Back from St. John’s…
GSCC Chair Mark Weiman Speaking at the Canadian Chamber AGM
Sudbury delegates recently returned from a very successful annual general meeting of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC). The conference featured noteworthy speakers on competitiveness, the economic and political outlook, marketing, and prosperity, as well as speeches by Minister of Industry Christian Paradis, and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale.
The highlight of the conference for most of the delegates is the day-long policy session when the 82 resolutions submitted by community chambers across the country and the expert policy committees of the CCC were debated. This process is often referred to as the parliament of business – a democratic process where policy positions are openly debated, sometimes amended and voted upon. Those that are approved become the official position of the Canadian chamber, which incorporates them into their platform and presents them to government.
I am pleased to report that Sudbury’s resolution entitled, “Assessing the Funding of the Canadian Border Services Agency and Framework of Core Services Review”, was approved by the delegates and will now go forward to the government. We’ll keep you posted on how it fairs.
A second resolution that we co-sponsored with the Timmins, Thunder Bay, North Bay and Sault Ste Marie chambers, titled, “Creating Equality in Federal Economic Development Agencies in Canada”, had a rougher time but was ultimately supported by the delegates. It calls for FedNor to become a standalone agency with the same checks and balances as its sister agencies in other parts of the country.
Attendance at these conventions and our work on policy resolutions are necessary steps in our continuing achievement as an accredited with distinction chamber. You can be proud of the profile your chamber has at these meetings and of the respect by which we are viewed by our colleagues from coast to coast.
Until next time, all the best.
Debbi
