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Position on Internal Trade Opportunities
1. Removing Barriers to Interprovincial Trade and Labour Mobility
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce is committed to advocating for policies that will enhance the free flow of goods, services, and talent across all of Canada. In particular, we call for the federal and provincial governments to remove all internal trade barriers that hinder the full potential of Canada’s internal market.
Recommendation: We urge all provinces to commit to tabling legislation to enable mutual recognition agreements (MRAs), similar to Nova Scotia’s Free Trade and Mobility Canada Act and New Brunswick’s commitments. These agreements will help facilitate seamless mobility of labour and goods, providing Canadian businesses with greater access to workers, markets, and customers across provincial boundaries.
Impact: By enabling MRAs, businesses in Atlantic Canada will benefit from more efficient operations, reduced administrative burdens, and increased access to skilled labour. This will foster a more competitive business environment, boost innovation, and improve economic resilience across the region.
2. Bolstering Domestic Procurement and Supply Chains
To strengthen the Canadian economy, we must support and prioritize domestic businesses and industries. This includes aligning provincial public procurement policies to ensure that Canadian companies are given fair opportunities to compete for government contracts and that procurement decisions are made with the local economic impact in mind.
Recommendation: The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce calls for the alignment of provincial public procurement policies to increase the weighting of local economic impact in procurement decisions. Governments should use trade agreement flexibilities to support domestic suppliers, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, agrifood, and steel. In addition, we recommend investment in strengthening domestic supply chains to ensure that Canadian businesses can compete effectively.
Impact: A more robust domestic procurement strategy will create opportunities for local businesses to expand, create jobs, and develop new markets. By investing in domestic supply chains and industrial capacity, Canada will be better positioned to respond to challenges and enhance regional economic resilience.
3. Making an Immediate Commitment to a National Energy Corridor
A unified and efficient energy infrastructure is critical for supporting economic growth, sustainability, and energy security. The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce strongly supports the creation of a National Energy Corridor to facilitate the seamless movement of oil, natural gas, electricity, hydrogen, and other vital resources across the country.
Recommendation: We advocate for an immediate commitment to signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a National Energy Corridor that connects Eastern, Central, and Western Canada, as well as our northern ports. This corridor would enhance Canada’s energy security, improve the efficient movement of resources, and position Canada as a leader in sustainable energy.
Impact: A National Energy Corridor will reduce transportation costs, improve the reliability of energy supplies, and enhance Canada’s ability to meet both domestic energy needs and global export demands. This will not only stimulate economic growth but also create new opportunities for businesses in Atlantic Canada, particularly in the energy, manufacturing, and technology sectors.
Conclusion
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce believes that by removing trade barriers and strengthening domestic procurement and supply chains, Canada will unlock significant economic opportunities for businesses and communities across the country, particularly in the Atlantic region. We urge all levels of government to take immediate, unified, and bold action to implement these critical policies and ensure that Canada’s economy remains dynamic, competitive, and resilient for future generations.
Actions 2026
- Letters & Submissions
- Media
- April
Actions 2025
- Letters and Submissions
- Letter to Premiers of NS and NB
- Response from NS
- Letter to Premiers of NS and NB
- Chambers of the Federation
- Agenda for Economic Growth
- Letter to Premiers January
- Letter to Premiers June
- Letter to Premier December
- Programs and Services
- Opinion Editorials
- Cut Through the Noise
- Partnership Worth Saving
- Window of Opportunity CJLS Yarmouth 95.5
- Window of Opportunity Hot Country 103.5
- Media
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- Other
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Position on Immigration
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce expresses serious concerns about recent reductions in immigration allocations under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), which disproportionately impact Atlantic Canada. These cuts undermine the region’s ability to address its unique demographic and economic challenges, including labor shortages and population decline.
Atlantic Canada has long relied on tailored immigration policies, such as the AIP, to attract skilled workers and support regional employers. However, despite success in attracting immigrants, retention rates remain low, especially in rural areas, jeopardizing the sustainability of key industries such as healthcare, construction, and agriculture.
We urge the federal government to reconsider these cuts and engage in structured dialogue with provincial governments, chambers of commerce, and key stakeholders to develop sustainable, region-specific immigration policies. A collaborative, tailored approach is essential to ensuring the long-term economic prosperity and workforce sustainability of Atlantic Canada.
We request:
- A reconsideration of the recent allocation reductions.
- A strategic approach to improving retention and supporting population growth.
