Pembroke, Ontario - Cheryl Gallant, MP, Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, is confident that many more area businesses will be taking advantage of the business opportunity in selling to the Government of Canada. Cheryl made her comment at the conclusion of a well-attended small business seminar she recently hosted in the Riding.
“The federal budget announcement of $300 million dollars for AECL is good news for local employment. This is the most significant funding announcement for AECL in over 30 years. I am proud of the role I played in securing this funding on behalf of the women and men who work at the Chalk River laboratories,” stated MP Cheryl Gallant. “Between the announcements our government has made supporting CFB Petawawa, and now AECL, there will be ample opportunity for small business to take advantage of all that growth in our Riding also.”
“The small business seminar was packed with useful information for any business person who is currently selling or interested in selling to the federal government,” said Cheryl Gallant, MP. “I felt it was important for our local business persons to be able to ask questions directly with the government purchasing agents. While the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, the Honourable Michael Fortier, was not able to attend the session, he sent his top assistant to the meeting to report back on any local concerns. The Minister knows of my interest in supporting small business. Businesses in this Riding know they have a strong voice in Government through their MP.”
“ The many concerns raised by local businesses inspired the idea of hosting the seminar. For those individuals who wanted to, but were not able to attend, I encourage them to contact my office and I will send out a copy of the material that was presented to the participants.”
“I encourage all small business to be pro-active to the opportunity of selling to government. While in the past there may have been concerns about the way government purchases were made, I am proud of the fact that the first piece of legislation Prime Minister presented as a new government, was the Federal Accountability Act. Among other new initiatives in that legislation, was the creation of an independent Procurement Ombudsman. Now when bidders for government business feel that they may have been dealt with unfairly, there is an independent individual who has the resources to look into their complaint. This is a major step forward in honesty and transparency from the bad old days of the ‘sponsorship’ scandal’ concluded MP Cheryl Gallant.
