A path for sustained, long-term economic growth

​Your local businesses have been through a lot over the last year-and-a-half. And the pandemic isn’t over.
It’s going to take strong leadership, both locally and nationally, from the 
government of Canada to see to the end of this health crisis and move us toward a future where people, businesses and communities can thrive.
This election is the ideal time to take a hard look at what is the best path to get us there.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has put forward its own platform as a guide to assist candidates in understanding the needs, issues and opportunities at the forefront for the business community. Check it out at chamber.ca.
Canadians must collectively decide which party offers a plan that has what it takes to grow: 
1) Finishing the fight against COVID
2) Getting the fundamentals right
3) Creating 21st century 
opportunities
Job One: Finishing the fight against COVID
Though some things seem “back to normal,” many small enterprises and business in the hardest-hit sectors, including tourism, travel and hospitality, will not recover until public health restrictions are lifted and economic activity returns to normal. Until that time comes, these fellow Canadians require ongoing support.
Helping the hardest hit businesses includes creating a replacement program for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy. We’re asking the federal government to introduce debt relief by forgiving interest payments on COVID-related government backed loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the hardest-hit sectors.
Job Two: Getting the 
fundamentals right
COVID-era recovery programs, while important, were not designed to address the fundamental problems plaguing Canada on infrastructure investment, regulatory burdens, taxation, SME competitiveness and internal trade barriers. 
SMEs are Canada’s biggest employers and our next 
parliament must ensure there is an appropriate 
environment to help our entrepreneurs grow and 
create jobs.
Supporting Canadian 
entrepreneurs includes:
• Modernize the tax system so it works for SMEs
• Develop a Small Business Net-Zero Strategy
• Continue facilitating the secure digitalization of SMEs
• Investing in infrastructure, including the National Trade Corridors Fund
• Speed up the Indigenous reconciliation process
• Create new opportunities for diversity-owned 
business and those with diverse workforces to access federal contracts
• Remove tax barriers for childcare expenses
• Investing in building an 
inclusive, productive 
workforce
 • Create flexible, accessible, navigable upskilling and reskilling options
• End the regulatory 
patchwork and interprovincial trade barriers that separate Canadians
Job Three: Creating 21st century opportunities
Canada must ensure the types of jobs and 
opportunities people want are being created here. 
To do this, we need to invest in cybersecurity, privacy protection, and broadband internet. We need to invest in a net-zero future including a strategy that allows 
businesses to compete 
successfully, including a strategy for low carbon exports, common standards for sustainable finance, and work with our trade partners on carbon offsets.
Canada can serve as a 
model to the world on 
reaching net-zero through targeted investment 
programs and smart 
regulation, including 
championing our agriculture sector to be a global leader in the fight against climate change.
Our businesses would benefit from expanded market reach, including a renewed 
relationship with the U.S., increased agriculture exports, and a focus on multilateral trade efforts on key issues.
This last year-and-a-half has also shown us that we need to invest further in 
healthcare, including implementing a national life sciences strategy and 
creating a strategy for 
value-based healthcare.
Federal Election
It has been less than two years since the last 
federal election, but a lot has changed. Everyone wants to be done with this pandemic and rebuild our communities and economy, but there are different paths and methods to get us there. This is an 
opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been, where we want to go, and work with our local candidates to shape the future we want to build.

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