News Releases

(OTTAWA) – October 16, 2018 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement today in response to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce’s recommendations to improve Canadian business competitiveness:  

“We enthusiastically welcome the Senate Committee’s timely report and its recommendations for improving Canadian competitiveness. Much of what the Committee proposes has been at the core of the Canadian Chamber’s advocacy efforts in recent years, and we are pleased to see the growing support for measures that will encourage investment, create jobs and prosperity for all Canadians.

“The Chamber is delighted to learn of a deal in principle for a renewed NAFTA. This step forward comes as a relief for our members who have been searching for much-needed clarity and predictability in the relationship with our NAFTA partners.

As with any trade agreement of this breadth and scope, the Chamber will want to carefully review the details before making a final assessment. Specifically, we will seek clarity on how the agreement addresses the existing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium, as well as how it will ensure that tariffs and quotas upon Canada’s auto sector exports will be avoided.

(OTTAWA) – September 28, 2018 – More than 300 business leaders from every corner of the country came together this past weekend to focus on the challenges they face and come up with ways to address them.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) is the largest gathering of business leaders in Canada, which unifies the voice of all Canadian industry and brings it to bear on issues most important to the drivers of our national economy.

OTTAWA – September 26, 2018 – Today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce announced that its new, purpose-built Ottawa headquarters has been certified by the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) program.

“As the voice of Canadian business, the Chamber has a responsibility to lead the way in improving accessibility to the places where we work. We believe in the bottom line benefits of accessibility, diversity and inclusion, and we walk the talk. We are also encouraging chambers and boards of trade across Canada to be early adopters of this Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification program and to be leaders in helping build a more accessible Canada,” said the Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO.

Thunder Bay, September 24, 2018 — The key issue for Canada and Canadian business in 2019 will be competitiveness. That was the consensus at this year’s Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Annual General Meeting (AGM), the largest gathering of business leaders in Canada.

“Canadian companies, from very small to very large, have been consistent about the barriers they face in being truly competitive: taxation, regulation, and innovation,” said the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “The ability of Canadian companies to compete on a global level starts at home. The Chamber will be working hard in the coming year to develop real-world solutions to the administrative and regulatory burdens that companies face, ones that will work for mom and pop shops and leading companies alike.”

OTTAWA – September 23, 2018 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Indigenous Works are partnering to assist businesses in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Corporate Call- to-Action 92 and to address a corporate/Indigenous engagement gap identified in a national research study.

Indigenous Works and the Canadian Chamber will work together over the next three years to develop meaningful opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses to collaborate more effectively, and to learn from each other as they engage on profitable and growth-oriented ventures that will drive jobs and partnerships.

Thunder Bay, Sept 23, 2018 — The Canadian Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) today announced Ginny Flood as its new Chair of the Board of Directors for 2018-2019.

Ms. Flood’s appointment brings to the Chamber decades of experience in government and the private sector, particularly in policy areas that involve working with shareholders, indigenous communities, business stakeholders, and associations.

Statement by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, the Honourable Perrin Beatty, regarding the announcement today that NAFTA negotiations will continue next week:

The Chamber welcomes news that the parties remain at the negotiating table. Achieving a trilateral agreement remains a priority for the Canadian business community and we are encouraged that the parties appear to be committed to continuing negotiations.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Perrin Beatty responds to the decision by the Federal Court of Appeal regarding the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project:

“Both the government and the private sector will need to study the Federal Court of Appeal’s reasoning and the options that exist to prevent further delays. However, it is clear even at this early stage that today’s decision delivers a serious blow to the Indigenous communities that are counting on this project to create jobs and economic prosperity and to Canada’s economy as a whole. It sends a profoundly negative message to investors both here at home and around the world about Canada’s regulatory system and our ability to get things done even after the federal government has declared them to be in the national interest."

“The Chamber is pleased to see the US and Mexico make progress in their negotiations concerning NAFTA, although the full details of what has been agreed upon and how the process and timetable will proceed from here are still largely unknown,” said the Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.