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SMALL BUSINESS MONTH - SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2025
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy. They’re where young people get employed, they donate to teams and organizations and are critical to small communities.”
— Chuck Davidson
The provincial government needs to provide support to ensure that small businesses in the province thrive, says the head of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. (JLCO) JULIA AMARAL / ADOBE
“There’s a role for them to play, such as in creating an environ- ment to reduce barriers, such as interprovincial trade barriers. There’s been some headway, but we still need to create supply chains,” he adds. Which means there has to be leadership aimed at creating an en- vironment that will allow small businesses to thrive. “Barrier removal needs to be an ongoing process and needs to be led by the federal government and the premiers,” Davidson says. “There needs to be serious discussion on how to take down barri- ers so businesses can become more productive.” He adds that the federal government and provinces can’t afford
to drag their feet in addressing interprovincial trade barriers. “There needs to be a sense of urgency on every level. Otherwise, many small businesses won’t be able to continue.” Failure to properly support small businesses nationwide could be calamitous, Davidson notes. “Small businesses are the backbone of the economy. They’re where young people get employed, they donate to teams and orga- nizations and are critical to small communities,” he says. “They take risks to provide essential services, and businesses like restaurants and stores and other small businesses are integral to the strength of communities.”
Davidson says the provincial government needs to provide the support that small businesses need to be sustainable, thriving ventures. “We continually have conversations with them every day about how they can support small businesses. They pay taxes and pro- vide the services Manitobans are looking for. So, both the provin- cial and federal governments need to look at the barriers and cost pressures small businesses are dealing with to provide the resources they need to succeed.”
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