The creation of industrial laboratories in innovative industries with high economic potential will help bridge the gap between the public and private sectors, which is essential for the commercialization of new ideas and technologies. It will also help create the conditions for boosting intellectual property.

As the Government of Canada prepares for the April 16th budget, Quebec’s initiative should serve as an example of what is needed to compete and win in today’s global economy.

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As Canada’s 18th Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney was the personification of transformative leadership. He had the vision and courage to make the bold decisions that made our country and our world a better place. 

His unparalleled legacy includes transformative trade agreements, beginning with the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, followed by the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mr. Mulroney recognized the importance of trade for Canadian prosperity, and we have all benefitted from his determination. 

He was the architect of many other trailblazing initiatives including the Canada-U.S. Acid Rain treaty, historic tax reform, and leading international opposition to apartheid. 

Both before and after his remarkable public service, Mr. Mulroney was an internationally respected business leader – serving as President of the Iron Ore Company of Canada and, later, on the boards of storied companies such as Quebecor Inc., Barrick Gold, and Archer Daniels Midland, among others.  

After he left office he continued to be a forward-thinking leader, mentoring countless policymakers and young people and championing Canada on the world stage. 

On a personal level I will always be grateful for the time he gave me to provide guidance on how to build an even stronger Canada. My sincere condolences to Mrs. Mulroney and the entire Mulroney family. Their loss is also Canada’s loss. 

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While today’s update is an important first step that lays out commitments, much work remains to clarify federal jurisdiction and advance major projects that are in Canada’s national interest, following the one project, one assessment principle.

We call on the federal government to urgently establish a formal mechanism and process for regulatory efficiency. As outlined in a memo to the working group, this should be led by the Clerk of the Privy Council to ensure interdepartmental coordination and much faster approval times.  

We continue to urge the federal government to move expeditiously in its efforts to work collaboratively with the provinces, territories, Indigenous nations, and the business community. 

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When the free trade talks were launched in March 2022, we said it was imperative that Canada strengthen relations with reliable partners and longstanding allies such as the U.K. amid increased global volatility and a shifting geopolitical environment. This is even more true today.

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Canada offers responsibly sourced resources that our allies need to decarbonize, including LNG, hydrogen and critical minerals. It is essential that Canada expedites resource projects to help meet the demand of both domestic and international markets.

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Canada benefits from the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial spirit of highly trained immigrants, including healthcare professionals, engineers and computer scientists, who can help our economy grow.

Unfilled job openings for highly skilled and educated professionals remain stubbornly high. If not addressed with urgency and ambition, this shortage of leading talent will have a large and lasting impact on Canadian technological innovation, labour productivity, and capital investment.

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As I think about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation my thoughts are with the Survivors of residential schools, their families and their communities.

September 30th is a day to reflect on the past and to think about steps we can all take to advance meaningful reconciliation.

In its final report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 calls to action. One of them speaks to economic reconciliation. If we are going to advance major projects to grow our economy and meet our net zero targets, Indigenous partners must be involved every step of the way.

On September 28th, I was honoured to represent the Business Council of Canada and our members at a Canadian Club Toronto discussion about Indigenous ownership and Canada’s economic future. There are many ways the private sector can partner with Indigenous groups to create mutually beneficial economic opportunities.

Thank you to First Nations Major Projects Coalition‘s Chief Sharleen Gale, Niilo Edwards, Mark Podlasly and the rest of the team for your continued partnership. And thanks to Enbridge for your support of this event as well as RBC‘s John Stackhouse and Cenovus Energy‘s Alexander Pourbaix for lending your voices to the conversation.

I strongly recommend you take the time to watch the discussion by clicking here:

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Specifically, the BCC is deeply concerned by the Government’s decision to overhaul the Competition Act through an omnibus bill without meaningful notice or consultation with affected stakeholders.  In so doing, the Government has repudiated its promised competition policy review process; undermined the stable and predictable rules of the free market; and increased risk and uncertainty for businesses, consumers, and the broader Canadian economy. 

The Competition Act establishes one of Canada’s most important regulatory regimes. As the legal framework which provides the rules by which all businesses operate in the economy, any changes to the Competition Act have far-reaching consequences. The process of amending the Competition Act must therefore be done after extensive consultations with all impacted stakeholders to minimize the possibility of unforeseen and unintended consequences.   

That is why the BCC and more than 100 other impacted stakeholders, including academic experts, competition lawyers, labour and consumer groups, as well as various small and medium sized businesses, engaged in good faith with the formal process established by the Government late last year to comprehensively review of the Competition Act. The omnibus bill introduced today violates and invalidates that process to the detriment of all Canadians. 

In a further sign of the Government’s bad faith towards stakeholder consultations, it chose to release an expedited summary of comments received to date on the eve of introducing today’s proposed amendments. Participating stakeholders were given no time to review the report, nor to provide any additional feedback to further inform the process.  

