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Results: 61 - 75 of 206
View Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Profile
Lib. (ON)
Should we be looking to say, then, in our recommendations, that some fraction of the proposed SIF funding and the renewal of SIF should be devoted to early stage start-ups?
Lynne Manuel
View Lynne Manuel Profile
Lynne Manuel
2021-04-29 12:54
I've been talking about this for quite a while now, and I think that's really a necessary part of what the government needs to be supporting, and I will say that there's so much leverage on those dollars. We're talking about doing lab-scale work where people can take that data forward and convince other investors that they have a working technology.
Working at that scale is very economical for everyone concerned. We don't want people to reach that investable stage before they've done their homework, because it costs so much more to do the work at that point. I think it's really a good deal for everyone.
View Earl Dreeshen Profile
CPC (AB)
Thank you so very much.
But then, there are decisions that are made by government: let's stop moving our energy to the east; let's not allow northern gateway to proceed; let's put other barriers in place. In Bill C-69, there are additional regulations that, as far as they are concerned, seem to be barriers to the general industry, but they're barriers to your people as well.
Mr. Ross, you mentioned that there are concerns involving Chevron. They have thrown up their hands in despair and essentially walked away from this large job and wealth-creating projects, rather than take what we need to sell to the world to help where greenhouse gases are concerned and to sell our technology.
Can you explain how much the regulatory processes we put in place are damaging that opportunity?
You mentioned before, in talking about the U.S., how our stopping what we do is going to help supplement their markets. Yes, we know who it is that benefits from all of the eco-activists who stop investment in Canada.
Could you quickly comment on that?
Ellis Ross
View Ellis Ross Profile
Ellis Ross
2021-04-15 12:51
Yes, that's all out there.
By the way, I was never a fan of self-governance for first nations. I was a fan of basically being involved in the economy. My band is not suffering under the Indian Act anymore. Back in 2003, we were. We have enough resources now, within the current system, that we're making our own decisions and developing our own program, without self-governance. We're actually buying private land.
In term of how we're actually—
View Bernard Généreux Profile
CPC (QC)
It's music to my ears.
Mr. Kotak, you talked a lot about the new technologies and big data. For small businesses, it's really costly to have those tools. What do you suggest we should do to improve the new economy for young businesses and even start-up businesses?
Ritesh Kotak
View Ritesh Kotak Profile
Ritesh Kotak
2021-04-15 13:18
Absolutely. Thank you for your question.
First of all, connectivity is going to be absolutely essential. If you're not connected and if you don't have access to high-speed Internet, there's not much you can do to participate in the new digital economy or the hybrid economy, for that matter.
The second thing that would really be beneficial when you speak about data or big data in general is that it doesn't need to be super expensive. With technology now—with software as a service—there are a lot of ways that technology can become accessible to the masses. For example, if we ensure that platforms, if they want to operate in Canada, must have at the very minimum the ability to conduct transactions in English and French and must have accessibility plug-ins as a built-in feature, which is not necessarily the current case.... You might have small or local businesses that want to operate, but are unable to communicate with the demographic, whether it be through a lack of tools or a lack of a user experience.
It doesn't need to be expensive. A lot of these tools are becoming a lot cheaper. They're becoming a lot simpler to use. I think the pandemic has accelerated innovation in the software space. We could actually leverage that to create a much more competitive environment.
View Gord Johns Profile
NDP (BC)
Thank you so much.
My last question is around start-ups. We know it takes years for people to build a business and get it ready to go to market. They can't collect the wage subsidy. They can't access the loan program or the rent assistance program. They've been completely excluded, abandoned, basically, by the government. Still, there are common-sense ideas that could be brought forward so they could get some supports.
Are you hearing from start-ups? Are you seeing many of them failing right now because of the multiple lockdowns and health measures that have been put in place?
Eric Paquet
View Eric Paquet Profile
Eric Paquet
2021-04-01 15:52
Are you talking specifically for tourism?
Eric Paquet
View Eric Paquet Profile
Eric Paquet
2021-04-01 15:52
We don't see a lot of start-ups right now in tourism. The ones that we saw before the pandemic are having a hard time, definitely. We're mostly focused on the businesses that are there right now and are struggling.
Jean-Michel Ryan
View Jean-Michel Ryan Profile
Jean-Michel Ryan
2021-04-01 15:52
Mr. Johns, well-established companies are already having difficulty surviving the pandemic. We can well imagine that young companies will have even more difficulty, since they do not have a credit history and a record of financial performance.
I would like to remind you that we are entering the third wave. I just saw that Ontario is going to be in lockdown for another month. Quebec is in lockdown again in some places and other provinces will probably do so as well. As I mentioned earlier, we keep reopening and closing our doors. Some businesses can get through it, while others are on the verge of closing. With the third wave, if the programs are not in place or are not flexible, there will definitely be another major wave of closures.
As mentioned, this is not just in Quebec. In Canada, one in 10 jobs is in tourism. The borders are not yet open. So—
View Gord Johns Profile
NDP (BC)
Ms. Coates, your organization is a fairly new one. Thank you for the work you're doing, by the way.
It was organized as a direct result of the pandemic. I'm working with other organizations that are in similar situations, certainly with start-ups that are being ignored and that have been abandoned, and with sole proprietors, who have had difficult barriers in terms of getting access to programs. Can you talk about your communication with government and how responsive they have been to your needs and concerns?
Judith Coates
View Judith Coates Profile
Judith Coates
2021-04-01 16:59
Thank you for that question.
We have had many meetings with members of Parliament, senior policy advisers and a few ministers. We are not getting the answers that we would like. With regard to commission recalls, we're being told that we are being considered, but we aren't being told when that will happen or how we are being considered. We're concerned, and we have a lot of anxiety that we are still going to be falling through those cracks.
View Sébastien Lemire Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you.
Aside from the ways of improving the industrial and technological benefits policy, are there other government policies, acts or regulations, not counting those dealing with military procurement, that are obstacles to your development and success?
Stéphane Oehrli
View Stéphane Oehrli Profile
Stéphane Oehrli
2021-03-23 12:19
In Canada, the tendering process is covered by a number of acts and regulations. The industrial benefits policy is important, but there is a direct link with exports as well. In the current policy, exports are prioritized. You are awarded points when you can demonstrate your skills internationally. The regulations must follow. So, on the one hand, exports are encouraged, and on the other, issuing export permits is slowing down. So there is certainly an imbalance.
In our view, as my colleague said earlier, this is not a matter of questioning the basis for export permits. Of course, we subscribe to that practice. However, we have seen the delays increasing four- and five-fold. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, working in a climate like that would have made us lose our customers and our competitiveness. That interrelationship is important for us.
Results: 61 - 75 of 206 | Page: 5 of 14

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