Building a Canada that wins

There are strange waters for business to navigate these days between NAFTA negotiations, newly inked trade agreements CETA (Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, interprovincial challenges and the desire for business tax reform by the federal government.  But despite the challenges of the current climate, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) is pushing forward with the 2018 edition of the campaign “10 Ways to Build a Canada that Wins”.  This document will be a guide for advocacy for chambers of commerce like ours.

1. Make Canada a Magnet for Business Investment 
2. Ensure a Globally Competitive North America
3. Make Canada an Agri-Food Powerhouse
4. Develop Agile Workforce Strategies
5. Make all of Canada an Export Gateway
6. Improve Regulatory Efficiency, Achieve Regulatory Alignment and Ensure the Unrestricted Movement of Goods and People across Canada
7. Help SMEs Trade and Grow
8. Provide Opportunities for Business Development to Support Self-Determination for Indigenous Peoples
9. Make Canada a Global Innovator
10. Make Canada the World’s One-Stop Shop for Green Resources and Technology

In fact, a quick scan of the 10 ways shows how each could be connected to the economic climate in the city and county of Peterborough.  Here’s a look at a couple of them.

Make Canada an Agri-Food Powerhouse
“Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector has a strong and well-earned reputation for efficient production, innovation, food quality and safety that has propelled Canada to be the fifth largest exporter of agricultural
and agri-food products in the world.”

The CCC report goes on to say that the agri-food industry, from primary producers to advanced food
manufacturers to agri-food based technologies to data analytics, accounts for 7% of GDP and one in eight jobs across the country.

In 2018, the Chamber Network will focus on championing a more integrated approach involving federal and provincial governments in the development of policy in this area.   This will be a key area as a provincial policy around agricultural mapping and the larger targets under the Places to Grow legislation are raising concerns for land use in rural areas.  Transition time between policies is necessary to ensure understanding of projects in the development process.

There is also a continued desire to work with the government to develop a long-term vision for growing Canada’s agri-food sector.

On the economic development front in Peterborough, Peterborough & The Kawarthas Economic Development Agriculture Advisory Committee has identified three priority areas for 2018:

1. Community Education
2. Analysis of Local Value Chains
3. Talent Attraction and Retention in Agriculture

Develop Agile Workforce Strategies
Accessing talent has been identified as one of the biggest challenges to business competitiveness in
Peterborough and across the province.   The ability to make a difference in this space requires targeted strategies at all levels of government.  Among the policy areas identified as priorities from the CCC and Chamber Network are workforce strategies that:

• Meet businesses’ needs at a local level.  We are seeing increased support and understanding of our local needs through the Local Employment Planning Council (LEPC) pilot project, but more can be done with access to more data that is gathered at the federal level.
• Provide easy access to comprehensive labour market information. In Peterborough we have the LEPC which is working toward identifying the needs of employers and those on the job hunt. That said, access to data is a key component in developing a successful workforce strategy.
• Assure greater labour mobility across Canada while enabling temporary entry for international talent to play a role in pushing growth forward.  How do we connect employers with the employees they need at the local level?

The CCC report identifies that jobs of today require essential skills such as literacy and numeracy,
communication, problem-solving, teamwork and interpersonal skills, along with trades and technical skills.
Businesses will always be up to the challenge to build a “Canada that wins”, looking for new ways to grow and reach new customers and markets, but governments and policy makers cannot lose sight of the importance of a policy climate that allows for business success.

Read: 10 Ways to Build a Canada That Wins