As the Competition Act amendments included in today’s bill will in no way address the inflationary environment now facing Canadians – and could, conversely, worsen inflation by introducing uncertainty and instability in the free market – it is unclear why the government has assigned such urgency to these measures and included them as part of an omnibus package which contains various other legislative proposals which are entirely unrelated.   

The proposed changes to the Competition Act must be removed from the bill and the Government should recommit to its promised stakeholder consultation process. This process must complete the careful consideration and articulation of the most evident areas for reform buttressed by robust engagement with experts and other affected parties. It should be followed by a standalone bill which can be debated fully by all Parliamentarians.   

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Enough is enough. It is imperative that our political leaders from all parties work together to reconvene parliament and pass back-to-work legislation without delay.   

This is not just about Canada’s global brand as a reliable trading partner. It is about the high quality of life and living standards that all Canadians enjoy.  

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Germany and Canada have been close economic partners for many years. In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever for our two countries, and the European Union, to work together to strengthen economic and political cooperation and defend our shared values. Support for multilateral institutions and rules-based international commerce must remain at the core of European and Canadian economic and trade policy.

Our countries are contending with serious challenges. The pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine disrupted international supply chains and revealed dangerous dependencies. The conflict in Ukraine threatens peace and stability in Europe and has disrupted energy supplies. However, Russia’s belligerence has fostered international cooperation among like-minded countries on a scale not seen since the end of the Cold War.

Business leaders in Germany and Canada stand ready to do their part in helping to overcome these challenges. To that end, we urge closer cooperation between our countries in the following areas:

• Trade and investment: We welcome the German Bundestag’s decision in December 2022 to ratify the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). This sends an important signal to other EU countries. Once fully implemented, CETA will deepen economic integration and provide greater certainty for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, recent investment decisions have brought Canada and Germany closer together.

• Energy and climate: Hydrogen and its derivatives will play a critical role in decarbonization efforts around the globe. While markets for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen are still in their infancy, increased Canada-Germany cooperation has the potential to accelerate the hydrogen market ramp-up in both countries and support international hydrogen trade.
  • Although Germany has successfully eliminated its dependence on Russian energy and increased its capacity to import LNG, Europe’s energy crisis Europe is not over. By speeding up the deployment of Canadian LNG export facilities, Canada could help keep European industry running and households warm next winter and beyond.
  • The Hydrogen Alliance established in August 2022 is a strong example of how Canada and Germany can create the supply chains necessary to accelerate the energy transition. Business leaders stand ready to work with policy makers to develop the supply chains required to advance energy transition in Germany and the EU.

• Critical minerals: Germany and the EU are seeking to diversify their supplies of critical minerals by building resilient and sustainable supply chains with trusted and reliable partners. Canada is rich in mineral resources and has much to offer. The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing Canada’s capacity at every stage of the critical minerals value chain: exploration, mining, processing, manufacturing, and recycling. We strongly support these efforts, recognizing that German and Canadian competences and services can complement one another.
  • Boosting the supply of critical minerals for the green and digital economy will require:
  • detailed mapping of potential exploration and processing projects in Canada or with Canadian investment in other countries;
  • a clear understanding of regulatory approval and permitting frameworks and infrastructure requirements;
  • exchanges on the mutual recognition, referencing or equivalency benchmarks of sustainability standards in the mining sectors in Canada and the EU, both to facilitate self-assessments and to reduce costs for 3rd party validation audits; and
  • Financing and de-risking instruments from both the German and Canadian governments.
    

• Key enabling technologies: Public and private investments in semiconductor production are urgently required to meet current and future demand. To this end, we welcome investments by the Government of Canada in photonics and semiconductor manufacturing, and those within the framework of the EU Chips Act.
  • Semiconductors are essential to the world’s green transition and to a wide range of intelligent and energy-efficient technologies. In support of this transition, Canada and the EU should:
  • refrain from any attempt to set up closed semiconductor value chains in their respective jurisdictions, instead fostering closer cooperation in this field;
  • ensure equal market access and competition conditions that enable a level playing field, which is beneficial for companies both in Canada and Europe; and,
  • promote international standardization efforts in the field of semiconductors.

• At the same time, Canada, Germany, and the EU should enhance research cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other key enabling technologies.

We urge our governments to create a more favourable business environment by speeding up permitting processes for energy and natural resources projects and expanding opportunities for the funding of related infrastructure.

As business organizations on both sides of the Atlantic, we know that closer international cooperation makes our economies stronger and contributes to a higher quality of life for all citizens. We will continue to support and defend the rules-based international order while working to overcome the many challenges we face. We look forward to working with our respective governments in pursuit of these objectives.

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