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Fil-Canadian business owners meet with Small Business chief

Filipino business owners in BC share their concerns with Fil-Canadian Minister for Small Business Rechie Valdez during a recent meeting in Richmond.

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<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UA4DeO-2jRU?&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>Filipino community leaders were invited by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce when Canada’s Small Business minister Rechie Valdez, herself a Filipino-Canadian, met with the business group in Richmond, B.C.Among those who attended is community advocate Amado Mercado who told the minister of the problems of Filipino subcontractors in the construction industry.Mercado said it takes a long time before some developers are able to pay their subcontractors.&quot;In the subtrades, they spend their own money,” he said. “After the 25th, that’s when they send their invoice, and then they have to wait 30 days, sometimes maybe more. That’s the big problem, the cash flow.&quot;Mercado said Richmond lawmakers promised to look into this concern, while Valdez also took note of the problem of those in the subtrades. Filipino-Canadian tax expert Bert Parungao also attended the event where he made a proposal to allow business deductions for the self-employed who earn a net income of $25,000 and up.“She (Valdez) should be open to it because this will help maybe 300,000 unincorporated businesses in BC,” said Parungao.Valdez, meanwhile, shared that many Filipino business owners have also reached out to her, and she has told them of government support programs that are available for their business. “I was able to share with them the different support that we provide as a government, whether that&#x27;s cutting their credit card fees for Visa and MasterCard down by 27%, which will take place this fall,” said Valdez.She added: “We have the Canada Digital Adoption Program. We have the first stream, which is, you know, supporting growth for your business. This is a $2,400 grant that will help that small business entrepreneur digitize their business.&quot;The challenges that were voiced by the businessmen, like inflation, criminality, and housing affordability, are issues that also affect many Canadians.The opposition Conservative Party was quick to hammer on these frustrations, a move that has made them surge in popularity as polls suggest.But Valdez said the Liberals are doing the work to make sure that the needs of Canadians are addressed.“I understand their frustrations and our government is working very hard,” she said “We&#x27;re going to continue to work hard for Canadians.It isn&#x27;t a matter of slogans or catchphrases. We&#x27;re there to do the work.&quot;Valdez also promised the business owners that she will take their concerns with her and will advocate for them when she returns to Ottawa.

Filipino business owners in BC share their concerns with Fil-Canadian Minister for Small Business Rechie Valdez during a recent meeting in Richmond.

Canada's Small Business minister assures businesses of gov't support

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Canada's Small Business minister assures businesses of gov't support

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Rowena Papasin | TFC News Vancouver

Published February 27, 2024 11:21 AM PHT

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Canada

British Columbia

Vancouver

Small Business

Rechie Valdez

TFC News

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