Chamber Calls on Parties to Outline their Economic Recovery Plans

(TORONTO- May 16, 2022) –Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), released the following statement asking for all parties to share their vision for Ontario’s economic recovery:

“The top issues throughout this election have included healthcare, affordability, and jobs – all of which are critical to Ontario’s economy. However, none of the political parties have outlined fulsome visions that present a clear path toward long-term economic recovery.

“Any party that wants to run the province needs to show they are planning ahead. Plans must focus on levers of growth such as workforce development, immigration, technology, infrastructure, clean energy, and support for the hardest-hit sectors. Businesses want to see a strategy that ties together each of these pieces.

“The past few years have been characterized by tremendous uncertainty for Ontario businesses as they faced a prolonged pandemic, record-high inflation, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and geopolitical turmoil. Given these conditions, it has never been more important for prospective leaders to provide a level of stability that encourages economic recovery, growth, and business competitiveness.”

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

For more information or to arrange an interview:

Alissa Reid
Coordinator, Public Affairs
alissareid@occ.ca | Mobile: 705-205-1434

Backgrounder: Vote Prosperity

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, addressing climate change, and bridging our infrastructure gaps, including housing.
• Supporting entrepreneurship and innovation with targeted supports and a bold approach on technology adoption and data innovation.

The recommendations outlined in OCC’s Vote Prosperity were developed together with businesses, associations, post-secondary institutions, as well as chambers of commerce and boards of trade from across the province.

As the indispensable partner of business, we look forward to putting our members’ issues front and centre this election. To ensure the next provincial election addresses the most important issues, we have developed Vote Prosperity. Read the full plan.