Canada’s Leading Business Organizations Call on Government to Protect Jobs and Postpone Non-Essential New Measures
(OTTAWA) – March 21, 2020 – Four of Canada’s leading business organizations are calling on governments to support a national effort to protect jobs and to postpone non-essential new measures.
“Canadian businesses are ready and able to step up to overcome the challenge of COVID-19. We will work to ensure that Canadians have the food to feed their families, the fuel to heat our homes and to keep essential services moving, the equipment and facilities to treat the sick and the communications systems that unite us even as we are kept apart from one another.
To win this fight, we need every possible human and financial resource and we must be able to focus all of our attention on this struggle. The proposed 10 per cent wage subsidy for small businesses was a step in the right direction by the government. But more needs to be done to help businesses and workers through this crisis and maintain the connection between employers and employees.
We call on governments to provide more direct funding for employees. Other countries have recognized this need and are offering to cover as much as 80 per cent of the incomes of workers who are laid off as a result of the health emergency. We encourage the government to backstop the economy by implementing income supports at similar levels as Denmark and the United Kingdom.
We also ask governments at all levels to support our efforts by postponing any increases in taxes, non-essential new regulations, and unnecessary consultations that take us away from this mission. Businesses and governments need to be focused 100 per cent on the current crisis, leaving other priorities aside until the crisis abates.
We thank Canada’s governments for their efforts to mobilize Canadian society to win this fight. The business community is ready to meet the challenges we will face in the coming weeks and months. For the first time in decades, the entire country and the entire world is focused on one problem. Governments and the business community must collaborate in new and innovative ways to support Canadian families while we try to solve it.”
Joint statement made by:
Perrin Beatty, PC, OC, President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Goldy Hyder, President and CEO, Business Council of Canada
Dan Kelly, President and CEO, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Dennis Darby, President and CEO, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
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About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.
Media contacts:
Alita Fabiano
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
613-716-8039
afabiano@chamber.ca
Howard Fremeth
Business Council of Canada
613-854-5336
howard.fremeth@thebusinesscouncil.ca
Milena Stanoeva
Canadian Federation of Independent Business
647-464-2814
Milena.Stanoeva@cfib.ca
Stefi Proulx
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
613-292-6070
Stefi.Proulx@cme-mec.ca
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Canada’s Leading Business Organizations Call on Government to Protect Jobs and Postpone Non-Essential New Measures
Saturday, March 21, 2020
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Business Truth & Reconciliation
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce is taking proactive steps to promote reconciliation and respect for Indigenous rights within the corporate sector. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 92, the Chamber urges its members to embrace the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a guiding framework. This entails a commitment to meaningful consultation, fostering respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before embarking on economic projects. Moreover, the Chamber advocates for equitable access to employment, training, and educational opportunities for Indigenous communities, ensuring they reap sustainable benefits from economic development initiatives.
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