If no one else has said it to you recently, thank you.
Thank you for everything you’re doing to keep your business, staff, and community going during these incredible times.
These haven’t been easy days for business owners. And, with governments and public health officials issuing fresh warnings and restrictions over Omicron, the challenging times are clearly not behind us.
Many Canadians see busy streets or busy parking lots and jump to the conclusion that things are back to normal for small businesses. This may be true for some, but for a huge chunk of Canada’s small business community, things are nowhere near back to normal. According to data from the 95,000 members of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), only 36 percent of small firms are back to normal levels of sales.
I want you to know all of us at CFIB are in your corner. We’ll be working to ensure you have our support to get through the months ahead. We’ve taken 140,000 calls from members like you since the pandemic began and have the capacity to serve even more in 2022.
We’ll be working hard to get the economy back to normal by pushing for reduced restrictions and improved government support programs until the economy is fully open.
We are also working hard to address other important issues like higher payroll taxes, rising costs, and the shortage of labor.
2021 was CFIB’s 50th anniversary – and while I didn’t have much time to reflect on our history, I am incredibly proud to be leading an incredible team dedicated to supporting small businesses at this incredible time.
By Dan Kelly
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dan Kelly serves as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). In this capacity, Dan is the lead spokesperson and advocate for the views of the Federation’s 110,000 small and medium-sized member businesses.
Dan has served on dozens of provincial and federal committees and task forces and has represented Canada’s small businesses at the International Labour Organization in Geneva. He currently serves on Finance Canada Payments Consultative Committee (FINPAY) and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal Advisory Committee. Dan is a regular speaker in Canada and around the world on topics like international trade, the payments industry, and skills and labour shortages.
