Canadian Chamber welcomes cabinet shuffle, urges focus on economic fundamentals

This leadership transition comes as the country experiences the steepest decline in economic activity on record, and millions of Canadians and tens of thousands of businesses are relying on new federal measures to spur an economic recovery. (File Photo: Perrin Beatty/Twitter)

(OTTAWA) – The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement following today’s cabinet shuffle.

“The Canadian Chamber of Commerce congratulates Ministers Freeland and LeBlanc on their new portfolios. While the make up of cabinet has changed somewhat, the challenges Canada faces have not.

This leadership transition comes as the country experiences the steepest decline in economic activity on record, and millions of Canadians and tens of thousands of businesses are relying on new federal measures to spur an economic recovery.

We welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with Minister Freeland to develop a dedicated plan to repair Canada’s deep economic wounds. A growth-focused plan will unlock economic capacity, fuel job creation and promote new business investment. By working together, we can forge a path to recovery that is inclusive, environmentally responsible and innovative.

We look forward to working with Minister LeBlanc on addressing interprovincial/territorial trade barriers. Given the all-consuming nature of COVID-19, Canada’s economy can no longer accommodate additional disruptions caused by regulatory gridlock within Canada.

Governments must be as agile and determined in pursuing economic growth as they have been in responding to the virus. Our response must rise to the measure of the challenge before it. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce looks forward to working together with new Ministers in their portfolios in addressing the economic challenges we will all face.”