Ontario Chambers team up to draw attention and ask for an expedient review of the impact, in terms of both GDP losses and job losses, that competitor jurisdictions’ business attraction efforts are having on Canada’s economy.
WireService.ca Media Release (09/30/2014) Windsor, ON – The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce and the London Chamber of Commerce, along with 15 other Ontario Chambers, teamed up to draw attention and ask for an expedient review of the impact, in terms of both GDP losses and job losses, that competitor jurisdictions’ business attraction efforts are having on Canada’s economy. This resolution was successfully passed at the Canadian Chamber Annual General Meeting, which took place September 27-29 in Charlottetown, PEI.
The resolution passed by the Chamber of Commerce states that:
Canada’s international competitors are increasingly using hyper-aggressive techniques to lure Canadian businesses, causing job losses here at home and weakening the Canadian economy.
The resolution recommends that the Federal Governments take the following action:
In coordination with businesses and chambers of commerce from across Canada, undertake an expedient review of the full impact – in terms of both GDP losses and job losses – that competitor jurisdictions’ business attraction efforts are having on Canada’s economy.
The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber and the London Chamber raised the issue in a Chamber network call in June and the response from Ontario Chambers was strong and immediate.
“This is a huge win for Windsor-Essex, Ontario and all of Canada. The issue of hyper aggressive incentives came up time and time again at our First-Ever Policy & Solutions Forum, with our partners Unifor and the University of Windsor, in May 2014. There was a general consensus among business, labour and academia that there is a need to respond to hyper aggressive incentives from other jurisdictions,” said Matt Marchand, Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO. “From here, we will work with our Chamber network, labour and academia to place this on the national policy agenda for the coming year. This is the first time this has ever been recognized by the national business community as a key issue.”
The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce was also behind a second successful resolution on the Maritime Goods Movements Act. This resolution states that:
The Maritime Goods Movements Act (MGMA) was proposed in the United States congress in 2013. The legislation would impose a fee on all cargo discharged at Mexican and Canadian ports and bound for the U.S. The fee was based on the value of the goods being shipped and would replace the current Harbour Maintenance Tax (HMT). Fortunately, the proposed tax was defeated in recent congressional negotiations, but is a clear indicator that there is some support for this type of tax potentially in the future.
“The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber wants to be proactive on this important issue to enhance and protect Windsor’s status as a key trade gateway,” said Marchand.
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For more information contact:
Lindsey Rivait, Communications Coordinator
Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce
lrivait@windsorchamber.org
(519) 966-3696 ext. 25
