With the Throne Speech expected from Ottawa on Wednesday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is hoping there will be good news for small businesses across Saskatchewan.

CFIB spokesperson Marilyn Braun-Pollon says small businesses need to know whether or not the federal government is behind them.

“We’re going to be monitoring the throne speech and we have really asked for some concrete steps that the federal government can take to create the conditions for small businesses to survive,” she states.

Braun-Pollon says small businesses understand there will be a larger than normal deficit.

“They don’t want to see extra spending outside of that because they want to see a strong focus on economic recovery. That includes keeping today’s and tomorrow’s taxes reasonable,” explains Braun-Pollon. “Now is not the time to put in place costly new programs that will result in tax hikes down the road.”

This comes as one in seven businesses across the country face permanent closure due to the economic pressure from COVID-19.