Small business owners in B.C. rank among the most optimistic entrepreneurs in the country.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said Wednesday that businesses in Canada maintained an upbeat mood in March.
The organization’s business barometer index, which measures market confidence among CFIB members, held relatively steady at 69.2, compared with 69.4 in February.
B.C.-based businesses showed growing optimism, with index levels in the low 70s, CFIB said, while Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta topped the list with index scores near 75.
The Maritime provinces had the lowest levels of optimism.
But the results could change in April, noted CFIB vice-president and chief economist Ted Mallett, because most of the responses to the monthly survey were recorded before the federal election call in Canada and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
“Elections don’t normally have much impact on business optimism, and the initial market reactions to conditions in Japan have since seen at least a partial correction,” Mallett said. “But there is no doubt businesses are currently dealing with more uncertainty and interruptions to trade.”