Press release from the office of Pontiac MP William Amos:
The Member of Parliament for Pontiac, Mr. William Amos, is pleased to announce that the Government of Canada is providing an additional $962 million in financial support to Canadian businesses, with specific funding for businesses in rural areas.
Of this amount, $675 million will be invested in Canada's regional development agencies, including Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (DEC), to support businesses that do not have access to the emergency support programs previously announced by the federal government. At the same time, the Community Futures Development Network of Canada (Réseau des SADCs) will receive $287 million to support small businesses in rural communities. “Our government recognizes that our businesses, particularly in rural areas, face unique realities and challenges as a result of COVID-19. This new funding will help support businesses and keep our communities strong during this crisis and throughout the period of economic recovery that will follow.” said MP Amos.
In the riding of Pontiac, this news was well received by the three SADCs deserving the territory, namely, the SADC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, SADC Pontiac and SADC Papineau-Collines. For decades, the Government of Canada has been funding these SADCs, which are administered at the local level, to better serve our rural entrepreneurs.
“We are relieved to know that the Government of Canada supports us in the realization of our mandate, which is so important to our communities. I salute the presence, availability, and attentiveness of MP William Amos to the needs of our communities.” said Mélissa Bergeron, Executive Director of the SADC Papineau-Collines.
“We are very pleased with the federal government's support in our efforts to help MRC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau businesses in this time of crisis. Thanks to this additional financing, we will be able to better support our entrepreneurs during these difficult times. I would like to highlight the involvement of our Member of Parliament William Amos and the SADC/CAE Network for their excellent work since the beginning of this crisis. Without them, we would not have had these additional funds.” said Pierre Monette, Executive Director of the SADC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau.
“Small businesses reside at the core of our economy and we want to offer them as much support as possible to help them get through this global crisis. That is why we are so pleased that the federal government has announced additional funding for the SADCs. We know that this new fund will have a great impact on the level of support we can provide to our entrepreneurs.” added Rhonda Perry, Executive Director of SADC Pontiac.
As a reminder, through Canada's Economic Action Plan in response to COVID-19, the Government of Canada is taking several measures to support Canadians, businesses, and organizations affected by COVID-19. This plan and the measures it contains are available on the following website: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html