New Limits: “Never Marathon for SMEs”

The various announcements made by Quebec on Thursday will further weaken the SMEs, raising concerns by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which has asked the government to review its plans.

At the beginning of the third year, marked by financial constraints due to the epidemic, the CFIB warned that the resilience of small business owners who cheat on these repeated closures would “sooner or later reach their limits”.

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“Before the December restrictions came into effect, it was almost one of four SMEs by the end of 2022 due to sub-equivalent revenues. If SME leaders need to close their business or slow down service delivery again, this is tantamount to a never ending marathon, ”Quebec CFIB Vice President Franకోois Vincent said in a press release on Friday.

The CFIB stressed that the level of contracted debt due to COVID-19 was “worrisome”, with dining room restaurants averaging $ 200,000 and Quebec SMEs averaging $ 100,000.

“For restaurants, it’s very difficult to pass and it’s one of the hardest hit areas by sanctions, including gyms, cinemas, events and entertainment centers. We are asking the government, “said Mr. Vincent.

The federation is concerned about the impact of postponing the start of the academic year to January 17 for primary and secondary schools. In fact, as almost two to three SMEs face labor shortages, the lack of employees to take care of their children increases the pressure on these SMEs.

“Half the businesses in Quebec have less than five employees. So, for them, losing an employee means a 20% reduction in productivity, ”said Franకోois Vincent.

The federation, which believes business closures should be adopted “only as a last resort”, also called on the government to improve the conduct of expedited examinations to democratize them and to assess the possibility of reducing public detention. Features.