How the Minister of Foreign Affairs can support Canadian businesses

After over a year-and-a-half of lockdowns and sacrifice, Canadians are seeing the benefits of their efforts to stop COVID-19. The pandemic is not over, but we can now look beyond COVID to plan for our future. Now, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is writing “mandate letters” to members of the Cabinet with policy priorities that will support growth of the Canadian economy.

Our country’s foreign policy plays a critical role in creating the conditions within which Canadian businesses operate. Foreign policy and trade policy must work jointly towards shared objectives.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs should:

• Work with the Minister of International Trade to improve Canada’s export permit system to enhance transparency for companies and ensure service standards are met.

• Revitalize our bilateral relationship with the United States, with a particular focus on exploiting new opportunities in the defence sector, critical minerals and regulatory cooperation, as well as pushing back against Buy American. These activities should be accompanied by ongoing consultation with Canadian businesses.

• Engage with Canadian companies on the path ahead for our bilateral relationship with China.

To see all 21 of our mandate letters to ministers, click here.