Minister of State Bernier Praises Entrepreneurs at Toronto Small Business Summit

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 8, 2011) - Today, the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Globe and Mail Small Business Summit, which aims to help Toronto-area entrepreneurs build their businesses through a day of networking and learning.

"The Government of Canada supports small business owners, whose entrepreneurial spirit drives our economy forward," said Minister of State Bernier. "Lower taxes, less red tape and more opportunities to trade are the keys to job creation and innovation."

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for 99 percent of companies in Canada, employing 64 percent of the Canadian private-sector workforce and contributing about 40 percent to our country's gross domestic product. To help them become more competitive, the Government of Canada has lowered taxes for small businesses, limited the increase in Employment Insurance premiums and created the Red Tape Reduction Commission. In addition, resources such as Canada Business and BizPaL provide easy access to information from all levels of government. This helps small business owners access the information they need quickly, giving them more time to establish, build and run their companies.

"Although Canada has been consistently praised for its enviable business conditions, we must continue to promote entrepreneurship," said Minister of State Bernier. "Our government recognizes that increased productivity will only be achieved when people are free to innovate, to trade and to invest."

Recognizing the important role of entrepreneurs in job creation, the Government of Canada declared 2011 the Year of the Entrepreneur and, through Budget 2011, provided $20 million over two years to the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to help young entrepreneurs with mentorship and financing.