As Canada enters a trade war provoked by the United States, the nation’s provincial chambers of commerce have come together to present An Agenda for Economic Growth and Stability, a set of recommendations to Canada’s premiers to drive economic growth, strengthen domestic trade, and elevate Canada’s global competitiveness.
“This is a defining moment for Canada’s economy,” said Daniel Tisch, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, who brought the group together.
“That’s why business leaders from across the country have come together to put forward a bold, united plan to enhance national competitiveness — and national resilience. We call on Canada’s premiers to dismantle internal trade barriers, fast-track energy infrastructure, and strengthen domestic supply chains — to benefit businesses, workers and communities.”
Mirroring the premiers’ Council of the Federation, the new Chambers of the Federation initiative outlines key priorities, including:
Removing barriers to interprovincial trade and labour mobility: Commit to tabling legislation in every province to enable mutual recognition agreements that allow for the seamless movement of goods, services and talent, similar to Nova Scotia’s Free Trade and Mobility Canada Act and the commitments made by Ontario.
Making an immediate, unified and unambiguous commitment to a National Energy Corridor: Immediately sign a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the movement of oil, natural gas, electricity, hydrogen and other resources across Canada, from east to west and to our northern ports, opening up both internal and new export markets.
Bolstering domestic procurement and supply chains: Align provincial public procurement policies to support Canadian content. This means increasing the weighting of local economic impact in procurement decisions, using trade agreement flexibilities to support domestic suppliers, and aligning procurement policies with key sectors such as manufacturing, agri-food, and steel. In parallel, governments should invest in strengthening domestic supply chains and our industrial capacity to meet economic needs.
Strengthening Canada’s trade position with the U.S.: Advocate for the federal government to accelerate the renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review.
