Canadian Chamber supports strategy to keep border open to trade and commerce

(OTTAWA) – March 16, 2020 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement today following the government’s decision to close the border to most foreign nationals:

“The Canadian Chamber supports the government’s efforts to ensure the continued flow to trade and commerce while implementing measures to restrict travel from non-residents.

We also welcome the exceptions for essential staff, including transportation and logistics workers, who are critical to ensuring that supply chains, particularly from the United States and Mexico, continue. We look forward to receiving full details.

Canada’s business community recognizes that the increase in COVID-19 transmission in Canada requires a responsive decision-making process. We will work with our business association coalition partners, labour and governments in supporting aggressive, effective policies to meet the COVID-19 challenges.

To ensure continued supply chain delivery, the federal and provincial governments need to be consistentand aligned on travel and self-isolation policies.

Canadians and the businesses that employ them are all in this together. We encourage active consultations with industry as further measures are considered to provide the highest levels of protection to Canadians without unintended consequences.”

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.

For more information, please contact:

Phil Taylor, Managing Director of External Communications, at ptaylor@chamber.ca.