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Jobs & the Economy

Small Businesses platforms

Here's what the 2021 Canadian election parties are promising.

Liberal

  • Extend the Canada Recovery Hiring Program to 31 Mar, 2022.
  • Help small & medium businesses adopt new tech.
  • Increase the Small Business Financing Program maximum loan to $500K, extend coverage to 15 years for equipment & leasehold improvements, & expand eligibility to non-profits.

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Extend the Canada Recovery Hiring Program to March 31, 2022, so businesses can hire more workers and Canadians can get back on the job.

Provide Canada’s hard-hit tourism industry with temporary wage and rent support of up to 75% of their expenses to help them get through the winter.

Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

We will move forward with our plan to implement the Canada Digital Adoption Program which will:

• Give microgrants of up to $2,400 to smaller Main Street businesses so they can afford the costs of new technology.

• Create training and work opportunities for as many as 28,000 young people so they can assist small and medium-sized businesses in adopting new technology.

• Offer zero-interest loans to small and medium-sized businesses so they can finance larger technology adoption projects.

Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

We will move forward with our plan to unleash investments by improving the Canada Small Business Financing Program. This will increase annual financing by an estimated $560 million, supporting approximately 2,900 additional small businesses.

A re-elected Liberal government will:

• Increase the maximum loan amount from $350,000 to $500,000 and extend loan coverage from 10 to 15 years for equipment and leasehold improvements.

• Expand borrower eligibility to include non-profit and charitable social enterprises.

• Introduce a new line of credit.

• Expand loan class eligibility to include lending against intellectual property as well as start-up assets and expenses.

Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Keep moving forward with our plan to boost business investment by allowing privately owned, Canadian-controlled businesses to immediately expense up to $1.5 million of growth-enhancing investments, including in areas like software, patents, and machinery.

Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Conservative

  • Provide loans of up to $200,000 for small and medium businesses in hospitality, retail, and tourism, with up to 25% forgiven and similar terms to CEBA loans.
  • Make BDC loans accessible to small businesses.
  • Fix the mortgage stress test.

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• Launching the Main Street Business Loan to provide loans of up to $200,000

° The $60,000 Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan is too small for thousands of small and medium businesses.

° Canada’s Conservatives will immediately offer a loan on similar terms but offering up to 4 months of pre-pandemic revenue up to a maximum of $200,000

We will forgive up to 25% depending on a company’s revenue loss.

• Making the first $25,000 of our Canada Investment Accelerator refundable for small business,providing a 5% investment tax credit for any capital investment made in 2022 and 2023.

Canada's Recovery Plan, retrieved 2021-08-18

• Reform BDC to ensure that its loan programs are accessible to small businesses.

° This will include broadening BDC’s mandate to have it guarantee a portion of loans that Canada’s banks make to small business, in the same way that CMHC guarantees mortgages.

• Look for ways to make it easier to start a business and reduce the time that entrepreneurs spend dealing with government when they should be concentrating on their business.

• Fix the mortgage stress test to stop discriminating against small business owners, contractors and other non-permanent employees including casual workers.

Canada's Recovery Plan, retrieved 2021-08-18

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We don't have any Bloc policies on Small Businesses.

NDP

  • Continue wage and rent subsidies for small businesses until they're able to fully reopen after the pandemic.
  • Put in place a hiring bonus to pay the employer portion of EI and CPP for new or rehired staff.
  • Cap credit card merchant fees at 1%.

Green

  • Extend wage & rent subsidies until pandemic-related restrictions are fully lifted.
  • Hold the small business tax rate at no more than 9%.
  • Eliminate duplicative tax filings.
  • Streamline approvals for Small & Medium Enterprises to adopt technologies.
  • Subsidise the implementation of new clean technologies across all Small & Medium Enterprises.

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● Extend wage and rent subsidies until COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions are fully lifted.

● Hold the small business tax rate at no more than 9%.

● Reduce the paperwork burden on small businesses by eliminating duplicative tax filings and red tape.

● Ensure all new legislation considers the impact on small businesses.

● Reduce bureaucracy and streamline approvals for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt technologies.

● Promote entrepreneurship training and business support, especially for women, young, racialized and Indigenous entrepreneurs.

● Provide affordable and accessible internet services across Canada, including rural areas.

● Establish a federally funded Green Venture Capital Fund of $1 billion to support viable small local green business start-ups.

● Subsidize the implementation of new clean technologies across all SMEs

Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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Looking for the parties' positions on other topics?

See our full 2021 Canadian election platform comparison