Thank you very much for your question, Mr. Kelly, and thank you for the invitation today.

With regard to owning a small business, I think a lot of people think that we do it as something that we're passionate about, which is true, but we also do it to make a living. When I heard Mr. Reimer speak today before I did, I felt a little bit of relief from the sense that somebody is in, virtually, the same position I'm in, and neither one of us put ourselves in this position. We put ourselves in the position to employ people in our community, to give back to our community.

Ottawa gets cold. There was one year—for everybody in Ottawa, all the MPs—I was on the Queensway, and I got off at Bronson east. If you've done this before too, you know that there are people who are homeless there and are asking for something. From that, as a small business person, I created something called Keep Ottawa Warm. For three years prior to the pandemic, we brought in 2,500 pieces of winter clothing that we delivered to the shelters first-hand. We didn't go through any other third party. We went straight to the shelters with the clothes. This is why we have a small business.

When I signed up for a small business and started it from the ground up, my intention wasn't to be a millionaire. I am not a millionaire, and 98% of small business owners are not millionaires. We make a living. I have no problem—I have friends watching this right now—and I will tell you that I make $80,000 a year as a small business owner. I didn't start it to get rich. I started it to be able to provide for myself and my family.

Right now, through no fault of my own, I am personally at risk of losing everything. BDC has personal guarantees on loans. My bank has personal guarantees on loans. My lease with my landlord has a personal guarantee. Yes, I take risks as a small business owner, but I never anticipated that through no fault of my own, I would be in this position.

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