Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards thinks we should all be giving thanks for small businesses in Canada for being the backbone of the country and the backbone of every community we live in.  

Richards made those comments in the midst of Small Business Week in Canada, October 14th - 20th.  Richards says 98 percent of the business in the country are small businesses that not only create the vast majority of private sector jobs in Canada but are also heavily invested in their communities.

"When you look at any charitable initiative or community initiative that's going on in our communities, who's usually behind it?  It's usually small business owners.  They're the sponsors of our local sports teams, cultural groups, charitable groups, but they're usually also the ones involved in those things.  So they're not only growing the economies for our communities but they're also growing our opportunities otherwise as well.  To be able to have a week to celebrate them is a great thing."

Richards thinks a week is good, but we should celebrate small business throughout the year through our spending habits. 

In his role as the Conservative's Shadow Minister for Small Business and Export Promotion, Richards has been crisscrossing the country speaking to small business owners and finding out what they feel are their greatest challenges.  Richards says he's heard one consistent theme from them all, they're tired of increased costs being piled on by all levels of government.

" Whether it be provincially with minimum wage increases, whether it be federally where you've got a carbon tax, where you've got increases in the CPP and EI premiums that they pay for their employees, whether it be red tape that's being added at all levels of government.  All of those things impose costs, and it's disproportionately harming small businesses."

Richards believes all of those things make it difficult for small business, through increased costs, lost opportunities, higher prices for consumers and lost jobs for Canadians, none of which are good outcomes.

Despite those challenges, every day more and more people get into business for themselves, and Richards believes he knows what the attraction is.

"For most people, it's an opportunity.  An opportunity to grow something and build something.  Even in difficult times like these, they know that they have created opportunities for their employees.  Maybe right now, they're struggling to keep the doors open but they're proud of the fact that they're continuing to be able to employ their employees and that they're continuing to be able to keep the doors open, but they can only do that for so long.  

Governments have to understand that we can't put more and more burden on our small businesses."  

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