Oakville Chamber - Oakville landscape photo
Political pundits would describe the most recent provincial election as uneventful even a bit boring. The data from Elections Ontario showed a very low voter turnout.
Why?
Well, in my opinion, people and businesses are trying to get back on track following a surreal time of lockdowns and uncertainty. Ontarians are focused on getting back to normalcy, trying to recover from the hardships experienced from a worldwide pandemic.
The best thing the “new” government can do is get back to work on behalf of the electorate by championing growth to support economic recovery.
Ontario businesses have faced unprecedented years characterized by a prolonged pandemic, record-high inflation, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and geopolitical turmoil. The time is now to focus on a policy agenda that promotes growth.
As outlined in OCC’s election priorities document, Vote Prosperity, parties should be focused on policies that result in more prosperous communities, improved business confidence, high-quality jobs, and a more resilient economy. This requires:
Boosting confidence and predictability by modernizing regulation, committing to meaningful consultations, and developing a long-term plan to tackle Ontario’s debt without increasing taxes or cutting valuable programs and services.
Implementing pro-growth policies through helping businesses access the capital, markets, and talent they need to grow.
Building resilient communities by bolstering health care capacity and bridging our infrastructure gaps, including housing. And finally, supporting entrepreneurship and innovation with targeted supports on technology adoption and data innovation.
The Oakville Chamber of Commerce congratulates both Stephen Crawford and Effie Triantafilopoulos on their successful re-elections and commends all candidates who put their names forward to serve their communities during this provincial election. To that end, we look forward to continuing to working with the government and all parties on policy solutions to advance economic growth in the province on behalf of Oakville’s business community. Now, let’s get back to work!
