Final answer:
Using U.S. figures as a reference, wherein 35% are at smaller firms, we can deduce that answer B (12%) is the closest estimate for the proportion of self-employed in Canada, although actual figures may vary.
Step-by-step explanation:
The proportion of persons working in Canada who are self-employed is not explicitly stated in the provided information. However, to address the question, it's essential to note that self-employed individuals often run 'non-employer' businesses or are freelance workers, which can include professionals such as dentists, lawyers, or individuals operating small-scale services such as lawn care or house cleaning. The provided data does not specify the percentage for Canada, but it does mention small 'non-employer' businesses. In general, smaller firms, including non-employer businesses, are indicative of self-employment.
To estimate the proportion of self-employed individuals, we can examine the structure of the workforce concerning firm size. Since we don't have direct data for Canada, we can loosely use the given U.S. data as a proxy to understand employment distribution. Still, the actual figure might differ slightly due to economic variations between the two countries. If roughly 35% of workers in the U.S. economy are at firms with fewer than 100 workers, which might involve many self-employed individuals, we might infer that the proportion of self-employed in Canada could be somewhat similar. Therefore, option B (12%) appears to be the closest guess as it is not uncommon for developed economies like Canada to have a sizable self-employed demographic, but options C (25%) and D (50%) seem too high compared to typical data.