March 19, 2011

St. Thomas, Ontario, March 19th, 2011—Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), today highlighted that the Government of Canada has renewed its investment of $3.5 million to create hundreds of internships for post-secondary students across Canada through Canada’s Small Business Internship Program (SBIP).

“Our government’s top priority is the economy,” said Preston. “Today’s investment in the SBIP is one of the ways our government is helping entrepreneurs while creating jobs for post-secondary students.  These young Canadians will gain valuable work experience while contributing to Canada’s economic recovery.”

The SBIP creates opportunities for post-secondary students in small business to give them first-hand experience with successful businesses and to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in our youth.  It is a collaborative effort of Canadian small businesses, post-secondary institutions and non-government organizations that offers post-secondary students valuable experience working on e-commerce projects.

“The renewal of this investment during the Year of the Entrepreneur recognizes the enormous contribution of our entrepreneurs to Canada’s economy,” said Preston.  “The resilience and innovation Canadian entrepreneurs demonstrated during the most challenging days of the global economic recession will guide our future success.”

The SBIP is just one example of how the Harper Government is acting on its commitment to small and medium-sized businesses.  Year two of Canada’s Economic Action Plan has introduced numerous measures to assist small businesses in the short term while positioning them for long-term growth, including:

• a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Innovation Commercialization Program that will support small business innovation;
•  keeping taxes low for Canadian entrepreneurs;
• the creation of the Vehicle and Equipment Financing Partnership, which expands financing options and reduces red tape for small and medium-sized finance and leasing companies; and
• a new Red Tape Reduction Commission, which will review federal regulations in areas where reform is most needed to reduce the compliance burden, especially on small businesses, while safeguarding the health and safety of Canadians.

The SBIP helps small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada improve their productivity and competitiveness by hiring about 400 student interns annually to help with information and communications technology projects.  Through this program, the government is helping to deliver the stability needed to support and protect the economic well-being and financial security of Canadian workers and businesses.

For more information on the SBIP and its delivery agencies, please visit:  www.ic.gc.ca/sbip