TORONTO, March 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Senior representatives of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) will be available for commentary immediately following tomorrow's federal budget (contact details below). CFIB president Catherine Swift, senior vice-president Dan Kelly, and vice-president for Quebec Martine Hébert will all be available on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
On behalf of the over 109,000 small- and medium-sized businesses it represents across the country, CFIB has made several recommendations for this year's budget, including:
- Renewing and expanding the Employment Insurance (EI) hiring credit to include businesses with at least $15,000 in EI premiums
- Taking action on fixing unsustainable public sector pensions going forward, including pensions for Members of Parliament (MP)
- Ensuring the budget is balanced by 2015
- Taking specific measures to reduce red tape for small business
"Canada's capacity to face a turbulent international economy will be strengthened if government tackles the deficit and implements small business policies that encourage employment," said Catherine Swift, president of CFIB. "In particular, we will be watching to see if government does anything to bring greater fairness and sustainability to public sector and MP pensions before asking Canadians to delay their own retirement."
On budget day, please call Gisele Lumsden to arrange an interview with a CFIB spokesperson at 647 808-5769 (cell) or via email at [email protected]
To arrange an interview with Martine Hébert please contact Marie Vaillant at 514 861-3234 or 514 919-9535 (cell).
CFIB spokespeople will be in the media lock-up and, immediately following the budget announcement, in Ottawa, Toronto and offices across the country. Contact [email protected] to arrange an interview.
To view CFIB's Top 12 budget recommendations for 2012, please visit http://cfib.ca/a3548e
As Canada's largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses, CFIB is Powered by Entrepreneurs™. Established in 1971, CFIB takes direction from more than 109,000 members in every sector nationwide, giving independent business a strong and influential voice at all levels of government and helping to grow the economy.
please contact Meghan Carrington at 416 222-8022.
Share this article