- A policy carve-out for Atlantic Canada to reflect its unique needs.
Action 2026
- Meetings
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Atlantic Canada Trade Mission to Toronto hosted by the Aga Khan
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Atlantic Canada Trade Mission to Vancouver hosted by the Aga Khan
2. Media- May
Actions 2025
- Letters and Submissions
- Letter to Minister of Immigration
- February
- August co-signed with 47 chambers and boards of trade
- Reimagining Immigration: The Canadian International Workforce Program
- Letter to Minister of Immigration
- Programs and Services
- Expanding Connector Program in NL in partnership with Amal
- Strategy and Toolkit
- Opinion Editorials
- Media
- May
- July
- September
- November
- Members met with Minister of Immigration, the Hon. Lena Metlege Diab
- December
- Attended CCC's Hill Day. Meetings focus on Talent and Immigration
- Meet with Minister of Immigration at Hill Day 2025
- Other meetings during Hill Day included:
- Deputy Minister of Immigration
- Commissioner for Employers Nancy Healey
- MP Leslie Church, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour, for Seniors, and for Children and Youth and to the Minister for Jobs and Familes.
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Position on Reducing Regulatory Burden for Business
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce recognizes the significant economic challenges imposed by excessive regulatory burdens on businesses, which stifle innovation, increase costs, and hinder competitiveness. We believe that streamlining regulations, reducing administrative hurdles, and fostering a more efficient regulatory environment are essential to unlocking growth opportunities for businesses and communities across Atlantic Canada.
1. Streamlining Regulatory Approval Processes
Excessive red tape in regulatory approvals delays projects, raises compliance costs, and discourages investment in Atlantic Canada, where fragmented provincial regulations exacerbate challenges for resource-dependent businesses in a small market. Efforts like Nova Scotia's reductions since 2021 have saved local businesses more than $20 million annually, demonstrating the potential for region-wide relief.
Recommendation: We urge federal and provincial governments to implement a regulatory review process, including time-bound approvals and regular red tape audits, and work to eliminate outdated and duplicative requirements.
Impact: Streamlined processes will accelerate business operations, lower costs for Atlantic Canadian businesses, and attract more investment, fostering job creation and economic resilience in sectors like manufacturing and energy.
2. Harmonizing Regulations Across Jurisdictions
Fragmented regulations between federal, provincial, and territorial levels create compliance challenges, duplicating efforts and increasing burdens, as highlighted in ongoing efforts to reduce overlap in areas like labour and environmental standards.
Recommendation: The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce calls for the alignment of regulatory frameworks through mutual recognition agreements and national standards, prioritizing sectors with high interprovincial activity to minimize duplication and support seamless business operations.
Impact: Harmonization will reduce administrative burdens, enhance market access for Atlantic businesses, and improve overall competitiveness, enabling smaller enterprises to expand nationally and contribute to larger economic growth.
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce believes that by streamlining approvals, harmonizing regulations, and promoting digital adoption, Canada will alleviate regulatory burdens and unlock substantial economic opportunities for businesses and communities, particularly in the Atlantic region. We urge all levels of government to take immediate, unified, and bold action to implement these critical policies and ensure that Atlantic Canada's economy remains dynamic, competitive, and resilient for future generations.
Actions 2026
- Letters and Submissions
2. Meetings
- Roundtable with NL PAC
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Upcoming meeting with Minister Goosney NL
3. Opinion Editorials
4. Media- May
Actions 2025
- Letters and Submissions
2, Opinion Editorials
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Position on Restoring Fiscal Anchors to Manage Government Debt
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce recognizes the potential long-term risk posed by Canada's escalating public debt and persistent deficits, which undermine economic stability, crowd out essential investments, and limit our region's ability to thrive. With federal net debt surpassing $1.4 trillion (42% of GDP) and combined public debt nearing $2.3 trillion (75% of GDP), we believe that re-establishing robust fiscal anchors is essential to ensure long-term prosperity, fiscal resilience, and preparedness for shocks. This statement outlines our position on restoring fiscal discipline and provides recommendations to guide federal policy.
Addressing Escalating Deficits and Debt Servicing Costs
Canada's fiscal trajectory is unsustainable, with the Parliamentary Budget Officer forecasting annual deficits exceeding $60 billion through 2030, driven by new spending, trade disruptions, and rising interest costs. Federal debt charges have reached a record $53.8 billion in 2024-25 which surpasses key transfers like the Canada Health Transfer ($57.4 billion) and National Defense ($49.3 billion) and are projected to consume up to 16 cents of every tax dollar by 2030.
