Photo credit: Martin Cathrae via Source - CC BY-SA
QEW Oakville
The Oakville Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, released their recommendations on infrastructure spending entitled "The Infrastructure that Matters Most: The Need for Investment in Canada's Trade Infrastructure" with a focus on spending to improve Canada's global competitiveness and economic well-being. The full report is attached and can also be found at Investments in Trade Infrastructure.
Specifically, the recommendations for the federal government are:
- Make Trade Infrastructure an Equal Priority in the $120-billion Federal Infrastructure Plan
- To improve Canada's global economic competitiveness, the government should make trade-enhancing infrastructure investments an equal priority in the federal plan, commensurate with the funding allocated to the new social, transit and green infrastructure categories.
- Make Trade Infrastructure Investment Decisions Using Merit-based Criteria.
- The federal government should ensure new trade infrastructure projects are selected on the basis of national objectives according to merit-based criteria. A merit-based approach ensures critical investments are not held captive to local or regional interests or undermined by inadequate financial support.
- Renew the Federal Commitment to Canada's Trade Corridors
- A renewed program focusing on trade corridors that recognizes that Canada must improve the quality, speed, and cost effectiveness of its trade networks can usher in a new era of Canadian competitiveness.
- Partner with Industry to Develop a National Trade Infrastructure Committee
- The federal government should establish a National Trade Infrastructure Committee of public sector and industry experts as an institutional mechanism to guide long-term national trade infrastructure priorities.
- Consider the Proposed Federal Infrastructure Bank to Enhance Trade Infrastructure Investment
- As the government develops its promised infrastructure bank, there is an opportunity to use this new tool to provide more than just low-cost financing for municipal infrastructure projects. The government should consult with investors to determine whether the bank should be used to generate more public-private investments in trade-enabling infrastructure.
Kerry Colborne, Chair of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce said "the government has a unique opportunity to reshape Canada's economic future by making trade infrastructure a priority in its national infrastructure plan. For a plan that will set the course for the next decade of infrastructure investment across the country, making trade infrastructure a priority will send an important signal to global customers, Canada's businesses and its workers. It will be a message that Canada is committed to improving its international trade competitiveness to generate more wealth and employment for its citizens."