Facing Perpetual Global Economic Uncertainty, Business Leaders Across G7 Urge Collaborative Leadership

OTTAWA — May 15, 2025 — As Chair of the 2025 Business 7 (B7), the Canadian Chamber of Commerce today released the 2025 B7 Communiqué, a bold and urgent call for G7 leaders to take decisive, coordinated action to create long-term economic security and resilience. While waves of economic uncertainty have taken their toll on businesses globally, this gathering closes at the perfect time to turn the tide.

For more than five decades, the G7 — comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union — has advanced global prosperity through international cooperation, shared principles, and open trade. Today, that progress is under threat. Rising geopolitical tensions, market volatility, fractured supply chains, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities are converging to endanger the stability of the world’s leading economies.

“The G7 has a responsibility to lead with purpose and unity,” says Candace Laing, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and President of the 2025 B7. “This is a pivotal moment for our political and business leaders across G7 nations to move beyond caution and confront our shared challenges with clarity, courage, and strategic cooperation. The Communiqué is the blueprint — but getting there will require committed, collaborative effort.” 

Spanning more than 50 pages and rooted in a strong legacy of B7-G7 collaboration, the 2025 B7 Communiqué reinforces the private sector’s role in shaping a resilient, secure, and prosperous global economy and outlines concrete, actionable recommendations across five priority areas:

• Ensuring supply of critical minerals and materials.
• Championing predictable and efficient global trade.
• Realizing the promise of responsible AI and digital.
• Investing in a secure and clean energy economy.
• Strengthening systemic security and resiliency.

Each section includes real-world examples, outcome-based targets, and a clear message: prosperity and security are not guaranteed — they must be built and safeguarded through smart, coordinated leadership.

The B7 Communiqué will be presented to the Government of Canada on Friday, May 16, during the B7 Summit in Ottawa and ahead of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta (June 15–17, 2025), to ensure the business community’s voice is heard by global powers.

About the B7

The Business Federations of the Group of Seven, or “B7”, is the most significant and recognized of the G7 Engagement Groups. The role of the B7 is to represent and coordinate the interests and positions of the business community in the G7 countries and to develop concrete and actionable proposals for G7 leaders. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the official representative for Canada at the B7 table.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce — The Future of Business Success

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — working to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.

Statements by the B7 Presidents

“The world is in the midst of a rebalancing of international trade and global tensions. In many cases, this leads to rising protectionism, in some, to irrational escalations. Nevertheless, the B7 is firmly committed to rules-based cooperation. In the end, the strength of law is our foundation. Rebalancing may take place, but the order must remain rules-based — for prosperity in the G7 and around the world.

• Peter Leibinger, President, Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (Federation of German Industries)

Competitive companies make stronger and more vibrant economies. Political and economic stability together with legal certainty are pre-conditions for companies to invest, create jobs, and innovate. Unilateralism, protectionism, and undermining rules-based trade risk leading to uncertainty, less investments, and less economic growth. The G7 must remain committed to rules-based trade and look for ways to reduce trade and investment barriers to stimulate growth.

• Fredrik Persson, President, BusinessEurope

With ongoing geopolitical tensions, business must continue to show leadership by defending democracy and promoting free and fair trade that delivers growth and prosperity for all. The B7, chaired this year by the Canadian Chamber, plays an important role in delivering this leadership, ensuring that the green and digital transitions benefit everyone in our societies, and that the values and principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the growth agenda.

• Rain Newton-Smith, CEO, Confederation of British Industry

The G7 must champion the global market’s predictability and trust by prioritizing cooperation over conflict, and progress over stagnation. Safeguarding strategic sectors, accelerating critical transitions, and ensuring long-term value creation across advanced economies and beyond require coordinated action. At the core of this shared endeavour should be industry competitiveness, supported by secure access to energy, open markets, reliable digital infrastructure, and resilient supply chains, creating an environment where businesses can invest, innovate, and scale.

• Emanuele Orsini, President, Confindustria (General Confederation of Italian Industry)

The escalating geopolitical tensions, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, alongside the growing influence of the Global South, are contributing to significant changes in the international order. Further, the recent proliferation of unilateral/retaliatory tariff measures is leading to disruption. We are at a critical juncture as to whether we can maintain the rules-based, free, and open international order. The G7’s unity has never been more important.

• Masakazu Tokura, Chairman, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)

Economic growth and social progress can only thrive in times of peace and global cooperation. Companies need a stable and predictable environment to prosper, create jobs, and face the green and digital challenges. That is our deepest conviction and the reason why the B7 works in a continuous effort of dialogue, experience sharing, and coordination and collaboration. I hope that this same mindset will drive the G7 leaders’ work this year, as there is urgency today in solving the multiple global crises that are destabilizing our economies.

• Patrick Martin, President, Mouvement des Entreprises de France (Movement of the Enterprises of France)

Strong ties within the G7, bolstered by commercial engagement, are essential to our countries’ economic growth and global leadership. The foundation of that relationship is two-way trade. In addition to strengthening those trade ties, we must work together to successfully harness emerging technologies, particularly AI, achieve energy security, promote balanced regulation, and preserve the rules-based international order. For all this and more, there is no more stalwart proponent than the B7. We stand ready to work with our partners to advance our common goals.

• Suzanne Clark, President and CEO, United States Chamber of Commerce

Media Contact

Shane Mackenzie
Vice President, Media Relations & Stakeholder Relations
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
613.238.4000 (2343)
smackenzie@chamber.ca