CFIB Prince Edward Island

Red tape is costing small businesses time and growth. On average, owners spend over 250 hours a year on paperwork and compliance, with 87% saying excessive regulation is holding them back. For smaller firms, the burden is even heavier. CFIB continues to push for more efficient, streamlined rules that support productivity and economic growth. 📊 Read the full report: hubs.li/Q04gGYKK0 #RedTape #CdnBiz #PublicPolicy

CFIB statement on founder John Bulloch’s passing cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/cfib-…

Beyond fuel, global shipping disruptions are adding to the challenges #SMEs face. Supply and price disruptions—especially in agriculture—are making it harder for some firms to plan and operate. 📊 Read #CFIB’s latest analysis: hubs.li/Q04fZKw20 #SmallBusiness #CdnBiz #CFIBadvocacy

Great panel of CFIB’s Directors from across the country at our annual legislative meeting in Montreal. Happy to be working with these smart people.

So far, programs like this have been useless for small firms. Even in programs created to support small firms hit by tariffs, Ottawa includes $ or staffing thresholds that exclude the majority of Canadian small businesses. Typically, programs are created to sound helpful, but then design them to ensure they deliver as little as possible other than to a handful of large firms. It is far better to provide broadly available tax or regulatory relief. Ottawa unveils $1.5-billion in aid to industries hurt by U.S. tariffs /via @globeandmail theglobeandmail.com/politics/artic…

A payroll tax cut that should be just a start theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editor…

Thank you Senator @PercyDowne for meeting with CFIB today. Merci au Sénateur Downe pour la conversation aujourd'hui, en compagnie de @JasminGuenette et @fgionet.

The federal spring economic update includes some welcome measures, but it is not enough to halt the alarming loss of small businesses across Canada. The update continues the federal government’s focus on investments in major projects and large companies, with small and medium-sized firms stuck in the same old mix of red tape and high taxes. I don’t see much that will help Canada avoid a seventh quarter in a row of losses in the net number of small businesses. We need action to stop Canada’s entrepreneurial drought.

Giant funds, like the proposed Canada Strong Fund, have been tried in past budgets, without moving the economic growth needle. What worries me is that Ottawa is trying to stimulate things for a few by using tax dollars and exemptions from normal rules, while ignoring the tougher job of encouraging entrepreneurship and facilitating growth in smaller businesses. CFIB will continue its call for a significant reduction in the small business corporate tax rate.

The spring update does have one big win for small business – a significant reduction in Canada Pension Plan (CPP) premiums paid by employers and employees. Small firms are payroll intensive, and a cut in the premium rate from 9.9% to 9.5% will put $3 billion back into the pockets of employees and payroll budgets of employers. This is good news and helps offset the unwelcome projected increase in Employment Insurance (EI) rates. The other positive measures in today’s update include major changes to Canada’s apprenticeship supports focused on the trades. As long as we can keep the paperwork and red tape light, the new Apprenticeship Grant and $10,000 wage incentive for employers should be a big boost for small firms involved in Canada’s trades. CFIB is very pleased the government listened to its request to make the new Employee Ownership Trust tax exemption permanent. Employee ownership is a great way to provide more options for entrepreneurs when they are looking to sell. Making this measure permanent will help ensure this measure is considered by more small business owners.

While it is welcome news that the current year’s deficit is projected to be smaller than in the fall budget, it is worrisome there is no plan to return to a balanced budget. Government is projecting deficits over $50 billion for as far as the eye can see and small firms have learned the hard way that today’s deficits become tomorrow’s taxes.

Energy costs are rising, and small businesses are feeling the pressure. For many #SMEs, energy is a major and unavoidable expense, and growing volatility is making it harder to manage costs and plan for the future. #CFIB’s latest report explores the impact and what needs to change. 📊 Read more: hubs.li/Q04dnbGD0 #SmallBusiness #EnergyCosts #CdnBiz #CFIBadvocacy

Pleased to present Canada-US Trade Minister @DLeBlancNB with CFIB’s “One To Watch” Award for the federal/provincial work on Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement. The agreement is a big step towards red tape reduction for small business. We spoke about red tape, including CFIA rules, and the need for important changes to tax policy for SMEs.

The changes without consultation were the several years of working from home. This is a return to our normal expectations for highly paid civil servants.

📊 Canada is in the middle of an entrepreneurial drought. For the past six quarters, more businesses have closed than opened. Small businesses are being crushed by high taxes, rising payroll costs, endless red tape, and ballooning government spending, all while giant subsidies flow to multinational corporations. It’s time for the government to walk the talk and support the backbone of our economy. That’s why we’re calling for clear action: reduce red tape, lower the cost of doing business, and remove barriers to growth! 📝Add your voice to our petition: cfib-fcei.ca/en/petition/na… #EntrepreneurialDrought #StopCrushingSmallBusiness

This morning, CFIB's Corinne Pohlmann testified at the @HoCCommittees on International Trade #CIIT as part of their study on internal trade (Free trade within Canada).

More businesses have been closing than opening in Canada. ➡️It’s time to admit it: We’re in an entrepreneurial drought cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/more-…

CFIB's Reaction to the PEI 2026-27 Budget cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/princ…

Rising costs and lack of support in Prince Edward Island fuel Canada’s entrepreneurial drought cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/risin…

CFIB welcomes temporary federal fuel tax suspension Next steps: ➡️Permanently eliminate the tax-on-tax treatment of charging the GST on gasoline ➡️Provincial governments should follow suite and also hit pause on fuel excise and sales taxes cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/cfib-…