Page 8 - Canadian Industry Online

CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - DECEMBER 2015New BrunswickBRIAN GALLANT IS an Acadian and the youngest of 7 children, and growing up ran two small businesses in order to pay his tuition (in order to eventually become a successful lawyer). Now, as Premier of New Brunswick, he is passionate about the province and spoke with CIO to talk about what’s so great about New Brunswick, why peo- ple should visit, and the perks of doing business there.Gallant was sworn in as Premier of New Brunswick on October 7, 2014 and is also President of the Executive Council, Chairman of the New Bruns- wick Jobs Board, and Minister respon- sible for Innovation, Women’s Equality and Rural Affairs. He represents the rid- ing of Shediac Bay-Dieppe.What do you think is the role of small business in New Brunswick, and in Canada’s future?Small businesses have always been crucial to Canada’s economy. They are important because they employ Cana- dians but also they provide the supply chain to some of our larger businesses that serve as our economic anchors.We have large businesses in our country that export and compete in in- ternational markets. It is important that we have a competitive supply chain and these are often made up of small and medium size companies.That said, they are going to be even more important going forward in an age of innovation and technology— they now have the ability to scale up quicker than they ever have before. So if you’re able to harness the entrepre- neurial spirit of Canadians you can be sure that you’ll have a very vibrant econ- omy for years to come. In New Bruns- wick we’ve lowered the small business tax by 33 per cent, enhanced the small business tax credit by 50 per cent, and have created a program called the Youth Employment Fund which helps industry and small businesses. What this does is matches employers and potential employees. Many people graduate with higher education but don’t have experience to go right into a job, and employers that can’t hire a“In New Brunswick we’ve lowered the small business tax by 33 per cent.”8 |Canadian Industry Online | October, 2017