Guest Column by Daniel Tisch, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
 
 
After 18 months as federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spoke last week to a local Chamber of Commerce for the first time.
 
As he took the stage in Vancouver, he was eager to explain why it took him so long.
 
Poilievre began by noting that he had spoken more than 100 times on shop floors and to union locals. That was good to hear — even refreshing. He deserves credit for that effort.
 
But then he dropped the punchline, and it wasn’t kind to his hosts. The real reason he stays away from business audiences, he said, is because of “utterly useless” corporate lobbyists focused on “getting lunches with ministers” and “showing off their latest ESG brochure.”
 
Poilievre created a caricature of “politicians and CEOs working together for their own interest.”
 
He’s not alone.
 
In Ottawa, business-bashing is part of the populist playbook — right across the political spectrum. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently slammed a media company for its “garbage decision” to make cuts and layoffs after a $40 million operating loss. His government has imposed new taxes and costs on banks and tech companies because, well, they’re banks and tech companies.
 
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh routinely blames “corporate greed” for rising prices. He recently accused retailers of “ripping people off” — as if the high inflation, wage settlements and supply chain disruptions of recent years never happened.
 
Are concerns about high prices legitimate? Yes. Should business leaders be asked hard questions? Absolutely. Should their policy prescriptions be challenged and debated? Of course. Will anyone shed tears for big companies? No.
 
It’s a dangerous game, however, when political leaders traffic in anger, stereotyping and scapegoating of any group or institution. It might garner a few votes, but it won’t move us forward as a nation.
 
Canada has serious challenges: lagging productivity. Skills and labour shortages. An overloaded and disjointed health-care system. Insufficient investment in climate and clean technology infrastructure. And much more.
 
These challenges are too wicked for government to solve alone. While government’s job is to set the agenda and make the rules, it’s a huge error for political leaders not to engage the financial, human, intellectual and relationship capital of the private sector.
 
Does business want to be part of the solution? You bet. That, too, earned a rebuke from Mr. Poilievre. He criticized business leaders because “they want to get along with everybody” and urged them to “stop sucking up to the people who are doing the damage to our country.”
 
But it’s not the role of business leaders to get partisan, or to help opposition leaders get elected. Business leaders need to work with government — no matter who is in government.
 
This is particularly true today, in an era when none of the major federal party leaders have a business background. That’s not a criticism; they bring other skills and qualities to the table.
 
But it does mean business and political leaders need to reset their relationship, and to approach one another with fewer assumptions, and more humility; with less rhetoric, and more dialogue; and with less theatre, and more collaboration and co-creation.
 
In last week’s speech, Poilievre also told his audience that he favours a “bottom-up free enterprise agenda” — i.e., an agenda rooted in the needs of enterprising businesspeople, not politicians in Ottawa. He was wise to speak at a Chamber of Commerce, because there’s no more “bottom-up” business organization in our nation today. In every town, city or province in Canada, from heartland to hinterland, the vast majority of Chamber members are small businesses. They want their chambers to work with Poilievre, Trudeau and Singh — just as they do successfully with all our provincial leaders.
 
Canada needs political and business leaders to work together in a spirit of goodwill, reflecting the shared interests of businesses, workers and communities. It’s time to rebuild that spirit.

Ontario is less competitive than other provinces when it comes to approving permanent residency for new Canadians. This impacts our ability to attract talent at a time when we desperately need to increase our workforce, especially in Peterborough and the Kawarthas where unemployment remains well below the national average.
 
We have put forward a policy resolution for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to add pressure to our provincial government to take a look at the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program and rework it to help employers attract and retain talent.
 
Ontario offers a lot for prospective new Canadians in terms of job opportunities and multicultural communities, but it has become less competitive when it comes to getting permanent residency.
 
For many people here on student and work visas, securing permanent residency is a major source of anxiety. Fear of not being accepted before their visas expire is driving people to other provinces that increase their chances of success.
 
Labour markets are softening, but access to labour remains one of the biggest barriers to business. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce 2023 Ontario Economic Report found businesses reported investing in workforce development to be their second highest policy priority.
 
The slowing economy is likely to ease labour pressure, but the slew of impending retirements will further increase demand.
 
While unemployment increased in the second half of 2023, BDC reports that it’s because the active working population grew with about 430,000 jobs being created between January and November of 2023.
 
As much as Ontario has to offer newcomers, lack of access to housing and the rising cost of living are increasingly becoming barriers. Add this to the fact that other provinces make it easier to gain permanent residency while offering lower living costs and Ontario is increasingly becoming less attractive.
 
Currently, the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) points system offers similar criteria to the Federal Express Entry program, which does not set the Province apart nor is it helpful for the candidates who fall outside the scope of the federal program. Our province should be targeting those who fall outside the federal criteria, especially if they are currently working or have a job offer in Ontario.
 
There is a lack of clarity on what National Occupation Codes (NOC) will be invited in the future, pushing people from certain professions to other provinces that are more likely to sponsor them. Additionally, provinces like Alberta have had success by removing the requirement to select a specific job or occupation from a list, opening up more opportunities for new Canadians to work in any job or business sector.
 
We have small and microbusinesses in Ontario that have a desire to sponsor new residents, but their business does not meet financial requirements. In the Greater Toronto Area, sponsoring businesses must have five employees and $1 million in revenue. Outside the GTA that drops to three employees and $500,000 in revenue. This financial threshold especially impacts small family businesses from immigrant communities.
 
Some candidates for residency have been working in Ontario for years with programs like the Labour Market Impact Assessment, but still do not qualify for residency here. Others are here studying for in-demand vocations like personal support workers, but don’t qualify for the Student Job Offer stream because their program is less than two years.
 
It has been pointed out by a number of industry professionals that the online application system is not as user-friendly as it could be, especially when those trying to apply may have language barriers, technology barriers, and slow internet connections.
 
Ontario needs to make some strategic changes to its approach to immigration and sponsoring candidates for permanent residency.
 
Recommendations
We recommend the Government of Ontario:
 
Make Ontario more competitive for securing permanent residency by:

1. Tailoring the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program to target candidates who fall outside the federal criteria with an emphasis on those already working in Ontario, including establishing a program for those with long-term work experience in Ontario as a pathway to residency.
2. Reducing employment criteria barriers, including:
   1. Providing clarity on what NOC codes will be invited in the future or eliminating the requirement to select a specific job or occupation from a list altogether.
   2. Lowering the revenue requirement and requirements for a specific number of employees for businesses to allow for smaller businesses to sponsor permanent residents.
3. Opening up the Student Job Offer Stream program to students in one-year programs.
4. Improving the functionality of the OINP website, providing a more up-to-date and user-friendly experience.