A popular term being used to kick off the federal election is ‘boots on the ground’ and according to the CEO of the local chamber of commerce, the definition of the phrase can vary.
CEO of the Lethbridge and District Chamber of Commerce, Cyndi Crane says in her opinion boots on the ground includes not just small and medium-sized businesses but also large organizations who are employing people in the community, ultimately putting money back into the economy. She says when political leaders are all talking about supporting these workers during the election the questions that local businesses have centre around growth and prosperity, fostering responsible government, labour, workforce development, energy infrastructure, reliable supply chain, and the business environment. She worries Canada has fallen behind in economic growth compared to our peer nations.
“We want to know as businesses, what is, what specific policies will be implemented to improve Canada’s tax competitiveness, reduce red tape and drive investment? Small and medium-sized businesses are struggling with rising costs due to inflation, supply chain disruption and interest rates. What does that look like with these unknown tariffs added on top?” Cranse says. “If we move to fostering responsible government, we have one of the highest corporate tax burdens among OECD countries. We need some kind of commitment to that tax reform that encourages more business investment, so business can do more job creation.”
She states regulations are also a topic of importance when it comes to the local business community, with banking, energy and agriculture regulations having been a topic of discussion brought up from the tariff conversation.
“You know, they’re talking [about] the boots on the ground while they really need to talk to the boots on the ground before making some of these decisions.”
Another key concern Crane mentions is transportation and trade corridors so both domestic goods and global goods can be transported across the country. According to Crane, this would include plans to improve infrastructure, including rail, highway, pipelines, topic of the hour, and ports.
The chamber plans to hold a forum with the local candidates on Tuesday, April 8th and Crane says more information on the event will follow.