With global uncertainties like trade tensions and climate risks amplifying fiscal pressures, Canada must rebuild buffers to avoid the recessions and slowdowns that have historically hit high-debt nations hardest. Atlantic provinces, already facing disproportionate debt servicing costs, require federal leadership to safeguard transfers and equalization payments critical for regional recovery.
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce calls on the Government of Canada to immediately commit to a plan that stabilizes and reduces the federal net debt-to-GDP ratio below 30% by 2035, operationalized through a declining debt-to-GDP fiscal anchor. This target provides ample fiscal space for investments, tax relief, and shock preparedness, building on Canada's successful 1990s reforms that created G7-leading resilience.
Achieving this anchor will free up billions in interest savings for priority areas like regional infrastructure and workforce development in Atlantic Canada, fostering economic growth, reducing the cost of living, and positioning our region as a stable hub for business and innovation.
A fortified fiscal position will enable swift responses to downturns such as the rapid recovery Canada achieved during the 2008 financial crisis while unlocking opportunities for Atlantic businesses in energy transitions, supply chain resilience, and diversified exports, ultimately lowering borrowing costs and boosting per capita GDP growth.
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce firmly believes that restoring fiscal anchors and targeting a debt-to-GDP ratio below 30% will secure Canada's economic leadership, protect Atlantic communities from fiscal vulnerabilities, and create a foundation for sustainable prosperity. We urge the Government of Canada to act decisively on these recommendations.
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Position on Enhancing Cellular Infrastructure Along Key Highways in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada relies heavily on the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) and other major highways for transportation, commerce, and emergency services. However, significant gaps in cellular coverage persist along these routes, posing risks to public safety, economic development, and connectivity in rural and remote areas. Portions of the TCH in Atlantic Canada experience unreliable or absent cellular signals, which can hinder emergency calls, navigation, and real-time communication. Existing federal programs, such as the Universal Broadband Fund, have made strides in broadband expansion but have not fully addressed mobile cellular infrastructure on highways.
Position
We call upon the Government of Canada to prioritize and fund the development of comprehensive cellular infrastructure to ensure full coverage along the entire Trans-Canada Highway in Atlantic Canada. This initiative should serve as a foundational step toward extending reliable cellular service to other critical highways in the region. Enhanced cellular coverage is essential for safeguarding lives, boosting economic opportunities in tourism and logistics, and bridging the digital divide in our communities. Reliable connectivity along these key highways would boost economic development by improving supply chain efficiency, supporting remote work, attracting new investment, and making tourism safer and more appealing for visitors. This would create jobs, increase regional GDP, and strengthen Atlantic Canada's competitiveness in the digital economy.
Recommendations
1. Immediate Funding Allocation: Commit federal resources through the Canada Infrastructure Bank or an expanded Universal Broadband Fund to install cellular towers and small-cell technology along the TCH in Atlantic Canada, targeting completion within 3-5 years.
2. Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborate with telecommunications providers to share costs and leverage existing infrastructure, with government incentives for rapid deployment in high-priority gaps.
3. Expansion Plan: Develop a phased roadmap to extend coverage to other important secondary highways, incorporating input from provincial governments, Indigenous communities, and local stakeholders to address unique regional needs.
4. Regulatory Support: Enforce standards for minimum coverage reliability and mandate annual reporting on progress to ensure accountability.
5. Safety Integration: Integrate cellular enhancements with broader highway safety measures, such as emergency response systems and intelligent transportation technologies.
This policy position aligns with national goals for digital equity and infrastructure resilience, ensuring Atlantic Canadians are not left behind in an increasingly connected world.
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Position on A Coordinated Approach to Energy Security and Infrastructure Investment in Atlantic Canada
Submitted by: The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce
Supporting Organizations: Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce, Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Kensington & Area Chamber of Commerce, The Board of Trade, Labrador North Chamber of Commerce.
Despite facing many of the same energy pressures, Atlantic provinces continue to plan largely within their own provincial silos, rather than through regional coordination. This fragmented approach limits economies of scale, reduces leverage when seeking federal investment, and makes it more difficult to manage shared energy security risks.
For businesses, energy volatility can spoil inventory, interrupt services and supply chains, increase operating costs, and discourage expansions and investments. Without improved regional alignment and strategic planning, energy limitations may increasingly constrain business expansion, workforce attraction, and long-term economic growth across Atlantic Canada.
