains me that my Conservative candidate is not interested in putting forward the message that you need to get vaccinated if you can get vaccinated. You need to protect your community. You need to protect your family. You need to protect your co-workers,” he said.

“So when we can get past this pandemic when we can beat this pandemic what else are we going to do?”

“And I am proud that the New Democratic plan has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer and it has been a better plan for getting rid of our deficit than the Liberals or the Conservatives. It is a plan that ensures we are not trying to spend our way out of pandemic. It is a plan that is going to increase our revenues. It is a plan that is going to ensure that ultra-wealthy Canadians are paying their fair share towards the recovery.”

“It means investing.”

“I mentioned education. Every dollar we invest in education we see a net seven dollars in return. Making smart decisions with our money is what it is gong to take,” Regent said, adding “And the New Democrat’s plan has been applauded by economists across the nation for being the best plan. So I am very excited for that.

“It is a plan that includes creating a million jobs. It is a plan that includes growing our energy economy. It is a plan that includes getting everybody back to work and making sure that we have affordable childcare so women and parents of all kinds can get back to work.”

“New Democrat’s have the best plan and that has been proven by the experts.”

Fraser Tolmie, Conservative Party candidate, reminded voters - twice - that the Conservatives got the country out of the last recession and will do so this time if elected.

The Conservatives are proposing tax credits and a loan to assist small businesses.

“Well we want to restore confidence and the Conservative Party got us out of the last recession and will get us out of this recession,” Tolmie stated.

“We want to re-build Main Streets. And we have a program the rebuild Main Street Tax Credit this will provide 25 percent tax credit on amounts up to $100,000 that Canadians personally invest in small businesses over the next two years. This will give a strong incentive to Canadians to invest their money to help entrepreneurs re-build our country,” he said.

“Launching a Main Street business loan is another option of up to $200,000. The $60,000 that is already being offered is not enough.”

“The Liberals, the NDP and the Greens do not have a plan to get Canadians back to work. Even before the pandemic they gave us the worst economy since the Great Depression.”

“I will say this again the Conservatives got us out of the last recession they will get us out of the next one,” he said.

Craig Townsend, Maverick Party candidate, said the Mavericks would use Western Canadians well known resilience and industrious nature and stay out of business and industry’s way.

“Western Canadians are intelligent and industrious people who have thrive in spite of Ottawa,” Townsend said.

“The Maverick Party believes in scrapping the Carbon Tax, scrapping Equalization and having the federal government get out industry’s way, get out of small businesses’ way and let us continue what we are best at,” Townsend said.

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