SCARBOROUGH – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Scarborough on Sept. 21st for a roundtable discussion with a group of small business owners with Salma Zahid, the Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre. “Small business owners are the ambitious, hardworking backbone of Canada’s economy – and our government is committed to helping you succeed,” said Trudeau. Small and medium-sized businesses account for 90 per cent of all private sector jobs, and the federal government has made supporting small businesses a priority through initiatives such as:

• Lowering the small business tax rate from 11 per cent to nine per cent by 2019 – saving small business owners up to $7,500 each year.

• Announcing Canada’s first Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy to improve women’s access to financing, talent, networks, and expertise.
• Launching Innovation Canada, a one-stop shop for business owners looking for government support.

“We’re a community of small businesses built by entrepreneurs, many of them new Canadians, who began with an idea and are now supporting strong middle class jobs for members of the community,” said Zahid. “Their hard work and sacrifice is helping to grow Scarborough, and we need to support them.” The roundtable was hosted by Prompt Assembly & Packaging and included a range of local entrepreneurs, from restaurateurs and grocers to medical professionals and importers. “It was fantastic to welcome Prime Minister Trudeau to Prompt Assembly & Packaging and show him how we’re creating middle class jobs and growing a leading contract manufacturing business right here in Scarborough,” said Prompt Assembly & Packaging owner Aziz Amiri. “I appreciated the opportunity to share the challenges we’re facing directly with the Prime Minister.”