On February 8, 2024, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce submitted a pre-budget proposal to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honorable Chrystia Freeland. With a firm focus on bolstering Canada’s competitiveness and fostering sustainable growth, the submission outlines key measures essential for driving economic prosperity. Of note, the proposal commences with "ensuring reliable supply chains" and states;
"The evolving role of transportation and logistics is critical to countries’ competitive success, but Canada’s supply chains remain only as strong as their weakest link. The challenges and costs presented by climate shocks such as frequent floods and wildfires have demonstrated how fragile many of our supply chain systems and structures are. And, in the context of a highly restive labour environment, key points in our trade corridors have experienced repeated or prolonged strikes, putting further strain on a precarious system and compromising our reputation as a reliable place to do business.
Increasingly, attention has turned to supply chain resiliency, on-shoring or near-shoring, and new data systems and infrastructure as critical factors to ensure trading nations like Canada remain competitive and relevant. Canadians are frustrated by the affordability crisis and want to see elected officials work with business to ensure products move and prices are stable while our economy is growing."
This is an expert from the submission, the full proposal can be viewed here.