The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and its partners have been working closely with government since the COVID-19 outbreak to mitigate the economic impact on businesses. As a result, many of our recommendations have already been implemented in the government’s initial response.
We also continue to work closely with our members to listen to their recommendations, understand their needs, insights and challenges, and deliver that feedback to government so we can achieve practical solutions together that will carry us into recovery. Here is a snapshot of our progress on policy measures so far:
Assessing The Canadian Chamber’s Policy Impact
Implemented
Partially implemented
No to little traction or uptake
The Canadian Chamber Has Recommended | The Government of Canada Has Announced | Advocacy Response | ||||||
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Defer tax deadlines, audits and payments (both for individuals and businesses) |
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Provide direct support to employers to cover a significant percentage of wages paid to workers who would otherwise lose their jobs. |
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Help affected businesses, particularly SMEs, access emergency credit and capital swiftly and interest free |
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Accelerate government payments to private and non-profit vendors | Directive issued by Treasury Board to all government departments to expedite supplier payments | |||||||
Postpone government consultations that are not germane to COVID-19 | Extensions are inconsistently being announced | |||||||
Place a moratorium on the introduction of new regulations that are non-essential | In progress | |||||||
Provide provisional extensions for temporary foreign workers already in Canada | Extensions being allowed on ad-hoc basis (e.g. agricultural workers) | |||||||
Reduce tariffs for essential medical supplies | Directive issued by Canada Border Services Agency for a reduction on tariffs for essential medical supplies | |||||||
Engage the Canadian manufactures to retool for medical supplies | A government portal has been established for interested manufacturers | |||||||
Identify and support workers for essential goods and services | In progress | |||||||
Help businesses, particularly SMEs, finance remote work options | N/A | |||||||
Offer flexibility on remittance payments | In progress | |||||||
Support for diminished sectors (e.g. energy, transportation, travel, tourism, cannabis, etc.) | In progress | |||||||
Provide commercial rent relief | – Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) available May 25 | |||||||
In partnership with provincial and territorial chambers of commerce, we recommended provincial and territorial governments enact a moratorium on commercial evictions. | – Several jurisdictions have now enacted moratoriums. |
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