THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce wants federal candidates to pay attention to several economic opportunities for the region.
Charla Robinson, President of Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, said “we know that different parties have different priorities but the number one strategy is we want parties to be focused on how can we make Canada, how can we make Thunder Bay businesses, competitive, productive, and grow jobs and grow opportunity here in our region and across the country.”
Robinson said their number one recommendation is to ensure federal support for businesses hit hardest by the trade war.
She said government support is needed "to help businesses to transition to new export opportunities.”
One opportunity she highlighted was breaking down interprovincial trade barriers between provinces.
“Let's make Canada one country right now. It's almost like 13 different countries because there are different rules in every province and territory, so let's really focus on that as a way to provide more opportunity for Canadians, more opportunity within our country so that we don't have to be quite so reliant on others,” Robinson said.
Another priority the chamber wants federal candidates to consider is streamlining the regulatory approval processes for mining and energy projects.
She said the regulatory approval processes are “not efficient” as companies need to have to get approval for every aspect of the project.
“You have to consult around the road, and then you have to consult around the X, and then you have to consult around the Y. Why can't you do one consultation that really speaks to the larger project and goes through those pieces as one thing rather than you keep going back to the beginning and starting again,” said Robinson.
The chamber would also like to see federal candidates commit to updating the federal tax framework on businesses.
“Our tax system is not necessarily as it could be. We think that there could be a review of taxes to make sure that we're positioning ourselves to attract investment, to make it easier for businesses to invest,” said Robinson.
“Also, we want the next government to look at a spending review. How are we using those tax dollars in the most efficient way to drive productivity and drive our economy?”
Lastly, Robinson spoke about the need for changes to immigration that are impacting colleges and universities.
“It's impacting our ability to attract people from other countries. We want to make sure that immigration is aligned to local labour needs, and that would be different here in Thunder Bay than it might be in the GTA,” said Robinson.
