A Vancouver NDP MLA is introducing a private member's bill Monday that would help small businesses hard hit by construction of the Canada Line rapid transit project.

Gregor Robertson said shops and restaurants along Cambie Street, which has been dug up for the underground rail line, are closing at a rate of one or two a week.

He said it's not fair that small businesses and their employees bear the brunt of construction of the $1.9-billion mega-project.

"They're taking the hit, their staff are taking the hit, business owners are taking the hit so that this construction can go ahead in the way that it's being done with the street being dug up."

His private member's bill calls on the province to grant businesses an amount equal to their property taxes. It would also provide for interest-free loans to help businesses stay afloat during construction.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is backing Robertson's effort, said vice-president Laura Jones
 
"Nobody should be asked to sacrifice their livelihoods to see the Canada Line project come to completion."

Private member's bills rarely become law.

The 19-kilometre Canada Line linking downtown Vancouver with Richmond and Vancouver International Airport is scheduled to be completed by 2009, a year before Vancouver hosts the Winter Olympics.