Last week, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce held their Annual General Meeting in Halifax. Chuck Davidson, President and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce (MCC), along with Beverlie Stuart, MCC Board Chair, and Nick Gamble, Policy Analyst, led a strong delegation of Manitoba representatives. They, along with the Brandon, Parkland, Portage La Prairie, and Assiniboia chambers, debated 45 policies with national implications to ensure Manitoba’s voice was heard on wide-ranging topics including taxation, temporary foreign workers, and interprovincial trade.
The Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada held their national conference earlier in the week, featuring additional Manitoba representation from the Steinbach, Morden, and Winnipeg chambers. These efforts are crucial for Manitoba businesses, as they help shape policies that directly impact their operations, competitiveness, and growth within the Canadian economy.
Additionally, there were a variety of speakers highlighting information relevant to Manitoba. A summary of the key points is below:
Canadian Entrepreneurship is Shifting
- New Business Starts in Long-Term Decline: There’s a significant drop in the number of new entrepreneurs, with 100,000 fewer than 20 years ago despite overall population increases.
- High Entrepreneurship Rates Among Black and Indigenous Populations: These communities are leading in new business creation rates in Canada.
- Newcomers Can Recreate Past Success: Tareq Hadhad of Peace by Chocolate shared his journey of rebuilding his family’s factory in Canada after it was destroyed in Syria, showing that talent and drive can overcome significant challenges.
Canadian Productivity is Lagging and Affecting Quality of Life
- Poor Rankings Globally: Canada now lags the OECD average for productivity and is sliding further backwards.
- Stagnant R&D Investment: Canada’s investment in R&D is not growing, failing to keep pace with inflation and population growth.
- Slow Digital Adoption by Small Businesses: Small businesses struggle with digital transformation, and future programs should assist with their ability to integrate Artificial Intelligence solutions.
US Relations Critically Important
- Trade Interdependence with the US: Canada does $1 trillion of trade with the US and invests billions into the US economy each month. Many individual states are intertwined to the Canadian economy such as Michigan.
- Canada Needs to Have its Voice Heard: Both Trump and Harris campaigns are protectionist, so Canada needs to ensure its impact on the US isn’t forgotten.
- Local-Level Diplomacy: Governments and businesses need to work with their US partners to demonstrate the local impacts of trade policy so that those partners can advocate internally to various levels of US governments. Alberta has four offices in the US, and Quebec has 100 employees to ensure their local voice is heard where it matters.
- Create Shared Solutions: Americans value national and border security, so Canada needs to demonstrate its commitment to those issues to ensure the relationship grows stronger.
To ensure that Manitoba continues to have a strong voice in national policy discussions, we encourage businesses to engage with the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. By participating in our initiatives and providing feedback, you can help shape the policies that impact our province. Join us in advocating for a prosperous future for Manitoba businesses.