Utilities across Atlantic Canada have increasingly issued grid-status alerts and conservation warnings as demand approaches peak capacity. In January 2026, Nova Scotia Power reported a new all-time peak demand of 2,481 MW, significantly above typical winter daily averages of approximately 1,700 MW, and asked customers to conserve electricity to avoid rotating outages[1]. Similar reliability pressures have been reported across the region, with warnings issued of potential rotating outages from PEI’s Maritime Electric[2] and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro[3], while NB Power has warned[4] the province could face rotating outages by 2028. In Labrador, current grid capacity is already significantly constrained, with a grid of 525 MW and approximately only 30MW remaining, while existing demand from business and industry exceeds 600MW. Major upcoming growth projects, including the development of new defence infrastructure, will further accelerate demand.
Population growth has further increased energy demand across the region. Since 2015, Prince Edward Island’s population has grown by nearly 26%, the fastest growth rate of any province, while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have grown by 16% and 14% respectively[5]. More residents mean greater demand on already constrained power systems.
At the same time, electrification policies have shifted a growing share of the region’s overall energy demand onto electricity systems, many of which were not originally designed for such rapid demand. Federal retrofit program data[6] shows strong heat-pump uptake across Atlantic Canada since 2020, including over 35,000 installations in Nova Scotia, over 16,000 in New Brunswick, and over 10,000 each in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Provincial initiatives have also experienced strong demand. In 2025, Prince Edward Island paused[7] intake for its Net Zero Free Programs and Oil-to-Heat Pump Affordability Program due to high uptake and fully allocated funding, highlighting the pace at which households are transitioning to electric heating.
A rise in extreme weather is further increasing pressure on energy infrastructure, particularly on aging systems, with stronger storms and higher winds disrupting systems.
Energy affordability pressures are also intensifying. Between 2015 and 2025, energy inflation in all Atlantic provinces outpaced non-energy inflation, while nationally the two increased at about the same rate[8]. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the rise in energy inflation was nearly double non-energy inflation. Across Atlantic Canada, these trends are contributing to affordability challenges for households and businesses that depend on reliable and predictable energy costs.
We call upon the Atlantic provincial governments, in collaboration with their respective utilities and regulators, to adopt a coordinated regional approach to energy security and infrastructure investment. A unified Atlantic energy strategy would align long-term planning for transmission expansion, grid modernization, peak reliability, and system resilience across the region, ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with current and future demand. Coordinated planning would also strengthen the region’s ability to secure federal infrastructure funding and support economic growth and competitiveness.
This policy position does not propose a single regional project or changes to provincial utility governance. Rather, it calls for a planning framework that enables Atlantic governments to develop shared solutions to similar energy challenges. This policy is intended to complement – not replace or interfere with – existing or future interprovincial or national energy agreements, including collaborations with other regions of Canada.Recommendations
- Regional Energy Strategy: Develop an Atlantic Regional Energy Security and Infrastructure Strategy that sets shared priorities for interprovincial transmission expansion, grid modernization, resilience, peak reliability planning, and establishes ongoing coordination among Atlantic provinces to support implementation of the strategy.
- Federal Funding: Advocate collectively to the Government of Canada to recognize Atlantic energy security as a national priority and provide increased federal funding for regional energy infrastructure.
- Chambers of Federation: Collaborate through the Chambers of the Federation network of provincial and territorial chambers to advance policies that strengthen energy security across the region and country.
[1] https://www.nspower.ca/about-us/articles/details/articles/2026/01/26/working-together-through-an-extremely-cold-weekend
[2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-maritime-electric-winter-rotating-outages-9.6996660
[4] https://tj.news/new-brunswick/nb-power-warns-province-at-risk-of-electricity-shortage-in-3-years
[5]https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901&cubeTimeFrame.startMonth=10&cubeTimeFrame.startYear=2015&cubeTimeFrame.endMonth=10&cubeTimeFrame.endYear=2025&referencePeriods=20151001%2C20251001
[6] https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/home-energy-efficiency/canada-greener-homes-initiative/heat-pumps-uptake-glance-0
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Truth and Reconciliation
Recognizing the importance of education, the Chamber encourages businesses to provide comprehensive training for management and staff on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the legacy of residential schools, Indigenous rights, and Aboriginal-Crown relations. Emphasizing intercultural competency, conflict resolution, and anti-racism, these efforts aim to foster a more inclusive and harmonious corporate environment rooted in mutual understanding and respect. Learn more click here.
