Trudeau must apologize for smear on small business owners

NDP candidate for Niagara Centre Malcolm Allen is calling on Justin Trudeau to apologize today for smearing small business owners as tax cheats.

Yesterday in an interview aired on CBC, Justin Trudeau insulted hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized business owners by suggesting a "large percentage" are "wealthier Canadians" just trying to avoid paying taxes.

There are over a million small and medium-sized business in Canada. They employ 7.7 million people and are responsible for more than 80% of all new jobs in Canada.

"Supporting small businesses that create jobs, grow our economy and reinvest in their communities is simply good economic policy," said Allen.

"While Justin Trudeau has been all over the map on small business tax cuts, he steamrolls ahead with a plan to maintain Stephen Harper's tax breaks for millionaire CEOs."

Trudeau has announced he will run large deficits under his plan rather than eliminate stock option loopholes or raise corporate tax rates.

"He simply doesn't understand the reality facing mom and pop shops - hard-working small business owners who create the vast majority of new jobs," said Allen. "Justin Trudeau should apologize for denigrating these hard working Canadians."

Allen pointed out that just because Justin Trudeau used a numbered company - presumably to save on taxes – doesn't mean hard-working middle-class small business owners are doing the same.