MP Calls For More Small Business Support

A New Brunswick Conservative MP says the Trudeau government needs to provide a plan forward for small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Fundy Royal MP Rob Moore told the House of Commons on Tuesday that small tourism operators in his riding have been hit particularly hard.

“Many operators used their life savings to survive last summer in the hope that they would have a path back to full recovery in the summer of 2021,” Moore said.

“Unfortunately, while U.S. President Joe Biden has said he’s eyeing July 4th as a sort of Independence Day from the virus, because of this government’s mismanagement of acquiring vaccines early enough, that is highly unlikely to be the case here in Canada.”

Moore said many operators have told him the provincial travel inventive program has helped, but it does not replace the amount of business they have lost.

He said tourism operators were counting on increased income this season to make up for the very difficult summer of 2020.

“I’m very concerned that we will see a number of tourism operators close because they are unable to get through this upcoming season,” said Moore. “The fact that there is such significant uncertainty for the path forward is the reason for that. They have no expectation of when things may return to normal.”

The federal Conservatives say the government also needs to put a plan in place to restore regional airline routes cut during the pandemic.

Airports in Saint John and Fredericton have lost all of their flights while Moncton has seen service reductions.

Moore told the House of Commons that there are concerns that the cuts will be permanent.

“This will mean permanently lost jobs and significant impacts on local residents,” he said.

On Wednesday, WestJet announced that flights between Quebec City and the communities of Moncton, Fredericton, Sydney and Charlottetown will resume June 24.