News Releases ~ May 2019

The Canadian Chamber is pleased to see the government recognize the importance of SMEs to our economy, and we appreciate their attempt to compensate some for the impact of the fuel surtax on them.

However, we’re disappointed the federal government hasn’t chosen a mechanism – as it did for consumers – to rebate every SME in the affected provinces.

Today’s announcement of a deal to lift steel and aluminum tariffs is very positive news for Canadian businesses.

Ottawa – May 16, 2019 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (the Canadian Chamber) has made its Ottawa headquarters more inclusive, accessible and safe for employees with physical disabilities affecting their mobility, vision and hearing.

In an unusual move, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) issued a snap decision yesterday in the Dejong v Spadina case, in favour of arguments put forward by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The Canadian Chamber acted as an intervener in the case.

“Yesterday’s decision speaks to a common sense approach whereby innocent parties are not unduly harmed or held responsible for the illegal actions of others. Today brought an important measure of predictability and certainty to doing business in Canada,” said Scott Smith, Senior Director, Innovation and Intellectual Property Policy.

Dear Federal Party Leaders;

Without a thriving business sector, Canada’s economic growth suffers, our prosperity declines and our governments can afford fewer roads, hospitals, schools and social services. For Canada to succeed, our businesses must also succeed.

Today, Canadian businesses face obstacles our competitors do not. We call them the seven burdens of business: over-regulation, a complex and outdated tax system, the difficulty finding and retaining skilled workers, the need for improved technology infrastructure, lack of support for SMEs, insufficient trade tools and proposed changes that may undermine employer-provided healthcare.

All of these issues could be advantages for Canadian businesses, but today they are not, at least when compared to the countries with which we compete.

(OTTAWA) – May 13, 2019 –The Canadian Chamber of Commerce today launched its election policy website, VoteProsperity, to highlight the needs of Canadian businesses to all parties in the upcoming federal election.

An open letter, published today in National Newswatch, formally challenged all party leaders and caucuses to embrace all seven priorities and 45 recommendations outlined in VoteProsperity.