We welcome today’s announcement by the Government of a Canada-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Canada and Japan have largely complementary economies. Greater effective market access through an Economic Partnership Agreement could yield economic gains for both countries. This visit and this announcement highlight the strong relations between our two countries. They demonstrate Canada’s re-engagement in Asia, and that is great news for the Canadian business community.

Canada’s territories are becoming a more significant force in our economy. The world’s hunger for natural resources is increasing and climate change is opening up transportation routes in Canada’s North. This creates new opportunities for Canada’s territories to become full economic partners with the rest of Canada.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with its member chambers in Canada’s territories, is undertaking a project to understand the challenges and opportunities of economic development in Canada’s territories, including its sprawling geography, harsh climate and sparse, but highly-motivated, population and the federal policies needed to foster sustainable growth. Some of the areas we will be examining include:

• Barriers to investment
• Enabling infrastructure
• Regulation
• Human resources development
• Engaging northerners in economic development initiatives
• What role business sees itself playing

Today in Whitehorse, we are co-hosting, along with the Yukon and Whitehorse chambers of commerce, the second in a series of roundtables with business people and other stakeholders. These discussions will assist us in developing a policy statement that identifies the key decisions the federal government needs to make to bring the economic potential/participation of Canada’s territories up to other regions of Canada. We will also be hosting roundtables in Yellowknife (April 24) and Iqaluit (May 9).

On March 15, 2012, Perrin Beatty, President & CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce addressed members of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Perrin spoke about the top 10 barriers to Canada’s competitiveness and what must be done to break these barriers down.

We want to learn more about how Canada’s skills crisis is affecting your business and what measures you’re currently taking or would take to manage the problem.

We’ve developed a series of surveys to help us gather your feedback. These surveys will be released every two weeks. Please take a few minutes to answer our questions. Your input will help us develop solutions to the number-one challenge facing Canadian companies.

Our first survey looks at issues relative to post-secondary education. Click here to take our survey.

Please consult our backgrounder for more information on the issue of post-secondary education.

Have your businesses told you that they can’t seem to access workers with the right skills?

Have your members told you that they can’t get workers – period?

Have your members told you that they’re afraid of losing the workers they’ve got?

Do you want to help your members’ face their biggest challenge?

Do you want to be seen a solution provider for one of Canada’s most pressing challenges?

If you answered “yes” to all of these questions then… get connected with your peers from across Canada and let’s put the chamber network’s collective voice behind advocating change and solutions for Canada’s skills and labour challenges.

Visit ChamberTop10.ca to find out how you can become part of the solution.