Canada’s provincial and territorial chambers of commerce today released a joint policy framework urging the country’s premiers to maintain momentum on internal trade and infrastructure development. The document, titled Chambers of the Federation: An Agenda for a More Competitive Canada, was shared in advance of the premiers’ summer meeting in Charlottetown this week. It outlines practical actions governments can advance over the next 12 to 24 months to strengthen economic resilience and competitiveness.

The framework identifies five priorities for collective action. The highest priority is building one Canadian economy by advancing internal trade, labour mobility, and regulatory alignment. Other priorities include competing globally through a ‘Team Canada’ approach, building and connecting energy and trade infrastructure, accelerating approvals for nation-building projects, and strengthening domestic procurement and industrial capacity.

Priorities for Collective Action

Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and founding chair of the Chambers of the Federation, noted that premiers have moved the agenda further in the last year than in the last decade. He emphasized that the focus must now shift to implementation, specifically removing internal trade barriers and accelerating infrastructure projects.

Rhonda Tulk-Lane, Chair of the Chambers of the Federation and President and CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, stated that businesses are ready to invest, hire, and innovate. She called on governments to match this urgency and turn momentum into lasting action. Collectively, the signatory chambers represent more than 600 local chambers of commerce and 200,000 businesses across all sectors and regions.

New research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reveals that the jobs most commonly filled by Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) are exactly the ones young Canadians are least willing to take. The study highlights a significant labour mismatch, as nine in 10 small businesses relying on the TFW program report they cannot fill these positions with local employees. This discrepancy threatens the viability of many small enterprises, particularly those in rural and remote areas.

Nearly half of the youth surveyed indicated they would not look for jobs requiring regular overnight shifts or frequent heavy physical effort. More than a third are unwilling to take jobs primarily performed outdoors or those paying at or near minimum wage. These characteristics align closely with the roles most often filled by TFWs, such as harvesting labourers, nursery and greenhouse workers, food service supervisors, cooks, and livestock labourers.

The reluctance to relocate further exacerbates the shortage. Only 19% of youth would move to a different city or town for a service-sector job, while just 8% would consider a small town or rural community, and a mere 3% would entertain a remote or isolated community. This geographic preference limits the available labour pool for businesses operating outside urban centers.

In June, 46% of rural small businesses reported a labour shortage, compared to 38% of urban businesses. Despite the higher pressure in rural areas, urban businesses also struggle to recruit for non-standard roles. More than half of the small firms using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) stated it has helped them stay open and continue employing Canadians. This figure rises to 76% among hospitality businesses, a sector that serves as a common entry point for young workers.

To address these persistent gaps, the CFIB is calling on the federal government to introduce occupation-based flexibility within the TFWP. The proposal includes creating a category for consistently hard-to-fill jobs, such as overnight or physically demanding roles, with adjusted caps and wage rules. The organization also advocates for consistent rules nationwide to recognize the economy-wide impact of the program rather than allowing provincial adoption to dictate implementation.