One of the reasons I think I have the best job in Canada is that it gives me the opportunity to meet business and community leaders from every part of Canada. The Canadian Chamber network now includes 420 Chambers and Boards of Trade representing 192,000 businesses of all sizes and sectors and every region of Canada.
It was to talk about how we can use the strength of the network to benefit Northern Canada that brought me to Whitehorse this week. The Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce had invited representatives from across the three territories and Labrador to join them for their annual meeting and for a roundtable where we could discuss how to work together to promote the success of this vast region. As a follow-on to the Canadian Chamber’s Board meeting in Iqaluit in April, it was a great opportunity for me to hear, first-hand, from the people who know most about the economic and social changes that are transforming the north.
There is a new confidence in Northern Canada, and it was obvious in Whitehorse, where Yukon’s economic growth last year far outpaced what took place in the rest of the country. But the north also faces major challenges, including, as Premier Dennis Fentie pointed out in his speech to the Chamber and in a later meeting I had with him, the need to deal with a serious housing shortage and to put in place the clean energy infrastructure that Yukon’s continued economic development will require.
The need for improved infrastructure of a range of different kinds was a common theme I heard from chamber representatives who attended the meeting. And there was a clear consensus that northern businesses and the communities where they are located need to work together on a common agenda.
When members of the Canadian Chamber’s Board returned from their meetings in Iqaluit in the spring, they had a clear sense of both the opportunities and the challenges that exist in the north. And they were determined that the Canadian Chamber will be a partner with Northerners in helping the region achieve its full potential.
Chambers from across Canada will meet in Gatineau in three weeks for the Canadian Chamber’s Annual General Meeting. There will be a strong and active delegation from the North, and they will have an important story to tell the rest of us about why their region’s economic success will benefit every Canadian.
- Perrin
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Operating on three distinct levels: local, regional/provincial/territorial and national, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and its network of chambers across the country, has tremendous impact when it speaks to key influencers and decision-makers on business issues that affect its members.
Although operating in various communities and offering a variety of services and programs to members, our chamber and board of trade members benefit from the collective wisdom of their peers - connecting ideas across towns, sharing best practices through chambers, connecting businesses to advocacy work and policy wins. One way our chamber members connect is through our monthly newsletter: Connections.
Past issues are located here. This valuable tool is sent to our member chambers of commerce and boards of trade. If you’re not a member, click here for more information on membership.
On July 20, Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, wrote to senators to clarify the Chamber’s position on climate change. After contacting its members in June to express concerns with Bill C-311: The Climate Change Accountability Act, which had First Reading in the Senate on May 6, 2010, the Canadian Chamber received a letter from John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada, followed by additional emails from members of the Sierra Club. The Canadian Chamber has responded to Mr. Bennett and is also responding to the emails received from his members. The Sierra Club’s letter and the Canadian Chamber’s response is available here.
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