Richard Dunn speaks for New Brunswick's Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
"We're getting into budget season both for federal budget and provincial budget. We want to see governments come in with a fair bit of certainty, and put their long-term plans on paper, so business owners know where things are headed, and they can plan accordingly," he says.
Dunn adds, there is a similar trend throughout the Atlantic region. While the national unemployment rate rose to 7.2 per cent, New Brunswick's rate is holding steady at 9.7-per cent.
He says the silver lining is that we're at least closing the gap a tiny bit with the national average, but the concern still remains if more small business in the province plan on downsizing.