Ottawa, September 28, 2009 - Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Official Opposition, has confirmed that he will speak at the opening of this fall’s premier economic event, The Economic Edge. Mr. Ignatieff joins a prestigious list of speakers, including Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Environment Minister Jim Prentice, who will provide invaluable insight from their experience in business, politics, and academia on October 21 at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre.

Ottawa, September 24, 2009 - While the debate in Parliament continues about whether Canadians should be called to the polls for another federal general election, the third in five years, politicians of all parties need to think about how many Canadians will actually turn out to vote. In the last federal election, which cost taxpayers $288.2 million, only 58.8% of eligible registered voters cast a ballot, a historic low. “Canada must make many vital decisions in coming years, yet growing numbers of citizens feel that their votes don’t matter. If we are truly interested in the health of our democracy, all of our political parties have to do more to earn Canadians’ respect,” says Canadian Chamber President and CEO Perrin Beatty.

Speaking Notes for Shirley-Ann George, VP, Policy and Tina Kremmidas, Chief Economist, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Shirley-Ann George and I’m Senior Vice President of Policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. With me today is our Chief Economist, Tina Kremmidas. It gives us great pleasure to come before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to present the views of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as you proceed with pre-budget consultations.

Ottawa, September 15, 2009 - Just days before the meeting between Prime Minister Harper and President Obama in Washington, the Canadian and U.S. Chambers of Commerce sent a joint letter urging the two leaders to address major economic issues: a trade-efficient border, ‘Buy American’ provisions, North American energy security, protecting intellectual property rights and regulatory cooperation.

It was recently reported that the Security and Prosperity Partnership was closing shop. A Bush administration initiative, the SPP brought together the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States to deal with a plethora of issues to enhance North American competitiveness. While progress was made on parts of the laundry list of about 300 items, it did not reach its potential.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone - laundry lists can’t be bundled up into a long-term vision.