Chambers call for unified action on trade, talent and infrastructure

As Canada navigates ongoing challenges around tariffs and trade policy, it’s important for groups in various industries that impact the economy to work together to identify issues and propose solutions.

Shauna Feth, president and CEO of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, is working with her colleagues across the country to do just that—addressing the varying needs of businesses whether they are located in Alberta, Quebec or elsewhere.

“It’s a group of us getting together to strategically identify the priorities around what is happening with our economy, and what supports we need to put in place for our businesses,” Feth said in April during the Western Manufacturing Technology Show in Edmonton. “It took us from November to April to come up with our priorities.”

Forming what is known as the Chambers of the Federation—and recognizing that each province, and the companies doing business in those provinces, have different priorities—the group identified four key issues to focus on moving forward.

Free trade and economic opportunity are focal points, with the goal of reducing interprovincial trade barriers to make it easier for Canadian businesses to thrive.

“What do those critical corridors look like—and not just around energy, but additional resources?” said Feth. “How can we get some of those created, and how can we start getting all of our products to market?”

In addition to east-west trade corridors, Feth said Canada should also look north, expanding critical infrastructure and underutilized ports like those in Churchill and even Prince Rupert to improve market access.

Procurement and near-shoring was another area identified, encouraging local sourcing of products at all levels of government.

“Near-shoring and shoring up our procurement processes—not just in Alberta but across the country—in terms of making sure that wherever possible, avenues are procuring from local providers,” said Feth.

Rounding out the top four—alongside free trade, infrastructure and near-shoring—was labour mobility, which Feth said should address barriers that prevent skilled workers from moving freely between provinces.

The Chambers of the Federation council met on March 2, and as Feth explained, was quickly met by Alberta and Saskatchewan premiers—Danielle Smith and Scott Moe—making policy announcements that aligned with the chambers’ priorities.

“This is one of the moments that will stand out for me in terms of how impactful our advocacy can be when we combine our collective voices,” said Feth.

The Chambers of the Federation is a business-led organization that complements the Council of the Federation, a multilateral congress made up of premiers from each province. The Chambers works on a broader range of economic issues, such as trade, investment and supply chain resilience.

Finding talent

Through the course of its research, talent acquisition remains a recurring issue, according to the chamber.

Alberta has launched the Alberta Talent Development Initiative to help overcome this hurdle. Launched in 2021 in collaboration with the Alberta Post-Secondary Network—comprising 27 institutions—and the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, which represents approximately 24,000 businesses, the initiative focuses on strengthening relationships between education and business, expanding access to work-integrated learning, and improving labour market data and information sharing.

“How are we getting our students into those opportunities earlier, so that when they do graduate they are ready to hit the ground running? said Feth.

The next phase of the initiative will implement the Talent Pipeline Management system, which Feth said has already been adopted in 42 states through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, to better align workforce supply with employer demand.

Alberta supply chain

Developed with the support of Alberta Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration, the Alberta Supply Chain Publishing Network aims to make it easier for businesses to access information.

“We’ve been developing an online network that’s going to be able to communicate supply chain demands and demand data,” said Feth. “This will be a fit no matter what size of manufacturer you are or what type of database you’re working with, if you choose to publish your data in terms of your products and your services.”

The network will be an open-source, browser-searchable platform, compatible with existing databases. It is intended to increase the visibility of local suppliers and reduce dependency on foreign supply chains.

Feth said Canada has strong fundamentals for business success, including competitive tax rates, market access, a talented workforce and quality training systems.

By addressing interprovincial trade barriers and infrastructure gaps, she believes GDP growth would thrive—and better protect Canada against potential tariffs.

“If we had the infrastructure in place and could open those economic corridors,” she said, “it would have alleviated overnight the hit to GDP that tariffs would have impacted our country.”