The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is pleased to see that the Government of Quebec will ensure that the responsibility for mandatory face covering is shared between business owners and their clients.
According to the CFIB, merchants are relieved. As a reminder, the implementation of proportionate fines directly targeting offending consumers was formulated by the CFIB and several other organizations, considering that the government directive has until now only targeted merchants.
«While signs of a possible second wave are looming on the horizon, a status quo could have led regions of Quebec to new economic restrictions, jeopardizing the survival of several SMEs,» says François Vincent, CFIB Vice President for Québec. Already, two-thirds of SMEs in Quebec have not regained their normal income. They need to generate more sales, not to police alone. With today’s announcement, business owners and their customers will be on an equal footing and working together to limit the spread of COVID-19.
CFIB Study
A study on compulsory face covering in businesses conducted by the CFIB in late July and forwarded to government officials revealed the importance of acting quickly. Data collected shows that 15% of merchants refused a customer because they refused to wear a face covering. That 20% of merchants had offered a free mask to their customers who did not have one and that 24% of merchants had noticed a drop in traffic since the measure came into force on July 18th.
«For the sake of our small businesses, I ask everyone to adopt two new daily reflexes: first, strictly apply Public Health directives, which also means putting the face cover over your nose; second, consider local businesses in our consumption choices. It is these small gestures that will make a big difference for public health and for the economic health of our regions,” concludes Mr. Vincent.
Methodology
The data presented is the preliminary results of a new CFIB online survey, COVID-19 and your business (18th Edition), to which 770 CFIB members have responded since July 31st, 2020.
