As MPs return to Parliament, the economy should be top priority
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Dear friends,
As someone who grew up in Alberta, I’ve always thought of the fall as a time of hope and optimism. It’s harvest season after all – a time of year when Canada’s rich bounty is on full display.
Yet this year I’m concerned. Despite all that our country has to offer, our economy is struggling with rising unemployment and falling GDP per capita.
As MPs return to Parliament next week, my hope is that they focus their efforts on long-term solutions rather than short-term politics.
Because fixing the economy cannot wait.
That’s why earlier this month the Business Council released Engines of Growth. The report provides a roadmap for a new innovation-driven economic strategy – one that focuses on production over consumption with the goal of raising the living standards of all Canadians.
Authored by my colleague Robert Asselin, who is a former economic advisor to two Prime Ministers, the report concludes with 17 concrete recommendations for policymakers.
As Robert notes, progress is a policy choice, and our leaders have the agency to build a forward-looking economy to the benefit of all Canadians.
Read all 17 concrete recommendations.
Yours truly,
Goldy Hyder
President and CEO
Business Council of Canada
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Canada is a country of unlimited potential and opportunities. Yet recent economic performance has been weak, lagging peer countries.
If this trend persists, Canadians will not be able to sustain the high living standards and wages they currently enjoy.
Engines of Growth calls for a shift in how policymakers view economic strategy. Beginning with an overview of Canada’s economic challenges and a survey of the trajectory of the global economy, the report offers a framework for igniting Canada’s engines of growth.
Lessons in leadership … Learning from failure … How to build a strong and vibrant Canada … Every month, Goldy Hyder speaks with Canada’s most respected business voices, offering a rare glimpse into their life stories, hopes, influences and motivations.
Season 8 of Speaking of Business launched earlier this month with a revealing conversation with Galen Weston, Chairman and CEO of George Weston Ltd.
In October we’ll mark our 100th episode with a special podcast recorded in front of a studio audience.
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The United States is Canada’s most important trading partner with nearly $3.6 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border each day. But Canada’s new unilateral digital services tax puts the cornerstone of our trading relationship – the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) – in jeopardy.
For more than two years, the Business Council of Canada has warned about the consequences of this tax and recently the U.S. government put Canada on notice. Earlier this week we called on Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and International Trade Minister Mary Ng to revoke the unilateral tax and recommit Canada to negotiations on a multilateral deal.
