Advocacy Work

2024: Canadian Chamber of Commerce Policy Agenda and Amplifier

Dec 17, 2024

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM and Convention offers our regional chambers an opportunity to elevate the concerns of our local business communities to a federal level. We are proud to have sat on the Ontario Advocacy Advisory Committee and helped support, amend, or defeat policy resolutions proposed at this year’s CCC AGM. Below are some policy resolutions we proudly supported on behalf of our business community. For the complete updated compendium of policy resolutions, click here. 

Housing 

A Pathway to Fixing the Affordable Housing Crisis in Canada  

Affordable housing is a vital aspect of the housing continuum and is a vital component of economic growth. Yet, there is not enough investment into affordable housing to meet demands. 

The CCC recommends that the Government of Canada: 

1.  Convene with provincial governments and municipalities to develop a cohesive strategy to address housing affordability, clearly defining roles and responsibilities, and how each will work in tandem with the others. 

2. Reduce costs for developers through grants and/or tax incentives to make affordable housing projects more economically sound.  

3. Grow the Canada Public Land Bank by evaluating additional federal real property holdings for affordable housing projects and develop a strategy for attracting the development of these projects.  

4. Reduce barriers to home buyers on housing that will be their primary residence.  

5. Reassess the criteria for the mortgage stress test.   

6. Support increased productivity, including modular and factory-built construction. 

Business Supports 

Discard the Capital Gains Tax Increase 

The increase to the Capital Gains will have a profound, long lasting and potentially irreversible repercussions on business of all sizes across Canada. It is the responsibility of the Canadian Government to ensure they are creating an environment where our businesses can grow and prosper, the potential damages of the increases to the Capital Gains tax will directly hinder the success of our businesses. 

The CCC recommends that the Government of Canada: 

1. Discard the capital gains tax increase, to bolster innovation and retain investments in Canada.   

Increasing Capacity Across Canadian Manufacturing  

Strategic and effective government support is required to increase investment and innovation across the Canadian manufacturing sector. Several factors have restricted investment into the industry including skills shortages, a relatively high tax burden, a restrictive regulatory environment, and the absence of a national advanced manufacturing strategy. 

The CCC recommends that the Government of Canada: 

1. Implement a ten per cent refundable manufacturing investment tax credit for all operations across Canada.    

Infrastructure 

Implementing the Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan (CTIP)  

Trade is vital to our national prosperity, contributing 67% of Canada’s GDP and more than 3 million jobs across Canada. Persistent challenges to delivering products into markets originating from inadequate domestic trade infrastructure is an escalating concern for business in all sectors across Canada. 

The CCC recommends that the Government of Canada: 

1. Implement, in cooperation with the national business sector and Provinces-Territories, a Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan to guide future planning and construction activities.